Touring Barcelona (Spain): Exploring Gaudi’s Parc Güell with Savvy Mom
Ruth Paget
From
the Mirò Foundation, my husband Laurent and I walked to the Olympic Site on
Montjuic that was being built for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona (Spain). The asymmetrical radio tower and the pool with
wavy roof would look very good on television I thought.
We
took the bus back to the Plaça Espanya and figured out our way to go to the
Parc Güell. We took Bus 24 through some
of Barcelona’s nicest neighborhoods. I
was surprised to see Gaudi’s Casa Vincens from the window of the bus.
I
love taking buses when I travel. You get
to see so much scenery this way.
We
walked all around Parc Güell. We could
see bits and pieces of the curving, continuous park bench that was undergoing
restoration for the Olympic Games. I
drank a soda while Laurent played with Florence. Three Spanish families with their children
were eating ice cream. The children were
all wearing costumes. Maybe this was a
birthday celebration.
I
liked how people sang to their children in Barcelona and were not too concerned
about fashion, preferring to be comfortable as parents out for a walk with
children and grandparents.
Three
Spanish families with their children were eating ice cream. The children were all in costumes. Maybe this was a birthday celebration. I liked how people sang to their children in
Barcelona and were not too concerned about fashion.
Florence
certainly enjoyed herself in the Parc Güell.
The day turned out to be warm, so we could take Florence’s jacket off. She was wearing her white outfit with red and
blue polka dots and ruffled collar.
She
played on the grass and squealed with delight and smiled at everyone, who
walked by. Families out for a walk came
over and smiled at her and said “Qué Preciosa,” “Qué Bonita,” and “Qué Ojos
Azulas.”
We
returned to the hotel and went to Los Caracoles for dinner. Lunch service is less stressful and less
hurried than the dinner service.
Florence made friends with the people next to us by smiling away and not
making any noise except for laughter and squeals. An Italian man told Laurent “tutti mi
complimenti” on pretty Florence, who was behaving.
Laurent
ate snails with oil, garlic, and a little salt.
I ordered mussels. Next Laurent
had a grilled fish platter. I ordered
the grilled seafood platter.
We
visited the Poble d’Espanya on Montjuic before going home. This mall sells luxury goods from all over
Spain and has bars for dancing.
The
hand glassblowing exhibit was the most interesting. It was magic to watch the craftsman turn a
blob of glass into a vase.
Cookbooks
with great recipes for Catalan and Spanish food include:
-Catalan
Cuisine by Colman Andrews
-The
Foods and Wines of Spain by Penelope Casas
By
Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
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