An Evening Stroll

Work is keeping Bobby and I pretty busy these days.  We battle with ensuring we are doing our jobs well while also wanting to be out exploring Barcelona.  We have to remind ourselves that we are not on vacation, but living life in different cities.  It's all about having a good balance.  Will we be able to see and do everything in the cities that we visit?  Absolutely not.  However, during times when we are not working we are fortunate enough to have new experiences.  During this past week we have taken little strolls here and there as time affords. As we are nearing the end of our trip, my thoughts have been of home.  Will we miss not having new adventures awaiting us at the turn of every corner?  Will we enjoy a simpler schedule?  Will we appreciate our surroundings and find beauty wherever we reside?  How will we think back on this year of our lives?  Am I truly appreciating the now?

On this particular day, we left to find dinner.  We were all happy to be out of the apartment!  We found a little pasta shop that reminded us of Mirko's.  However, taste-wise it did not come even close (Mirko's is just so good).  The kids were given big bouncy balloons with their meals that entertained them while we walked in the streets and played in the squares.  

We are not usually out at night so seeing Barcelona come alive was a fun experience.   We headed to the Barcelona Cathedral and walked around this area for awhile before heading home to bed.  

In Paris, I became focused on finding the dates on the buildings of when they were constructed.  I continue to enjoy seeing buildings of old.  The Barcelona Cathedral was built between the 13th and 14th century.  In my opinion, the Sagrada Familia is not as impressive as this cathedral.  I know I might be in the minority that think this way, but when we walked into the square I was amazed.

Amelie and Liam enjoyed climbing the steps and running through the square.  I have realized that I say, "be careful" constantly.  I am cognizant of this, and am working on showing my kids that I have more confidence in their abilities.  However, it is very difficult for me to back up and let them be!  You can see in the picture above that I was hovering around Liam as he was climbing.  He is very proficient at climbing up and down stairs, ladders, hills, etc but it still makes me nervous every time.  He is now saying, "Liam do it self!"

We could only see the back part of the cathedral as a service was being held.  I enjoyed hearing the organ playing while enjoying the quiet of the inside of the building.  The lights on at night gave the church a beautiful glow.  I am hoping we have time to come back to see the church during the day too.

As we walked around the exterior of the church, we came upon a small square in which a lady was singing.  Her operatic songs with the night surroundings made me feel like we had just stepped into a movie.  She eventually had to stop because she was growing hoarse.  She was really belting it out and it was amazing.  She was singing with such passion.  After walking away Bobby and I discussed, would we have had the same experience had we been able to understand what she was singing?  There is a portuguese singer that we learned about while living in Portugal.  We love listening to him.  However, when we found his songs translated into English we were not as impressed.  Is part of the experience heightened because you don't know the words?

Barcelona at night is more alive than during the day.  We were surprised by the big crowds on this weekday evening.  The restaurants, streets, sidewalks were all packed to the brim with people.  With small kids, we normally do not get to be a part of the energy of the nightlife, so it was fun experience.