25/11 - Barcelona, Spain

So we wake up on day 11, and what do we see when we look outside? Rain. Sad, sad rain. And lots of it to boot. But, all that really means is, we aren't going to the beach to relax. Which is sad. So we get up, have breakfast (which was good because they had doughnuts!) and off we head to Catalunya to meet up with our friends. Catalunya was on the water, so we figured we could go look at the shops. We all walk down Las Ramblas, headed towards the beach, and we happen upon La Boqueria! I was quite happy, as I'd heard that was a great place to check out to take pictures at. It is a market, but I was worried it would be outdoors, and since it was raining, I was worried it wouldn't be very busy. Thankfully, it is a covered outdoor market, and was super busy! So we walked around, looking at all the fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, breads and sweets, and also looking at all the Spanish locals! It was so much fun! We picked up some salami, cheese, fruit and fruit drinks, and some bread, then headed like crazy tourists to the beach. Yes, we wanted to go eat at the water front. Not sure why, seeing as it was raining and we didn't know what we were going to find at the water front, but off we went. We arrived, found a bench that was under some trees, and somewhat protected from the elements, and we had our little lunch picnic. After lunch, we found a huge mall (yes, I know) and so we headed there. Camille really didn't eat lunch and all she wanted was a hamburger from McDonalds, so we let her get some food there, and Mom, Noelle and I, plus our friends, walked around the mall. We left our friends sons, plus Ben and Camille sitting on the steps. The rain had kind of let up, but had started back up by the time we were done browsing. So what did we do? Well, we did what we seem to do best when it rains. We sat on the steps for the next 1 1/2 hours. That was fun =] Finally we decided to brave the rain and off we went. We went to see La Sagrada Familia, a crazy Gaudi church that was by our hotel. It is about 70 years old, but isn't finished being built, even though the architect, Gaudi, is long dead. So that was fun to see. We then found us some dinner! Paella, tapes, and more. So yummy! And that was about all we did in Barcelona that day.