#3055 the last day in BCN: Casa Vicens and Tibidabo

Thompson fam at Casa Vicens (photo by Lizzie)

 On our final day in Barcelona, we started out by going the La Boqueria because MT wanted to buy paella seasoning, and we'd seen some there when we walked through before. I don't need to be coaxed to go into this amazing open market. The smells, the noise, the displays - all of it makes me feel happy.

fruit shop in La Boqueria

We bought four boxes of paella seasoning. We did not read the fine print that each box contains six packets of seasoning. The good news is that MT has already made paella using a seasoning packet, and it was really good, so I'm sure we will use the remaining 23 packets without hesitation.

The main events of the day were a tour of Casa Vicens and a trip to Tibidabo for all five of us. We took two separate taxis to get to Casa Vicens. It was just a couple of miles from the hotel, but it was a warm day and it was a bit farther than we wanted to walk. I wasn't sad about taking the taxi. 

Casa Vicens is the first home Antoni Gaudi was commissioned to design. It is in the Gracia neighborhood, tucked away on a small street. It is very distinctive. 

Casa Vicens

It was built as a summer home for the Vicens family. At the time, the area was mostly empty fields with lots of marigolds. I am fascinated by the way Gaudi was able to design homes in such a way that the air was cool in side. I've been in four of his houses, and all of them share this trait. I think he was a genius. 

My favorite thing about the house was this indoor/outdoor patio. I strongly suggested that MT take a good long look at the design and architecture and recreate it at my house. He laughed in my face. It's just so pretty, though!

outside view of the patio

inside the patio

I love love love the screens and that fan fountain is amazing! I also love the inclusion of the marigold motif in the tiles on the fountain. The colors are so pretty throughout the house. 

There isn't any furniture in the house, which makes sense because so many people go through it every day, although not nearly as many as in Casa Battlo. We had timed entry tickets and we went right in and were able to spend as much time as we liked looking around the house. There was an audio tour that explained the design and function of each room. It was well done. 

The rooftop patio didn't offer much of a breeze or shade on this particular afternoon, but I have to share this pic of Lizzie because her 'fit totally matches the color scheme of the patio, and she looks really cute.

my adorable little sister

After a thorough examination of the gift shop, we went to the little cafe on site to get our ice cream. Our tour was called "Sweet Gaudi" and included a scoop of either pistachio or mango ice cream. I was the only one who got pistachio and it was delicious. We also drank Cacaolat, a chocolate milk drink that originated in Barcelona. Drinking the Cacaolat really triggered some wonderful childhood memories, as did the next place we visited, Tibidabo.

We took two separate taxis to mid-mountain to a restaurant called Mira Blau. We got there around lunchtime, and it was Saturday, and the place was quite busy, so we made a reservation for a couple of hours later, then rode the funicular to the top of the mountain where the park is.

going up the mountain

My grandparents lived in an apartment that wasn't far from the tram stop that would take us to mid-mountain. Then we'd take the funicular up to the top. Tibidabo is an amusement park. When we were kids, Lizzie and I really liked to go there to ride the bumper cars and the little train and play the arcade games. Now our main interest is the view. You can see across the whole city to the sea from up there. It was a little hazy on this particular day, but it was still magnificent.

my people admiring the view

ussie of T and I

ussie of me and my hubby

beautiful Barcelona with the Sagrada Familia on the right

There is a church at Tibidabo, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. You know, I don't think I've ever been in the church. I think I've always been intimidated by the many, many steps it takes to get up there. MT and T were game for it though, so they went to check it out. I bought some churros and some water and hung out with Mama and Lizzie. I took a photo of the church though. You can't not take a pic of the church. It's grand.

Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Satisfied with our time at Tibidabo, we took the took the funicular back down to mid-mountain and went to Mira Blau for a late lunch. We had a great table by the window which gave us a lovely view of the city. The food was good and we were all happy to be there. Here's my cute mama at the restaurant.

Mamacita! (pic by Lizzie)

We took taxis back down to the Gothic Quarter. As we were making our way to the hotel, we were passed by these:

los gigantes!

There was some kind of festival going on, and there were three pairs of these king and queen giants parading through the Gothic Quarter, then they danced and twirled in Plaza San Jaume just down the street from our hotel. There were fireworks and music and it was a scene, although not as crowded as I would have thought. MT and I watched from our balcony. T was napping. Mama and Lizzie went to the Plaza and saw it all up close and personal. 

For my part, I was plumb tuckered out. My mind was willing to go back out, but my body was tired, so my last night in BCN consisted of packing my suitcase and going to bed early. We had an early wake up call the next day for our ride to Playa de Aro. I'm kinda sad we didn't go out that night, but I'm also kind of okay with it, too. I felt like I did pretty much everything I wanted to do. I didn't eat as many pastries or churros as I intended to eat, but maybe that's okay. Next time ;)

That wraps up our four glorious nights in Barcelona. Even though I didn't get to drink from the Font de Canaletes, I feel certain I'll be back in my favorite city at some point.

I'll write again on Saturday and tell you all about our food adventures in Playa de Aro. We spent three nights there and I was full the whole time. 

PS: MT is going backpacking in Canada on the West Coast Trail for a week. He left for Pocatello today. He is going with his brother Kevin and Kev's wife, Janet. They are driving, so they will be gone for a couple of weeks. I think they'll start the trip on Saturday. I'll keep you posted!

xo