Barcelona: Day 2

After finding a quick breakfast place, we headed out on our only cloudy/slightly rainy day towards the harbor to visit the aquarium. Joey loves going to aquariums and the boys were happy to share in some aquatic life watching.

Boats in the harbor

We rode a conveyor belt around this huge tank and even saw someone who paid to go swimming with the fish and sharks. Yikes!

thumbs up for fun, thumbs down for being in the mouth of a shark

paying homage to Christopher Columbus

We crossed a few lanes of traffic to see the Christopher Columbus statue up close (he left from Barcelona on his famous expedition) and to take some pictures with the lions, at the boys' request.

fierce Kings of the jungle

Afterwards, we headed towards Las Ramblas and La Boqueria. Las Ramblas is a famous thoroughfare that runs through the heart of Barcelona. The path is frequented by street performers and vendors and home to lots of restaurants. It is definitely a popular tourist attraction and we didn't feel the need to do more than just walk along and see the sights before heading on our way.  

beautiful buildings on Las Ramblas

Las Ramblas is also home to La Boqueria, the largest market in Barcelona. We had a smaller market near our flat that was easy to navigate and had similar items for sell. La Boqueria was packed with people and housed so many different stalls where you could buy fruit, vegetables, meat, candy, spices, and more. Such a beautiful way to shop! 

we tasted some candy from this booth

delicious fresh fruit juice

so much meat!

Carrer del Bisbe

Big burgers for big boys at Little Bacoa

After lunch, we headed to the Chocolate Museum. Your ticket in is a bar of chocolate. The boys were more than okay with this part of the tour. We learned about chocolate and how it was made and then saw lots of creations made out of chocolate.

showing off their tickets

what happens when you give a 4 year old a chocolate bar at the start of the museum;)

James and a chocolate version of Barca's legendary player, Lionel Messi

House from Up

We took a break after the museum before heading out to dinner. We kept reading about Tapas 24 so decided to give it a try. The food was great and very authentic. It seemed like a more traditional approach to tapas then our first dinner in Barcelona.

Tapas 24

 James after successfully trying some calamari

more chocolate con churros
 

One last stop at the Barcelona Cathedral before heading home for the night. Love this city!