Barcelona.

We enjoyed a leisurely day in Barcelona. We decided against taking of the ship's excursion offerings, and opted to see Barcelona on our own, armed with cash and a tourist map! The city provided a free shuttle from the dock to the center of the city. We considered taking the open top red tourist bus that you see in every large city in Europe, but the weather was so nice and walked up La Rambla to the Gothic Quarter on our own. The boys enjoyed seeing the human statues. Dan and I enjoyed all the beautiful buildings.

We found Barcelona's famous Mercat Boqueria...but before we went in to explore, we had to stop at the Dunkin Doughnuts that is right outside the market. The boys were very excited, as it is the only one we have seen since we have been in Europe. The kids enjoyed their doughnuts as we strolled through the market.

The sights and colors in the market were amazing...here are a few of them:

After the market, we headed over to Barcelona's Cathedral, La Seu. It was completed in 1448, and is considered one of the most impressive cathedrals in Spain.

Then is was on to the La Sagrada Familia (the Church of the Holy Family). Construction began in 1882 on this cathedral, and it is still not completed! It was designed by Antoni Gaudi, and is very unique. I may be the ONLY person to say this, but I really didn't like it. It just wasn't my taste. Luckily, there was a playground just across the street, so we took the kids there to play and just snapped some pictures of the exterior of the church.