great times in Barcelona

We had been warned that big city vacations can be challenging with a small child, but man, did Leighton and I have a good time with Lilly in Barcelona! It went above and beyond any and all expectations I had and could have had. I backpacked through Spain back in 2000, for the month of July, after successfully having defended my dissertation that previous June. Barcelona was my first stop. I stayed in a youth hostel by the port, between the Ramblas and the medieval quarter. This time we rented a penthouse apartment on Rambla del Raval, parallel to the Ramblas. It wasn't super fancy, but definitely more comfortable than what I'd stayed in before; we had a separate bedroom, but also a futon in the living room to crash and play on, and we had a great sunny deck overlooking the Rambla.

On the day we arrived we went over to Pl. Reial where we had thin crust pizzas for dinner.

Lilly got some bread to munch on when she woke up, then we danced a little,

and then Leighton took some pictures of us over by the fountain.

Back in 2000, I remember partying here with a group of Americans I'd met at the hostel, we'd sit around the fountain and drink beer while one of the guys played a guitar, and we danced. So somethings never change, while at the same time they change entirely.

Leighton's posted a new album with more pictures from our trip that will give you an impression of our week there, the sights we saw, the food we ate, the good times we had. For anyone planning an urban vacation with a child, I'd recommend the following:

1) rent an apartment: that way you can prepare and eat some of the meals at home (which tends to be less of a hassle with a child; at least Lilly is very happy when she can roam around and be as load as she'd like),

2) make sure you have a booster chair for your child; in Barcelona, hardly any of the places we went to eat or have coffee had high chairs for children. Timing is also an issue here. When Lilly was little (up till 3 months or so?), it was easy to nurse and eat at the same time. Then she got a little squirmier, was more easily distracted and couldn't focus as well on feeding when we were out. At 6 months, when we went to Gran Canaria, she was not quite big enough to sit in a high chair, at least not for an entire meal. She could play a little on the floor (now she'd escape us if we let her down on the floor in a restaurant). At 10 months, she was just the perfect age to enjoy joining us by the table, sitting in her own chair, and eating or interacting with the people at the surrounding tables when we were out to eat.

3) avoid super long flights (5 + hrs. was pushing it, 3 hrs. went just fine).

4) avoid too hot or too cold climates. It was so nice not to have to worry about Lilly getting either too warm or cold.

5) make sure there's an elevator if you don't live on the ground floor.

6) go somewhere where it's easy to stroll a stroller; Barcelona had excellent pavements and smooth intersections.

7) pick a destination with a diversity of things to do; in Gran Canaria we were limited to our apartment, the beach walk, and the pool area. When it was too cool to be outside or swim, there wasn't too much else to do (aside shopping, which I find stressful with (and even without) a child). In a city like Barcelona, there are great museums for rainy days (we went to the Picasso museum), lovely parks for sunny days (we went to the city park and the Gaudi park), markets where there's lots to watch and fresh food to sample or buy to prepare at home, bakeries to get yummy bread, a cafe for coffee breaks on every corner, an abundance of walks to take and sightsee, etc., etc.