One of my favorite cities in Europe is Barcelona. In fact, I knew it would be, even before I set foot there. I know that sounds odd, but I’ve always had this desire to visit and I had a feeling in my heart that it would stir my senses and soul. In the summer of 2010 I had the opportunity to spend more than a week there and I wasn’t disappointed. Even though I had hyped it up in my head, it still lived up to every fantasy I had.
My sister, her husband and my two nieces were on a whirlwind trip through France and I had casually mentioned that I would love to meet up with them at some point. So in the scorching August heat I arrived to Barcelona. My sister the smart mom that she is, chose a kid friendly hotel. Kid friendly = a pool. Even cooler = a pool on the roof with an incredible view.
Our days were spent walking the city and nights were late dinners of tapas or swim time at the pool.
Thinking back, it was brave of my sister and her husband to embark on a three week trip with Delphine at 17 months old and Chloe, just a month shy from turning four. It gave me a real appreciation and honest look at the 24/7 aspect of parenthood. Traveling with young kids in a big city during the hottest month of the year, meant we had to slow down and pick our sites carefully.
Travel Tip # 1 – When traveling with kids in the summer, find cafes with freezies every 3 hours.
It wasn’t always the case that we were walking all day long. Sometimes it was standing around in long line ups. When we went to see ” ” church, we must have waited for over two hours in line to get in. Luckily there were people selling fans on the street, which kept the kids busy for awhile. Since there were five of us, we took turns exploring the stores nearby.
Travel Tip # 2 – If you’re traveling to Europe during the high season, be sure to bring your family or make friends with at least three fun people. This will make waiting in line another adventure in the city. Two of you can chat in line, while the other two can explore. Alternatively, be brave and get to know the people in line. It’s like a plane ride, since you’re stuck with them for a long time.
Barcelona has so many museums, art galleries and places to see that it’s hard to pick. An extremely kid friendly place is. Colourful, fun, interesting and with really cool sculptures. It really stood out for the adults and the kids.
