More Barcelona!

We made a visit to Barcelona’s famous La Boqueria and enjoyed walking though.  There is so much to see here and it made me miss Seattle’s Pike Place Market, even though Barcelona had a few more interesting things for sale!

Produce beautifully and perfectly stacked, cups of fresh fruit juices glistening with moisture from the ice they rested in, seafood so fresh some of it was still moving and fresh meat from local butchers filled the spaces in this large market.  It was hard not to wish I was a local who could shop here daily for fresh food.    

The fresh fruit was super affordable and we picked up a large fruit salad for 2 euro and fresh fruit juice was around 1 euro per cup if you purchased more than one.  I had a blackberry banana juice and it was the best smoothie I have ever had!

We also spent a little bit of time on the beach.  The girls loved looking for shells and eventually I have to cut them off as our pockets were overflowing with small shells. 

The advantage of going to the beach in February is that it isn’t crowded but the disadvantage being it is February and too cold for swimming.  I love the beach…the sand, the smell, the giggles from my girls but hate the water!  So I don’t mind not being able to jump in. 

Since we were on the beach we found a place for lunch.  Sangria and paella!  Surprisingly, it is difficult to find a good paella place since so many places do not make it fresh but apparently dump it all in the pan from a frozen bag!  GASP!  The horror!  JG did a lot of research on this since it is expensive and you don’t want to get ripped off.  So we found a nice place near the beach and enjoyed our paella, served to us by the owner himself, with a fantastic glass of sangria.  It was muy delicioso!

Yes, lots of food in this post!  I love food…eating it, taking photos of it, admiring the beauty!  I wish I was a better food photographer but I hope you enjoyed seeing things through my viewfinder today.

Welcome to Croatia

We crossed into Croatia in the early afternoon and drove down to Pula which is located on the tip of the Istrian Peninsula.  Pula is an industrial port town but home to an intact Roman amphitheater. 
The Amphitheater was by far the highlight of the city and we were able to walk around inside and sit in the seats.  As is our luck, there was a crew setting up a stage for a concert while we were there.  However it did not take away from the sense of awe you experience when you walk around.  It is hard to believe that this structure has been here since it’s completion in 68 AD.  (I promise the sky was that blue and I did not Photoshop it.  I usually only run a sharpen action on my photos.)

There is an old Roman Theater just a couple of blocks away from the Amphitheater.  Unfortunately the area around the theater was covered in graffiti and there was a lot of broken glass on the ground.  It is sad to me that people don’t appreciate the history in their own town.

We walked up behind the theater to Fort Kastel and noticed many little lizards along the way.  They are speedy little things but this one wasn’t camera shy.

That is not a great photo of the girls but a good view of the fort.  I want to add that it was HOT in Croatia!  The girls were all red and flushed from the heat but we had plenty of water on hand and they were happy until I wanted to take a photo.  Sunscreen and hats are a must if you travel here, especially in the summer.
After we left Pula we drove about 15 minutes to a small town where our apartment was located.  JG picked a great place for sure and we were 400 meters from the beach!  The first night we just walked down and enjoyed the beautiful view.  The first thing you will notice is all the rocks!  Croatia does not have sandy beaches but there are still plenty of places to spread out your beach towel and relax.

There were plenty of little crabs to be found and we even saw a small jelly fish floating in the water.  Since it is all rocky the water stays perfectly clear as you walk in and you can easily see anything that may be swimming in the water with you.  On our second night there Aubrey noticed a jelly fish floating into the cove we claimed and we safely avoided him. 

Thanks for joining me again as I share our photos with you.  If you have any questions please leave a comment and I will answer them promptly.