TAKING THE DIVE...INTO THE HOOD

I did a fair amount of self debating about actually moving to this neighborhood. To be honest, it's not great...some parts of it are down right scary. But that's what a "transitional" neighborhood is all about right, some parts are good, some parts are not. I was primarily concerned with security. I was debating if I would feel sort of "trapped" in my home and not feel like it was safe to walk around. But I've lived in Philly a while, even the best neighborhoods can have bad things happen in them (when bad things happen t good neighborhoods....sounds like a good title for a book). But hopefully this neighborhood is moving in the other direction...and I hope to be part of the positive trasformative energy. So...here is a pic of the street and the empty overgrown lot that will eventually be my house...

COMPUTERS ARE YOUR FRIEND So after searching for a place and not really finding what I wanted I was becoming a little discouraged. I thought I was really going to have to compromise, I started looking at house I really wouldn't have been happy in. But I was losing the fight against the long haul...endurance was becoming an issue. I started feeling like "Just choose something, get it over with, you're not going to find what you want so just get it done." Looking for a house can take up a lot of your time, if you are like me, you obsess over something...I must have viewed thousands of houses online. The internet is a great thing for searching, there are plenty of great sites...find one that works for you, but here are some I liked: 1. EveryHome: http://www.everyhomerealty.com/pa/ph/a/home.htm My favorite site by far. The Username is "Special" the password is "client". Lots of ways to sort your searches, easy to read and view pictures. They list houses in Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties (Philly is new, they didn't have it when I was looking). The best feature about this site is that every single day you can see the new listings...so if you're a little obsessive like me, it's great to feel like you are seeing everything that's on the market every single day. 2. Prudential: http://www.prufoxroach.com/index.cfm A pretty good site that has a lot of ways to delimit your searches. They also have a search feature that lists only new listings but it's not done everyday, it's all listings within about a week of being listed. Slightly annoying is that you have to click on an extra button to get the description of the property (if they have written one). 3. PhillyLiving: http://www.phillyliving.com/ A pretty good site for looking specifically in Philadelphia, it lets you search by specific neighborhoods. 4. Mortgage Calculator: Not a search site but since I have previously said money is the absolute first thing you should figure out a good mortgage calculator can be helpful. You will still need a little help from your realtor or mortgage guy to figure out insurance exactly especially if you're doing FHA financing, there is an additional insurance called PMI...but this gets you pretty close and lets you play around with numbers (you need JAVA): http://www.drcalculator.com/mortgage/ 5. Zillow: http://www.zillow.com/ This is another site I used a lot. One of the great features is that you can type in an address and not only see the house you want to look at but also you can see the surrounding houses and their estimates (take the estimates with a grain of salt but they are sometimes worthwhile). One of the other cool features is the birds eye view, you can view the house from different angles and get a sense of other nearby things like other houses or how far away the railroad tracks are. The site also has a wealth of topics you can search and plenty of experts in the filed who, in my experience, were pretty glad to help with questions. I was able to talk to an FHA expert who was really helpful. I'll say this about FHA financing also; if you are interested in FHA 203K or 203b financing drop me a line I'll be glad to tell you all I know...but it's not exactly scintillating reading if you know what I mean...but go here first: http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/203k/203kabou.cfm

SEARCH IN THE CITY In my search in the suburbs I had thought I was interested in an older, in fact one of the few places I had found that I liked was a 184 year old Victorian, it was great. I loved all of the wood work and the interior that was full of character, a servants stairs, great second empire detailing, a safe built under the stairs and a great garden to name a few. I was really tempted by the house. If it hadn't been in the middle of nowhere I may have actually went for it...and maybe later in life a great old Victorian is where I will end up. When I started looking in the city I thought my enjoyment of older homes would continue. It was surprising to see how my interests changed. I went from wanting a really old Victorian to building a brand new home. As corny as this may sound, sometimes the process of looking for a home is a journey, one where you learn a lot about yourself and the things that are important to you. I expected the process to be similar to the suburbs, to look at a bunch of places without much luck, but almost immediately I found some places that I liked, not loved, but liked so I was encouraged. I also had a new realtor who was a little more motivated than my previous one. One of the other reasons I hadn't looked downtown was I didn't think I would find anything I liked in my price range that wasn't in the ghetto. I really wanted to try and stay in my neighborhood or one of the other downtown neighborhoods. But of course these are the most sought after areas and price made many of them out of my reach. My neighborhood is called the "Graduate Hospital" area and it has gone through a revitalization over the past several years. Many people used to define center city's southern border as South Street but now many have extended it to Washington Avenue. From South Street to Washington Ave and from Broad Street to Approximately Gray's Ferry to the West is the Graduate Hospital neighborhood. It's gottne more popular over the last few years as some bars and cafes have begun to appear and formerly run-down areas have been rebuilt. This of course drives up the prices of homes...but the edges of the neighborhoods had places within my financial reach. LET THE NEGOTIATIONS COMMENCE Much quicker than I thought, I found a place I liked. It was within the neighborhood I wanted (although on the very edge of it) and was close to what I was looking for. I actually put a bid in on it. Now here is the utterly heart renching, exciting, queasy, wonderful and and extremely nerve-racking part of buying a house. Again, read as much as you can...do your own research. Don't depend soley on your realtor to guide you. They shoould offer advice, but remember they work for you and if they are telling you something that doesn't feel right, trust your instincts. The place I was looking at was listed for $249k. I put in a bid for $235k ansd asked for the seller to pay closing costs. The seller coutered saying the absolutel minimum he would accept would be $245k and since I was asking for about $15k in closing costs (this estimate on their part was incorrect by the way) he wanted $260k. Now I was in a quandry, I liked the place but I wasn't in love with it and was willing to walk away. But I did like it and it was in the neighborhood I wanted. It didn't have a finished basement which was a big contention on my part. I was planning on using a FHA 203k loan to finish the basement before I moved in so I had to figure that in the cost of the house as well. I ultimately told my realtor to respond with a counter of $250k but to tell the seller it was my final offer. The seller countered with $255k and I stuck to my guns and walked away. I of course worried at the time that I was making a mistake (and I should note that my realtor was encouraging me to take the offer...as much as I like my realtor, I think that was a little of the shark circling). I worried I was passing something up I would regret but I made the call. I didn't think the market supported the price the seller was asking and I did say it was my final offer. (As of this post my call was a good one, the property is still listed and they have reduced the price by $10k...guess he should have taken my offer). But I'm ultimately glad the deal fell through. LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION (at least a few blocks away) I've mentioned I live in the "Graduate Hospital" neighborhood. After looking at a few places in my neighborhood and not finding what I really wanted (at least within my price range) I started looking outside my neighborhood. They say location is everything in real estate, well that is certainly true in Philadelphia. A few blocks down the street is a neighborhood called "Point Breeze". It's just over the Washington Ave. border and it's amazing how much neighborhoods change within a few blocks. So "Point Breeze" ... ok ... some parts of it are the 'hood. But I was able to hook up with a realty company buliding new houses all over this neighborhood. They are trying to revitalize it just like my current neighborhood was revitalized years ago, the city has also marked it as an area for improving. I searched through the neighborhood and found a lot on the edge of the neighborhood, not far from my current place. Within two-blocks there are several brand new houses, on the street I'm looking at my house will be the 4th new house on the block. So as much as I can evaluate the real estate potential (with having absolutely no experience) I have made what I think is the best choice. I plan to live there for a few years but not forever so my hope is in a few years the neighborhood will improve and so will my investment.

So....I'm buying a house. Not only am I buying a house but I'm building it. From an empty lot to the finished product I'll be involved in the whole thing. Now I won't be doing any of the physical labor (I'm to pretty for that) but the trials and tribulations of the process, I thought I'd blog a little bit about. How I got here: I started looking for a house in the suburbs of Philadelphia, the market was good for buying and I had managed to save some money over the past few years so I thought the timing for home ownership was right. I've lived in downtown Philadelphia for several years now and while I do love living in the city I was missing the green of the suburbs. I looked for months and found a few that I liked but nothing that I loved. Also, every time I found something I liked it never seemed to be an ideal location. Since I travel for work I need to have easy access to the airport. Downtown, it can't get much easier, I'm just a 15 minute cab ride away; I don't have to worry about driving to and parking at the airport. When I get home from a trip, there are cabs right outside the baggage claim and I am back home in no time. I think one thing also making me want to return to the burbs was my parents. They are getting a little older and my mom had a little episode and ended up in the hospital and I felt like I was far away in the city. So it might have been a little reactionary to that event. They are in their mid 60's so hopefully they have many fine years ahead of them and me living nearby can probably still be put off for a while. After I worked through the parent issues I realized being in the city was still probably the best choice for me in terms of my job. Plus I love living in the city! I have friends here, I like being able to walk to stuff. Starting to look in the city also gave me the opportunity to kindly fire my first realtor. The Realtor: When I started the house hunting process I asked several friends what I should look out for. Almost all of them said "Don't trust your realtor!" Now, I don't know that I'd go that far, my second realtor has been a good guy. I would say you have to always remember the realtor, even if they really do want to help you, will also be looking out for themselves. As one friend put it, "They're like sharks, you get close to buying a house and it's like they smell blood and want to, as quickly as possible, move in for the kill." My best advice...about evrything in this proces so far that I can offer....educate yourself. The internet is a great thing, you can find a ton of information on almost any subject...so find it, read it, read three or four or five different sources about the topic you are interested in. Only one person in this whole process will be looking out for your and only your interests; that's you. Sites like www.zillow.com and www.truila.com are great sources to read up on real estate related topics. When you realtor says something that goes against what other experts in the field say, call them on it. You don't need to be mean about it, but let them know you are an informed consumer and while you expert their advice on topics as they should be experts in their fields you will also do your own research. Let me say, my first realtor was an idiot. I later read experts say you should interview realtors, but quite honestly I don't think people do that. I'd just say don't be afraid to move on to another realtor if you don't mesh with yours...or they're an idiot. Ultimately they work for you, you, in effect, employ them...treat them as such. My second realtor I didn't interview either, but I called the realty agency and gave them some information about myself and what I was looking for and they matched me up with someone they thought would work, it was almost like eharmony...except, you know, for people wanting to buy a house. My second realtor worked out fine. He is a smart guy and was supportive, he would offer challenging points of view that would at least make me think about things and in the end he is who I am expecting to pay attention to all the minutia on forms and things that I am signing (not that I haven't read them...but he did catch a few things that really should have been in writing). But quite honestly, if I could have made the arrangements to gain entry into the houses I wanted to view...I wouldn't have even needed a realtor. I could have visited places on my own...it's just when you want to make and ofer, they know that somewhat convaluted process much better then you (or I) do and make it go much easier. The Money: This is where the whole process should really start. The one good thing my first realtor did, was set me up with a mortgage guy. Money has never been my strong suit and the mortgage guy really guided my in doing some basic things, like monthly budgets with low, medium amd high estimates for mortgage payments to see how you would feel with different price houses. Also getting pre-qualified for a mortgage amount is really helpful when you actually go to put in a bid. But the money should really be guiding you during your whole process, you should have clearly defined numbers for amount of money you want to put down, the amount of money you want to spend on the house and the amount of money you want to spend per month on a mortgage. Again, read as much as you can, educate yourself. My mortgage guy was pretty helpful but when it came down to finalizing some budget items he reccommended some things that after I did reading on them and questioning him about, he changed his suggestions. So be smart. Theay always say location, location, location with realty but I would change that a little: 1. Money 2. Location 3. Follow the gays (thanks Krisitna)

Trip to Paris, France: Day 2

NOTRE DAME I awoke to a new day. The Jet lag resolved, Kosovo refugees far from my thoughts I set out to see Paris. We wander around the Marais district for a bit then make our way to the islands. We stroll past the Palace of Justice and St. Chappell and head pretty directly toward Notre Dame. I am entranced by it. The gothic architecture is amazing. It is monolithic in nature, beautiful, intricate and stark at the same time. The massive amount of time-worn smooth stones contrasted by the inumerable nooks and crannies, beheaded saints and stone gargoyles peering meanicingly down upon the square in front of the cathedral. A statue of Charlemagne stands gaurd as you approach, it is mottled green and harsh. His disapproving countenance dares you to pass, behold his works, ye mighty, and despair. The inside of the cathedral is bright and colorful, the stained glass windows adding an air of joy to the solemnity of crucifixtions and beheadings. I admit I enjoyed the interior, especially the Rose Windows, but the exterior was what held my attention...and for odd reasons. It is probably the premeire example of French Gothic architecture and why was I drawn to this? ...Gingerbread. I had toyed with the idea of creating Notre Dame in gingerbread for a competition and now with excellently detailed photographs I feel renewed interest in the project. We circle the structure so I can get numerous pictures. There is a garden around the cathedral that, in the Spring, I am sure is amazing...a thought that will occurr to me numerous times this week as we are in Paris early and there is still a chill in the air. The lines to many attractions are short, but the flowers are not yet in bloom. As we round the cathedral, there is a line of tourists. The line is to climb the cathedral steps. It is 8 euros, a deal, and not very long to wait. I think, "sure, what a cool expereince this will be". The sweet smell of crepes being made nearby distracts me and I fail to read the sign which indicates you will be climbing up 422 steps. Now, the end result was great. The views from up top are amazing and the experience was terrific. In the moment of climbing those steps however, I was less than sure it was such a good idea. I have never claimed to be the healthiest of persons...I was well past my fanatical high impact step aerobic days. There was a moment, on the second set of stairs...stairs so small, no one would be able to get by if I stopped. Stairs that circled and circled and circled and circled...seemingly endlessly, stairs that I craved a brightening in the light and the breath of cold air that indicated the stairs had ended...a moment, I thought I would have to turn back. But my near heart attack inducing effort was rewarded with views I don't think I will soon forget. CAFES After Notre Dame, we refulled at a nearby cafe. Here is what I have to say about cafes...they are everywhere and they are excellent. We never planned anywhere specific for lunch. We just knew we could stop at almost any cafe, and there are bunches of them, and would get a good meal. I recommend the croque madam. Oh, and learn the phrase carafe d'eau, which means 'carafe of water'. It will get you a small bottle of cold tap water and will save you many euros throughout the week as you avoid bottled water...which is what they will bring you if you just ask for water. THE LATIN QUARTER & THE PANTHEON We strolled through the Latin Quarter, past the University of Paris and the Sorbonne but our destination was the Pantheon, a huge Greek-like structure. It housed the tomb of Voltaire, among many others among the crypts (...which you need to climb stairs down into...and I felt every one of those stairs after Notre Dame). There are numerous paintings and neoclassical architectual elements here...as well as many graves of notable Frenchmen (and Frenchwomen, after Marie Curie's remains were moved here in 1995). THE GARDEN/PALACE OF LUXEMBOURG We are still feeling energized and continue our walkabout by touring the garden of the Palace of Luxembourg. This is apparently where Parisians hang out on weekends. It's a large area and there are these (apparently very well known) light green chairs everywhere that you can just relax in. The grounds are large with grassy areas, trees, fountains, statues and the Palace of Luxemborg to enjoy. Again, it was still chilly and the tress were bare and only the hint on Spring was in the air, but I could well see how relaxing this area would be. The Palace, former home of Marie de Medici, itself is closed to the public, (except for one Saturday a month when guided tours are given) and is the seat of the current Paris Senate. We relax here fo a bit, it is serene...and there are few stairs here at least.

THE ARC DE TRIOMPH & CHAMPS ELYSEES

Our last touristy stop for the day. A short metro ride brings us near the Arc. It's big, really big. We were feeling a little worn out. It is possible to climb in the actual arc (more stairs), but we weren't feeling it (well I wasn't). We crossed the incredibly busy traffic circle by the underground passage (stairs down and then stairs back up) and strolled around the arc for a few photo ops. It's cool, and big...really big but I think I was just feeling a little worn out from the day's activities so just wasn't feeling it. Perhaps it is tied closely to the French heart, it touches on many battles both won and suffered by the French...but maybe they just think it's a busy traffic intersection that they try to avoid, I'm not sure.

A stroll down the Champs Elysees. The highpoint was a relaxing and delecious cup of coffee in the George V cafe as Peter and myself were not very interested in the numerous insanely expensive stores. It seems mandatory to stroll this boulevard however, so check that off our tourist list, otherwise, unless you wish to spend thousands of dollars in a foreign country, I wouldn't list this as a "must-do" when in Paris.

CHEZ ROBERT & LOUISE

Dinner at the very homey country restaraunt was great. I got this recommendation from Anthony Bourdain's show on the Travel channel 'No Reservations'. It is small, be prepared to be seated with other people at the same table, although I read this is fairly common in France. As a side note, the French have a comfort level with being close to one another. Not that they want starngers next to them, it's just the way it is and is not viewed as odd. There were two men stitting at a four top table when we sat down. They said nothing to us. After they left four others were seated at the table. They were two couples who were really nice and we ended up chatting with them for a bit. The food is very homey and delicious, although I think Peter found the steak to fatty. This is the kind of place you would probably never enter if you passed it on the street, it was filled with locals and just has a really authentic feel to it. Check out you tube for Anthony's video...we sat at the very table Mr. Bourdain sat at and had the same cut of steak he ordered: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf3TVNAfV7g&feature=related. Our table neighbors were freindly and suggested several places for us to eat for the rest of the week.

With bellies full and legs burning from the numerous steps we headed back to our hotel.

Trip to Paris, France: Day 1

GETTING THERE

Ahhhhh, Paris. This year...a trip to Paris and it was great. I wanted to do something very last minute. What I was originally going to do was use a US Airways special deal called 'e-savers', they're very last minute deals that are posted every Wed. But you never know where exactly these specials will be going, so you have to be able to be flexible. Unfortunately the only e-saver available the week I was looking at was to Rome, and since my traveling companion, Pete, had already been to Rome we opted to find a last minute deal on Priceline. It wasn't quite as cheap as I was hoping, but hey, how often am I in Paris? The flight out was delayed slightly but otherwise was uneventful, although long at just under 8 hours. We flew into Charles De Gaul airport. We were staying in an area known as the Republique and it is possible to take the train/metro directly from CDG. Metro/Train tickets are 1.60 euros for a one way ticket. You can get a 10 pack for just over 11 euros and there is a weekly pass that is available (I think for around 40-50 euros) that allows you to ride the Train/Metro all week long. We eventually bought a 10 pack and this lasted us pretty well the whole week. We would generally metro somewhere, walk all over that area and metro home in the evening. We opted for a cab from CDG and it was 45 euros to the Holiday Inn, Republique.

HOME SWEET HOME

We stayed at the Holiday Inn, Rebuplique which was a pretty nice place. It has a very Parisy-exterior but is modern on the inside with a decent bar and restaraunt. The desk staff were very nice and all spoke excellent English. The rooms were decent size for Europe. They have individual thermostats, although I don't think the air conditioning was on (it was still cool outside) because my and Peter's rooms never got cold with that air on. It would have been totally fine to open the window as it was nice and cool out except that our rooms opened out to the Republique traffic circle which was very loud. Some pics from the hotel and the Republique circle.

THE EIFFEL TOWER...ALMOST

We unpack and immediately set out for the Eiffel Tower. I find the Paris Metro more confusing then the Metro in either Madrid or Barcelona. The ticket machines do not offer multiple languages and are only in French. There was some issue with our credit cards that wouldn't allow us to use them (I have read they require a special card that has some kind of microchip in it which US cards do not have). It's fine if you can find a ticket window with a live person, but not every station has one. But we eventually get our metro tickets and are on our way.

We get off at the Ecole Militare metro stop so we can wander a bit and approach the Eiffel Tower from the distance to get the full effect. It's great, I love it as soon as I emerge from the metro. We are near a military academy that previously taught Napoleon.

It's exactly what I think Paris should look like, The Eiffel Tower is at the other end of tree-lined grassy parkway.

We pass the Peace Memorial on the Champ du Mars and stroll leisurely toward the tower.

It is immense, It's brown metal is pretty against the bright blue sky as fluffy clouds lazily drift by. I can feel the sense of Parisian history that stretches out before me, we close in on the base of the structure. The tower is massive, metal, and dominates your view, but is at the same time, airy and uplifting. We approach the ticket counter to purchase our tickets to ascend to the top, a perfect begining to our Paris vacation! ... Then I find that my wallet has been stollen.

Yup, stollen

....bastards. Ruined my idyllic freakin Parisian moment.

The sky darkens as the Eiffell Tower shrinks as I make my way back on the metro, back to the hotel to spend the next three hours cancelling my credit cards....bastards.

DAMN KOSOVO REFUGEES

Well, I think it happened as I approached the Eiffel Tower. A woman appraoched me and asked if I speak English, when I say yes, she holds out a card for me to read. It's a very sad story written in a shaky hand that tells of the terrible case of a family running from the terrors of war in Kosovo. Of a family broken and begging on the streets of Paris, far from home and family. I, being a jaded Philly city boy, ignore her pleas for money, after spending a few polite moments reading her card. I'm almost positive it was then she lifted my wallet.

Karma is a bitch.

So, the inevitable traveller disclaimer: Be cautious of pick pockets.

I thought I was better than this, a more seasoned traveler who should have known better. Luckily I have copies of all of my credit cards and driver's license in the safe in my hotel room, along with two hundred dollars which I hadn't excahnegd. Of course it would have been better if I had also left in the safe all the stuff I wouldn't use at all, so I wouldn't have to cancel every card I own. Better still, if I had placed my items in my front pocket where it would have been safer...sigh. Luckily Peter is with me and can pay for pretty much everything I need the rest of the week...we'll straighten out the finances later, crisis averted (for the most part). I am a bit travel weary and stressed and don't feel like searching long for a spot for dinner. Our first meak in Paris...at the German Brathause on the circle near our hotel.

Tomorrow is a new day.

Trip to Spain: Barcelona Day 3

Tourist:

The gils wanted to shop but I wanted to do some very touristy things so we split up. The girls spent a good portion of their day in the Chuca district especially along the Passeig de Gracia where you can find stores like Burberry, Armani, Zara, Ferregamo, Louis Vuitton, etc.

I headed out on the bus turistic. This is a very touristy thing to do but I found it a great way to explore the city. You can buy a one or multiple day pass. I forget exactly how much it cost, but it wasn't very expensive. They way it works is you buy a pass and you can get on the bus as much as you want for as many day passes you buy. There are three routes throuout the city, red, blue and green (the green route is only open March 14 - Sept. 28). Along each of the routes there are specific touristy stops which you can get off and explore further. You can then get back on the bus and go somewhere else. There are specific stops where you can transfer from one route to another. Your ticket also gets you some earphones that you can plug into your seat and listen to a recorded tour of the city as you drive around. The bus is a double decker style with the top level open to the air. If it's nice weather the top it where you want to be, of course everyone thinks that, so it fills up fast. You can avoid a little of this by getting on at less crowded stops. Here's a scan of the bus route map and a picture from the top of the bus that gives you an idea of what it looks like.

I really liked this. Having never been to Barcelona and wanting to see as much as I could this was great. It took you all over, you could get on an off pretty much all day (I think it ran until about 6pm or 7pm. You can also take pictures right from the bus if you don't want to get off at a particular spot. I spent a bunch of time just riding around and listening to the tour, but I stopped at a couple of places.

Poble Espanyol:

I really liked this place. It was built as a temporary exhibit for a world's fair but people really liked it so it's still standing. It's sort of a recreated mini version of Spain. There are examples of many different kinds of Spansih archtecture and there are bunches of shops and cafes. Many ofthe shops sell hand made items and the shop usually serves as the artists workshop/studio as well. You can take a recorded self guided tour for a few euros to hear more abou the different architectual elements. If I would have had more time, I would have stayed here longer, but I stayed for about two hours then moved on.

The Barcelona Aquarium:

A decent aquarium, not the greatest I've ever been to, not the worse. The aquarium is near the harbor and there are some restaurants nearby as well.

Egypt Museum (Museu Egipci De Barcelonaz: http://www.museuegipci.com/) So, if you like Egyptian stuff, this is a nice little museum. The displays are very nicely displayed in a very neat, modern, streamlined displays. They have several mummies and a great explanation of the relationship between the physical and spiritual worlds in ancient egypt. It's not terribly big and I spent about an hour or two there. No pictures were allowed in the museum but you can see some on their website.

Anton Gaudi

Anton Gaudi is Barcelona's best known archetect and you can his works all over Barcelona. They say Barcelona has always embraced the non traditional styles and freedom of artistic expression that Gaudi represented and his work has a great influence over the entire psyche of the city and it's people. A few Gaudi shots:

Homeward Bound:

I met up with the girls late in the day and we went for a last dinner in Bercelona. It was some little place we stumbled on that had pretty good food:

The next morning we visited a farmers market just off the Rambla, good coffee and pastries and almost any kind of fresh food you'd like. Smoothies seemed to be really popular:

The Barcelona airport was a bit chaotic but getting through security was pretty easy once we identified exactly where we supposed to go. Our flight was on time and uneventful. Thus endeth our trip to Spain.

Trip to Spain: Barcelona Day 2

Arc di Triumph & Parc de le Citadella

The girls decided to sleep in this morning and I made my way to the Barcelona Zoo. I'll do a seperate post about the zoo, for those of you interested in that.

I got to see a bunch of other things along my way to and from the zoo. The Arc di Triumph and the Parc de le Ciutadella were both cool to see:

Chocolate Museum

One other thing I did was visit the Museum of Chocolate (http://www.pastisseria.com/en/PortadaMuseu). I found it pretty cool. It's not very big so you can easily explore a majority of the museum in an hour or so, and of course buy lots of delicious chocolate. One of the coolest things here are the various sculptures that have been done entirely in chocolate. I have a few pictures, but some aren't great becasue of the reflection of the glass enclosures:

Mount Juic and the Funicular

After the Chocolate Museum I quickly walked through the Bari Gothic to meet the girls for lunch. We had tapas at a little greek place...but you can find tapas places all over. We headed out to Mount Juic via the funicular. The funicular is kind of a cable car, you can take one of the metro lines there then take the funicular up the side of the mountain to Mount Juic. Mount Juic (or Mount of the Jews) is kind of a touristy spot with a castle at the top, the Castell de Mountjuic. There are plenty of great views and photo opportunities here. The olympic village is nearby as well.

Bari Gothic

After some sightseing we headed to the Bari Gothic. The Bari Gothic is an old area of Barcelona known for it's gothic architecture. Plenty of sights to see, including the Barcelona Cathedral )cathedral La Seu) which we stopped to see (the geese were there to warn against intruders) plus shops and museums.

We finished up the day with dinner at a restaurant called L'Olive (www.re-olive.com) which was good but not great. They had an appetizer of fried artichokes which sounded great so we got some, turns out most of their main dished come with this as a side, so skip them as an appetizer (but they are good). I had a beef filet cooked to pefection but a little salty, Denise had a really good lamb dish and Reen had duck with strawberry sauce that she liked but I found too sweet.