The Peak

We are currently on our biggest roadtrip yet, and yesterday was the peak - we made it all the way down to Barcelona. We left early on Sunday a week ago to maximize our time with Auntie Claire and Matt. Stayed at their place for three nights. Had a really nice time together, although it was sad to say goodbye to the old city of Solothurn. It was our last visit to their Midieval apartment before they move into their bigger place. On Monday we had some down time in the old city and on Tuesday we went to Zurich. Also did a bit of shopping for the girls. 

Wednesday was the long drive to the South of France. We are staying near Narbonne. There are cypress and palm trees. The weather was not ideal, so we had to front load all our big activities. Thursday was a trip to Carcassone, a Mideival citatel, still mostly in tact. Amazing to walk through the old city. A bit too touristy though. On Friday we drove to Toulouse so that Naomi could show us where she lived and studied for her semester abroad. We also saw the biggest Romanesque cathedral in the world. Impressive. Very special for her to take a trip down memory lane.

Saturday was Naomi's birthday, so we had another special day. We went to Narbonne. It had a much more Mediterranean feel with the architecture and the palm trees. We found an antique market and a food market, then a nice spot for lunch on a quiet side street. After touring the cathedral, we found an old Roman Road that had been excavated out of a central square. It was a shallow pit that opened up to these large, black rocks. The girls played there for a while before we went to the beach. It was windy, but beautiful. We are afraid that Abigail lost her favorite sweater there, though. We were also unable to find a place for a birthday dinner so we picked up some seafood, went to a bakery, and cooked at home. 

Sunday was another early start. It was nearly 3 hours of driving to get down to Barcelona, but it was a beautiful trip though the Pyrenees. We started out touring one of Gaudi's houses. Had to pay 110 euros to get in, way too expensive, but what a place. Definitely makes one think about the houses we live in. After a nice lunch of paella, we went to Gaudi's cathedral, the Sagrada Familia. That was a better value at 72 euros. What a mind boggling project! By far the most impressive cathedral I have ever seen and it isn't even finished. They have been building for 130 years and it still isn't finished. It was interesting to see the ways the building techniques have evolved over time. These next few days should be a bit more relaxed before we head up to Paris.

Saying goodbye to the old city of Solothurn.

 

A quick stop in Geneva.

A board game was modeled from this Midieval city of Caracssone.

A trip to Toulouse.

We found Amelie's street!

A special birthday celebration in Narbonne.

One of Gaudi's houses in Barcelona.

The Sagrada Familia.