Mindy’s family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children ages 12 and 14) headed to Europe in August with an amazing trip to Barcelona and Madrid, Spain and Paris, France.  They loved everything about Barcelona including the people, food, art and architecture and stayed in a centrally located, self-catering 2 bedroom apartment on the Passeig de Gracia.  Highlights of their stay included the unique Gaudi Architecture (90% is located in Barcelona), whimsical sculptures at the Miro Museum, Park Guell, Olympic Village and port, Flamenco show with dinner and Barcelona’s soccer stadium.  While in Madrid, they stayed at the beautiful Ritz Carlton and toured the city with a private guide.  Cultural and historical lessons were learned at the largest food market in the city and at the gorgeous, new train station.   In Paris, the family experienced another self-catering apartment in the Marais (the oldest district of Paris which is also the Old Jewish Quarter).  A nighttime open top bus tour, the Eiffel Tower where they celebrated Max’s 13th birthday at the tower’s casual restaurant (entry tickets and restaurant reservations were booked in advance), shopping, Versailles, a walking tour of chocolate shops and patisseries as well as a hilarious comedy show in English called “How to Be A Parisian In One Hour” were some of the many highlights.  They also met up with friends in Paris including a British family they had met on an Alaska cruise and camp friends.  One unfortunate incident exposed the need to be vigilant with your valuables when a cell phone was stolen at an outdoor restaurant by some crafty street children.