Some of the best playgrounds are right next to some of the best sights in Barcelona. Take this playground right next to La Sagrada Família. Why bother standing in line for tickets and shuffling through the place with all those people when you get such a great view from the playground right across the street? No lines, 3rd M had a blast, and we even got a bench in the shade.

Just kidding, we did go inside but the park was a relaxing way to study the exterior without all the crowds. That place was packed and not just inside, the sidewalks near it were swarming with people most with selfie sticks so not paying attention to anyone but themselves. I also think the exterior was more interesting than the interior so sitting in the park while 3rd M played was great.

On another note, 3rd M is doing a great job of charming his way into free stuff. So far he has gotten a cookie at the ice cream shop, a memory card game from the pharmacist, and the best one today was an apple slice. The apple was not a big score but it took some chutzpah to get it. A mother was sitting on the ground with her kids cutting up an apple and 3rd M sauntered on up with a big smile and waited until he got his slice. On one hand it is so cute to watch him do it since he is just charming. On the other had as a parent the thought goes through your head like wait, what does that mother think… “that poor kid does not get fed by those bad parents” or maybe “how can they let their child beg like that” but all we can do is laugh. It is so funny to watch and it is not like he scores all the time. He does it to all kinds of people who do not give him anything other than a big smile. He just likes to interact with everyone.