Losing Steam

 Remember a few days ago when I boasted about how we are into a beautiful rhythm and the kids don't ever complain about missing home? Well, this morning our little bubble burst. The girls had a full blown meltdown. They didn't want to see any more sites and just wanted to go home. To be fair, I feel like the last little bit we have all been losing steam a little. Fortunately, we didn't have much planned until the afternoon and so we had time to meltdown and then put ourselves back together.

We eventually recovered and were ready to strike out for our planned adventure of the day: Montjic Castle. We had a pretty long walk to get down to the metro which then took us to the funicular which deposited us at the cable car entrance. As far as funiculars and cable cars go, these were not as spectacular as many of the others we have been on. They were also short rides, but it was still fun.

We arrived at the castle with a little time to spare before our tour so we poked around some and snapped some pictures. The word "castle" is probably not the right word for this place. It is more of a military fortress, a fortress that has been in use even in more recent conflicts including the Spanish Civil War.

We had booked a tour to learn more about the fortress. We didn't realize how in depth the tour would be. Our guide was very thorough giving us a lot of details about the history of the castle. It was never the home of royalty. It was always used for the military as it is higher than the surrounding city and is right next to the ocean.

It is fun to take the tours since we get access to areas we wouldn't get to see otherwise. Our guide took us into a part of the castle that has not been updated much beyond the lights and explained the castle history and design. The biggest challenge to having a force up on the hill here was getting them enough water. So the designer created huge water tanks like the one pictured below and designed the castle in a way that it could capture all the rainwater and drain it into these tanks. The guide mentioned that they even used this larger tank recently to provide water to surrounding areas. 

The castle has a drawbridge which you can kind of see in this picture below. It also has a mote around it, but sadly it was never filled with water and hungry alligators.

The castle has gone through many lifetimes and was used in many different ways. It was used as a prison as well. The guide told us that they recently met one of the political prisoners that was held there in the 40s. He had come back to show his family where he had been held. 

This was a cell that held prisoners. There were lots of original writings on the walls.

You can see Sagrada Familia easily when looking at the city from above.

Our tour ended up on the roof of the fortress where we had some amazing views. Cormac said he feels like every time we have a tour the guides take us to some random location and then turns and vanishes. I think it is more likely he is not paying close enough attention. Funny kid.

We are getting good at huddling up for the family selfie, but sometimes the elements don't work in our favor, like the wind blowing awkwardly or the sun being in our eyes.

We saw this really cool sundial on the fortress. Cormac was shocked that sundials actually exists and actually work.

These large guns were mounted up here during WWII but were never needed for that conflict.

If an invading force entered the building they would have to decide which way to go. The hope was that they would divide their army which would make them easier to fight.

The kids on the funicular.

We eventually headed back down the hill in search of food. Then headed back towards home so Ammon could get to work. 

Ammon went ahead of us and the kids and I wandered back home stopping in shops along the way. We eventually made it home and enjoyed some down time. While the homesickness has set in, I am hopeful we can hang in there these last few weeks. The last bit of our trip we will back to adventuring outside rather than touring old buildings and I think the kids will like that better. Cormac commented that when walking around a big city he thinks he prefers Barcelona. They have more trees and plants around and we all prefer being around a bit more nature.