Global Traveller Blog

Started the day at the big Boqueria, truly a visual feast although I’ve learned that locals view it as way too touristy. I strolled through and picked up some empanadas for lunch later.

 

Then on to the Museum of Catalan Art. My pension was  close to the funicular that brought be up to leafy Montjuic park. Such a change from the hub  of the city! And with such great views.

 

As soon as I  walked into the museum I knew I’d spend the day there. The building itself was grandiose with a vast domed entrance hall. These Catalans think highly of themselves.

I started with the Romanesque collection, a style I wasn’t much familiar with. The angular faces and clean lines seemed so modern. The figures of the holy family and saints seemed to exude a spirituality that seemed to fade as greater naturalism took over in the 14th-16th centuries.

The baroque and Renaissance collection was also impressive showcasing Velasquez, Rubens.

By the time I tackled the Modern collection I was tuckered out but I like how it segued from Picasso and Miro to Republican propaganda during the Spanish Civil War and then in to Symbolism which is another movement I don’t know much about.

I had been thirsty for paintings. Quenched!

Explored more of the Raval neighborhood after an Indian meal at Papadam on Ronda de Saint Pau.

October 14

The Palau Guell is so close to my pension it made a perfect last stop before my afternoon train. Designed by Gaudi for the Guell family, the palace is fairly sober in the outside but truly eye popping inside. From the basement stables to the ornamental chimneys on the roof, Gaudi missed no detail. I’m more of an Art Deco kind of gal but I could appreciate his flowing lines and rich use of ornamentation. To me he served as a transition between the highly ornate Belle Epoque style and the creative use of materials that characterised Art Deco.

This was yet another Audio Guide experience and I felt it was not particularly well executed. The audio was drowned out when the massive organ was played. An accompanying text would have been most handy.

October 10

Checked into the sleek and modern Pension Peiro in the lively Poble Sec neighborhood. It’s an easy walk to everything. Tapas bars nearly at the doorstep. The convenient Parallel metro stop right down the street. 

I arrived on Flixbus around 8pm. Didn’t do much the first night except grab some fried squid and a glass of wine at a nearby tapas joint.

Breakfast was not included so i picked up some ramen to accompany my coffee packets. At least the Pension had a kettle and cups!

October 11

Got an early start to soak up the big city energy. And it was a beautiful day. I headed first to Las Ramblas, only a 15 minute walk away.  I hadn’t been there since the eighties when it was lined with flower stalls. Now it’s mostly cafes. There were some tourists milling around of course but it wasn’t oppressively crowded.

Then I wandered the streets of the Gothic Quarter starting with the handsome Plaza Real.

There were surprises in every corner.

Loved the Aragon Archives exhibit which showed the original document from Queen Isabel to Columbus thanking him for his service and showering him with gifts.

Safe to say the Spanish are not tearing themselves apart over their past colonialism. Clearly the country is in need of wokening. Alert Oberlin!

The building itself was lovely.

I meandered a while more in the Gothic Quarter.

 The Barcelona History Museum was a priority but a lot of it was closed for renovations. At least the Roman part was open. Although Barcelona wasn’t as important as Tarragona for the Romans, their town here was extensive. The exhibit included the foundations of houses, columns etc.

I can’t say it was well presented. It could have used better lighting as the walkways were dim.

Lunchtime! Time for pinxtos at the excellent Bilbao Berrida. 

After lunch I stopped by the Temple of Augustus.

Wandered the Jewish Quarter, El Call, and the square Neria which was used in a scene from Woody Allen’s Barcelona.

European cities always have great Jewish quarters probably because they were the least likely to be “modernized” after WWII. 

I finished off the day exploring the streets around my neighborhood Discovered the lively pedestrian Carrer de Blesa street lined with a dozen tapas bars. I dove into one, gobbled some pinxtos and called it a day.