morning views
My room had a small balcony. I took a few pictures and enjoyed the fresh air before heading up to breakfast.
the picasso museum
Our first stop is the Picasso Museum. It houses one of the largest collections of Picasso's work with over 4,000 pieces. Being one of the most complete collections of his work, it was interesting to see the progression of his art and how it intertwined with his life's events. Sonya, our guide, is an excellent storyteller and was able to help us connect the art to the man.
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It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child. - Pablo Picasso |
No pictures were allowed in the museum. Here are a few I took in the courtyard outside the entrance.
Barri Gòtic
After the Picasso Museum, we set off on a walking tour of the old city's Gothic Quarter. This area of the city is largely pedestrian only and contains buildings dating back to Medieval times. The streets are small and they open into many town squares. This area of the city contains the Barcelona Cathedral, the Jewish Quarter, and City Hall. Sonya, our guide, led us through the area skillfully telling the stories of the Catalan people.
barcelona Cathedral
Barcelona's Cathedral is an old building dating back to near the year 1,000, although the neo-Gothic facade was finished in the 20th century. It does not have a high must-see rating in Rick's guidebook but it was worth a stop on the tour and offered some interesting views. The Cathedral served as the heart of the city for years which is another reason why our local guide and storyteller, Sonya, took us there.
lunch at mercat santa caterina
As I mentioned earlier, once our morning of sightseeing is complete, we are left to our own devices and set free for the rest of the afternoon... or, in this case, the remainder of the day. As always, our primary guide, Federico, offers some suggestions of where to eat for lunch and how to spend the remainder of the day. First thing's first: lunch.
There is a lovely marketplace near the Cathedral which was one of the lunch suggestions: a good number of us opted to go there for lunch. The restaurant attached has a comfortable feel and the menu was varied.
In this picture-perfect setting, I had a "moment". I wanted some control over what I was going to eat. My tour mates, delightful as they are, decided to order dishes and share them with the entire table. At this point in the day, I was tired, hungry, and wanted my own food. Although I was happy to be with the group, I was unhappy about the consensus to share. Every now and then, I think it is important to know when enough is enough... and, in my case, this was it. Although my tour mates probably thought I was a bit weird and possibly rigid, they were good sports about it and we had a good time (although I felt a bit awkward). It was a hearty meal that I thoroughly enjoyed. Happily, this was one of the only "moments" I had during the tour. #nogrumps
There is a lovely marketplace near the Cathedral which was one of the lunch suggestions: a good number of us opted to go there for lunch. The restaurant attached has a comfortable feel and the menu was varied.
In this picture-perfect setting, I had a "moment". I wanted some control over what I was going to eat. My tour mates, delightful as they are, decided to order dishes and share them with the entire table. At this point in the day, I was tired, hungry, and wanted my own food. Although I was happy to be with the group, I was unhappy about the consensus to share. Every now and then, I think it is important to know when enough is enough... and, in my case, this was it. Although my tour mates probably thought I was a bit weird and possibly rigid, they were good sports about it and we had a good time (although I felt a bit awkward). It was a hearty meal that I thoroughly enjoyed. Happily, this was one of the only "moments" I had during the tour. #nogrumps
afternoon side trip to montserrat
With the rest of the day free, some of us opted to take a day tour to Montserrat, a Benedictine monastery on top of a nearby mountain. This was not included in our tour so we had to purchase a ticket and meet the bus at the Plaça de Catalunya. At this point, we realized how much our group had bonded because it felt very odd to hop aboard a bus with a different group of people.
It's nice to have the option to design your own experience (one of the reasons why the Rick Steves style of touring was right for me). There's no need to stress about what to do. The way the tour went, the opportunities presented themselves. Our guide, Federico, presented this as a free time opportunity a day in advance and allowed us to think about the option before making a commitment. Basically, if you see something you want to do in the guide book that is not included in the trip, tell your guide and there's probably others in the group that have the same interest. Our guide was worth his weight in gold. I hadn't considered this Montserrat option until it was mentioned on Day 2.
It's nice to have the option to design your own experience (one of the reasons why the Rick Steves style of touring was right for me). There's no need to stress about what to do. The way the tour went, the opportunities presented themselves. Our guide, Federico, presented this as a free time opportunity a day in advance and allowed us to think about the option before making a commitment. Basically, if you see something you want to do in the guide book that is not included in the trip, tell your guide and there's probably others in the group that have the same interest. Our guide was worth his weight in gold. I hadn't considered this Montserrat option until it was mentioned on Day 2.
Our tour was during the off season and we boarded the bus for a 2pm departure. With a relatively late arrival, the sequence of our visit was strange. The tour guide told us to visit the cafe and gift shop first because by the time we finished with the monastery, they would be closed. Tactically it made sense... but since we hadn't seen anything yet, it was strange to go to a gift shop. Nonetheless, I was able to pick up some local honey as a gift for my mom, rosary bracelets for my nieces, and a small wooden toy for my nephew. They had tchotchkes galore so you could easily pick up something regardless of your religious beliefs.
We visited the Basilica were La Moreneta (the Black Virgin) is kept. This statue was discovered in a cave in the 12th century and legend has it that it was carved by St Luke and brought to Spain by St Peter. It was hidden away in a cave during the Moorish invasions and was later discovered by shepherd children. La Moreneta is the patroness of Catalunya. The statue is protected behind glass (or thick acrylic) except for an orb she is holding. We were able to climb stairs to approach the statue and touch the orb. Before we exited, we stopped in a prayer chapel that is located behind the statue (you can see the back of the statue in the pictures below).
We visited the Basilica were La Moreneta (the Black Virgin) is kept. This statue was discovered in a cave in the 12th century and legend has it that it was carved by St Luke and brought to Spain by St Peter. It was hidden away in a cave during the Moorish invasions and was later discovered by shepherd children. La Moreneta is the patroness of Catalunya. The statue is protected behind glass (or thick acrylic) except for an orb she is holding. We were able to climb stairs to approach the statue and touch the orb. Before we exited, we stopped in a prayer chapel that is located behind the statue (you can see the back of the statue in the pictures below).
The views from the mountain are great and there is a walking trail that is likely pleasant in warmer weather. The day we went it was overcast and windy which made it really cold... too cold to spend much time outside. All in all it was an OK way to spend the afternoon. What became apparent was the quality of the guides that Rick Steves hires. Our guide on this day trip wasn't as good of a storyteller... she more or less facilitated our visit and transport. On our way back we had to listen to loud-ish music, including Queen's "Barcelona". I realized how lucky we were to have Federico with us for the next four days.
if you have nothing to do or would like to visit without hassling with your own transportation, opt in. Don't expect the same level of content as the rest of the tour. If you want to walk the trail and spend some time there, go on your own so you can stay as long as you want. This day trip is too short to see everything.
if you have nothing to do or would like to visit without hassling with your own transportation, opt in. Don't expect the same level of content as the rest of the tour. If you want to walk the trail and spend some time there, go on your own so you can stay as long as you want. This day trip is too short to see everything.
free evening filled with spanish guitar music
The one thing my travel buddy really wanted to see during this tour was a Spanish guitar concert. We were in luck! There was a concert this evening at the Palau de la Música Catalana. There were no photos allowed during the concert but I was able to take some of the interior of the concert hall before the show started. As you can see, it is absolutely beautifully decorated in an art nouveau style. It's no wonder that the building is a UNESCO site. This was a great way to see the interior of the building without going on a tour of it. I'm glad she told Federico what she wanted to see... he helped figure out the best timing for our schedule and we were able to stop on the walking tour earlier to purchase tickets in advance.
The concert started at 9pm and was absolutely wonderful. Xavier Coll was the performer and he played about nine selections, transitioning through three guitars. He explained the history of the guitars and the music in several languages. Tickets cost around 30 € which was money well spent.
The concert started at 9pm and was absolutely wonderful. Xavier Coll was the performer and he played about nine selections, transitioning through three guitars. He explained the history of the guitars and the music in several languages. Tickets cost around 30 € which was money well spent.
Since normal dining time in Spain is 10pm and the concert started at 9pm, we opted to grab a bite to eat after the concert. We passed an inviting place on the way to the show so we stopped there. It made sense to get something closer to the hotel because we knew we had a jam-packed travel day ahead of us.
We fared well at the tapas bar... which can be a bit intimidating for a first-time visitor that doesn't speak Catalan or Spanish. After we got our fill, we headed back to the hotel for our final night's sleep in Barcelona.
We fared well at the tapas bar... which can be a bit intimidating for a first-time visitor that doesn't speak Catalan or Spanish. After we got our fill, we headed back to the hotel for our final night's sleep in Barcelona.