Day 3: Museums, Sightseeing, and the Wrong Map

Enjoy that title.

Today I set off to Montjuic, the mountain near BCN airport that was heavily used during the '92 Olympics, but first... I wanted to buy the bus pass for Bus Touristic. This is a "Hop On, Hop Off" style of bus, double decker, and I was recommended to me by a number of people to get a good lay of the land. I had been given a flier yesterday by some street hawker and it looked good! So 35 Euros later I had purchased a 2-Day pass and was ready to indeed, Hop On and/or Hop Off. (Editors note: I did not actually Hop). Note to fellow travelers: take the seat near the stairway. No one sits in front of you!

I got on the red line which on my map was colored orange, and enjoyed the view. The streets are constantly packed with cars, buses, and scooters but it all flows so naturally. In Boston you'd have honking horns, wagging fingers, and angry epithets enough to make Tony Soprano blush, but not here. Honestly, I'd be terrified to drive here. I can't figure any of it out... but good for the locals.


As the bus toured, it sadly didn't stop in very good placed for pictures. The good picture spots were always like 20 feet in front of us. I couldn't help but notice the graffiti on these containers advertising both the Independence Referendum set to be voted on in November and the taxi strike set to take place some time this week over the use of Uber. Just my luck, it'll be on the 3rd when I'm scheduled to depart.




The bus arrived at Plaça d'Espanya and this monument really impressed me. Built in 1929 it was meant to serve as the gateway to an exposition. Hmmm... looking at that name reminds me. Catalan is quite different from Spanish. The weird c is a "sh" sound and notice no ñ in Espanya. It reminds me of a couple of my Spanish speaking students who kept spelling words with the ñ this way. Maybe the Catalan people are on to something less confusing?

 The benefits of being married to an amazing woman with a degree in architecture is that she's introduced me to, and schooled me in, some of the world's coolest architects. At Montjuïc there is a pavilion originally built by Meis van der Rohe, one of the founders of modern architecture. It was built in 1929, torn down, and reconstructed in the 1980s.  I've been schooled in why simplistic style is best and I agree... this pavilion was cool. Simple, yet cool.

I got yelled at for sitting on the forward most chair. Seriously people... put a sign up.

I really dug this reflecting pool. Incredibly peaceful.

Other side of the pool looking in. I thought that lady in black would yell at me again but she was unimpressed with me.

Just inside the pavilion. Beware those chairs, my friends.

Across the street is the Caixa Forum, a museum and heavily utilized cultural center. It was once an Art Nouveau factory that was abandoned and converted into a concert type venue. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside (an unposted reality I discovered after being scolded by a security guard). A shame because there was an avant garde art exhibit going on which caused me to rethink my previous position on avant garde. Perhaps there is meaning to those films after all. I was allowed to take pictures of the roof and the former employee spaces. You'd never know this was a factory.

This is the roof. I want a roof like this.

I left there and made the trek up the hill to Poble Espanyol, said to be a tour of all of Spain in one hour because it contains full recreations of famous Spanish architectural landmarks. Pretty cool. I did not expect it to be full of cafes, shops, and a concert venue. Apparently the locals utilize it quite heavily but at 10 Euros per entry, I don't see why/how. There must be some locals only entry that I was not privy to.

My view as I enjoyed lunch. Hard to believe these are recreations.

I got goofy excited when I saw this in a knick-knack store. They have an actual Gutenberg Press just sitting there. It went with nothing in the store, was not in use, and was just plain awesome. I wonder how many tourists look at it and move on, unaware of just how incredible this thing is. The press changed the world and here is was in some gift shop. I snuck a few pictures before the sales girl could catch me.

The only real story I have from the Poble Espanyol is that I spoke only Spanish the whole time I was there. I apparently convinced the girl at the ticket booth that I knew what I was doing because she gave me the guide book in Spanish. The Americans in front of me got one in English. I ordered my lunch in Spanish which was fun. The cool thing is that I needed a corkscrew for the bottle of Sempro Tempranillo I was given while leaving the Hotel Arts. With the exception of the word "corkscrew" I conducted an entire conversation in Spanish with a lady in a wine shop in order to buy one. I understand far more than I can speak. The lady helped me find the cheapest one in the store (under 5 euros) and started to tell me all about her cousin who was a professor of history at a university in town and he'd love to give me a tour of the city if I had time. She gave me his business card and then asked me for mine but I had left them all in my hotel room. Feel some validation there, Hovey.

Next on my list was MNAC, the National Art Museum of Catalunya. Beautiful. You can see it from almost anywhere in the city. I couldn't wait to get inside and spend a couple of hours seeing 1,000 years art.



It was closed. Monday... closed. All of those stairs for a closed museum.



No worries... I'll walk down the hill to the Ethnographic Museum.

Closed. Renovations.

At this point things got dicey. My map wasn't all that great as far as showing routes through the park. I could kind of see where I needed to go in order to get to the next museum list on my list, the Fundacio Joan Miro. Down the hill I went.

I successfully got all the way down to the Joan Miro Museum to pleasantly discover that it, too, was closed. Monday. To quote my friend Joel, "Hijo de la chingada". I was nowhere near a bus stop in order to Hop On. To get to one meant going up... and up... and up.

See this stairway? A small sample of what I was privileged to enjoy. I was so glad Holly wasn't with me to yell at me. I got lost going up and had to track down a security guard to help me. She spoke only Spanish and told me how to get where I needed to go. "Arriba" my friends!

Yay, I finally got to a bus stop. Incredibly winded, thirsty, hungry, and a touch cranky. Next stop... leave the park and it's closed museums and go the Christopher Columbus statue down near the harbor. He stopped here in 1493 so they commemorated his arrival. He's pointing to Genoa, Italy, not America. Apparently the guy couldn't wait to get back home.

My city pass got me to the top. There is a tiny elevator that takes you up to an incredibly cramped observation deck. If I had paid 4 euros to take the elevators, I'd have been pissed. I snapped a few pictures of the city (none of which I'm going to post) and went back down.

I found Christopher Columbus. Drop some coins in his jar and he'll let you take a selfie!

Now I was hungry. One of my Cal Poly observers told me about a place called Bo de B and had marked its location on my map. It wasn't too far from the Columbus monument so off I went. I found it after walking down a shady alleyway (some dude on a bicycle was eerily following me) and went inside. Nothing on the menu appealed to me. I went back outside and right next door was a Turkish restaurant that served lahmacun, the Turkish street food I so desperately craved in Turkey thanks to Anthony Bourdain's review. While it was different than the one I had in Istanbul, it hit the spot nicely.

Last stop: the Bus Touristic. I figured I'd wind down the afternoon taking the green line to see the northern part of the city. I found a stop north of me and wait. The first bus was too full so I awaited the next one. Got on only to discover it was the wrong tourist bus. I had been waiting for the Barcelona City Tour. The lady told me to go across the street to my bus. I thought something was weird as I was looking for the green line and she was pointing me to the blue line. My map had no blue line. No matter... perhaps the maps lose their color or something.

I got on the blue with no trouble, despite it not being green, and took the sweet seat by the stairwell down. I had the map open next to me in order to follow along. The bus actually has a plug in and listen guided tour that plays more music than it does narrate. Something was wrong. This bus was not making the same turns that the map showed it was going to. I wasn't too worried as I knew eventually it would head back to Plaça de Catalunya, but still, what kind of tourist bus just up and
changes routes? Meh. Well, it totally skipped the hospital we were supposed to look at. Mhm... something was wrong. Well, what was wrong was me. That map the street hawker had given me yesterday was the route map for the Barcelona City Tour, not the Bus Touristic. I facepalmed and got out the map they gave me when I bought the ticket that I didn't think I needed because 'I already had one'. Moron.

On the way back to the hotel a young woman was being serenaded by a group of musicians. Everyone around stopped, stared, and applauded when the young man got on his knee and proposed. A great ending to the day.

I don't know if grabbing her butt was appropriate but she said yes so what do I know?

Day 2: Walking, Contemporary Art, and a Nice Finish

Checkout out of the Hotel Arts this morning and into The Alexandra, which is perfectly located and central to everything. The room is smaller and while it lacks a bidet, it has a balcony with seating.

I was able to check in early at 9am so I took a seat, looked over what I wanted to do for the day, had a cup of coffee, and enjoyed some people watching. No complaints.

I decided to take the day slowly and not do much. Two things predicated that decision. 1) My plan was to enjoy to Barcelona and not rush-rush-rush, and 2) I had a blister on my toe from the day before that was begging me not to abuse it. I heeded both calls and figured I'd walk down the Passeig de Gracia to pick up my city pass and my articket and see what I could see.


Right around the corner from the hotel is Casa Batllo, designed by Antoni Gaudi for the Batllo family. It really stands out from its neighbors both for the ticket booth outside and the unique facade it presents. Similar to the western face of Sagrada Familia (which I did not get good picture of b/c the sun was right in my lens) this also has the appearance of bones. It has a very nightmarish quality to it and reminded me of how the Xenomorphs in the Alien series design their interiors. Although it's difficult to see, the thing rimming the roof is a spine. Creepy. I was told by the locals that the admission isn't worth it, so I saved my euros and kept walking.

In this section of the city a lot of attention has been paid to public spaces and greenery. What I enjoy about this picture is the contrast of the two building on the left. A medieval building with domes right next to an early 20th century hotel or office building. This fountain, while inaccessible, decorates the street and the trees line the pedestrian walkways making for a nice stroll along the copious store fronts. Oh, speaking of store fronts. As it was Sunday, many stores were closed. Not really an issue for me as I'm not a browser but I'm sure many people from the cruise ships were disappointed. 

Holly had asked me not to go down alleyways, which I'm prone to do in foreign places to see how what cities really look like, and while I'm trying to resist the temptation, I caved and took one as it was a shortcut to the Contemporary Art Museum I was heading to. I'm glad I did. I encountered a public recreation park with locals laughing, enjoying their Sunday, and playing ping pong. Notice the graffiti? I'll have a post about all that later.

The CCCB was my destination and I eventually found it. The short cut didn't exactly take me where I thought it would but no worries, Holly, I got there safely. There were two exhibits going on. One that had to do with early and experimental leaders in animation and another about digital communication. The animation one, called Metamorfosis, was awesome. There were early stop motion animation pieces from the late 20's and 30's and by a Polish animator named Ladislas Starewitch and it turns out he was the inspiration to guys like Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton, among many others. There were clips of his work and his original puppets/models. Check out this sample of his work. Incredible for its time.

There were also exhibits by other artists and stopped taking pictures after a while as I thoroughly enjoying everything. I spent about 2 hours in this gallery absorbing it all. One artist, Jan Švankmajer, who is of a school called Tactilism, creates art that utilizes common objects in different ways. There was some weird stuff in his section to be sure. This thing on the left was some sensory piece and quite frankly, a masturbation machine. Yeah, weird. When the pieces started moving it was even weirder. On the right we have a very strange chair composed of scouring brushes, cheese graters, and other things. Enjoy, my friends.

After a couple hours I began to get hungry so left to walk the distance back to my hotel. I figured I'd fund a cafe or something to get some tapas and a nice cold beer along the way. If you look up in this city, you see some really cool things. This artwork, on the side of a building. appeared to just be there for no real purpose other than to admire. The glass panes below were part of someone's house.

The walk back was peaceful. I avoided the main streets and took side streets instead. There were lots of small shops, mostly closed, that I would guess only the locals would know about. These streets reminded me a lot of Istanbul. The closely packed buildings, the architectural style, the colors, and the mood it all set took me back about 100 years or so. I was a very enjoyable walk.

At last I found a place called Mas Q Menos to rest my feet and fill my belly. Most places seem to have outdoor seating. I pulled up a chair and ordered a salami sandwich, some sardines, a large beer and enjoyed 90 minutes of relaxing, post card writing, people watching and daydreaming of spending the moment with friends.  Here's to you all!

First Day on the Town: Day One: La Sagrada and Parc Guell

As the conference was essentially over, the client offered a guided a tour to anyone who wanted to see some of the sights of Barcelona. Of course I signed up! See the sights with an experienced local? Yes, please.



We began at La Sagrada Familia (The Holy Family Cathedral), one of Antoni Gaudi's most famous works and a cathedral still under construction 130 or so years later. The conical spires, the statuary decorating the facade, and the distinctive Gaudi style of non-linear design are noticeable from a good distance.

A few people on the tour said when they were here four years ago a lot of the facade was covered with scaffolding. The progress of the place is really coming along and it is scheduled to be complete in 2026. Return trip to Barcelona?

The Cathedral has a real nature theme and this side not only depicts scenes from the birth of Christ but also incorporates a plant theme. It sort of look like things are dripping off the building and it's spectacular to take in.

Everywhere you look, there is something new to look at. It's stunning.

Every time I visit a Cathedral I can't help but be inspired. There is something about being in a hall dedicated to something that causes me to pause and consider it's purpose. Normal churches (at least back home), frankly, can be boring and uninspiring. Cathedrals on the other hand... just wow. Pictures never capture their grandeur but here are a few to gaze at.

Massive stained glass windows. The color gradient is meant to symbolize the earth, plants, and sky.

     

The Altar is Austere and Impressive

Another Marc... this one is the Apostal.

One of the many things that makes the cathedral interesting is that from the outside it is decorated so impressively but on the inside it is modern, romanesque, and more traditional. I took more pictures but there's more to show you.

Parc Guell was our next stop. BTW: I love that in Catalan they use the C instead of the K. It validates my belief that the spelling of my name is the best way to spell it. Thanks mom and dad.

Parl Guell was meant to be a residential community designed by Gaudi but at the time he constructed it in the early 1900's, the rich wanted to live closer to Barcelona center so the project never took off. Today, this land would be scooped up quickly. The idea was to incorporate nature into the community and things are designed to look as it they are grottoes or naturally occurring curves. I didn't want to leave.

This is the house Gaudi lived in, tucked into some trees. He actually didn't design his own house but it I loved it's appearance a chapel poking through the foliage.

Keeping in mind that this is a park, he really spent time trying to give prospective residents the feeling they would be out doors on a cliff side. While obviously constructed, many of these features are made of stone and rock. So cool.

I didn't notice how disorienting this was until I looked at the photo.

This bench lines a large common gathering area for the community. Gaudi is famous for his tile work. I do't know if the pink flowers in the background are intentional but they blended quite well with the tiles.

Sweeping vistas of Barcelona. This is looking down at what was meant to be the gatehouse and real estate office.

Original environmentalist? It's said Gaudi would go through people's trash and take broken plates and cups and use them in his work. This is the ceiling under the common area. I love the plates and cups. The design is meant to be a starfish.

The grand staircase leading up to the common area. You can see the bench above the columns. Hearst Castle has nothing on this entryway.

The famous Gaudi lizard. I had other pictures but I loved this one. Holly has definitely trained me to notice architecture being used, not admired. This little boy was so happy to be playing in he water.

The day held more surprises but I have to check out of the hotel in about 10 minutes so I have to call it. I will end by saying I didn't know much about Gaudi before coming to Barcelona and now that I've had the chance to get out and see some of his stuff, I think he's a genius. (I'll grammar check this later)

My Tapas Dinner at Can Travi Nou

Typically when on these jobs I sit at my computer in a room with an exceptional view and rarely get to see any of the venues that the participants enjoy. Other staff go because it falls within the auspices of their duties, but my duties preclude that I be tied to a computer checking emails and updating transportation information to ensure the participants get to and fro successfully. Tonight was different...

Dinner tonight was hosted at Can Travi Nou a beautiful restaurant converted from a rustic farmhouse on the outskirts of Barcelona.

The sign was really discreet and nothing special. Back home a place like this would have an overstated sign. Not this one. It was tucked into some bushes, painted on a piece of wood, and modestly lit. My kind of sign.

As I recount the evening I'll remind you that I was there to work, not wine and dine. Patty was kind enough to invite me and I rode over with Tracy just to check it out, help get people seated, then was supposed to head back with Tracy about 30 minutes later. After witnessing the event from a staff viewpoint and having Tracy answering my questions, I have even more respect for what these folks do for a living than I ever had before. It's astounding.



Upon arrival these músicos were playing traditional Spanish ballads while wine and aperitivos were served by incredibly attentive waiters. These musicians were great but I can't say if anyone but me was actually paying attention. My thought: they need a guy with a kilt and a bodhran up in that mess. New career option! What do you say?


Patty immediately tells me to go check out the place, take pictures, and enjoy myself... so off I went. I'll just splash the screen with some of the shots I took. It's a 3 story farmhouse but only the first 2 are used for dining as well as much of the grounds. Each of the old bedrooms is a separate dining room but for this event the participants were all seated outdoors.

So many choices of oils

          

Who needs a dining room? I'd be happy in this lobby.

Just inside the main entrance

One of the old bedrooms now a dining room

That window to the left peered into the kitchen

Everywhere in Can Travi Nou you can find old pots, jars, jugs, and vases.

The authentically rickety staircase

I took many more pictures but I won't post them all. The place was gorgeous. Around every corner and through every portal there was something new to say "Oh Wow" to. A place like this in SD County would make a killing. It's huge. Google it.

I was staged to help guests to their seats as they slowly made their way to the tables. Patty then pulls Tracy and I off of that duty and insists we go have dinner. There was a room set up for staf with a massive table which initially seemed too big... until the family style tapas began arriving... and arriving... and arriving. It arrives as the dish leaves the kitchen, not all at once. I loved it. Just as one pate was passed around and everyone is commenting on great it was, another arrives. It was like Food Christmas. Oh, and the wine kept flowing.

As a courtesy to my hosts I tried everything. I will not soon forget this meal. My favorites were the lentils (pictured upper left center with the spoon in them), the red peppers stuffed with cod and spinach cream (lower center... I ate about 4 of these), and the black rice (pictured upper center... you can see the pile of black). To be clear, nothing sucked. It was all amazing and flavorful and made me miss my friends. The tempranillo? 3 glasses tells that story.

I was worried that I might not be able to afford a real tapas dinner while here... problem solved. Thanks to Patty and the entire staff for helping me check something off my list.

Kevin, let us know when you're out of your bunk.