Advertisement
The weather in Barcelona has been spotty, at best. One minute it looks like it is going to rain (or it is raining slightly) and then the next it is bright sunshine. So I was happy to wake up to sunshine which in the end lasted for the better part of the day.
I started the day with a walk to reach Park Guell. This is a park that was designed by Antoni Gaudi, the same architect of la Sagrada Familia and Casa Battlo which I visited yesterday. The fact that it was designed by him is unmistakable. The surrounding gate is curvy and wavy. There are two small houses (one which houses the gift shop) that look like two big gingerbread houses. You make your way up this grand staircase where you can find a couple of fountains, the most famous of which is the one that looks like a big lizard. He is a looker I have to say! There is a sort of terrace that has a series of benches that have the distinct curves and mosaic work. There are also beautiful flowered gardens and walking paths. You can definitely also see the fact that Gaudi was
greatly influenced by things he observed in nature. An absolutely beautiful park with a distinct childlike quality.
After a quick pit stop at the hotel, I hopped on the subway and made my way to the Liceu subway station. This would bring me to the Las Ramblas and the Mercato La Boqueria. Las Ramblas is a main artery in Barcelona. It is lined with shops and restaurants. The middle section is a pedestrian walkway which is filled with tourists, locals, vendors and street performers. There is definitely an energy that permeates that street. La Boqueria is an enormous covered market. There are fruit stalls selling colourful "macedonia". There are vegetable stalls. There are meat vendors. It is an assault on all of the senses. I could not walk away without having one of those yummy looking fruit salads.
From there, I would make my way to the Museu d'Historia de la Ciutat. As I got to the museum, I spent quite a bit just outside listening to this musician playing an instrument called a "hang". It reminded vaguely of Tibetan singing bowls. He was also chanting which was just mesmerizing. I got his CD and I have been
listening to it ever since (the hotel I am staying at has a small CD/DVD player in the room).
So then it was time for the museum. The exhibit is essentially underground as it basically takes you through the history of Barcelona by winding your way through ruins of the ancient city. There are 43,000 sq feet of ruins that include a laundry/dyeing facility, a church, baths and a wine making facility to name a few. I have seen a lot of ruins on this trip. You definitely have to use your imagination at times. But every single times I am just blown away that some of these things are still in existence after all of these years. It is truly fascinating.
I then set about to go see the Picasso Museum. The line was ridiculously long and it was something that I was on the fence about as to whether I would visit it or not. So I chose not too and would try again tomorrow. What caught my attention though is that directly across the street, there was a small fashion exhibit showing the wardrobe of Maria Brillas who wore in large part the designs of
Pedro Rodriguez. I had never heard of either of them prior but it's fashion so I am into it regardless! The pieces were a little bit matronly for my taste but there were still some beautiful pieces. A nice little discovery to end the day.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.121s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 6; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0854s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb