Barcelona Day 5 (Sep 11 2008)

On September 11, Catalonia commemorates the 1714 Siege of Barcelona defeat during the War of the Spanish Succession. As a punishment for their support to the claim of Habsburg Archduke Charles to the throne of Spain, institutions and rights of the territories of the Crown of Catalonia and Aragon were abolished by the victorious absolutist Bourbon monarchy in line with the political evolution occurring in other parts of Europe at the same time.

But, to us this meant it was a bank holiday, and Dan had off. We chose this day to take the Bus Turistic, a hop-on hop-off bus that takes you to all the sites of the city. Wow, we saw EVERYTHING.


















And this was all before we came to what we really wanted to see...Park Güell. This deserves it's own entry.

Barcelona Day 4 (Sep 10 2008)

Just wanted to let you all know that if you don't hear from me, I'm fine. Our laptop battery died, and the charger doesnt work here. Right now I'm at Dan's job on a spare computer. We're going out to eat with his coworkers in a few minutes. His office is very nice, 7th floor overlooking La Rambla! Didn't do too much today, I tried to get out to see a few sites, but only found one. Tomorrow should be good though, it's a bank holiday here, so Dan is off work, we're gonna take the 'Bus Turista' which zips you from site to site, and you can get on and off as you like. It's about $30 for one day, and it goes everywhere, and you get a book of coupons for the attractions.

So far so good, I'm getting around ok, but am afraid to use the subways alone. No purse snatchings though =)

Hope you all are well.
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This was the day my excursions caught up with me. I tried to get out to see a few things...but didn't realize how tired I was. I did manage to find Casa Calvet.



Casa Calvet is a building, designed by Antoni Gaudí for a textile manufacturer which served as both a commercial property (in the basement and on the ground floor) and a residence. It is located at 1900 Carrer de Casp 48, Eixample district of Barcelona.

Gaudí scholars agree that this building is the most conventional of his works, partly because it had to be squeezed in between older structures and partly because it was sited in one of the most elegant sections of Barcelona. Its symmetry, balance and orderly rhythm are unusual for Gaudí's works. However, the curves and double gable at the top, the projecting oriel at the entrance— almost baroque in its drama, and isolated witty details are modernista elements.

Bulging balconies alternate with smaller, shallower balconies. Mushrooms above the oriel at the center allude to the owner's favorite hobby.

Columns flanking the entrance are in the form of stacked bobbins— an allusion to the family business of textile manufacture. Lluís Permanyer claims that "the gallery at ground level is the facade's most outstanding feature, a daring combination of wrought iron and stone in which decorative historical elements such as a cypress, an olive tree, horns of plenty, and the Catalan coat of arms can be discerned".



Three sculpted heads at the top also allude to the owner: One is Sant Pere Màrtir Calvet i Carbonell (the owner's father) and two are patron saints of Vilassar, Andreu Calvet's home town.

That was it for my morning. Although I did stop at the Parc Joan Miró to get a picture of this scultpture, "Woman and Bird" by Joan Miró



I went back to the hotel to nap, then met Dan at his office (where I wrote the above email). We went out to dinner for tapas.

Salted cod salad



And mussels



Then we went out to a celebration with his co-workers. No one spoke very much Engligh, but the sangria was flowing and I had a fantastic time.

Barcelona Day 4 (Sep 9 2008)

Hi everyone. Today I spent the day at National Musuem of Catalin Art, Which is huge! I had all intentions of going to the "Poble Espanol" afterwords, which is a mock replica of barcelona that you can walk through, showing different villages, etc., which was supposed to be right around the corner from the museum, but damned if I could find it. I ended up lost on a mountain, which would have been scary if I didn't happen to have been lost with a group of German tourists who apparently followed me up the mountain. There was a lot of "das" and "nein" but we made our way back down the mountain.

So now for a shower and a nap and then out to dinner.

Me
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With Dan at work again, it was another solo day of sighseeing. I started out again at the Plaça d'Espanya



Before heading up Montjuïc, towards the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

The MNAC, is a museum of Catalan visual art located in Barcelona, Spain. It is housed in the Palau Nacional, built for the 1929 World's Fair. Imposing in the distance...



And absolutely breathtaking up close.





Inside did not dissapoint:



And Dali!



I left the museum, picked up a sandwich, and enjoyed the view for a while




Before getting lost on a mountain




But, I did find the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe gallery, which I, suprisingly, loved!

The Barcelona Pavilion, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, was the German Pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona. It was an important building in the history of modern architecture, known for its simple form and extravagant materials, such as marble and travertine.

The building stood on a large podium alongside a pool. The structure itself consisted of eight steel posts supporting a flat roof, with curtain glass walling and a handful of partition walls. The overall impression is of perpendicular planes in three dimensions forming a cool, luxurious space.

The Pavilion was dismantled at the end of the exhibition, but a replica has since been built on the same site (1981-1986).








I made my way back towards the hotel, stopping at CaixaFòrum
This redbrick, Art Nouveau fortress, built to house a factory in 1911 by Josep Puig i Cadafalch (architect of Casa de les Punxes, Casa Amatller, Casa Martí, and Casa Quadras), is a center for art exhibits, concerts, lectures, and cultural events. Well worth keeping an eye on in daily listings, Casaramona, now CaixaFòrum, has come back to life as one of Barcelona's hottest art venues. The restoration work is one more example of the fusion of ultramodern design techniques with traditional (even Art Nouveau)



And this, once a bull fighting arena, now being renovated into, depending on who you ask, either a music venue or a shopping center.




As usual, back at the hotel I showered, slept and went out to dinner with Dan, (unfortunately without my camera this time).

Barcelona Day 3 (Sep 8 2008)

Another email reminder of my trip...oh yes, the exhausting day.

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Just a quick note before bedtime. Its about 10:30 pm here, and I am exhausted. I went on the Barcelona bike tour today, I saw a lot of stuff, rode along the beach!, but I don't know who thought a 4 hour ride on cobblestone was a good idea?

Love,
Me.
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This was the day I took the fat tire bike tour


The tour was aweseome, and I would recomend it to anyone that asks, but, four or so hours is a long time on a bike if you're out of practice (as I am), and you have to ride on very busy (and bumpy) streets. Pain and fear aside, I got to see so much more than I'd be able to on a regular day. I do wish that Dan got to do it along with me, but someone has to work =)


We started at the Plaza Sant Jaume. Back in the Roman period this square was (and still is) where important government buildings were found. On one side there is the Palace of the Generalitat (the government of the Autonomous Community of Catalunya) and on the other stands the City Hall. This square has been witness to some of the most important events in recent Catalan history, such as the proclamation of the Catalan State in 1931 or the return of Josep Tarradelles from exile in 1977.

Then headed to

Museu d’Història de la Ciutat



The museum is housed within the former Royal Palace (11th to 14th c.), King Martin watch tower (1555), the Saint Agatha church (14th c.) and the Padellàs house (16th c.)



Next was the Cathedral of Barcelona



which encompasses part of the original Roman Wall!




We passed the gorgeous Palau de la Musica Catalana



And Barcelona's only bull fighting arena.







We rode through the Parc de la Ciutadella, and posed for pictures before the Arc de Triomf, yes exactly like the one in Paris.



Another trip to La Sagrada Familia



Then off to the beach!!






Lastly we came to the Santa María del Mar and the Fossar de les Moreres, where an eternal flame burns to commemorate those that died in the 1713-14 war of succession.



Finished with the tour, I walked back to the hotel, first back up the Rambla where I stopped to watch some of the street performers.







Then I stopped at the Plaça de Catalunya

The Plaça de Catalunya is a large square in central Barcelona that is generally considered to be both its city centre and the place where the old city (see Barri Gòtic and Raval, in Ciutat Vella) and the 19th century-built Eixample meet.

Some of the city's most important streets and avenues meet in Plaça Catalunya: Passeig de Gràcia, Rambla de Catalunya, La Rambla or Portal de l'Àngel, in addition to Ronda de Sant Pere, Carrer de Vergara or Carrer de Pelai. It has an area of about 50,000 square metres. It is especially known for its fountains and statues, its proximity to some of Barcelona's most popular attractions, and for the numerous flocks of pigeons that gather in the centre.







I made it back to the hotel, showered and slept until Dan got home from work. When I woke up, I was too sore to imagine going out to find a restaurant, so we ate in the hotel's restaurant, and spent a quite night in.