Barcelona--Much ado about everything
Barcelona is an amazing city. Founded by the Romans, grown through medieval and modern times, there is something for everyone, particularly everyone romantic.
Montjuic
Montjuic is a fabulous mountain on the edge of the city. It has everything--a fort, a castle, museums, Olympic venues, gardens and more. We took the Metro to the funicular and walked to the fort at the top of the mountain.. The view from the fort was spectacular and the history of the mountain very interesting. Originally, it was the burial grounds for the Jewish community, from where it draws it's name. An historic exhibition chronicling Spain's support of Hitler and Mussolini reminded us of the terrible Spanish Civil War from 1936-1939 and Franco's victory. The fresh air was great; the history interesting. This fort once bombarded Barcelona, rather than protecting it, during the war of Succession.
We walked down to the Fundacion Joan Miro, rested in the outdoor terrace, and then toured the museum. Suffice it to say that abstract art is not Paul's favorite. We had already visited the Picasso Museum. The early years of Picasso and Miro, when they were still painting in the expressionist style, called modernismo in Spain, was definitely Paul's favorite. I love Picasso and think that Miro is fanciful...and my husband is a good sport. No pictures allowed in this museum.
Following Miro, we walked down to the Palau Nacional, the National Palace. It's a beautiful building that houses another incredible art collection, the MNAC. A grand collection of medieval and gothic art opens the museum collection, but my favorite part was the expressionism exhibit. We stayed at the Palace until they literally kicked us off the grounds.
Closing the day, we walked back to our apartment, and the 34,000 visitors at La Sagrada Familia.
Another cooking class
Barcelona Cooking hosted us for this class on classic Spanish cuisine--gazpacho, paella, tomato bread and crema Catalana. Our day began with a market tour of the most famous market in Barcelona--La Boqueria. Chef Lalo took us on an a tour of amazing food from Spain, as well as from around the world. Both Lalo and Aurora, our friend who lives in Barcelona, said that locals don't shop there, too expensive and too many tourists. But it was beautiful and interesting.
Paul and I love to cook and love to cook together. We learned a couple of new techniques while we made delicious food. Our companions in the class were one Korean/American and 7 ladies from Australia. We made strawberry gazpacho, Spanish tortilla, chicken and seafood paella and Catalan creme. Yummy and fun!
City of Barcelona Museum--a referral from Aurora, our friend
We met up with Aurora, the friend we made in Mexico City, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. She showed us the old city from her point of view and treated us to lunch at a wonderful seafood restaurant. Aurora is an amazing person, a professor of physics at the University of Barcelona and founder of a new business. Here are some of the highlights of that afternoon.
The Museum of the City of Barcelona
What a marvel! This is an underground museum, displaying the excavation of the Roman ruins under the old city of Barcelona. Thank you, again, Aurora, for suggesting it, as it is awesome. It is the largest Roman excavation outside Rome. In the museum you will see a laundry, a winery and homes. A beautiful and amazing find!
OK, there is so much more to this fabulous city. See you soon with more memories.
