Barcelona Spain 2015

Trip to Barcelona  June-July 2015

Thursday, June 25

4:55 p.m. Delta direct flight to Barcelona.  No need to be very early.   11 hour flight arrived around 8:30 a.m.   Immigration and customs was fast .  Taxi to our hotel…38euros paid by credit card.  Checked into Hotel Claris…great English speaking concierge and staff. ..room ready early.

Friday, June 26:

BCN first day

Around noon took metro nearby 2 stops down to medieval “Born” area.  Metro cost is about 4.5 euro ($6) for two.  Walked around the Call (the Jewish Quarter) and toured MUMBA, the( History Museum of BCN) that has a real large excavated exhibit from Roman period times.  Lunch and siesta.

In evening we toured Casa Battlo. This grand Art Nouveau Modernista building is Gaudi’s most famous private home. It The Battlo family bought this house that was originally built in the 1860s in the regional Neoclassic style.Mr. Battlo , a wealthy textile magnate, hired Gaudi and gave him a free hand in designing the renovation built 1904-6.

 We walked around with an audio guide that had an augmented reality phone screen that shows the way the room originally looked when furnished, as one points it around the room .  Each room was magnificent.   Most of the rooms including the stairway up the around the large light shaft open to the roof are open to the tour.  The building is privately owned and several of the floors are now rented to offices.

At sunset we enjoyed a    trio with an Adele type singer with wine and tapas on the roof. 

On walk back stopped for a  bite at a modern outdoor café on Passeig de Gravcia, La WineTeca Torre. 

BCN Saturday 

Saturday 06/27. Morning…The concierge helped us get tickets for guitar concert tomorrow, etc. Took taxi (6.25e) directly to Picasso museum. Had tapas, saw collection.

Then lunch in a very small tapas sandwich shop in one of the narrow alleyways and back to museum to see exhibit of work by Dali & Picasso done in similar time frame…with commentary of how Valaquez inspired each one…  very nicely done comparing similar compositions & themes of each artist side by side. 

Back to hotel dip in pool ,plan next few days. Since hotel internet is weak & sputters on & off , we had to go down to hotel guest computers.

Walked along the harbor promenade, where we stopped to watch some street musicians, on our way to Chef Xavier Pellicer’s arroceria (paella)Barraca Restaurant, where we split 

vegetarian paella. .Note:  reservations are necessary to sit upstairs with a view of the ocean.  We lucked into a table downstairs. While walking back,  we stopped for a drink at El bar A,

 where a rugby team  sitting nearby making a toast with shots..

 

Sunday June 28 

Early morning walked to Palau Musica… Magnificent building. This grand music hall was built by public subscriptions and fund raising to support local amateur choral groups.  They hired Gaudi’s teacher, famous architect Montaner. The space with the parabolic dropped glass form  in the ceiling center has exceptional acoustics.  Such forms certainly influenced Gaudi.

Hopped on a lovely bus up to Mont Juic.  Mount Juic possibly means Jewish Mountain because itit was a Jewish cemetery the Jews bought in the 1^st C. and used thru medieval times.

At the Miro museum there we enjoyed seeing Miro’s paintings and sculptures, a short movie about him and superb modern architecture of the musuem. We took the funicular down the mountain to Quimet for lunch, but it was closed on Sunday.  We had trouble finding the Funicular station, as our Spanish isn’t very much.  A local woman walking her dog point us to a local restaurant, La Vinoteca Torres for dinner.

BCN Monday

Monday

Off to the Jewish “Call”.  Enroute found  me shoes at a small Desaigual shop. Then walked thru the labyrinth of narrow streets to visit the recently opened synagogue from 3rd century (saw Roman numeral XVIII  18 for Luck on original corner stone). In 1390 when Black Plague hit the city & Jews suffered less, it resulted in progrom  that gradually ended Jewish life in city. On display was letter from the King of Argon Jaume  I to allow Jews to enlarge synagogue and raise it up + Moroccan Torah??from 13th century.  Unfortunately nearby new Jewish Museum was closed on Mondays.

Note: There is a brochure of the walking tour of the Call online, but it was not available at either MUHBA location or the synagogue.  Also, it is difficult to find anything in the area without a detailed map showing the old winding walkways.

Walked out to taxi to Casa Calvet, another of Gaudi’s buildings. The exterior is not very notable, and inside is still used as a private apartment house.  Thus, we could only catch a glance of it . Built for textile family, the first floor half for office of family business now a very upscale restaurant where we had lunch.  The waitress took us to see Gaudi’s vestibule and original lift and light shaft.  Taxi back to hotel.  I went to rooftop for drink & swim…and a joined Norm for Spanish siesta, before another late night out.

Off to dinner in old city at Four Cats. Tuna tartare dinner.  Afterward we walked to Sant Caterina, an old medieval but still active church to see a classical guitar duo in concert partially enclosed space.  The finale was when they two musicians played a four hand piece on one guitar!

On walk back we past a street art fair featuring very good ceramics.

Stop at concierge to print tkts for tour of Gaudi's Church Famillia and St Pau Hospital.

BCN Tuesday

Off to Sant Pau Hospital-Garden Site designed by Montaner. This was a working hospital until a few years ago.  It was built between 1905 and completed in 1930. Recently, a new public hospital was built on the back several acre site to replace this historical Art Nouveau gem. The hospital closed in the mid 2000s and UNESCO named this a national historic site…joining La Pedrera, Casa Battlo, Parc Guell and many other of Gaudi’s buildings in BCN.   The complex of buildings and garden courtyard has been restored (some still in process) and opened to the public a year ago.  Seeing the work of the local artisans tile, glass and mosaics of the time helps to understand how Gaudi worked with them to develop his style.

interior mosaic

 

Stopped of for a light lunch of egg omelet with tomato and cheese at a small diner across the street from the Hospital main entrance.. When in Spain, do as the Spanish do…take a siesta in the heat of day…

Fortunately, we rescheduled our audio tour of Sagrada Familia from the morning to 6 p.m., when the sun was low in the sky streaming in on one side thru yellow-orange stained glass conceived to represent the light of the sun, and also streaming thru the clear glass near the top lighting up the blue glass representing the ocean on the opposite side.  A departure of cathedrals of the past, any consider it the biggest sculptural project in the world.

Since our visit about 20 yrs ago, the top has been enclosed and one can now see & feel the magnificence of this unique Gaudi space.  The use of stained glass and light is especially magical and inspiring.  Construction on this magnificent and grand church was originally started in 1882 and the original architect was another teacher of Gaudi’s.  Gaudi took over the next year and redesigned it and the school with the undulating  hyperbolic parabaloid roof next door. The design and construction has been ongoing ever since.  Some estimate they are still 6 to 8 years left to complete, others say 11, maybe even 50.  The organization that sponsored this church would not accept government money or Vatican funding, hence it is known as the church of the poor , Famillia Sagrada . All funding is by private donations.

We lost each other in the crowd. We had agreed to meet at the shop at the end, but we both were forced to exit on the side opposite shop when they were closing.

8:15 p.m. We found each other in front.

Dinner at LaWineTeca Torre, American food, hamburger and salad and strolling musicians serenade us for a bit.

Wednesday, July 1 

Walked 2 blocks to beautiful, but ornate Modernista bldg., Casa Lleó Morera, an apartment down block from Battlo originally built in the 1860s,and was remodeled by Montanar. Interesting to see development of glass and mosaic by artisansan early Modernista style, but vernacular not as simplified or developed  as Gaudi’s Casa Battlo.,

Taxi and walked thru the maze of narrow twisting pedestrian streets to El Call and the small Jewish Museum of Muhba, which opened in March of 2015. It showed the history of the vibrant Jewish community from Roman times to 1391 pogrom.

 Found a cheese shop, but was closed For lunch and siesta.  Instead wend to Bliss across the street for an excellent lunch  of gazpacho , salad and cheese. A short taxi ride down to the Maritime Museum, which had exhibits on the history of the Barcelona waterfront and harbor from ancient  to modern times, plus model and full size boats large and small from all times in history. Including a full scale model of the Galley that the Christians used as there admiral’s boat in the battle against the Turks in 1260.  The defeat of the Turks weakened Ottoman Muslim control of the Mediterranean Sea and made it safer (?a larger area?) for the Western Christian part of the sea.   Then we walked a block to the harbor to tour the restored 1918 schooner, Santa Eulalia… still a working sailing vessel, though she only sails out on Sat. morning  with13  tourists. (book 6 months in advance)

Walked about 20 minutes to the Santa Caterina big local market, which closed at 6, just before we arrived..  However, we did find the Cuines Santa Caterina restaurant and there enjoyed tapas and enjoyed a young, strolling group of street musicians with a bass.

Taxied back to hotel for quick shower then to Compari Milano, a small bar for some very good jazz & wine 10e.   Toni Sola Jazz trio featuring Tony on the sax and Gerald Nieta on the piano…very good show. (Note, next door was a very busy bar with great band a young crowd.)
Had a scoop ice cream on walk home & a drink at our beautiful hotel roof bar/restaurant while viewing the full moon.

Thursday
Planned to see Park Guell but it was sold out until 3 p.m., so weflipped plans with Friday. 

We walked 2 blocks to the Renfe Train station and took the train to Gerona. About 1hr 10 min… smooth & fast. We walked in old city to Jewish Museum that focused on the Jews in all Catalonia & The Call in Gerona from 1100s to 1492 final expulsion. Moses ben Nahman, also known as Nahmanides was the head spiritualist and highest Talmudic authority of his generation, leading the Kabbalistic circle of Gerona.  His body of work is based upon interpretations of Torah and Talmud.

We also toured he “Arab Baths”.  Although Muslims never controlled this part of Northern Spain, they are called by this name because they were built in the style of Arab Baths, but were a medieval public bath house. 
Then to lunch 10,90e for 3 course gazpacho, huge paella & dessert wine beer or water. Walked around the medieval area a bit more, and then across the river thru the modern part of the city to the train.

After freshening up, walked to Casa Fuster Hotel, where Woody Allen filmed Vicky Christina.  Stopped by  the rooftop of the hotel where we had very good pizza.  On half of the small rooftop space a private party had Tony the Sax player from our previous evening  playing quiet jazz for the affair.  

We went down to Café Vienes, the Jazz Club just in time for the start of the show.(19e each including one glass of wine each)  The music was the Wax & Boogie Trio playing old time rag jazz, ala “Etta James”.

Ster Wax – vocal, David Giorcelli – piano, Reginald Vilardell – drummer… Her voice was deep and strong and she could really belt out the songs.  The piano player really boogied.

11 p.m. tired, we taxied the short ride back to our hotel. Catching taxi’s in Barcelona was much easier than NYC!

BCN Friday
Booked a visit to Park Guell with audio phone guide, but couldn’t get on the I-net to use it…maybe too many people on the wifi.  Did not see anyone else following one either.  Had a slow start, took taxi there to save time and make the timed ticket.

The park plan for 60 homes followed a park he had seen in London  by the industrialist Guell.

He hired his friend, Gaudi to design the park, but it was not successful due to lack of public transportation.

Gaudi only designed the house next to the park entrance. The house roof has colored mosaic patterns in the trencadis technique of a chess board in shades of blue and white. The park is a unique space, with fantasical structures, sculptures and pathways. Under Gaudi’s guidance, Jugol created the bosses in the ceiling of the Hall of 100 Columns including the remains of tiles, bottles, mirrors, dishes and porcelains.  Some say that the  4 most extravagant of them represent the seasons of the year.   Gaudi ended up moving into the only house that his right hand man designed (with, we assume Gaudi’s influence and guidance).  Another structure, a former farmhouse, was remolded by Gaudi for the Guell family to live.

Glad to have water in the backpack.  Hot.

Entrance to Parc Guell

Moving on,  walked 20 min to Metro in the heat… Plus stopped to window shop & picked up fruit, coconut and croissants for a  bite. Got on Metro two stops to the station near our hotel. Stopped at toothpick tapas bar for more tapas. We chatted with two ladies from N.Y.  We decided not to go to beach it being it was almost 3.  Joined the locals back at the hotel for dip in pool and siesta to recharge to stay up for the Harlem Jazz Club show at 11 p.m.
Hotel clerk brought up complementary small bottle of Roja wine which we packed up for home.
Taxied to Plaza Catalunya Desaigual Store, where I bought a dress and a top for about 80euro total. Clothing is cheaper in BCN.

Then we walked down Rambla .It was mobbed with both locals and tourists.  On the way to dinner around 8:30 we walked through the famous Boqueria market as it was closing.

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Then to Cenete, which has both a bar and restaurant and is quite famous. It is off a block or two from the main Rambla down a dingy side street. We had very good tapas and wine, and terrific desserts, chocolate type cream dessert & had egg yolk flan.

 Walked toward Harlem Jazz club.  On the way stopped at an art gallery on Carrer de Palau and chatted with the owner, a CA expat getting ready for a show opening by “Art is Trash” street artist. Got to Jazz Club early for 11:00 show and we got a good table. (9e each cover).  The New Orleans rag time jazz band, The Royal Pickles from Montreal played wonderful old time Jazz.  The young group of five guys played string bass, banjo, clarinet / sax, guitar, trombone, and the one girl sang and played fiddle & washboard. We left at 12:30 before show ended to finish packing and catch a morning flight home. Enjoyed our last walk out thru the maze of alleyways of the “Born” to catch taxi back to hotel.

Saturday July 6, 2015

Only 20 min ride to airport.  Easy and quick check in.  Almost 11 hr. plane ride home.  Noon there to 4:30 Atlanta. Gained 6 hours.   Easy and quick thru customs in new int’l terminal in U.S., too. Unlike past experiences.