Mike & Amanda's Gaudi & Seafood Tour of Barcelona, Oct 06 - Part 3

[Mike Jones]

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Day 3 – Tuesday 10th October 2006.

Awake at 610, having slept exceptionally well for another night. We have our showers and I try to check the news, but with every station being strictly Spanish or Catalan I glean little about world affairs since Sunday!

We leave the hotel at 8.10. It’s warm again, with mostly clear skies and looks promising for the day ahead. Heading across the Ramblas into the Old Town, we have breakfast at a patisserie on Caller Ferran – croissants, freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee. Although this suits us, it’s a good job, as there are very few places doing anything along the lines of a typical English fry-up! Ah well, my doctor will be pleased!

Walking back we wander through a market hall near the hotel, where dozens of meat and vegetable stalls are setting up. I note that one sells solely horse meat!

Arriving back at 9.00, we pack our small daysack and head off to the west of the Ramblas, through the Ravel district, towards our destination of Montjuic, a couple of miles or so distant. We always prefer walking where possible, but could have taken the Metro if desired.

We pass MACBA along the way – Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (I’ll let you do the translation!) – somewhere we would like to visit but probably not on this first trip where we really just want to find our bearings and get an overall impression of the city.

The rest of the 40 minute walk is pleasant if unexciting: we pass through predominantly residential and commercial districts with no discernible character. However, as we approach the Placa d’Espanya, at the entrance to the principle buildings of the Montjuic area, things start to look up.

(Montjuic is a steep hill rising above Barcelona to the south-west, and is certainly the largest green area in the city. Probably named for the Jewish community that settled its slopes hundreds of years ago, it has served an obvious, defensive role and has been topped by a fort/castle for at least three hundred years. However, in modern times, it has been established as an important cultural and leisure park, centred around significant development when it was picked as the site for the 1929 International Exhibition. Subsequent additions were made for the 1992 Olympics.)

The Placa d’Espanya is a vast space and forms the gateway, through twin near-50 meter high towers, to the complex.

To one side, and now disused (with apparent demolition or refurbishment) is a Bullring.

We walk up the avenue between the towers towards the imposing and principal building on Montjuic, MNAC – the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. There are escalators (presumably not dating from 1929!) at the sides to assist weary legs.

The first level, below the Museum, is centred on a large fountain, the Font Magica. This apparently showcases a light and sound display on selected evenings, similar I presume to the fountain in the plaza at Epcot, but sadly we don’t have any plans to return here this trip.

We sit on a nearby bench in increasingly warm sunshine - it must be heading up to the 80s now – and plan our assault on the hill. It’s 10am, and we decide to head first to Poble Espanyol, a five minute walk off to the side of the forum where we are currently.

This is a complete Spanish Village, consisting of streets, squares and reconstructions of famous or characteristic buildings from all over Spain, built for the 1929 exhibition. We join the American and Korean tourists at the ticket booth outside before entering the village through a high stone gateway.

It’s very well done. The buildings and squares look very authentic (although closer inspection reveals a lot of them are of concrete rather than stone construction). It’s clear that the majority of the buildings are either retail outlets or craft workshops. We wander around and poke our noses into most open doorways.

One of the buildings houses an impressive gallery of contemporary art, including a cracking collection (pardon the pun!) of Picasso ceramics.

 

[Mike Jones]

We browse through the rest of the village, taking in the views across the city from the ‘monastery’ at the far corner,

… before returning to the entrance through the Sculpture Garden…. One or two striking pieces but a couple are a bit disturbing!!

It’s 1130 as we exit the Village and head back down the road to the plaza below the Museum.

We climb the steps to the entrance area and admire the view back down the avenue.

…The Museum is a striking monument, and its exhibits are highly recommended in various guides, but we are on a walking tour only today, and pass by, heading behind the building to the Olympic area.

A huge (and incredibly noisy!) bell, hung in a scaffold tower, strikes 1200 as we walk by. The area to the rear opens into a vast plaza, dominated to the west by the Estadi Olimpic, currently under massive refurbishment, and to the east by the striking and neck-stretching Communications Tower.

The area between the two includes another stadium, the Palau Sant Jordi.

We can see our next objective, the Castell de Montjuic, away behind, and above, the Olympic Stadium. It’s very warm now, as we head off along the roads winding up the hillside.

 

[Mike Jones]

It’s 1250 as we arrive at the Castle approach. There are significant roadworks and improvements underway here too, and we assume they are at least partly connected with replacing a cable car system that we expected to find at the Castle, but which is no longer here. We sit for a few minutes, admiring the views across the city.

The fort is 18th Century, rebuilt on 17th Century ruins. It served as a military base and prison for many years after the Civil War, but is now home to a military museum in the inner keep.

The driveway approach is uphill, and overlooks the bay and commercial docks area below. We enter the ramparts across a drawbridge over an attractively landscaped moat….

…and, hungry now, head first to a café terrace to the right of the entrance. The food is of questionable quality (limp pizza) but we supplement it with some wine and an ice-cream and it goes down pretty well!

A viewpoint on the ramparts behind us affords stunning views across the city.

We circle the inner keep, until we are on the side overlooking the harbour and docks area. It’s not a pretty view, but quite impressive none the less.

The easiest way back to the city is a path leading down, initially through woodland, with the coast on our right. It arrives at a pleasant plaza and garden area, obviously a viewpoint on the tourist trail, as a few coach-loads of visitors are milling around taking photographs.

We pick up the path again and continue down to the harbour. The area around Columbus’ statue at the lower end of the Ramblas is predictably busy with traffic. There is extensive graffiti on some of the roadside walls, and it becomes clear that this section is given over to the artists (one of whom is busy painting out a large panel for his next creation), presumably in a (vain) attempt to stop them plastering the rest of the city streets.

 

[Mike Jones]

The harbour entrance is marked by a huge, tubular steel sculpture, in marked contrast to the remains of the old city walls and the various imposing buildings to the sides.

We head up the Ramblas, looking lovely in the afternoon sunshine, and thronged with tourists,

… before adjourning to the Placa Reial for rest and sustenance at Bar Karma in the sunny side of the square…it’s 2.50pm as we sit down.

Our ‘friends’ from yesterday, the dancers, have returned and look like they are waiting for the local police to disappear before treating us to another production of their soul-less display.

They get a few cents for their trouble, but we are thereafter pestered by a few outright beggars. Most are easily dismissed with a shake of the head, but one, more persistent chap repeatedly tries to engage us until I tell him bluntly that we are on holiday and don’t want to waste our time talking to him, so go away! He takes the hint and wanders off to befriend some other punters.

 

[Mike Jones]

Another drink follows the first, and just before 4pm we head off into the old town streets. They are even more appealing in the sunshine.

Our browsing takes us through Placa de Sant Jaume again, and past the cathedral area and plaza. It’s about 5 o’clock when we decide to stop and grab some food. One of the squares near the church of Santa Maria del Pi (that’s Saint Maria of the Pines), the Placa de Sant Josep Oriol looks inviting, and we sit at a table outside the Bar del Pi, ordering a couple of drinks, olives, fried squid, bread and a ham toastie.

We enjoy the snack until about 540, pay the 15 Euro bill and head off back, via the Ramblas, to the hotel.

Showered and refreshed, we head back out at 740. (No more pics today I'm afraid, as we forgot the camera!) Our meals today have only been small bites, and we are still peckish. We’ve noticed a contemporary-looking oyster bar called Vildsvin on Carrer de Ferran and head back there. We elect for a table in the covered passageway outside, and enjoy a bottle of Cava and a dozen oysters. Lovely! I am ashamed to say that we finish the night with a burger from McDonalds nearby though, as oysters aren’t terribly filling, before heading off to the hotel at 10.10… another busy and pretty tiring day (all that food and alcohol!) and we are asleep by 10.30

Mike & Amanda

Tomorrow: The Universal theme park near Salou, Port Aventura!

 

[JohnnySharp2]

As always an awesome report and great pictures too

 

[Minniespal]

Wonderful Mike

 

[Cyrano]

We stayed in a hotel on this street. The traffic started at 5.30am so we did not need an alarm clock

As always Mike your report and photos bring the place to life. Thanks for sharing

 

[florida sun]

Brilliant, absolutly brilliant Mike

 

[ely3857]

Wonderful



Jodie