On a Saturday, we used the whole day as a chance to get out and see another part of the Barcelona. My Hubby planned the whole day, too! He was the man in charge of our schedule and destinations on that hillside.
We were going to go that Friday, where at the end we would have seen a foreign film as the sun sets on the ocean, BUT we couldn't sleep that night and slept through the time that would have begun our day. We were so hot and aggrivated that night. There was no air conditioning, no fan, and we could hear occassional mosquitoes buzzing by our ears. Those bugs are our nightmare because Miguel is allergic to them. The bite immediately swells to ping pong size and it really hurts. The mosquitoes barely bother me. I'm not as tastey.
So, that Saturday, we woke up early to ride the Fonicular de Mont Juic. It is a railway that takes you straight to the hill and you can use your T10 pass for it, which we had one. Otherwise, you're stuck riding the other rail that dates back to the 1920's and is a bit pricey for a ride over the ocean. Sounds nice, but the Funicular was just as nice - and quick!
On top of the hill, it was green and quiet. The whole place is a park full of museums, a rose garden, and of course the location where the Olympic Games were played! We used Trip Advisor to inform us of the history of what we saw.
We decided to see where the games were played. I discovered a trail leading from some old stone steps and we explored. In fact, it was a shortcut to the top! No one was on the trail but us. Once the vegetation parted, we saw a phenomenal view of Barcelona! We could see the ocean, the hills, the entire city, AND La Sangrada Familia. Just gorgeous! It was a nice walk through the shade on the hill...until we noticed we were going the wrong way! We found our bearings and headed toward the unique tower for the games. The tower, called Telefonica, is beside the Olympic museum and Palau Sant Jordi. We took a break on a bench to watch a dog and its owner play fetch and see occassional joggers pass. It was so peaceful and we didn't want to move.
...But on we went! We descended to a museum of choice - the C.E.A.C. fundació Joan Miró. Miró was an artist that contributed a lot of art to Barcelona and the world. Here's a snippet from Wiki:
" Joan Miró i Ferrà (Catalan: [ʒuˈam miˈɾo]; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan Spanish painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona in 1975, and another, the Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró, was established in his adoptive city of Palma de Mallorca in 1981.
Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride. In numerous interviews dating from the 1930s onwards, Miró expressed contempt for conventional painting methods as a way of supporting bourgeois society, and famously declared an "assassination of painting" in favour of upsetting the visual elements of established painting."
I loved his art gallery! Many people like to mock surrealism, but I enjoyed his artwork. It is childlike. If you ever saw a kid draw on paper and color outside the lines, then you've witnessed what I kind of experienced. He was interested in women, birds, and the stars. Some looked like nothing, but others spoke to me of wonder. His sculptures were...fun. I took a picture of a sculpture outside that resembled the dough boy but with an erection.
The firest piece that struck me was a fountain in its own room outside. I thought that the water looked like silver. Come to find out, the piece was a fountain of mercury! You know, that toxic stuff in thermometers. I thought, I would not like to be the curator for the fountain when it breaks. I would not like to die of mercury poisoning.
There were other artists, too. There was a gallery of Emily Dickinson's poems on beams leaned against a wall, pictures of different types of water and thought provoking questions underneath them, quotes in shape of bubbles on the floor, and gumdrop looking seats that represented something meaningful....but I could only think of West Hollywood's giant jelly beans in their park.
We left hungry. We ate our snack, an addictive chocolate cereal that's chocolate filled, in the nearby garden. We enjoyed the local green parrots in pine trees squawk and create funny noises. That garden was extensive and was used by the public since the 1920's. As I touched its stone structures, I thought of all the other hands from the past that touched the same spot. We walked by a pond full of peeping frogs and pink lillies. We walked through a rose garden. We passed multiple fountains that cascaded down a terraced path to the bottom. We enjoyed the garden until around 2ish. After 2 (or 14 here), we were waiting at the steps of MNAC. We were going in after 3 when it's free!
MNAC is dedicated to Catalan art of various ages. We saw a lot of religious work from the Renaissance and lovely portaits of Europeans. Miguel and I enjoyed the contemporary art that had scenery. I remember that we liked one piece that was based on a scene of a gray winter before the spring. We enjoy gloomy days.
Outside of MNAC, you have a great view of stairs leading to Plaça Espanya with its large fountains and iconic, giant pillars. We took so many pictures! Plus, there was a guitarist that gave a nice Spanish atmosphere.
This was the kind of stuff that we needed to be seeing and doing! Even if it is just once in a while. I would mark this city a success when we can explore the touristy areas. We already know what the locals are like and living with them (even if it seems that we are living in an Indian/Middle Eastern barrio). Our feet were so sore after that day. It was well worth it.
We were going to go that Friday, where at the end we would have seen a foreign film as the sun sets on the ocean, BUT we couldn't sleep that night and slept through the time that would have begun our day. We were so hot and aggrivated that night. There was no air conditioning, no fan, and we could hear occassional mosquitoes buzzing by our ears. Those bugs are our nightmare because Miguel is allergic to them. The bite immediately swells to ping pong size and it really hurts. The mosquitoes barely bother me. I'm not as tastey.
So, that Saturday, we woke up early to ride the Fonicular de Mont Juic. It is a railway that takes you straight to the hill and you can use your T10 pass for it, which we had one. Otherwise, you're stuck riding the other rail that dates back to the 1920's and is a bit pricey for a ride over the ocean. Sounds nice, but the Funicular was just as nice - and quick!
On top of the hill, it was green and quiet. The whole place is a park full of museums, a rose garden, and of course the location where the Olympic Games were played! We used Trip Advisor to inform us of the history of what we saw.
We decided to see where the games were played. I discovered a trail leading from some old stone steps and we explored. In fact, it was a shortcut to the top! No one was on the trail but us. Once the vegetation parted, we saw a phenomenal view of Barcelona! We could see the ocean, the hills, the entire city, AND La Sangrada Familia. Just gorgeous! It was a nice walk through the shade on the hill...until we noticed we were going the wrong way! We found our bearings and headed toward the unique tower for the games. The tower, called Telefonica, is beside the Olympic museum and Palau Sant Jordi. We took a break on a bench to watch a dog and its owner play fetch and see occassional joggers pass. It was so peaceful and we didn't want to move.
...But on we went! We descended to a museum of choice - the C.E.A.C. fundació Joan Miró. Miró was an artist that contributed a lot of art to Barcelona and the world. Here's a snippet from Wiki:
" Joan Miró i Ferrà (Catalan: [ʒuˈam miˈɾo]; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan Spanish painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona in 1975, and another, the Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró, was established in his adoptive city of Palma de Mallorca in 1981.
Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride. In numerous interviews dating from the 1930s onwards, Miró expressed contempt for conventional painting methods as a way of supporting bourgeois society, and famously declared an "assassination of painting" in favour of upsetting the visual elements of established painting."
I loved his art gallery! Many people like to mock surrealism, but I enjoyed his artwork. It is childlike. If you ever saw a kid draw on paper and color outside the lines, then you've witnessed what I kind of experienced. He was interested in women, birds, and the stars. Some looked like nothing, but others spoke to me of wonder. His sculptures were...fun. I took a picture of a sculpture outside that resembled the dough boy but with an erection.
The firest piece that struck me was a fountain in its own room outside. I thought that the water looked like silver. Come to find out, the piece was a fountain of mercury! You know, that toxic stuff in thermometers. I thought, I would not like to be the curator for the fountain when it breaks. I would not like to die of mercury poisoning.
There were other artists, too. There was a gallery of Emily Dickinson's poems on beams leaned against a wall, pictures of different types of water and thought provoking questions underneath them, quotes in shape of bubbles on the floor, and gumdrop looking seats that represented something meaningful....but I could only think of West Hollywood's giant jelly beans in their park.
We left hungry. We ate our snack, an addictive chocolate cereal that's chocolate filled, in the nearby garden. We enjoyed the local green parrots in pine trees squawk and create funny noises. That garden was extensive and was used by the public since the 1920's. As I touched its stone structures, I thought of all the other hands from the past that touched the same spot. We walked by a pond full of peeping frogs and pink lillies. We walked through a rose garden. We passed multiple fountains that cascaded down a terraced path to the bottom. We enjoyed the garden until around 2ish. After 2 (or 14 here), we were waiting at the steps of MNAC. We were going in after 3 when it's free!
MNAC is dedicated to Catalan art of various ages. We saw a lot of religious work from the Renaissance and lovely portaits of Europeans. Miguel and I enjoyed the contemporary art that had scenery. I remember that we liked one piece that was based on a scene of a gray winter before the spring. We enjoy gloomy days.
Outside of MNAC, you have a great view of stairs leading to Plaça Espanya with its large fountains and iconic, giant pillars. We took so many pictures! Plus, there was a guitarist that gave a nice Spanish atmosphere.
This was the kind of stuff that we needed to be seeing and doing! Even if it is just once in a while. I would mark this city a success when we can explore the touristy areas. We already know what the locals are like and living with them (even if it seems that we are living in an Indian/Middle Eastern barrio). Our feet were so sore after that day. It was well worth it.