4th-8th May 2015
Barcelona, with its beautiful blue Mediterranean sea, architectural treasures, limitless nightlife, artistic creations on both canvas and on the plate, was a magical last experience of Spain before we crossed over to Italy.
Before I go much further I should correct myself. Barcelona is not in Spain , but in Catalunya. The region of Catalunya with Barcelona as its capital, has its own history, language and culture. Catalunya was one of the last areas of democratic resistance during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). It has a proud, independent spirit.
Arriving into Barcelona I was distracted from my navigational duties to the cemetary of Montjuïc built high on Barcelona's hill. What caught my attention was the sepulchral niches, large communal graves where up to eight graves were stacked on top of each other.
Established on 17th March 1883, the cemetery of Montjuïc is where over 152,000 people are buried. To the distaste of many it has now become a popular tourist site.
Surprisingly we managed an easy navigation to our apartment in Barcelona, somehow we managed to slip in through a complex one way system which was not to be repeated by a later taxi ride.
We were meet by Ramon , the owner of the historic three bedroom apartment we were to stay in for the next four nights. Located in the 'El Molino' district of Barcelona, it had once been his grandparent's house which he had lived in for a long time before deciding that the growing popularity of Barcelona and its subsequent increase in people and expensive, was too much. After our pick-pocket briefing by Ramon, which I appreciated having had my bag snatched on Chris and my last trip to Barcelona, we made the 20 minute walk to Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas is Barcelona's most famous street. It's name is taken from a stream that was once there, it was later known as Cagalell(Stream of Shit) and remained outside of the city walls until the 14th century.
Barcelona, with its beautiful blue Mediterranean sea, architectural treasures, limitless nightlife, artistic creations on both canvas and on the plate, was a magical last experience of Spain before we crossed over to Italy.
Before I go much further I should correct myself. Barcelona is not in Spain , but in Catalunya. The region of Catalunya with Barcelona as its capital, has its own history, language and culture. Catalunya was one of the last areas of democratic resistance during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). It has a proud, independent spirit.
Arriving into Barcelona I was distracted from my navigational duties to the cemetary of Montjuïc built high on Barcelona's hill. What caught my attention was the sepulchral niches, large communal graves where up to eight graves were stacked on top of each other.
Established on 17th March 1883, the cemetery of Montjuïc is where over 152,000 people are buried. To the distaste of many it has now become a popular tourist site.
Surprisingly we managed an easy navigation to our apartment in Barcelona, somehow we managed to slip in through a complex one way system which was not to be repeated by a later taxi ride.
We were meet by Ramon , the owner of the historic three bedroom apartment we were to stay in for the next four nights. Located in the 'El Molino' district of Barcelona, it had once been his grandparent's house which he had lived in for a long time before deciding that the growing popularity of Barcelona and its subsequent increase in people and expensive, was too much. After our pick-pocket briefing by Ramon, which I appreciated having had my bag snatched on Chris and my last trip to Barcelona, we made the 20 minute walk to Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas is Barcelona's most famous street. It's name is taken from a stream that was once there, it was later known as Cagalell(Stream of Shit) and remained outside of the city walls until the 14th century.
Standing dominant at the Port Vell (seaside end) to Las Ramblas we took note of the statue of Christopher Columbus, pointing towards the New World with his right hand.
As we started our walk down the 1.2km plane tree lined pedestrian boulevard, we soon came across the fabulous artists - buskers, pavement artists, living statues, painters, mimes. We couldn't help but be drawn into it, the atmosphere was so positive. They say that the increase in tourism has destroyed the character of the street, now lined with souvenir kiosks and pavement cafes. They say it too now suffers from pickpockets, Barcelona's plaque and a red light district at it's southern end. I did clutch my bag quite firmly but I didn't really feel at risk. Regardless of this it is still a must do.
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| Human Statue: White Painter and Lachlan. |
Without knowing it I photographed the boys standing on a Miró. The famous painter Joan Miró created this mosaic which thousands of people now walk over each day. Born in 1893, the famous Spanish Catalan artist, Joan Miro was born in Barcelona and was heavily influenced by the area and it's distinct style.
With the prospect of an over priced over touristy dinner on Las Ramblas we made a dive sideways into the labyrinth of the Gothic Quarter(Barri Gòtic) in search of something much better.
Still a while off the 9pm dinner start time, I was a little skeptical about the one restaurant open and offering us a complimentary drink too. Too the surprise of us all it ended up being absolutely delicious, wonderfully atmospheric and well run. After the complimentary cocktails, non-alcoholic for the kids, we enjoyed a selection of delicious modern fusion tapas. Grilled green asparagus with gratinated goat cheese and laminated almonds -melted scamorza with confited cherry tomato, red onions and thyme - Thai red curry with chicken and Asian vegetables - Goat cheese salad with honey vinaigrette, balsamic vinegar and nuts - Mango, avocado, walnuts and buffalo mozzarella salad with Pedro Ximénez wine vinaigrette - Crispy fish salad - Chocolate coulant with wild strawberries ice cream and coulis of mango.
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| Mission, the ice-cream shop spotted pre-dinner. |
The next day I took the boys to visit Palau Güell, leaving Chris to his work. I was quite excited not having seen this on my previous visit. Built between 1886-1888, this mansion was designed by Antoni Gaudí at the beginning of his career for his friend and client, the industrial tycoon Eusebi Güell. It's spatial concepts were completely original, all expressed in traditional material such as stone, marble, wood, stained glass, iron and metals. As well as being notable as one of the first Art Nouveau buildings in the world it contained the essence of Gaudi's later works.
It now forms part of the UNESCO world heritage site "Works of Antoni Gaudí".
From the street we viewed the two parabolic arches one through which guests entered the house in horse drawn carriages and the other through which they exited. The parabolic was an architectural innovation developed by Gaudi from inverting the curve formed by a chain when supported from it's ends. The iron doors designed by Gaudi are a highpoint in the art of wrought ironwork. You can look out but not in, the metal is thicker in the middle than in the upper and lower sections so that light cannot pass through.
Downwards we went into the basement where the guest's animal were originally transported via the ramp and where the servants lived. Mushroom shaped pillars have been used as columns instead of typical load bearing walls to allow for better utilization of space and circulation.
We travelled upstairs as the guests would have to the receiving room and onwards.
The starlit sky appearance of the main party room was achieved by small holes near the top where at night lanterns were hung from the outside.
The starlit sky appearance of the main party room was achieved by small holes near the top where at night lanterns were hung from the outside.
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| Jarvis being Jarvis. |
After an ice-cream recharge we walked on to the Gothic Cathedral, Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia, Barcelona's central place of worship.The main facade was highly decorated, especially compared with the sparseness of decoration on the other facades. It was added in 1870, while the rest of the building was built between 1298-1460.
None of this was much interest to the boys, the most lasting image for them probably being the rather aggressive elderly lady asking for money on the doorstep. So it was just a quick look inside at all the magnificence of such a soaring space. Unnoticed by any of us was the absence of holy water in the font. This is remaining from a 2009-10 swine flu epidemic preventative measure.
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| Lachlan in front of the crypt staircase |
Our final sight-seeing stop on what had turned out to be quite a large circuit was the Mercat de la Boqueria, Barcelona's most central food market. It is believed that a market had existed here since 1217, locals and top restarateurs still buy their produce here.
I was hoping to pick up a few goodies but sadly we were a little late missing out on it's renowned sensations and multitude of produce. I still managed however to walk away with plenty of sweet treats.
On returning to the apartment, Chris told me a little of his run alongside the shoreline. What had only been a small beachfront area on our last trip had now grown, thanks to the 1992 Olympic games, into nine beaches spanning along a three mile stretch.
I think I felt I wouldn't be doing my parental educational duty if I didn't get the boys to the Picasso Museum Well after all it houses one of the most extensive collections(4251 works) of Picasso's work in the world, Barcelona being where Picasso spent his formative years. It was a bit of an effort getting there, a metro trip and a reasonably long and navigationally challenging walk too.
I think most interest for me was the uniqueness of the five medieval stone mansions that made up the Museum. There was very little interest from the boys about anything at all. The collection inside concentrated on Picasso's formative years and therefore lacked his more famous later works. They say that even so you can get a full appreciation of his genius but sadly I just didn't get it.
Child appeasement was on the top of the list after coming out of the museum so we soon stopped for a lunch in a lovely spot just outside yet another church.
To our good fortune a group of acrobatic performers set up just in front of us and performed an amazingly dynamic piece. Wow, it was really good. As I dropped some money into their hat after the performance, I figured that they probably did quite well with the number of tourists and the number of public spaces to perform in.
I think most interest for me was the uniqueness of the five medieval stone mansions that made up the Museum. There was very little interest from the boys about anything at all. The collection inside concentrated on Picasso's formative years and therefore lacked his more famous later works. They say that even so you can get a full appreciation of his genius but sadly I just didn't get it.
Child appeasement was on the top of the list after coming out of the museum so we soon stopped for a lunch in a lovely spot just outside yet another church.To our good fortune a group of acrobatic performers set up just in front of us and performed an amazingly dynamic piece. Wow, it was really good. As I dropped some money into their hat after the performance, I figured that they probably did quite well with the number of tourists and the number of public spaces to perform in.
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| Camp Nou experience. Player's tunnel to the pitch. |
The next day with Chris back on board, he had got over a bit of his work hump, we headed off to the kid's major draw-card, Futbol(FC) Barcelona, Camp Nou.
Along with the 1.5 million visitors per year, we visited the largest privately owned stadium in the world – Barcelona FC has a seating capacity of 100,000.
The Camp Nou tour and museum experience was a pretty good way to get a little behind the scenes action.
We navigated through the museum, the away team's changing room, the FC chapel, press room, players tunnel, press box ....
Along with the 1.5 million visitors per year, we visited the largest privately owned stadium in the world – Barcelona FC has a seating capacity of 100,000.
The Camp Nou tour and museum experience was a pretty good way to get a little behind the scenes action.
We navigated through the museum, the away team's changing room, the FC chapel, press room, players tunnel, press box ....
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| As close to the field as we got. |
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| Jarvis comfortable in the Press Box, 35m above the pitch. |
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| Too close for comfort, a rare selfie. |
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| The skeletal face of Casa Batlló, locally known as 'House of Bones'. |
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| Casa Batllo, perhaps a dragon is on the roof? |
Here I walked past Casa Batlló, a building restored by Antoni Gaudi and Josep Maria Jujol. An astonishing work, even if I only viewed it from the outside.
It's facade devoid of straight lines was decorated with a mosaic made of broken ceramic tiles. The windows were flowing and irregular.
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| Casa Milà or "la Pedrera" |
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| Casa Mila, self-supporting stone facade also supported by curved iron beams. |
Not far along the street from Casa Batllo I came to Casa Milà or "la Pedrera" as it is often called. Structurally as well as architectural innovative, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984.
It took little time to realise that there was no shopping for me on Passeig de Gracia, it was full of the top fashion houses. However, I did enjoy observing the fabulous fashion and style of the people promenading the avenue.
A call from Chris abruptly jolted me back into reality. He was calling from the Hospital, "Lachlan has had an accident" he said. Everything stood still as he explained that Lachlan had put his left foot through the spokes of the moving bicycle wheel bringing it to a halt and badly injuring his ankle and foot.
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| Adventures just prior to the biking accident. |
"My son has been in an accident", I replied, the words sounded rather dramatized in my head like someone else's story.
I just managed to hold it together.
There at the hospital was poor little Lachlan, cuddled on Chris's lap in a treatment room of the children's emergency ward. Poor Chris too, he looked so upset. I relieved him to take the kids and bikes back while I waited out for the results of the Xray. It took a while but finally we got the good news that it wasn't broken but badly skinned and bruised. His poor little foot was now half the size again and when the temporary bandage came off for them to dress the wound I was shocked by the damage. I doubt the medical team had ever heard such profanity from such a young child as they attempted to clean and dress his foot. It was highly distressing watching an orderly hold him down, another nurse trying to hold the gas over his nose and mouth and another trying to clean his raw foot with antiseptic solution. It must have been excruciating. Finally the gas kicked in, far too late really, and then Lachlan was all sweet and smiles. Before leaving I was told Lachlan's dressing needed to be changed by a doctor after two days and then every few days for an unknown amount of time. I knew this was going to add a considerable challenge to our travels.
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| Columns branching upwards to heaven's canopy. |
With over 3 million visitors a year , the Sagrada Familla, Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece is Barcelona's top attraction. It is estimated it will be finished by 2026, 100 years after the tragic death of Gaudi. Gaudi knew it would take a long time, famously saying "My client is not in a hurry."
Our hosts were wonderfully obliging and happily allowed us to stay in the apartment until our early evening overnight ferry crossing to Rome. Chris beefed up his muscles and off we went, Lachlan in his arms.
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Leaving Barcelona |
