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La Ultima Dia

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3-Nov-23 We finally had a day with (almost) nothing planned, except pampering ourselves with a last-day-of-vacay massage in the evening. So we slept in late (🙌🏻) & walked down La Rambla, Barça's famous touristy shop/bar-lined boulevard that runs from the heart of the city (Plaça de Catalunya) to the Mediterranean Sea. Plaça Reial We rented electric scooters & zoomed up & down the windy Waterfront. The bikes weren't really built for the old cobblestone streets, so I have to admit, as fun as scooters are, I was glad to get off after a couple hours 🫨😄 Columbus Monument (1888), where La Rambla meets the Mediterranean Sea To end the trip, we squeezed out the last bit of Rick Steves to stroll through Barça's fanciest neighborhood: L'Eixample - built as an expansion to the city at the turn of the century to better manage a booming & prosperous population. With its high-end shops & Michelin restaurants, it's like 5th Ave in New York City. Dazzling Mo...
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Barça on Foot

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2-Nov-23 On another cold & drizzly day, we caught a bus tour to the jagged peaks of Montserrat about an hour north of Barcelona. The rain held out just long enough for us to take a short horseback ride through the area but started up again when we went to visit the monastery.  The Monastery Santa Maria de Montserrat was established in 1025 to house a statue of the Madonna & Child (carved in Jerusalem, as legend would have it). The statue is referred to as La Moreneta or 'the Black Virgin' because the skin of the Madonna & baby Jesus is black, most likely from years of exposure to candle smoke or the aging varnish.  La Moreneta high up in the alter People wait in lines to touch the Madonna for blessings The monastery, like many historic buildings in Spain was damaged during the French occupation but was restored between the 19th-20th centuries & looks practically brand new. The rain cleared up just in time for us to head back down the mountain under a massive r...
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Musée All Day

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1-Nov-23 It's been 50 years since Pablo Picasso's death & the city of Barcelona - his adopted Catalan home - is celebrating him with a joint exhibit of his & Juan Miró's work (a native son of Barcelona). The two artists were friends & contemporaries who influenced each other's work, so it was cool to see things they were working on side by side. Picasso Museum Miró's The Bottle of Wine, 1924 Picasso's Stage Curtain for the Ballet Mercure, 1924 Picasso's The Painter & His Model, 1926 Picasso's Figure & Profile, 1928 Picasso's Self-Portrait, 1896 (age 16) Picasso's Man in a Beret, 1895 - he was 14 years old!! Picasso's First Communion, 1896 - presented at Barcelona's Exposition of Fine Arts and Crafts (depicts his sister & father at her first communion) Picasso's The Dwarf, 1901 Picasso's Waiting (Margot), 1901 Picasso's studies of Velázquez's Las Meninas, 1957 Picasso's Las Meninas, 1957 Picasso...
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