Sunday, November 15, 2015
We had a late start today. I guess the excitement and jet lag finally caught up to us. After a late breakfast, we discovered the lovely roof-top lounge of our hotel with fabulous 360-degree views of Barcelona.
The roof looked like a fun place to lounge on hot summer nights. Ah, to be young again….
We walked to another Antoni Gaudi mansion, the magnificent Palau Guell, which had been the residence of the industrial tycoon and patron, Eusebi Guell, built in 1888. The Catalan art nouveau building was an early Gaudi ‘Modernisme’ design but showed some of his original concepts.
The parabolic entryways, whose shapes became Gaudi signatures, were designed for horse-drawn carriages.
The Palau Guell, like all the other Gaudi designs, is included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The roof was a complex of undulating tiles and whimsical chimneys.
We walked through the center of the old city known as Barri Gotic (Gothic District) to the Born District to visit the Picasso Museum. After we saw the very long line and discovered that we would have a three-hour wait to get into the museum, we decided to save it for another day. Later, we learned that the Picasso Museum has free admittance on Sundays.
The lovely Placa Reial (in the Catalan language) is pictured below:
It’s fun to walk along the shady narrow ancient alleyways and imagine what they must have been like five hundred years ago. Today, they’re lined with inviting little shops and cafes.
The Catedral de Barcelona is a huge complex of hodgepodge architecture. The Gothic church is surrounded by Roman and modern buildings which reflect the history of the city.
After resting at the hotel, we ventured out for a simple tapas supper at a nearby restaurant named Macareno. We shared a plate of jamon (cured ham), pa amb tomaquet (tomato bread), and patatas bravas. Yummm……….
Then we joined the crowd of locals and tourists who stroll along Las Ramblas in the cool dark evenings. The flower shops close about ten o’clock but the restaurants are open late and the newsstands are supposed to be open all night.
