Tuesday, November 17, 2015
We’re enjoying cloudless bright blue skies and low 70 degree temperatures. Barcelona resembles Nice, France but without the hustle & bustle. People are friendly and easygoing and the city seems to come to life as the day goes on.
The ancient narrow streets are a maze of intersecting alleyways and it’s fun to walk along and bump into something new: a shop or monument or tiny square.
Today we visited the Picasso Museum to see their paintings by the artist – no lines to get in and no photos allowed. The Museo occupies five converted palaces dating from the 13th to 15th centuries and has an excellent collection of early Picasso works.
Then we explored the old Jewish quarter and the huge Gothic cathedral nearby.
A traditional Gothic cathedral was interesting to see especially after Antoni Gaudi’s version yesterday. But the electronic candles (below) were too much!
There’s not much left of the Old Jewish Quarter after Queen Isabella ousted all the Jews and Muslims in 1492. Today there is a small synagog located below ground level, down ancient stone steps, and a shop nearby which sold biblical artifacts.
We had discovered, tried, and enjoyed ‘pintxos’ so tonight we wanted to have ‘tapas.’ We went to a small local place named Elisabet’s a few blocks away from our hotel.
The clock above actually had “Grand Central Terminal” printed on its face. We felt a bit nostalgic for home as we shared delicious tapas: tomato bread, patatas bravas Bolognese, fried calamari, and jamon croquettes. Yummmmm…….
