Gallivanting Grandma

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Today was our first full day in Madrid.  We took a public bus along the Paseo del Prado to see the magnificent boulevard and the historic buildings which line the street.

Our first priority was to visit the famous Museo Nacional del Prado. No photography was allowed in the galleries.  We wandered through the impressive building to see the fabulous collection of paintings by Goya, el Greco, Velasquez, Titian, Tintoretto, Durer, Gainsborough, and Heranomus Bosch.

Madrid is a large bustling elegant city and very different from Barcelona. There’s a lot of traffic, people, shops, restaurants, and beautiful classic architecture.

We walked up the main street to Plaza del Sol but as the wind picked up and the temperature dropped, we began to feel cold.

The building in the photo above is supposed to be the largest Apple computer store in Europe.

We took the Metro back to the hotel, rested, and then went out for tapas at a local restaurant called Fanegas 29. Of course, we were too early! But we’re working on adjusting our clocks to “Spanish time.” :-)

Friday – November 20, 2015

Today was a travel day so we left Barcelona in the morning and took the high-speed train to Madrid. The distance between the cities is almost 400 miles (624 km) however the AVE train travels at speeds up to 185 miles per hour so the trip took just 2 hours and 45 minutes exactly.

We traveled through the Spanish countryside which was surprisingly flat and dotted with farms.

We arrived in the capital of Spain at exactly 1:45pm.  The Atocha Station was very modern and clean.

We found our hotel easily with the assistance of a taxi. We checked in and they gave us a large comfortable room.  We rested for a while then explored the hotel and walked around the neighborhood.  We found the closest Metro station and purchased a 10-trip pass to use during the week.  It was chilly so we returned to the hotel to relax and had a light supper.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Today is our last day in Barcelona and we wanted to see a couple of different sites. It was a cool, bright sunny day and the city glowed. We walked through the Gothic Quarter to the magnificent Palau de la Musica Catalana, a concert hall built in 1908.

We took the guided tour and were treated to a mini-concert going on in the magnificent auditorium.

A quick stop in a cafe:  

A brief stop in La Boqueria: 

We had a rest/siesta on the roof terrace of our hotel then went to see Casa Lleo Morera, another Modernista house designed by Lluis Domenech i Montaner. The house was built in 1906 for a wealthy Spanish family.

It was a beautiful building with incredible design elements.

Our final supper in Barcelona was ‘tapas’ at Irati Pintxos Restaurant followed by churros and chocolate at Granjala Pallaresa.

Yes, that’s whipped cream heaped on thick unsweetened dark chocolate! 

What a way to end a great week in Barcelona!!!

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Today was our day to climb Montjuic, pronounced “mon-jew-eek,” the hill overlooking Barcelona’s harbor and city beaches.  

Besides a spectacular view of the city, there are many things to do and see, for example: the Fundacio Miro, ruins of an 18th century castle, the Catalan Art Museum, and the 1929 World Fairgrounds.

We took the Metro and a bus almost to the top of Montjuic to visit the best of Joan Miro’s artwork in the world.  The collection is housed in a fabulous building specially designed in 1975 by Josep Lluis Sert to showcase Miro’s amazing art.  Unfortunately, photography was not allowed in the galleries, but I took a few photos in the outdoor spaces. 

Then we rode the circa-1929 Teleferico del Puerto – Aeri del Port cable car down to the harbor peninsula known as Barceloneta. We rode from a station on the side of the hill to the top of a tall tower and onward to another tower by the beach. It was great fun and the views of the city and the harbor were amazing.  

 After a quick elevator ride down the last tower, we were on the beach and the Mediterranean Sea!  

It was a long walk back to our hotel on the Ramblas but we did it! It was good to explore another part of Barcelona and admire the architecture. 

We enjoyed a couple of recouperative ‘cavas’ and patatas bravas in a little outdoor cafe behind the hotel.  

Later at night, we ventured out for homestyle paella at Restaurant Vigo.

 Amazing food in Barcelona!!!  We shared tomato bread and fried chorizo for appetizers and a delicious seafood paella for an entree. 

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…….