Along with a trip up to Park Güell, we had a decadent Lebanese mezze platter for two in Gràcia, a village that became part of Barcelona in 1897. It is a lovely Middle Eastern district.
A tour of the Palau de la Musica Catalana was also something I highly recommend (in a city with many choices). Take the guided tour, wandering through isn't an option. I fell in love Palau images in an art nouveau book, but seeing it in person takes the breath away. This 2,000-seat theater attracts the likes of Norah Jones and Cecilia Bartoli. It is one of the more superb modernism/Art Nouveau spectacles Barcelona has. It was built to house the Orfeo de Catalunya (Catalan Choir) and is a symbol of the rebirth of Catalonian culture that happened around the turn of the century. The resurgence of Catalonia’s native music in the 1960s post Franco was strongly tied to the labor movement.
Afterward, we walked around El Born and neighboring areas.
El Born was once a less desirable district (enclosed within the Old Town) but its cobblestone alleys, huge wooden warehouse doors and darkened windows make you feel like you’re in Medieval times. Graffiti and house/techno blasting through windows brings you back to our century pretty quickly; El Born is now a hip and arty place be.
Afterward, we walked around El Born and neighboring areas.
El Born was once a less desirable district (enclosed within the Old Town) but its cobblestone alleys, huge wooden warehouse doors and darkened windows make you feel like you’re in Medieval times. Graffiti and house/techno blasting through windows brings you back to our century pretty quickly; El Born is now a hip and arty place be.
We also visited the Museu de la Xocolata where we found a strangely marketed Belgian chocolates localized to Spain: cat tongues or Langues de Chat. 
Barcelona’s Arc del Triomf shown here all in chocolate. The liquid treats we had at the museum were on par with our local delights. I’m a chocolate supremacist so it’s hard to impress me. Here’s the real arc. 
Barcelona’s Arc del Triomf shown here all in chocolate. The liquid treats we had at the museum were on par with our local delights. I’m a chocolate supremacist so it’s hard to impress me. Here’s the real arc. 
We ended the day with dinner at l’Orangerie in the Hotel Florida which sits on the mountain most of the way up to Tibidabo. It was a lovely dinner there that prompted David to ask me under what circumstances do I actually like and eat olives (I have an on and off again relationship with them- the salt bugs me). It was this restaurant that gave me the critical insight: when I see menus with burgers on them priced at 21 €- that’s when I eat olives.
I must also note that all over Europe, I have continued to hear various selections from Sting's Dream of the Blue Turtles album. Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, France, even way out in Plitvice Lakes- the restaurant and elevator muzak is selections from this album. I have no idea why- maybe it's been re-released? Its songs are part of the auditory background to my memories of this trip.
1 comment:
Very interesting article. I have been to Barcelona. We visited my wife's cousin. I fell in love with Barcelona and it's beautiful architecture, there is so much to see and could have stayed for longer, however, you can get to see a lot in a day as it is not that big and is easy to get around. It's no wonder why Barcelona city is so popular. Fabulous architecture, brilliant Spanish cuisine, flamboyant culture and wonderful weather combine to make Barcelona a truly magnificent city. The works of Antoni Gaudi dominate the city of Barcelona.
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