After taking the Metro to the well-situated Jaume I stop, we were a bit disoriented, and immediately went to wrong Cathedral. Well, not the wrong Cathedral -- we were planning to go to the Esglesia de Santa Maria del Mar at some point, but I had wanted to start with the Cathedral de Barcelona (don't ask me why. I don't know. I had a plan. It went out the window. It worked fine this way).
Built in the 14th Century in just 59 years, the Church (Santa Maria del Mar) was noted by the guidebooks as very aesthetically clean and simple, adding to its beauty. Here's one such sentence: "Many regard the Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar as Barcelona's most beautiful building, architecturally superior to the clash of styles of the main Cathedral."
Tip for travelers -- just because something is written in a guidebook doesn't make it true. While the simplicity is nice -- the Cathedral's grandeur blows it away. I'm assuming that they didn't want to count the less than 100 year old Sagrada Familia in the mix -- because that's the most stunning church I've ever seen.
(And I've been to Westminster Abbey, Notre Dame, York Minster, the Vatican, the Aya Sofia, St, Mark's in Venice, as well as Sparta Presbyterian and Bethany Lutheran. So ranking an unfinished, unopened cathedral at the top of the list ought to give you some idea just how mind-blowingly beautiful Sagrada Familia is. I realize you might not agree, but it's okay for you to be wrong.)
This is NOT to dis Santa Maria del Mar ("dis" is from the Latin "disrespectivo," meaning "criticize" or "knock" in a particularly harsh way). First of all, any building from those days (opened 1384) that is still standing is a stunning achievement. Secondly, there are elements that commend it -- but not as much as the enthusiastic guidebook stated. Worth the stop, though, so don't get me wrong.
Once we figured out we were in the "wrong" church (knowing which we were going out of the Metro was a crapshoot) I had my bearings. The next stop was the Museu Picasso, which in my estimation was MORE interesting than the guidebooks said it would be. Picasso lived from age 14 till uncertain in Barcelona, and this museum -- set in five Medieval stone mansions that all survived in a row -- is dedicated to more of his early work.
Faithful readers of the blog will know I am NOT a huge art guy. (In fact, that sentence probably proves that point, because I'm pretty sure art aficiandos aren't called "art guys.") However, I did want to see Picasso's work (just as I have been to the Louvre -- and not only because it is fun to say repeatedly in the manner of Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau. Admit it -- you are saying it that way right now, and you know I'm right!).
Anyhoo, the guidebooks warn that the Museum is a little disappointing, because his most famous works are in Paris. While there were some less-interesting works, there were plenty of paintings representative of Picasso's later work too. (It's like going to a sporting event and expecting every at-bat to be fascinating or every play from scrimmage interesting.) All in all, more hits than misses.
From there we wandered over to the Mercat de Santa Caterina, which has an amazing, colorful, undulating roof. Unfortunately, you can't see the top of the roof from underneath it. So, while it was fun wandering the labyrinth of streets to find it, getting there was anti-climatic.
The day was hot and humid, but not nearly as bad as the previous day. We stayed hydrated, and headed over to the Museu d'Historia de la Ciutat (remember, this is Catalan language, NOT Spanish, so there are differences in spellings and words).
Located right near the Cathedral, the area around the Museum is quite beautiful. The Museum itself is neat. Located underground, it is billed as having the most extensive subterranean Roman ruins in the world. There is also a medieval royal chapel of note. There is also a banqueting hall from the 1300s -- the hall was used for Isabel and Ferdinand to receive Columbus after he discovered India, or America, or some islands, or whatever it was he actually found. The Holy Inquisition also carried out its trials there (insert Monte Python skit joke here).
The most interesting part, however, is the Roman ruins of Barcino, including that of a laundry, a dye shop, a winemaking building, the Roman fishsauce, and the remains of an early (6th Century) church. Oh yeah, and very nearly the remains of a tragically dropped audioguide.
The audioguides come as part of the admission. These things are great. Unfortunately, in one section I was looking intently whilst shifting the audioguide around. Which, of course I promptly dropped to loud clanging off the walkway, dropping into the ruins below.
The one security guard told me to wait there, so I did (sheepishly). An elderly security guard came along with a long string with a hook on it (think a fishing pole without the pole, bigger string, and a safer hook). After a couple of tries, he hooked the strap and reeled it in. Clearly I wasn't the first to drop their audioguide. I thanked him, and then immediately put the strap around my neck. No more drops -- and the audioguide still worked!
We wandered around the area by the Cathedral (the main one this time) and stopped for lunch. Given that the restaurant is right in the heart of the Barri Gothic (Old City), we overpaid. But that's part of the deal in those areas. We sat inside, which was nearly airconditioned. During lunch, I frantically searched for additional sights to see, as we had covered much more ground more quickly than I expected.
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