Part of renting the apartment included a free tour from Milena, who is the manager of the apartment, and a former tour guide. She came to Barcelona 30 years ago from Yugoslavia, and provided interesting insight into the city. We did not go up Montjuic ten years ago, so we picked this free tour so we could become better acquainted with this section of Barcelona.
We took the funicular up to about mid-mountain, got out, and walked around. We were afforded fabulous views of much of the city. Sagrada Familia was easy to spot, as was the Cathedral.
I can still remember the incredible backdrop of
the city behind the Olympic diving pool. And
now I got to see it for real.
The Cathedral with Torre Agbar behind it.
One is over 500 years old, and the other
is 20 years old. If you need to Google
which is which, you need more
help than you realize.
The Cathedral from Montjuic.
Templo del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus sits on a hill,
next to an amusement park, on the outskirts of
Barcelona.
Christopher Columbus is an optical illusion. From
below, he is pointing East. From here, it looks
like he is pointing West! The white building in
the middle of the photo is our apartment
building, so that's pretty cool we could see
it from Montjuic.
The feet of many Olympic stars from 1992 and other
years are displayed outside the Olympic Stadium.
The great Mark Spitz! I'm showing him rather
than Michael Jordan, because. . .swimming!
Pau Gasol had the largest foot!
Olympic Stadium and the famed
torch lit by the archer.
Inside the Stadium, which was built in 1929
and refurb'd before the Olympics. It was
also home to the old European football team,
the Barcelona Dragons. Milena was sorry
to see the league fold.
The tower built for broadcast TV
during the Olympics.
A view of Olympic Plaza.
Fountains and the Stadium.
The Olympic swim venue. Top Americans included
Mike Barrowman, Matt Biondi, Pablo Morales,
Janet Evans, and Summer Sanders. The latter
won four medals for the US.
The MNAC, the art gallery of Catalunya.
A beautiful building, we got all the way up
on the roof. Not many people realize you can
go up to the top.
A view of the Magic Fountain, the four columns,
the Venice towers, and the old bull ring.
The building is less than 100 years old. The design
is definitely old school. Check out the organ.
Part of the seating area in the great hall. Milena
left us after this, and we went exploring on our own.
The spectacular Sagrada Familia from
more than three miles away.
Rooftop selfie.
The flag of Catalonia.
After our rooftop adventure, we had a late lunch at the museum, sitting out on the lower terrace. It wasn't the best food, but it was convenient.
I wanted to cover a bit more of Montjuic, so we headed back up to the Teleferic, the mid-mountain cable car to take us up to the castle at the top. The line to buy tickets was long, and not moving. After 15 minutes where they sold tickets to about four people out of 50 standing in line, we bagged on that idea.
We took the funicular down to the Parallel Metro, and journeyed back. We got off again at Sant Jaume 1, just so we could get gelato again.
After a nap, we headed up to Bar Brutal for dinner. A cool wine bar in El Born, we did not have reservations. It was no problem, however, as we were seated in the back room, by the third bar. I picked a bottle of wine off their huge list, but the waiter talked me out of it, saying it was almost like a white wine. Instead, he recommended another Priorat, more in the classic style. The amazing part is the bottle he suggested was 15 Euro cheaper than the one I picked.
I figured his recommendation was sincere, so we went with it. It was a great, inexpensive bottle to go with a fun meal. The "tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes" salad was quite good, as were mussels in tomato sauce, the charcuterie plate, and the cheese plate. We fell into conversation with a Canadian couple at the table next to us, talking about travel, food, and mostly Barcelona.
They are from the Montreal area, and, like us, have a brother in Toronto. I joked that Toronto is such a small city they probably know each other. At first the husband played along with the joke, and then he changed and solemnly informed me that Toronto is one of the biggest cities in North America (I know. That's what makes my joke a joke.) Anyhow, I let it pass and we had a nice conversation the rest of the meal.
There's a lot to be said for Barcelona restaurants and bars!
1 comment:
I do know them! I have a friend who is the brother of a couple from Montreal! - your brother
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