But first, we wanted to take advantage of the daylight to see some parts of the city we didn't get to see last time we were here. We walked off the ship and into a beautiful, modern terminal. We caught a taxi to our first destination, Park Güell. This park was designed by Gaudí in 1900. Barcelona was already a modern city, but Gaudí pushed the boundaries.
The Park was intended to be a sort of gated community for well-off families on the side of a mountain. It never really succeeded as a housing development, but it did become a popular park, and eventually it was declared a UNESCO Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The park is well-maintained and access is limited to a certain number each half hour.
I was so struck by the area called the Hypostyle. Gaudí must have visited and been inspired by the unforgettable mosque in Córdoba.
I also loved what was done with the tile-shard mosaics. There's a quilt in there somewhere.
While Gaudí was inarguably ahead of his time, his work does echo elements of Barcelona's existing architecture, and it was fun looking for quirky structures and wondering if they influenced Gaudí, or vice versa.
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| Did this influence Gaudí? |
Our next destination was Plaça de Catalunya, a large busy square and a gateway to Barri Gòtic, the Gothic Quarter. The plan was to follow Rick Steves' self-guided walk of the Gothic Quarter, but we had trouble following his route, and it didn't really matter. The main street was the pedestrianized Avinguda Portal de L'Angel. It contained a mix of upscale shops, flea markets, Roman ruins, and medieval churches.
From here we took a taxi to Arc de Triomf to meet our guide from Devour Barcelona for our evening tour of "Tapas, Taverns, and History."
It is off season, so we were not surprised when it turned out to be just us and Norah, our delightful guide.
We would be spending the evening in the Born district and Barri Gòtic and we would be visiting several interesting historical spots during our 4-hour walking and eating tour. First up was Gran Bodega del Maestrazgo where we drank cava, which is similar to champagne, and sampled local cheeses, sausages, and olives.
What a great way to spend a little time with your friends after work or before shopping or just because. I have to look for a place like this at home. We ended with some vermouth, made by the owners of the bodega. It was sweet but quite herbal tasting.
Norah showed us the remains of a Roman temple which stand inside an apartment house. This was built upon a high point, Mont Taber, elevation 16.9 meters. That is not a typo.
We walked around the Cathedral of Barcelona (14th century) and the former Royal Palace. Plaça de Sant Jaume, the square where the Roman Forum was once located, now holds the City Hall and the home of the Catalan government. We also saw some steps which have been immortalized in a painting of Columbus reporting in to Ferdinand and Isabella upon his return from the New World.
The Church of Santa Maria del Mar is slightly older than the Cathedral, and beautiful in its simplicity.
Our second tapas stop was a small place called La Plata, in operation since 1945.
There is no menu. They have always made just 4 tapas: fried anchovies, sausage, tomato salad, and cured anchovies. Everything is home-made and fresh. 
After a little more sightseeing we finished the evening at Bar del Pla. Here we were treated to tapas, fusion-style. An amazing salad of eggplant, beans, hard-boiled quail eggs and marinated cold-smoked salmon was the centerpiece. We also enjoyed patates brava, grilled bread with tomatoes, Iberian pork with quince paste and pine nuts, and croquettes. House wine, of course. And for dessert something like French toast served with a sweet muscatel. This was a superb tour and we hated to end it, but we needed to get back to the ship before the 10:30 all aboard call. We grabbed a cab and got back quickly. We really weren't that far away.
When we returned a flamenco show had just started (José de la Vega) so we were able to see most of it. It was nice to be in port late in the evening and enjoy a little of the night life. I think we were almost the last ones back to the ship.
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