Spain 2011 Day 6 Saturday May 28

Spain Day 6 - Barcelona Wins !

Spain day 6, Saturday May 28, 2011 – Barcelona Wins the European Cup !!

“Globus: Sightseeing with a Local Guide features the Columbus Monument, elegant tree-lined Ramblas, Plaza de Cataluna, and Paseo de Gracia. Admire the spectacular Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s masterpiece, and enjoy a panoramic view of the city and harbor from Montjuïc Hill. Also visit the GOTHIC QUARTER. Afternoon at leisure. An optional excursion to Montserrat can be arranged. Why not join an optional dinner at a typical Catalonian restaurant? (Breakfast)”

Wake up call at 6:30 for a change as not a busy schedule today. Another great buffet breakfast, then on to the bus at 8:30 for the city tour, this time Gaudi’s cathedral, Familia Sagrada, with its unfinished spires. It is as fantastic up close as it is in pictures, so we had a walk around it, but not in it, then back to the bus for the rest of the city, and then a walk through the Gothic quarter ending at the cathedral. Change of plans due to demonstrations; the optional dinner is cancelled. Very good as we have had too many dinners so far. So we are free to sightsee after around noon.

On the way to the Picasso Museum, we stopped at a small tapas bar for sangria (I’m drinking too much here, but hey, it’s Spain and I don’t have to drive!) and a few tiny tapas portions. Very cute place that seemed rather typical of these tapas bars.

The Museum is in several old Gothic mansions joined together with courtyards here and there. It opened in 1963 but unfortunately Picasso (1881-1970) never saw it, as he refused to return to Spain under Franco’s rule which lasted until 1975. Favorites works of mine were the series of Las Meninas studies (1957) for a final variation on the whole picture (he worshipped Velazquez). Also fine were the series of dove paintings (1950s) from his window on the Mediterranean, very bright and cheerful unlike some of his earlier work; and a few very early landscape paintings in the academic manner from his teenage years in Barcelona, 1895-97. He was after all a quite good painter.

After that we were dead tired and tried to find the Metro back to Placa Catalunya near our hotel, but couldn’t find it, so walked slowly slowly back to the square, and found it busy but not that overwhelming. Apparently the demonstrating kids have gone somewhere to watch the BIG GAME tonight, Barcelona against Manchester United. We’ll watch from our room and watch the milling crowd from our balcony.

It was similar to Greece and Italy when there is a big soccer game on, with crowds of people standing outside bars and restaurants to watch their TV. Whenever Barcelona scored, a big cheer of course, and when Manchester scored, a big groan. Finally I went down to the lobby for some ice to put on my foot, and just then another score, a big cheer – and the lights went out in the hotel!! I was stranded down in the lobby and had to walk back up but at least we are on the second floor (really the third here), so I get up there and found an interior door had closed so I couldn’t find our room. I finally figured out how to open it in the semi-dark of the emergency lights, so got to the room just as the lights came back on. I hope no one was stuck in the elevator. My fee hurt from so much walking, hence the ice, so we finished watching the game, drinking the wine we had bought and eating sandwiches and peanuts and hummus. It was 11pm when it was over, and then the crowds started coming up and down Las Ramblas.

Our street, Las Ramblas, was totally full of people milling up and down shouting and yelling and setting off cherry bombs and fire-crackers and beeping horns and general noise-makers. Think New Years Eve in Times Square all over the city. Even the closed doors and blinds couldn’t keep out the noise. I took a short video of the crowd and the noise so I'll try to upload it!