Barcelona Day 4: Tuesday

It's museum day! Well, at least day 1 of museum days. Barcelona offers what is cleverly called the Articket that gives you entrance into 7 museums for 60% off the original entry fee. I decided today to go up to Montjuïc to see Joan Miró museum and the MNAC (acronym for who knows what, but they have Catalan paintings and such). Joan Miró I discovered is a man (Joan in Catalan is the same as Juan or John) and although considered a surrealist had a long career that was very much influenced by the age in which he lived (during the Spanish revolution, WWI and WWII, etc.) I sprung for the 4 euro audio guide (a must) and enjoyed 2 hours strolling around. My favorite piece wasn't even a Miró but from Alexander Calder, a close friend. It took me a few minutes of watching this fountain to realize why it was so different (and also why it was enclosed in glass). 
Can you figure out what's different?

Guesses?...

It's not water. It's mercury. When it comes out the tube at the top it literally separates into little beads of metal, then comes together to form a beautiful straight line until it reaches the small pools at the bottom where it hops around. Pretty cool, no?


One of the other cool things at the museum was the summer camp of kids that came. I know, usually you run screaming as the bus pulls up with kids in matching T-shirts. What amazed me was how the teachers sat their groups down and proceeded to engage and explain Miró to 5 year-olds. Adults were scooting in to hear what the teacher was saying as well as the response of the children which was brilliant. 


After a tired looking croissant in the Miró cafe, I walked up, up, up the hill to see the beautiful view of the Mediterranean sea...well, it would have been nice had not 5 oil tankers been trudging through and three cruise ships getting ready to dock, but it was the sea nonetheless. The whole area at the top was covered with a vast array of foliage all down the side of the cliffs, very reminiscent of Balboa Park and Torrey Pines in San Diego. The breeze coming off the sea plus the green scenery was very relaxing and I was thankful that the sun was hiding behind the clouds just for that moment. 


Going up the hill was a climb, but coming down was a bit hectic as well since the decline is fairly steep. Winding my way around, I finally made it to the MNAC where I promptly plopped down on a couch in the lobby and rested. 
MNAC is known for its Catalan Romanique paintings which were meticulously peeled off walls of surrounded hill churches that were crumbling. The way they set up the exhibit was amazing. They literally reconstructed every single church interior and placed the wall paintings where they were inside the church. The rest of the museum wasn't too exciting so I headed out to get more falafel (hooray!) and chocolate gelato (double hooray!)


After a much needed siesta after 6 hours on my feet, Christine and I started to prepare for dinner. I discovered a previously unknown bakery across the street and we had appetizers (a nut mix and Salt and Vinegar chips), starters (baguette with avocado, feta and tomato), veggies (roasted red pepper and zucchini) and fish (the tiny guy we got at the market on Monday). It was delicious and filling enough that we didn't need to venture out for sweets. 


Tomorrow is Gaudi day for me: Casa Mila, La Sagrada Familia as well as some random other Modernista museum that I got with my Articket. And then perhaps even more shopping! We shall see. The adventure continues...