Spain: Beautiful Barcelona

Barcelona is absolutely wonderful in springtime. We stayed in a newer part of the city, close to Avinguda Diagonal, between Poble Nou and the Forum. It was a great location for Jan and her scooter. The southeastern extension of Avinguda Diagonal includes ample space for cyclists and pedestrians, plus a modern tram. The re-developed beach for the Olympics (and Paralympics) was easily accessible. One morning I thought I saw a pod of dolphins splashing 50 meters offshore, but looking closer I realized it was swimmers in wetsuits, training for a triathlon. Barcelona’s people love to be outdoors!

Our favorite thing to do? Simply walking around neighborhoods, enjoying people and buildings. Barcelona has a long and proud history of innovative architecture and urban planning. We especially loved the Modernist buildings of Antoni Gaudi and his teacher, Luis Domenech i Montaner. The latter’s spectacular Palau de la Musica Catalana is breathtaking, and the story of how it was built to showcase a volunteer choir composed mostly of factory workers was touching. It’s simply the most appealing performing arts space I’ve ever seen!

Gaudi’s bold designs, including his cathedral masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia, were as startling to Jan and me as they were to Walt Disney, who was also inspired by Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens and by Chicago’s “White City” (where his father had worked as a builder in the 1890s).

Another worthwhile stop was the Picasso Museum. Barcelona has the oldest such collection in the world, and it focuses on the young Picasso. Pablo lived here (with his family) as a teenage art student, and again, with a Russian dancer friend, during World War I. It was impressive to see how skillful—and how devoted to absorbing the artistic traditions that preceded him—Picasso was.

It was also interesting to imagine the extravagance and competitiveness of Barcelona’s art world in the 1890s and early 1900s. As Modernism flourished here, those who practiced it challenged each other to be ever more bold and innovative. Picasso’s determination to keep exploring new directions in his work was deeply rooted in the Modernism and populism he encountered during his Barcelona years. (We were to learn of a similar dynamic at work, centuries earlier, when we got to Florence, Italy.)

It was a pleasure to take part in the life of this lovely, seaside city. We enjoyed our cafe con leche and our morning walks along the beach promenade, our siesta times (most stores still close from 2-5 pm), and the evening paseo (people out strolling) on Avinguda Diagonal. We ate dinner late and shopped for our groceries every day. Lunch-time tapas in the oldest taverna in Barceloneta was as memorable (and typical) as going to Camp Nou to see FC Barcelona play. It was not their best game, but we did see Leo Messi score a gooooooooaaaallll!