Catalan notes. Part 1. Montjuic, La Rambla and the "city of Gaudí"
Yesterday, with a surprisingly fast and comfortable flight, first to Frankfurt and then to Barcelona, was left behind.
Despite the early morning, we didn’t feel tired at all, and at 8 am we were already on our feet, ready to discover the most unusual city in our tourist history.
Before starting the trip, we divided the city into three parts = three days. On the first day, it was planned to visit Montjuic, walk along La Rambla, and, ideally, have time to admire the creations of the great Gaudí.
Thanks to Turpravda and other forums, we easily found bus stop 95 from the town of Castelldefels (which is 15 km away), and after 40 minutes we were at Plaza Españ a. This point became the starting point for us, and all subsequent walks around the city began from it. Looking ahead, I want to say that Plaza de Españ a is very conveniently located, and from it you can easily get to anywhere in the city, including the Montjuic hill itself.
Just a 2-minute walk from the square is the park of the famous Joan Miro, which is a pretty combination of palm and eucalyptus gardens, in the branches of which, it seems, 1000 parrots live, as well as the sculpture "Woman and Bird", 22 meters high, which was opened in 1983 year. "Woman and Bird" is one of the last three works of the sculptor, which were entrusted to him and were to become a greeting and a visiting card for the guests of Barcelona.
After walking in the shade, we went to the Royal Palace. From the Plaza de Españ a, where the streets of Gran Via, Tarragona and Parallel converge, the best view of the hill opens. On the square there is an old bullring (now a shopping center). On the other side of the square are two bell towers, similar to those in Piazza San Marco in Venice.
Nearby is the National Art Museum of Catalonia and the Magic Fountain, designed by the Catalan architect Carles Buigas. From Thursday to Sunday at 9 pm you can watch a magical light and music show near the Palace.
One of the most interesting objects of Montjuic is the so-called. The Spanish Village (Poble Espanyol) is an open-air architectural museum built for the World Exhibition of 1929, which contains copies of buildings from various regions of Spain. The village left the brightest memories due to its secluded atmosphere, a large number of souvenir and craft shops, cozy restaurants.
For the 1992 Olympic Games, the last works on the reconstruction of Montjuï c were carried out. The main Olympic buildings were built here. On the southern slope there is a so-called. "Olympic Ring", including the Olympic Stadium and the Sports Palace.
It took several hours to walk up the hill (but we never visited the art exhibition) and we were pretty tired. It was decided to move towards the embankment, therefore, on bus 20, we went towards the statue of Columbus, from which the famous La Rambla originates - the most crowded, noisy place in Barcelona, living a hectic life 24 hours a day. On La Rambla there is the Palau Gü ell, the famous Liceu Opera House, the Boqueria Market. The latter disappointed us with fuss, dirt, high prices ...well, except that the fruit saved the situation. We were lucky to accidentally wander into the magical Real Square, which, after the noisy La Rambla, seemed to us an oasis of calm and silence. Children playing catch-up right there, young couples sitting down to relax by the fountain, an ongoing network of restaurants with pleasant prices and service. Literally on our minds, we wandered into the first of them.
And they never regretted it (this place has become our favorite in the city). Half an hour later, we watched how a queue lined up at the entrance, and as it turned out, this is a common occurrence, because there are a lot of people who want to have a tasty and pleasant dinner in this establishment. Our first truly Catalan dish was black paella with cuttlefish, and our drink was, of course, sangria.
The day was approaching sunset, we didn’t feel our legs from fatigue, and our stomachs from a delicious dinner, but we didn’t want to go home at all, so we walked slowly to Plaza Catalunya, and from there along the route of the Quarter of Disagreement, so named because that there are architectural monuments belonging to four different modernist architects. The first building in the series is the house of Leo Morera, designed by the architect Domè nech i Montaner (Lluí s Domè nech i Montaner). The next two buildings were built by Enrique Sanguier.
Next is the House of Amalle (architect Puig i Cadafalch). The world-famous Casa Batlló , built by Gaudi, closes the row. On the same Passeig de Grà cia, there is another building built by Gaudí - Casa Mila. This architectural masterpiece is open to the public and provides an excellent insight into the entire work of Antoni Gaudí . The roof, the attic (which hosts a very informative Gaudí museum) and one of the apartments are open to the public. The Palace of Catalan Music, located next to Via Laetana, is considered the pinnacle of modernism and incorporates many elements of this style.
We arrived at the Sagrada Familia after dark. Of course, its doors were closed, but this creation of Gaudi appeared before us in all the beauty of night lights and the quiet charm of a summer night ...
Thus ended our first day in Barcelona. The route is busy, but quite doable:
Joan Miro Park - Plaza de Españ a - Royal Palace - Olympic Stadium - Spanish Village - Promenade (Colona Columbus) - La Rambla - Plaza Real - Plaza Catalunya - Quarter of Discord - Sagrada Familia
…to be continued…
