For days two and three of our Spain adventure in Barcelona, we opted for the City Tour by Hop-on, Hop-off Bus. The double-decker buses deliver a running commentary via earbuds as they whisk around the City, providing splendid views from the upper seats. 44€ buys unlimited rides for 48 hours to all the major sites, including many on the city’s fringes out of walking distance.
Christopher Columbus is a big deal in Barcelona. It took Columbus six years to cut a contract with Spain’s Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand II for three small ships to find a western passage to the East Indies. Columbus’ second voyage from the New World left from Barcelona’s Port Vell. Above is Chris’s memorial with the sailor perched on top across from the Old Customs House built between 1896 and 1902.
Barcelona’s Maritime Museum is one of the world’s finest. It’s housed in a thirteenth-century gothic complex that made up the Royal Shipyards and was a huge galley factory until the mid-18th century. The galleys were just shy of 200 feet long and had fifty-nine 47.5-foot-long ores that weighed 397 pounds pulled by four rowers. It took 236 men to propel the boat at top speed.
Barcelona’s Port Vell dates back to the fourth century BC. Cruise ships and massive freighters ply its Mediterranean waters now. The 1992 Summer Olympics called it home, and the 2024 America’s Cup Races were in full swing while we were there.
The actual America’s Cup racing would not start until tomorrow, but I got to experience the VR version of helming an AC75 foiling monohull without waiting in long lines or getting wet. It was exhilarating!
We rode a full loop on the bus to enjoy the audio information for the major sites and decided which stops we would hop off at the second time around. It was pouring rain when we took the cable car to the top of 569-foot MontjuÏc, or “Jewish Mountain,” to see Castell de MontjuÏc. The fortress was built in 1640 and had 360° views of the city and port it protected.
The view of Barcelona from Parc de MontjuÌc was magnificent. The smoke stacks were left during reconstruction as a tribute to the City’s industrial past.
The Museu National d’Art de Catalunya features works by El Greco, Velázquez, Fortuny, Gaudi, Ramon Casas, Julio González, and Dali. The terraced fountains stepping down from the fantastic viewing area of the museum’s entrance were shut down due to a water shortage.
Plaça Catalunya is a bustling square where we catch the hop-on and hop-off buses near our hotel. We often cruised past the treasure trove of scattered artwork in our haste to catch buses or wander down the many streets that culminate here. The upside-down staircase is Joseph Subirach’s Monument to Francesc Macià who was briefly president of the failed Catalan uprising for independence.
Today’s bus route takes us to Gaudi’s preeminent creation, the Sagrada Familia, or Holy Family Church. A lifetime could be spent just studying the themes of the varied outside facades. Construction began in 1882, and the projected date for completion is 2026. The structure covers 440,000 square feet of ground, is 197 feet wide, and 295 feet long. The central tower is 558 feet tall, making it the tallest religious building in Europe. Getting a reservation to tour the inside is like winning the lottery. We will have a local guide specializing in Sagrada Familia for our Rick Steve tour, which starts on Saturday, 9/14/24.
Barcelona’s Block of Discord pitted Catalan genius architects Gaudi, Domènech i Montaner, and Puig against each other, designing a row of prestigious homes, making it Spain’s most famous block. Gaudi’s disdain for straight lines and garish ornamentation mark his contribution as the most outrageous.
For dinner, we lucked into an impossible-to-get-without-reservations table at Els Quatre Gats, or The Four Cats, a Catalan expression meaning “only a few people” describing folks who are peculiar. Pablo Picasso, Ramon Casas, Gustavo Barceló, and other famous artists and prestigious figures hung out here. The food was excellent, and the atmosphere was electrifying. Day three on our own in Barcelona was a delight.