Barcelona - Five More Things To Do

Ah, BARCELONA! My intrigue for this grand city with the beautiful horizon began many years ago in Dublin… with some puppy love... a student visiting from Barcelona - it was all dead romantic, he was so mature (at sixteen), discussed existentialist philosophers and art, smoked Spanish Fortuna cigarettes, was far too cool to ever smile, indeed it was an intense affair... until that is he popped off to the west coast and ditched me for some hussy from Galway. But he'd already left his influence. I never did forget our walk in the Dublin Mountains overlooking the Bay on a summer evening, when he said yeah it was very pretty, but I should see Barcelona. He explained that it was also a city built on a mountain side rolling down to the sea... but a wee bit bigger. He sold it to me magnificently! (the accent and the Catalan sincerity probably helped) And so years later when I had a bit of free time on my hands, remembering his words, off I went. He was absolutely right about its vast splendour. I've been twice now, and would go again in a breath.

So getting on with it, this Hub is called More things to do, not because I’ve written a previous one, but because it is a follow on from the standard tourist things to do in Barcelona! You know...La Ramblas, Gaudi’s Barcelona (The Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, Casa Battlo) The Picasso Museum, Montjuic, Olympic Stadium, SpanishVillage, the Teleferic, the beaches... I highly recommend doing the hop on hop off Bus Tour on your first visit as a great way to get your bearings and decide which things interest you the most for spending quality time, there’s plenty to pick and choose from! The place is colossal and there's millions of things to see and do!

And here's my five ideas that are equally touristy but may not be top of the list...

The Dali Exhibit
In the heart of the narrow labyrinthine Barri Gothic (the Old City) not far from the Cathedral is found the Dali Exhibit. Salvador Dali the lavish and eccentric surrealist artist of the Twentieth Century was Catalonian, and this exhibit is entirely devoted to his works. When I arrived there it was late evening mid week, and I had the whole place to myself, which enhanced the mystique. I spent well over an hour mulling over the fascinating depth of his hugely insane fantastical creations, and small intimate ponderings. If you do visit, be sure to accept the invitation to go behind the red velvet curtain for a peek. By the time I emerged blinking back to earth, Dali was like an old acquaintance, who had for the first time spilled out his inner secrets to me, and would forever more be a dearly treasured friend.

If you have the opportunity to take a day trip to the Dali Museum itself in Figueres, all the better. This was his birth place and final resting place and the whole museum is like an atomic bomb of madness exploded casting mushroom clouds and shards in every possible direction of gargantuan bizarre colourful proportions. Pure genius and utterly bonkers, I adored it.

Barcelona Zoo
I'm not normally a fan of zoos, because I find it quite upsetting to look at animals in captivity. But I'd recently read the novel The Life Pi by Yann Martel (great book) which gives a different perspective on the nature of the Zoo, so gave it a chance. Well, some of it still upset me, but for the most part Barcelona Zoo is well laid out, allowing the animals plenty of suitable space to roam, but also allowing you to get an extremely close look at some without being overtly intrusive. And I’m glad not to have missed the highlights. Three young sea-lions for example were having the absolute time of their lives playing a great game, waddling up the steps and then sliding down a watery slope, either individually or sometimes altogether, into the water with a loud splash and then off for another go. The elephant took a shine to me and started following me about, much to the displeasure of the other punters. I like to think he could sense my highly tuned emphatic Dr Doolittle type powers, but in reality he probably thought I had food. And the dolphins in their well presented aquarium really know how to play to an audience, excitedly coming up to the glass and making shapes at each visitor in turn, particularly curious about the children. When I was leaving one of them swam up to watch me go, I thought it only polite to give him a farewell wave... and I swear to this day that dolphin waved it's flipper right back at me! I also managed to catch the dolphin show. Really incredible! And so despite my reservations, I recommend paying them all a call.

Montserrat
A day trip to Montserrat is another worthwhile venture, being only about an hour or so on the train from Barcelona, and at the cost of a cheap regional ticket. The area is famous for its crazed rock formations and for housing the Benedictine Abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat – which was cited as the possible home of the legendary Holy Grail! I myself made a two day trip of it, staying in the delectable Guilleumes Hostel in Monistrol de Montserrat, which is the village just below the Mountain. I rented a dorm bed, but because it was off-peak and I was their only guest, they upgraded me to a double with en-suite, with a spectacular view.

Access to the Abbey is the first adventure either by virtually vertical road, rack railway or cable car, winding up the steep mountainside. There the majestic Abbey holds a serene and peaceful sway, causing a hush amongst us pilgrims taking in the combination of the splendid structures and religious iconography, and also the breathtaking vistas. At certain times in the day you can be treated to the Escolonia (boys Choir), who perform daily during prayer services in the Basilica - which houses art from El Greco, Dali, Picasso and many more. From there you can also take the steepest funicular in Spain to higher ground to see the now deserted dwellings of ancient religious hermits, or amble about visiting any of the shrines or religious alcoves spotted all over the mountainside.

The best part of it for me was taking myself off away from any touristy hustle and bustle and following a mountain pathway to wherever it brought me. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves for the sights all around. And wandered far enough that I reached a point for the only time ever that I’ve been completely and utterly alone without the sound of anything man-made within hearing - no voices, no cars, nothing except pure nature and peace – it was bliss. That is until I heard a rustling about in the nearby shrubbery and turned to see a wild antelope (or something from that family) only yards away, close enough to attack and bowl me right off the side of the mountain. We eye-balled each other for some moments, my heart racing, I stealthily reached for my camera, and snap, got the picture, just before it bolted, very ungracefully crashing its way up the hill. I think I scared the bejaysus out of the poor creature!

Rent A Bike
Back to the City explorations, my friend and I had already been sightseeing in Barcelona for a few days and done the bus tour, when another friend arrived just for the weekend. Since we had a decent grasp on how to get about, we decided to try a new angle for showing her the sights. So we rented bikes. Not the red and white ones which are parked everywhere, they are to hire by residents only, but it's easy enough to find rental places for tourists. We got ours from...

http://www.bikerentalbarcelona.com/
Raurich, 20, 08002 Barcelona, Spain +34 666 05 76 55‎

Apparently they will deliver the bikes to your hotel, but we picked them up from their shop which is down a narrow alley in the Barri Gothic. We chose their cheapest folding bikes for 2 hours at 14 euros each, which did the trick no bother.

Once you're up and running you can go anywhere. The lower part of the city is bicycle friendly with cycling lanes everywhere and flat terrain. We were warned not to leave them out of our sight, as apparently robbing tourist bikes is a national past-time, so probably not suitable if you're planning to stop for lunch, or a trip to the beach for a swim. That day this is the route we took... Bearing in mind we accidentally went off route quite a few times whizzing about in and out of the back alleys ringing our bells, but that was all a part of the fun!

A. Palau De La Musica Catalana - spectacular Modernist Music Hall

B. Arc Del Triumph - Triumphal Arch and promenade, perfect for freewheeling

C. Sagrada Familia - Gaudi's Cathedral his final masterpiece constantly under construction, awe-inspiring from every angle

D. Casa Terrades - The House of Spires

E. La Pedrera (Casa Mila) - Gaudi's Quarry building

F. Casa Battlo - Gaudi's dragon scale-like building

Flamenco Show - Palacio del Flamenco
And my final recommendation is to get your glad rags on, get dolled up for the evening and go catch a Flamenco show! Our choice was the Palacio Del Flamenco and we were not disappointed. On the contrary considering its meagre cost of about fifty euros, it hugely exceeded expectations. We went for an evening showing, with a sit down meal of Paella, Sangria and a Crème Catalana mousse for desert. The wonders began in the lobby with the enthusiastic Master of Ceremonies, rolling in on a pair of shoes with wheels and flashing colours, and spinning about greeting one and all, with a few questions for each person. We were then ushered to our spot at the long tables, and dined, whilst being entertained by some light-hearted comedy and magic. Only after the tables had been cleared of the final course, did the lights fully dim, and the live music and dancing commence....

The artistry of these dancers is phenomenol. The male and female dancers take to the stage in a strenuous battle of wills, the age old struggle of love and hate. They dance with every sinew of their body, from toe, to fingertips to the agony or ecstacy in their faces to the minutest hairs on their heads. And when the sweat flows they then dance faster and harder. By the end there were tears in my eyes from the beauty of this ancient dance-form so lovingly passed down and so skillfully retained. And all the audience were in raptures!

http://www.palaciodelflamenco.com/web/en/index