A Day at the Museum

I went to the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya and discovered a whole different world of art.  The art of Catalan is strange compared to the other art of Europe.  It is not that it is bad or weird, it is that is it so unique.  Catalan art has its own identity compared to other arts of Europe.  It seems to borrow from more powerful art influences, but it maintains its own style, I guess much like Catalunya in general.  I was so happy to learn about new art and artists.

The museum at Placa de Espanya, at the bottom of Montjuic.

View from the museum steps.  The strange cranes are for the European Athletic Championships opening ceremony.

Have to have lunch before I see the art.  The view from the restaurant was amazing and so was the gazpacho.

The Neo-Classical dome of the second floor galleries.

I won't bore you with too much information or photography here, but this museum has an amazing collection of Catalunyan Medieval art.  I was amazed to learn about art and this time period from the perspective of Catalunya.

In order to keep the original frescoes preserved the museum dismantled the original church paintings and reconstructed them in the museum.  Frescoes disintegrate in uncontrolled conditions and this preserves them, plus gives you a context -- so the museum is filled with a dozen or so medieval churches.  Catalan was one of the only places to paint the inside of their churches in the middle ages.

I loved the Gothic sculpture room.

Amazing art from the Netherlands.

Amazing ancient Hellenistic sculpture.

There were also countless amazing modernist works, but I couldn't take a pictures of them.  I snuck this one.  I found a new favorite artist Ramon Casas (his name is linked, click on it to see his work).  Me encanta.

There were awful paintings too.  I have a hard time explaining what bad art looks like, so from now on I am just going to show this painting.

There were creepy Baroque sculptures of Jesus (example).

There was an amazing view from the museum steps -- Sarria in the distance.

There were sweet reminders of how wonderful this place is: share this moment.

The Beach, a View, and a Champagne Cocktail

The beach in Barcelona is full of tourists and pickpockets.  If you want to go to the beach, go to another city.  If you want to spend a ton of money on mediocre restaurants that appear really cool or have your bag stolen, go to the beach in Barcelona.  It sounds like every other beach in the world, except t it is not that nice.  The W Hotel is an attraction unto itself in Barcelona.  It is on the beach in Barcelona, in an area called Barceloneta.  There is a bar on the 26th floor that overlooks most of the city.  I went there to watch the sunset. 

Barceloneta.

La playa.

It is windy on the beach, just like home.

View from the 26th floor.

Sun setting behind Barcelona.

Beach at sunset.

Lovely view.

Lovely Veuve-Cliquot cocktail.

The view was amazing, but on the whole the W felt like Las Vegas and I want to be in Barcelona.  Next time I'll stay at Le Meridian.  Hahaha, yeah right.

Mi Casa Es Esta Casa

I finally went to Casa Mila (or La Pedrera), one of Gaudi's amazing designs that make up Barcelona's landscape.  I have no words for how amazing it was.  I welt up when I was on the terrace just like I did when I was standing in the middle of Parc Guell on my second day here.  I remember looking at slides in art history class and I remember being interested, but nothing takes the place of being there.  The atmosphere of the city puts the work into a context that I cannot explain. 

Casa Mila is in the neighborhood of Exiample on the Passeig de Gracia in the middle of a very busy commercial and residential area.

Waiting along the outside of the building.  Gaudi was inspired by organic things like the spine and tortoise shells -- you can really see it.

I never forgot the image of the entrance I saw in art history class.  It always stayed in my mind as this spider web, dark, almost Gothic like building.  This could not be further from the truth; this building is alive and beautiful and glowing.

The courtyard.

There are no straight lines in the building.

I went straight to the terrace.

The Mediterranean is in the distance.

Montjuic in the distance.

Mosaic and terracotta.

I guess its the chimney -- art historical guess.

It is its own landscape -- amazing.

Inside.

Invierno, anyone with me?  See you in December.

My new bedroom set.

My new view.

My feet on a Gaudi designed tile floor.

The exit.

Al final.

Bailo Mucho

I go dancing at least twice a week and that means I have to stay up until at least 5am twice a week -- oh, Barcelona!

Lots of roses, pre-baila.

Dancing with wonderful friends makes it even more fun (oh, the cava helps too).

Dancing until 5am. . .

is easier after 4 mojitos.

Being in Europe would not be the same without ubiquitous over-priced, techno club (5 Euro for a bottle of water).

Armin van Buuren -- so techno, uhn-tiss, uhn-tiss. . ."Yes, Dieter, I am going to Copenhagen, well, because everybody is going to Copenhagen."

Total unaffected by the smoke and the heat (yeah, right).

Baile!  

4am?

And there is Closure. . .dancing in the 1929 International Exhibition building dedicated to Majorca.  I did that.  Yes, yes.

Did I mention this is the best thing I have ever done and the people are the nicest and best I have ever met?  I hope you can see the fun.  Oh yeah, and this is over the span of a few weeks; it is not one night!