2 On the Road: Disembarkation and Barcelona Tour

A full moon over Barcelona greets us on our disembarkation day.

Since we will be staying in Barcelona for two nights, our day starts with a 1/2 day tour of Barcelona.

The cruise ship docks are out on a man-made wharf so we have to cross this bridge to get to the mainland.

Looks like the moon is still giving us a show.

Must be laundry day. Barcelona is the heart of Catalonia, a province of Spain that has many residents that wish to separate from Spain. They have their own language, Catalan.

Taking photographs from tour buses is a hit and miss proposal. Sometimes you have a clear shot but glare on the window spoils everything. Other times you just don't know what you are seeing, like this tower.

David and Goliath is an abstract statue by Antoni Llena i Font inspired by the Somarrostro shanty town that occupied the nearby beach from 1882 until it was torn down in 1966. The statue consists of a large white metal rectangle supported by three thin stainless-steel legs. The rectangle represents laundry blowing in the wind and symbolizes life in the shanty town. Four slots are cut in the sheet, creating a ghost-like face that bears witness to the loss and reminds us that, in this case, Goliath won the battle.

This photo is a twofer. I just saw the ball perched on the edge of the roof. But the sculpture in the background is "Peix" ("Fish"). This sculpture by Canadian architect Frank Gehry is an impressive 56 meters long and reaches 35 meters high. Like many of the contemporary public sculptures in Barcelona, Gehry created the Fish for the Olympic Games in 1992.

I never found any information about the ball. It, and the Fish, are on top of the Casino Barcelona. At this point we are in Barceloneta, a town with streets between each building.

The Hotel Arts Barcelona is getting a 60-million-euro update. It looks like a lift system for shipping containers has been added to simplify the work.

From this spot we could see the Glory Facade of the Sagrada Familia. More on that in the next post.

The W Barcelona Hotel, popularly known as the Hotel Vela (Sail Hotel) due to its shape, is a building designed by the Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura located in La Barceloneta district of Barcelona.

I didn't find any information on this statue.

This neoclassical building was built in 1790-1792 by the military engineer Juan Miguel de Roncali. It has been used for various government offices over the years. Renovation was started in 2008 and is still ongoing.

This and the next photo are the statues at one of the entrances to Ciutadella Park (Citadel park). It is call Citadel park because in 1714, during the War of the Spanish Succession, Barcelona was laid siege for 13 months by the army of Philip V of Spain. The city fell, and in order to maintain control over it, and to prevent the Catalans from rebelling as they had in the previous century, Philip V built the citadel of Barcelona, at that time the largest fortress in Europe.
A substantial part of the district it was constructed in (La Ribera) was destroyed to obtain the necessary space, leaving its inhabitants homeless. Hundreds of Catalans were forced to work on the construction for three years, while the rest of the city provided financial backing for this and for warfare-related expenses as well, with a new tax named el cadestre.
In 1841 the city's authorities decided to destroy the fortress, which was hated by Barcelona's citizens. Yet two years later, in 1843, under the regime of Maria Cristina, the citadel was restored. In 1848, after Maria Cristina's abdication and as the citadel lost its use, General Espartero razed most of the buildings within the fortress as well as its walls by bombarding it from the nearby mountain fortress Montjuic, which helped him gain political popularity. By 1869, as the political climate liberalized enough to permit it, General Prim decided to turn over what was left of the fortress to the city and some buildings were demolished under Catalan orders, for it was viewed by the citizens as a much-hated symbol of central Spanish government.
The majority of the site was turned into the contemporary park by the architect Josep Fontserè in 1872. Nineteen years later, in 1888, Barcelona held the Exposición Universal de Barcelona extravaganza, inspired by Mayor Rius i Taulet, and the park was redesigned with the addition of sculptures and other complementary works of art.

There are two things to talk about in this photo. In front is a controversial sculpture built in 1982. It is a large glass cube on a fountain from which water falls. Inside, there is a mirror, a sofa and a closet tangled in white sheets quoting Picasso: “A painting is not for decorating a room, but a weapon of attack and defense against the enemy”.
Behind it is a historic shade greenhouse of brick and wood. It was built for the 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it served as a space for displaying a variety of tropical and subtropical plants.

The winter garden is a pavilion made of cast iron and glass constructed in 1888 for the World Exposition.

The Castell dels Tres Dragons (Castle of the three dragons). The brick house is an example of early Modernism. The building was built in 1887 by architect Lluis Domènech i Montaner, one of the leading representatives of the Catalan Art Nouveau. Since 1920 it houses the Zoological Museum. The Castell dels Tres Dragon is a good example that the performance of Modernism in particular consisted of to combine different styles and techniques. The construction with bricks and bearing steel elements was inspired by the then very famous Amsterdam Stock Exchange. The towers and battlements are reminiscent of the Moorish style. The art to decorate building facades with ceramics, was revived and became an important technique of Modernism.

The first place we exited the bus was at the Arc de Triomf in Ciudadela Park, another structure built for the 1888 Exhibition.

Interesting streetlights line the promenade.

You can see the streetlights in this photo.

The park has about 5 or 6 species of introduced parrots. Most of them can be found elsewhere in the city and have sustainable breeding populations but it's the Monk Parakeet, originating from Argentina, that is most widespread and most easily seen.

This is the backside of the Rius i Taulet monument. It was built between 1897 to 1901 to honor the former major whose work significantly improved the city. An official website I looked at called the winged figure a "fame". It seems Pheme is the goddess and personified spirit of rumor, report and gossip. She was also by extension the spirit of fame and good repute in a positive sense and infamy and scandal in the bad.

This is a side view. On the front there is a bust of Rius i Taulet on a pedestal in front of the obelisk. He is surrounded by allegorical figures. A matron, who symbolizes Barcelona, offers an olive branch to the bust, while a child gives the matron another branch. On the other side, a worker, a symbol of work, looks at the effigy of the mayor.

We had the time, so we circled around the block to find this very small car. It's a ZeroMax made by Tazzari Electric out of Italy. Fully electric and less than 5 1/2 feet high, 7' long and 4' wide. Made for city dwellers.

Just some interesting buildings.

Arc de Triomf from the north.

Northwest view

South view

This Catalan art nouveau style building houses the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia.

El Cap de Barcelona (1991–1992) is a surrealist sculpture created by American Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Its English title is The Head of Barcelona. I also saw it called La Cara de Barcelona (The Face of Barcelona)

Gambrinus, aka the giant lobster statue by Javier Mariscal. The ten-meter statue, which depicts an oversized orange prawn or crayfish, was originally part of the decor of the Gasmbrinus seafood restaurant. When the restaurant closed, the giant fiberglass crustacean was purchased by Barcelona City Council and restored before being installed on the waterfront next to Port Vell Harbour.

Ornate 1888 Corinthian column topped with a statue of Christopher Columbus pointing toward America.

The Barcelona Customs Building is one of the most significant buildings in Port Vell, the oldest part of the port of Barcelona. It was built between 1896 and 1902 by Enric Sagnier and Pere García and features eclectic architecture.

The winged sphinxes on top of the fortified towers are of particular interest. Inside the building there are some allegorical paintings about Don Quixote's imaginary visit to the city of Barcelona. It looks like the sphinxes are wrapped.

Aduana - Old Customs House

This sculpture is called Onades and was created by Andreu Alfaro

The Cable Car connects the San Sebastián tower in Barceloneta with the Miramar station, located on the Montjuic mountain.

Christopher Columbus was still pointing to the Americans when we went back by him.

You can ride cable cars up Montjuic to the Castle

Another way to get to Montjuic is to ride a bus to the start of the funicular, then take the funicular almost all the way up to the Castle.

On the way up the mountain, we pass by the Olympic Stadium. Two years: 1929 and 1992 mark two of the most extraordinary moments in Barcelona's history: the 1929 International Exhibition and the 1992 Olympic Games. Both were held at the Olympic Stadium of Montjuïc.

Designed by the architect Pere Domènech i Roura, the Estadi was officially inaugurated in May of 1929. It was the scene of first-class sporting events and other events that made it an imposing and multipurpose space: athletics, football, rugby, motor events (motorcycling, motor racing and dirt-track), arrival of cycling races, boxing, fencing, hockey, baseball. The most splendid moment would come in 1955 with the celebration of the Mediterranean Games. The prominence of the Estadi went from hosting sporting events to hosting social events. In 1936, it served as a center for refugees due to the civil war and later in 1957 and 1958, for those affected by the floods that occurred in Barcelona those years. In 1965 it served as a space to carry out driving license exams. It was also for years the scene of religious events.
The Montjuïc Stadium fell into disuse for many years. But the Estadi was born to be an Olympic stadium, and that dream would come true in 1986 when Barcelona was proclaimed the winner of the 1992 Olympic Games bid. The remodeling works of the Estadi took place between 1985 and 1989. The entire Estadi was rebuilt, except for its façade, which would remain as a testimony to the historic Olympic vocation of the city of Barcelona.

The Montjuïc Communications Tower (Catalan: Torre de Comunicacions de Montjuïc, popularly known as Torre Calatrava and Torre Telefónica, is a telecommunication tower in the Montjuïc neighborhood of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by Santiago Calatrava, with construction taking place from 1989 to 1992. The white tower was built for Telefónica to transmit television coverage of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona. The 136-metre (446 ft) tower is located in the Olympic Park and represents an athlete holding the Olympic Flame.

We stopped at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (National Museum of Catalan Art)

Although not the Montjuic Castle, it is a Palatial, hilltop museum for 11th- to 20th-century Catalan art plus important Romanesque collection.

But we weren't there for the art, we were there for the views. From in front of the museum, we looked across the city to the mountain beyond.

Down below we could see a large circular formation on the ground behind the four pillars. Little did we know that it is a huge circular fountain call Magic Fountain of Montjuic, renowned for its scheduled shows of water & light choreographed to music. Between it and where we stood, there's also a manmade waterfall. I think it is all closed now due to water shortages.
To the right of the two brown columns is a brick red round building. that is the old bullfighting ring. Bull fighting was banned in Catalonia 15 years ago. This ring is now a shopping mall. More on that later in this post.
Now look at the building on the mountain top.

It is Templo del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus (or Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). The church was built in two phases which are easily distinguished by their different architectural and decorative styles and the use of different types of stone. The Byzantine crypt was built between 1902 and 1911 using stone from Montjuïc. The neo-gothic main church was built between 1915 and 1961 using a lighter colored stone from Girona.

Closer to us we could see the hotel where we would stay for two nights, Nobu Hotel.

Looking northeast over the city, we could see the Sagrada Familia, Anton Gaudi's most famous creation.

The Sagrada Familia is still under construction and is something you will learn more about in the next post.

This bullet or suppository shaped building is called Torre Glories (Glories Tower). Formerly known as Torre Agbar, it is a 38-story skyscraper designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. Our guide told us that Catalonians really don't like shopping malls and skyscrapers.

We're almost done looking at the view so we walked back across the front of the museum.

Had to get one more photo taken, this time to the west. This shows the statues in front of the museum.

Musical and entertainment events are held at the historic Poble Espanyol (Spanish Town).

CaixaForum transformed the old wall of the Metallurgy Palace, part of Fira Montjuïc congress hall beside the arts center, into a vertical garden in the middle of the city.

The new green space includes 22,000 plants from 40 different species and 15 suspended trees of nine varieties.

During the drive to our hotel, the bus drove past the Fountain of the Three Seas. It must be spectacular when this, the Magic fountain, and waterfall are all working.

We passed by the bullring turned shopping center. They have added a rooftop ring of restaurants surrounded by a walkway.

Off to the left a tower is attached to the walkway on top of the shopping center. After checking into our hotel, we walked back to the shopping center and ate at a roof-top restaurant.

We each tried different types of paella. Paella is a saffron-infused rice dish that can be cooked with meat, seafood, and vegetables. Its origins can be traced back to the Mediterranean coast in the 18th century, in Spain’s rice-growing areas. Paella’s origins are closely associated with the city of Valencia, but Spaniards enjoy the dish all over the country. My sister had black paella. Black paella is traditionally prepared with rice, squid, and squid ink (hence its salty taste).

I think mine was vegetarian.

After eating, we stepped out to the tower for some photos. We looked back at the art museum we took photos of earlier.

I know I had a photo of this sculpture called Woman and Bird from the day we boarded the cruise ship, but this is a view from a different side.

Looking back at the rooftop terrace added to the bullring.

There are five levels of stores, a theater and other entertainment venues.

Right in the center of the ground floor is this ring where colored dots move as you step though each area. A couple people are having fun here.

I'm not sure what this road led to, underground parking?

The bicycle lane between the sidewalk and the road was quite busy so you had to make sure to look both ways before crossing.

Our room at the Hotel Nobu.

The glass jar looking things on the stand are light fixtures. There's a radio also

Our windows looked to the north.

There's a table and chair behind all our luggage.

We were really happy to find we could Chromecast my sister's Netflix account from her phone so we could watch a series we were in the middle of seeing. There's a minifridge behind one of the white panels.