Holy Week in Spain: Part 5 {Easter Tuesday

Tuesday morning, April 23rd, was a serendipitous day to find ourselves in Barcelona, as the entire city was celebrating St. George's Day (Diada de Sant Jordi). legend says that when St. George killed the dragon, a rose bush bloomed in that spot, so it’s tradition for men to give women a rose on April 23. in the 1900s, the tradition of exchanging books developed when an enterprising bookseller decided to take advantage of the crowds and promote his wares on the same day, in honor of Miguel Cervantes and Shakespeare both dying on April 23rd as well. all over the city we saw stands pop up with roses and books for sale. i'm definitely lobbying for this to become a holiday in the States!

our first stop was to the Picasso Museum. Nick wasn't so wild about it at the beginning since neither one of us really enjoy modern art, but i felt that it was one of the must-see sights, and in fact, it was incredibly interesting to watch the transformation of his style over time. of course, to my unsophisticated eye, his later works seem less impressive than his early classical paintings. Greta amused herself by pointing out all the anatomical anomalies in the art, taking pictures of her favourites (and a few selfies along the way). the first several paintings are evidence of Picasso's innate talent from an early age: he painted these here in Barcelona, as a teenager.

Man in a Beret, 1895

Self-portrait, 1896

First Communion, 1896
(Picasso's sister Lola was the model for this painting)

Science and Charity, 1897
(Picasso's father was the model for the doctor)

then his style begins to develop, as he makes his first trip to Paris in 1900, and draws from the work of Cézanne and Matisse.

Bullfighters in the arena, sketch, 1900

Still Life (Dessert), 1901

Female Nude, 1903

he even dabbled in sculpture a bit.

Head of a Woman (Fernande Olivier), 1906
Olivier was one of Picasso's principal models, posing for over sixty portraits.

Waiting (Margot), 1901

then the paintings start to evolve into more of Picasso's signature style. the girls kept loudly announcing, "her head looks funny!" or "where are his eyes?" and while we reminded them to use soft voices in the museum, i couldn't argue with their reactions!

Painter at Work, 1965

very silly!

Jaume Sabartes with ruff and hat, 1939

by this point, we were all in need of a little refreshment, so we headed to a nearby cafe for cafe con leche and bombas, decadent chocolate-filled donuts. then we set off to do some more leisurely exploring on foot. the first stop? back to the cathedral, to check out the gargoyles.

exterior of the cathedral

next, we visited the ruins of an old Roman temple to Augustus, which is actually quite un-ruined, thank you very much. this temple stands on the hill where the Romans founded the town of Barcina, around 15 BC. originally the temple measured 120 feet long. our visit had to be brief because there was another tour group inside, and all the girls' noises and questions echoed off the stone walls.

looking at the map in the Rick Steves book

this plaque denotes the crest of the hill

entrance to the temple ruins

we passed by a political demonstration and more St. George celebrations on our way to the church of Santa Maria del Mar (Mary of the Sea). i had just finished reading Cathedral of the Sea, by Ildefonso Falcones, about one of the working class bastaixos who carried stones from the quarry to help build this incredible Catalan Gothic cathedral that was paid for entirely by its congregation. walking inside truly brought the book to life.

Santa Maria del Mar

the carved figures on the door panels represent the
bastaixos, who carried the stones to build the church

truly breathtaking!

another view of the massive doors on the way out

the Plaça de Sant Felip Neri is a sobering site to visit, as the church and elementary school here still bear the marks of bombs dropped during the Spanish Civil War. however, it lifted our spirits to see the adorable school children dressed in their pastel-colored smocks, identical to the ones Italian school children wear!

Gaudí attended this church!

we next walked to the original entrance of the ancient Roman town, Barcino. two massive towers still guard the main road (the tops have been reconstructed, but the large stones at the base are original). at its height of fortification, the walls surrounding Barcino stood 25 feet high.

the letters spell out Barcino

not exactly sure what is sold in this store, but it looks intriguing!

a lovely ceramic-tiled fountain

lunch was quite an interesting experience. when we travel, we're always on the hunt for authentic food that the girls will eat and that won't break the bank. so when Rick Steves recommended a cafeteria in the El Corte Inglés department store for reasonably priced food with an unbeatable view of the city, i was sold! turns out, we weren't the only people to have this idea. however, most of the other customers seemed to be locals. fighting through the crowds was absolutely worth it, for some of the best paella i have ever had (and certainly better than anything i would expect to eat in a cafeteria setting).

yes, please!

Cece was quite pleased with lunch as well

straight off in the distance you can see the construction of Sagrada Familia

the girls were ready for a break at this point, so we went back to the apartment and i took off on my own for a ramble around the city. i love experiencing things with my family, but i also love having the freedom to follow my muse and go down little alleys or look in shop windows to my heart's content. (Nick feels similarly, although his muse is more inclined to call him into churches.) when walking solo, i also feel that it's easier to blend in with the crowd and hopefully not look quite as obvious as a clueless tourist.

the first stop was the famous outdoor market, La Boqueria, which has existed on this spot since about the year 1200. the market offers everything from freshly butchered meat to produce to flowers to wine to prepared food (again, running the gamut from watermelon cubes in a plastic cup to oysters on the half shell).

then i made my way down the Ramblas, the huge boulevard that leads all the way from the heart of the city out to the docks. the pavement is laid in a decorative wave motif, a nod to the fact that the Ramblas follows the path of a medieval drainage ditch. ("Rambla" means "stream" in Arabic.) there is a specific section of the street designated for flower sellers, and today they were doing an especially brisk business in roses!

i thought i was being super subtle in my photography, but clearly not!! ha!

see the wave?

my walk took me past the Betlem Church, with its unique spiral columns. outside the church stands a statue of St. Francis Borgia, a great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI who was a skilled composer of sacred music, and who became a Jesuit priest after his wife died.

i'm not quite sure what a cross section of the skin has to do with
poetry (poesia), but on second thought, it is pretty ingenious

the next stop on my walk was a visit to the remains of the old Roman necropolis, tucked away off the main road in a small square lined with restaurants, office buildings, and apartments. the original Roman city was about ten feet lower than current street level.

next, i stopped by the famous Fountain of Canaletes. similar to throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain in Rome, drinking from this fountain guarantees a traveler's return to Barcelona. it's a bit trickier than it sounds because of the forceful stream shooting straight down, but i managed!

next, i explored the 12th-century church of Santa Anna. initially founded as a monastery, the church now provides food and shelter to those who may need it, so there was a lively conversation going on in one of the side rooms as i walked around. inside, the church is quiet and still. it seemed one of those contradictions that ultimately proves the necessity of holding space for both silent contemplation and authentic fellowship.

outside the church, a sculpture of the sleeping Christ

a peek into the cloisters

the tomb of Miguel de Boera, an admiral
who served Charles V

a glimpse into the side room

next, i crossed off an item on my Barcelona bucket list by going into Els Quatre Gats, Picasso's haunt. i stepped inside the door and quickly snapped a picture before ducking back out. (obnoxious, but worth it for the photographic evidence!)

then i turned around and walked back down the Ramblas, all the way to the waterfront, passing political signs along the way. under the feet of the crowds next to the metro station, i spotted another famous landmark: Joan Miró's mosaic, representing an anchor.

the Plaça Reial is a sophisticated square, shaded by towering palms and lined with bars and cafes. Gaudí designed the whimsical lamp posts.

back out on the Ramblas, the Communist party was doing a brisk business!

there's more to be seen of Gaudí's designs just down the block at the Palau Güell, an apartment building built between 1886 and 1890. i didn't have time to go in and view the interior, but just seeing the outside was enoug to make me smile.

i finally made it to the waterfront. a statue of Columbus was erected here in the nineteenth century. scores of people were promenading along the walkways. i sat on the edge of a dock for a while, just watching the boats go past. Barcelona's port is a hustle and bustle of commerce and entertainment. then eventually, i turned around and headed back to the apartment for our last night in this alluring city!