Barcelona, Spain – Apr 13

Barcelona, Spain – Apr 13

Day 2 with no voice.

It was our second visit here and we spent a few days the last time we were here. There is much to see and do in this fabulous city. Even if you just stroll La Rambla you will have a great time. Of course, taking in the Gaudi architecture and Park Guell are a must. Seeing the progress made with La Sagrada Familia. We also took the train to Montserrat and took the steep inclined funiculars to a Benedictine Monastery Complex and saw the Black Madonna. The Gothic area is nice to visit as well. 

This time we decided on a day trip out of the city to Girona and Figueres. We were joined by Heather & Matt, Cathy & Tom and Bob & Phyllis. Another fun day with a great guide, Gina with Spain Day Tours, couldn’t have been any better. www.SpainDayTours.com

We drove the couple of hours to Figures with our driver Joan (pronounced like John) and Gina our guide giving us details of things along the way and what we would see in both places. We had a comfort stop about halfway there for refreshments.

arrival at the port

drive to Figures

In the parking lot in Figures

We are fans of Salvador Dali’s art and looked forward to seeing the Theatre and the Museum and seeing the town where he was born. We have visited the Dali’ Museum in St. Petersburg, Fl and it’s got quite a nice collection of his works.

Dali Museum

bread shapes

We had some time before our “skip the line” appointment at the museum so we popped into the Church of Sant Pere which is the parish church, mostly gothic in style, located in the Plaça de Sant Pere in Figueres. Dali was baptized there. It was really dark in there so photos were tough. We did a bit of shopping since we still had time.

Iglesia de San Pedro, Figueres

This was a great display laid out as Dali’ himself arranged it for viewing. He lived there from 1984 to 1989 and is buried in a crypt below the stage. The old theatre was burned during the Spanish Civil War and remained in a state of ruin. In 1960, Dalí and the mayor of Figueres decided to rebuild it as a museum dedicated to the town's most famous son.

Everything you’d expect in a Dali’ Museum and more. He built a car that rains inside. The paintings are laid out chronologically as his work progressed. There are sculptures, three-dimensional collages, mechanical devices, and other curiosities from Dalí's imagination. A highlight is a three-dimensional anamorphic living-room installation with a Mae West Lips Sofa, a custom sofa that looks like the face of Mae West when viewed from a certain spot. Hard to photograph, but we gave it a shot.

There is also an area of jewelry that he designed for his beloved Gala. Most have intricate scenes designed into them. Another fun one was Lincoln in Dalivision that was created based on the Dalí painting Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea which at a distance of 20 meters is transformed into the portrait of Abraham Lincoln. So, you see a painting of a woman and then when you look through your camera lens you see Abraham Lincoln. Of course, melting clocks and long-legged elephants & more. Lots of photos here!

outside of the museum

inside the museum - Car that rains inside

our guide Gina

first look at painting you only see Abraham Lincoln - when you take a photo it becomes a nude woman

from a spot up high it makes the face of a woman - there was a long line, so we skipped it

we looked through a small hole to see this

ceiling

he is famous for his "melting clocks"

reflection art

painting in the jewelry section

jewelry rooms

Next it was on to Girona which is the capital of the province of the same name. Those of us that are Game of Thrones fans recognized some of the sites.

drive to Girona

arrival in Girona

We crossed the Eiffel Bridge over the Onyar River and had great views of the city houses and the impressive Gothic Cathedral. It was lunch time and we all had free time after she showed us the square with all the restaurants and where the ice cream shop and bakery were.

Basilica de Sant Feliu

We popped into a place for a quick sandwich at Café Royal and found Bob & Phyllis and Cathy & Tom there and we joined them. Food was nothing special, but good. We tried the sangria and the cava. I preferred the cava.

Cafe Royal for lunch

salami sandwich

salmon sandwich

Cava & Sangria

We then went for ice cream where Gina recommended. Rocambolesc is owned by the son of a very popular family of chefs who work at the renowned Michelin star restaurant “El Celler de Can Roca”. The ice cream was creamy and delicious. We tried one of the “creations” suggested which was very good. One cute thing they had was that you could top your ice cream with cotton candy. We saw a couple of children ask for that and they seemed to enjoy the treat.

Gelato for dessert

we had this creation chock full of yummy things

cotton candy was a topping (we didn't have that)

Then, we walked across the street to get our Xuixo (pronounced something like Shoe-show) which is a deep-fried sugar-coated cylindrical pastry filled with crema Catalina which is a very rich custard). I think the name of the bakery was Casamoner. We got 1 to go for later and wished we had bought more. It probably is the best pastry we have ever eaten. We got 2 large elephant ears to eat while we were there and picked up a couple of other things as well to bring back to the ship.

The bakery

specialty of Girona we brought some back to the ship and wished we'd bought more)

we can't resist an "elephant ear"

We then met the guide for our walking tour of Girona. We learned about the Spanish history of this charming town dating back to 100BC. Walked through the Jewish quarter and had a photo op at the old synagogue, and just enjoyed walking along the cobblestone alleyways and streets. We stopped to buy a few token things and before we knew it, it was time for the drive back to Barcelona.

Torre Gironella

It was a late night in port and the guide offered to drop us in town, but we were carrying too much stuff and wanted to go back to the ship. We dropped our things and headed out to catch the shuttle to the bottom of La Ramba where we got off and walked until we found a restaurant for Tapas & Sangria. It was a lovely night, and the street was not too crowded. A guy came and sang and played guitar for tips weaving what we were eating & drinking into the song as well as where we were from. Cute. The Sangrias were huge and some of the best I have ever tasted. The Tapas platter was excellent as well. Feeling that capped off our night pretty well, we strolled back to the shuttle to take us back to the ship.

Back in Barcelona waiting for bus to La Rambla

Christopher Columbus statue on the port end of La Rambla

Bon Appetit Central Rambla for dinner

best sangria EVER

Tapas Platter - Bravas, alitas de pollo, aros de cebolla, pimientos Padron, ensaladilla rusa, mejillones a la vinatreta

magnets from Dali Museum

figurine Dali Museum

Girona magnet

trinket from Girona

I was starting to feel bad again and we skipped the evening entertainment, and I took more cold meds and went to bed. Thankfully, we have 1 sea day for me to try to recover tomorrow. 

Barcelona, Spain – Figures & Girona https://photos.app.goo.gl/XXDLGrxCAiYWhBsH6

Birds seen:

Audouin’s Gull

Eurasian Magpie

European Starling

Gray Heron

House Sparrow

Little Egret

Mallard

White Wagtail

Yellow-legged Gull