360 Degrees of Barcelona

Over the course of the summer I have been to Montjuic several times but this time was going to be different.  First of all Rob wants to ride the aerial tram from the port to Montjuic and then once we’re at the top of Monjuic he’d like to visit the Joan Miro Foundation Museum.  Alright this works for me because of all the times I’ve been to Montjuic I have never done either of these two things.

Our day started with a little difficulty because Port Vell has three separate sections and it is not easy to go from one of them to the other.  On top of this there are two visual tram towers and we are unable to find any information in our travel books or signage once we get to the port to direct us to the correct tower for purchasing tickets and boarding the tram.  When we first get to the port we go to the center section but realize before long we won’t be able to get to the tower from there and have to go back out of the port and over to another section.  Our walk is a little longer than it should have been but we finally find the tower and it is the correct one.  We have read horror stories in online reviews about the lack of organization at the tram and the long waits so we have come with a full sense humor and are prepared to use it.  However we are delighted with a very short line and only about a half hours wait before we are standing on our tram with about a dozen other people. 

The first drop out of the tram tower takes everyone’s stomach with it and there is a collective gulp as the tram drops and then settles to begin its trip across the port.  The views from the tram are spectacular!  The Mediterranean to our right is a beautiful turquoise blue and Barcelona straight ahead is filled with buildings that we can now pick out and name, the yacht harbor is a pleasure as always and on our left is the working port with its containers and cranes assuring us that as we enjoy all the pleasures that Barcelona has to offer the world is still hard at work.

The tram ride is a short 12 minutes and we arrive at Montjuic but a part of Montjuic I have never seen before.  There is a large outdoor patio café and we decide to have lunch and enjoy the views before we attempt to find the Joan Miro Foundation.  The service is slow but the views keep us entertained and we don’t notice.  After lunch we set out to find the museum using Rob’s IPhone walking directions.  This area is all park like with few roads and we are already a little skeptical of the directions as we both know GPS is not that good in areas like this.  We walk for a bit and are feeling a little lost but are in some beautiful gardens so just relax and enjoy them continuing to walk up hill.  After about an hour of walking we declare ourselves lost and try to ask everyone we pass for help but they’re all tourists also and just as lost as we are.   It’s pretty hot and we’ve been hiking straight up hill for a long time when we come to a station for a second tram that goes from lower Montjuic to the castle at the absolute top of the mountain.  We hadn’t actually planned on going to the castle but decide to hop on the tram and see what’s there.

Immediately upon arrival at the castle we are glad we came.  It is not only beautifully maintained but also enhanced by lovely gardens.  We run from corner to corner exploring what was first a castle and later a military fort.  There are lots of photo opts as we mimic statues and play with the largest machine guns either of us has ever seen. 

But leave we must as we are still looking for the Miro Museum and still don’t have any idea where the heck it is. We’re at the top of the mountain so at least we know we need to go down.  The first real direction we’ve had all day!!  Down is always easier and that was true here.  Using several maps and one IPhone the miracle happened we found the Miro Foundation and Museum. 

Now I have never been a Miro fan.  I must admit I’ve had some trouble truly appreciating his talent as a painter.  His work was always a little too primitive for me and touring this museum didn’t really change my mind.  But as with most experiences it did broaden my appreciation.  Miro believed he was painting from the subconscious mind where there are no hard lines but more blurry images and vague thoughts.  He like so many of the Spanish artists worked in many different mediums and I think I most enjoyed the work he did in textiles later in his career.  He was into big and to be fair there was enough whimsy in his work to allow me to actually like some of what I saw.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m still not going to buy any of his paintings but at least I get that all of those strange formed women he painted were actually out of a deep respect for woman, well at least that’s what they told me!  Rob went in and fan and came out a fan, I was happy to watch him enjoy it as much as he did.  There was a work in the museum by another artist Alexander Calder called the Mercury Fountain that we both especially liked.

After the museum we continued making our way down Montjuic so that Rob could pass by the beautiful Botanical Garden, the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, the Magic Fountain, Placa Espana and its exquisite fountain and finally onto the Metro.  The Metro was a very welcome sight at that point.  We had covered every inch of Montjuic and seen Barcelona from 360 degrees, now that’s what I’d call a full day.

That night we had dinner at El Salon.  Like Sue, Bob and Judy before him Rob had the duck and also loved it.   I said a sad farewell to Ansar our waiter and host over the summer. He plays the most divine dinner music and waits on you as if you were a guest in his home.  He’s proud of Spain and always had a recommendation for me of a new place I should visit each time I saw him.  I will miss Ansar and I am lucky to have shared this summer with him.  He refused to say good-bye only so long for now and said he looks forward to seeing me again next summer.  We know that won’t happen but it’s nice that he wants it to.

Today I saw more of Barcelona than I have had the opportunity to do on any other single day.  I saw the city from the big picture and I came to appreciate how much I have learned about this city and how much I have grown to love it.