Friday, April 11th, Barcelona

We did a bit of housecleaning and laundry this morning, as well as sleeping in, so got a later start.  Catching the Metro and connecting to the funicular took us to the top of Montjuic.

Montjuic

A hill located southwest of town, with sweeping views of the harbor, the name translates to “Jew Mountain”.  The steep western side houses a large jewish cemetery to this day.  There is much to see and do on Montjuic including a visit to the castle, riding the gondola, Joan Miro Museum, the Palau Nacional, several botanical gardens, museums and former olympic venues.

We only touched the surface and are hoping to get back up the hill to explore further before we leave.

Gondola ride

Montjuic Castle

We started our exploration by taking the gondola all the way to the top to the castle. The small museum there was easy to cover in a short time, but the highlight was the stunning views of the harbor right below us, both from the top and from Mirador .

Harbor view from Montjuic

Ring around the rock

Fountain at Mirador with the city in the far background

The tulips and iris were in bloom as we walked our way down the hill through botanical gardens.

Tulip time

Tulips

Iris

And passed through both a sculpture and English garden…

English garden

But we saved the best for last!

Palau Nacional

 “…a palace constructed between the years 1926 and 1929 for the 1929 International Exhibition in Barcelona. Since 1934 it has been home to the National Art Museum of Catalonia.” ~ Wikipedia

Palau Nacional

“Spanish Renaissance architecture with an air of academic classicism” ~ Wikipedia

Home to the National Art Museum of Catalonia

Every Friday and Saturday night from 7-9 there is a water show, the Magic Fountains.  We arrived early to get a good vantage point.  Since it was not yet dark, the fountains were lit by sunlight and not the colorful display that happens later in the evening.  Complete with upbeat modern music and a respectful crowd, even Gus enjoyed the “magic”.

i

Magic Fountain show

Gus has traveled around the world with us

Magic Fountain show

GRATITUDE MOMENT:  Today I am grateful that even though my dear hubby has a fear of heights, he does not let it get in the way of us exploring and doing all we want to do. There was a time that riding in a gondola would have been a nail-biter for him.  Now it is a piece of cake!