01-26-2016, 04:11 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-26-2016, 04:13 PM by Drunk Monk.)
Thanks for that Greg. When I've been telling people that have been to Spain that we found Barcelona to be too touristy, they have been arguing with me. Of course, most of them have only been to Barcelona. You are the first among my friends to reaffirm my experience. Which isn't to say Barca wasn't really fun, it was just less fun than the rest of Spain.
I forgot to mention that on our first night in Barca, we took in a performance of classical Spanish guitar. It was in a side chamber of the Santa Maria del Pi, which provide excellent acoustics, and was advertised as the guitarist playing some medieval guitars but I was never quite clear on whether they meant that the guitars were actually that old or if they were modern replicas of old guitars. Either way, the performance was great. I'm always impressed when one person with one instrument can put on a show, and this guitarist had mad chops. Spanish guitar is so complex and quick. My preconceived notion of it was that it was all romantic, but now I'd say it's closer to the blues, not in structure - the arrangements are entirely unique - but in the heart of the music, the message it delivers.
I'd also mention that Barca is really stony. There were head shops everywhere and we stumbled past several private pot clubs. I caught wind of the herb on several occasions, and Tara said that I have what she calls my 'festival sniff' whenever I catch the whiff.
We had planned to visit the Sagrada Familia on Xmas, but upon arriving via taxi, we discovered it was sold out. A lot was closed over the holidays, which left all the tourists going to the same few open sites. So we hopped the subway and made it for Parc Guell. That was disappointing. Many friends raved about it, but it was expensive, crowded and not quite as spectacular as it was touted to be. Gaudi built the best tourist traps. We headed back to Barrio Gotic, and strolled the waterfront and mall, which wasn't nearly as spectacular as the day before.
The next day, we hit the Museo Picasso, which was excellent. Organized by time progression, his development was clear. Picasso came from an artist family and as a teen was already a master of Renaissance portraiture. He went to art school but left to study at the Prado. Having seen so much Velazquez and Goya, the influence was very evident. This museum only holds a few of his blue period, but then, after a trip with Cocteau, makes that leap to Cubism. Picasso's Meninas studies were fantastic - again, good to see after seeing the original at the Prado. Great museum, very intimate.
After that was the Museo Dali in Barcelona. After seeing a few select Dalis at the Thyssen Bornemisza and Reina Sofia, I was eager to really start on my Dali pilgrimage, and Barcelona's holdings was the first major place on the itinerary.
I forgot to mention that on our first night in Barca, we took in a performance of classical Spanish guitar. It was in a side chamber of the Santa Maria del Pi, which provide excellent acoustics, and was advertised as the guitarist playing some medieval guitars but I was never quite clear on whether they meant that the guitars were actually that old or if they were modern replicas of old guitars. Either way, the performance was great. I'm always impressed when one person with one instrument can put on a show, and this guitarist had mad chops. Spanish guitar is so complex and quick. My preconceived notion of it was that it was all romantic, but now I'd say it's closer to the blues, not in structure - the arrangements are entirely unique - but in the heart of the music, the message it delivers.
I'd also mention that Barca is really stony. There were head shops everywhere and we stumbled past several private pot clubs. I caught wind of the herb on several occasions, and Tara said that I have what she calls my 'festival sniff' whenever I catch the whiff.
We had planned to visit the Sagrada Familia on Xmas, but upon arriving via taxi, we discovered it was sold out. A lot was closed over the holidays, which left all the tourists going to the same few open sites. So we hopped the subway and made it for Parc Guell. That was disappointing. Many friends raved about it, but it was expensive, crowded and not quite as spectacular as it was touted to be. Gaudi built the best tourist traps. We headed back to Barrio Gotic, and strolled the waterfront and mall, which wasn't nearly as spectacular as the day before.
The next day, we hit the Museo Picasso, which was excellent. Organized by time progression, his development was clear. Picasso came from an artist family and as a teen was already a master of Renaissance portraiture. He went to art school but left to study at the Prado. Having seen so much Velazquez and Goya, the influence was very evident. This museum only holds a few of his blue period, but then, after a trip with Cocteau, makes that leap to Cubism. Picasso's Meninas studies were fantastic - again, good to see after seeing the original at the Prado. Great museum, very intimate.
After that was the Museo Dali in Barcelona. After seeing a few select Dalis at the Thyssen Bornemisza and Reina Sofia, I was eager to really start on my Dali pilgrimage, and Barcelona's holdings was the first major place on the itinerary.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse