Miró Musings and Lunch at the Beach
Spring in Spain - - Wednesday, May 9, 2012
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The Miró Exhibition that inspired this tour,
Joan Miró and the Ladder of Escape, is at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC until August 12... well worth a visit if you're in the area. Miró wanted his native Barcelona to have his own collection of art, and in 1972 asked his friend Josep Llluis Sert to design its home, the
Fundació Miró, atop Montjuic Hill.
The airy white space is a perfect backdrop for Miro's work, which expresses his own colorful and playful language in sculpture, painting, textiles works and drawings.
Laia, our guide, translates his idiom for us, pointing out the changes in his work, especially visible in the civil war and repressed Franco years.
We enjoy watching the engagement of young schoolchildren, who easily respond to the bright colors and quirky squiggles and shapes of the art and the enthusiastic explanations of the guide.
Both inside
and out Miró's creations fascinate and intrigue.
It's a gorgeous day for an aerial swoop across the bay to the beaches of Barceloneta.
From the Montjuic Aerie we watch a crew training far below,
and bright swathes of fishing nets drying in the sun.
Down the tower elevator, and we're soon walking along the beach,
past a relaxed (!) Homer,
to
Can Majó, for some of the best seafood in Barcelona.
We begin with a few nibbles - olives,
pa amb tomaquet (toasted bread rubbed with tomato and garlic - yum!), and some of my favorite fried artichokes.
Oh - have to try some razor clams too
with some icy Sangria to wash it all down.
But be sure to leave room for the house specialty, Fideua - Barcelona's answer to paella.
Can Majó is another of our don't miss Barcelona favorites - such delicious food in such a relaxing and beautiful place!
Labels: Barcelona tour, Barceloneta, Can Majó, Fundació Miró, Joan Miró
A Day for the Senses - Gaudi and More
Spring in Spain - - Tuesday, May 8, 2012
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There is so much we appreciate about welcoming
Hotel 10 Montcada - not least of all the fabulous buffet breakfast that starts our day!
Oh and have we mentioned the fabulous rooftop terrace? Complete with jacuzzi?! No time to linger there this morning, though. We're ready for a Gaudi- filled day!
First stop, his unfinished symphony, a work still in progress 86 years after his death, the Sagrada Familia.
A masterpiece outside,
and in - a stunning forest of graceful white columns,
we feel privileged to see the work continuing before our eyes, as jewel-toned stained glass is fitted into place above us.
From this majestic house of worship, the symbol of Barcelona, we move on to a more intimate example of Gaudi genius, the extraordinary Casa Batlló.
What inspired this scaly, colorful, rippling delight? Was it the sea? the confetti of Venice's Carnival -see those mask-like balconies? the dragon conquered by St. Jordi (George), the patron saint of Barcelona?
What fun to see Gaudi's designs for living - such as this cozy nook, complete with a private fireplace
and an up-close view of the dragon-spine crowning it all - we'd have rooftop parties if we lived here ;)
After this feast for the eyes, it's time to move on to our other senses, at the aptly named
Cinc Sentits (Five Senses), where Stephen meets us for lunch. This Miró inspired tour was his idea, with the arrival of the Joan Miró exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, which we're all looking forward to enjoying for ourselves when we return to the DC area. Stephen had to play at a Sunday evening concert at the Gallery, so was unable to depart until Monday and we're glad he didn't have to miss what we know will be a fabulous lunch!
Our tasting menu began with a spectacular layered concoction that included sabayon, warm maple syrup and flaked salt in a shot glass - we were advised to drink it all at once, and you could just see everyone's eyes widen as we did - indescribably delicious! And the tastes kept coming... risotto with cod and a crispy wafer
foie gras with a sweetly crunchy crust
sorbets and fruit, followed by divinely decadent morsels of the finest chocolate... don't miss this experience when in Barcelona!
Senses delighted, some of us retire to the hotel before tonight's concert, and the rest of us continue our Gaudi Day, stopping at one of his first commissions (which must have been designed before he decreed that straight lines are of man, curved lines of God), Casa Vicens, a moorish pastiche that's a private home.
Playful Park Guell is our last stop,
and surprisingly it seems a little less crowded than it was when we visited in November... perhaps everyone's enjoying the beach on this warm day!
In the evening we gather in the lobby for a pre-concert chat with Stephen, whose insights into "The Grace of Schubert" make this first concert of our tour, the Barcelona Symphony, even more of a pleasure.
Labels: Barcelona, Casa Battlo, Cinc Sentits Restaurant, Gaudi, Sagrada Familia
From tiny Vias to bustling Barcelona
Spring in Spain - May 2012
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Ciao to
La Belle Cour in Vias - we're on our way to Spain! It's a
pleasure to travel by train - especially when there are no strikes
(which have struck more often than we'd like on our previous rail
journeys). MUCH more relaxed than on a flight, we settle into our seats
and watch the world pass by: vineyards stretch for miles to the dark
hills in the distance,
we nearly take a dip in a seaside
etang (salt water lake)
and windmills twirl lazily over the varied countryside.
After an hour layover at Port Bou on the border, we're on a Spanish train for the rest of the journey, peeking down into quiet coves of the Costa Brava.
Our friends at
Hotel H10 Montcada have reserved a spacious corner room with a great view for us, reminding us each time we look out of how close the Mediterranean is. We take care of pre-tour errands, looking forward to meeting our guests tomorrow.
A
cava toast is the way to say "Welcome" in Barcelona - four of our five guests are here, and ready to discover this marvelous city.
We're in the Born neighborhood, the city's old maritime and business district which is now a museum, restaurant and boutique filled web of intriguing old streets.
Santa Maria del Mar holds court as the most beautiful of Barcelona's Catalan Gothic churches. This southern adaptation of Gothic valued width more than height, and the airy spacious interior shows off the simple and classic design.
Santa Maria del Mar was built in the early 14th century by the men of the neighborhood, sailors, tradesmen and merchants, and inside and out we're reminded of the maritime theme of the area.
We begin our Barcelona feasting at a neighborhood favorite,
Montiel, with delicious tastes from scallops to suckling pig, and from meltingly rich dark chocolate to tangy mango sorbet... a don't-miss choice for sure!
Labels: Barcelona, cava, Montiel restaurant, Santa Maria del Mar, Spain travel
On to Brescia
Sunday, May 27, 2012,
continued
Brescia, Italy
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After our mountainside lunch, we're ready for some shopping - and the
Franciacorta Outlets are open on Sundays - a rarity in Europe! Kirk has
long had his eye on a particular style of sportcoat, so we scour all of
the mens shops, but come up emptyhanded. It's a lovely open air mall,
though, a pleasure to walk through with its arcades, flowers, and
greenery.
It's no secret that Kirk's favorite coffee is
Illy, so before getting back on the highway we take a spot at the bar
and "happ Illy" enjoy a cup:
espresso for him and a creamy delicious Illycrema for her.
We
don't have to turn in the car and check in to our airport hotel til
late, so take the next hour or two to discover a new-to-us city,
Brescia.
We find a convenient parking place on the outskirts of
old town and walk to the center, peeking in a venerable old church,
replete with lush paintings and an exquisite pietra dura altarpiece, on
the way.
The elegant Piazza della Loggia is bookended on one side
with the Palladio and Sansovino designed Palazzo della Loggia, Brescia's
town hall
and on the other with a Saint Mark's inspired clock tower, complete with bell-ringing Moors atop.
Guess we've joined the evening passeggiata on the way to an adjoining square, the Piazza del Duomo.
In the shadow of the high marble façade of the town cathedral we take one more Spritz break
and then step back a few centuries to Roman Brixia. The heart of
the Roman city was the forum, under the mighty columns of Capitolium
Temple. Erected in AD73, it was covered by a medieval mud-slide and lay
undiscovered until the 1800's.
We head west into the sunset, the Italian alps shadowing the horizon, and reflect.... what a month this has been!
From home-repairs in southern France, to tapas and Miró in Barcelona,
to a quiet seaside cove, then on to Art Nouveau and opera in Prague,
and finishing up with a lakeside idyll and a Roman relic in Italy... we'll surely return to each wonderful place!
Labels: Brescia, Franciacorta Outlets, Illy, Italy travel, Palladio
