Barcelona and back to Madrid

Barcelona and Madrid, Saturday 21st to Tuesday 24th May

It's really relaxing to be in a city with all the "must do" tourist sites ticked off and a couple of days to do what you want and just soak up the vibe. Must remember to do this more often!

So, with Saturday and Sunday being perfect weather days (for Wellingtonians anyway) we cruised around a few places in Barcelona at an easy pace.

Went back up Montjuic for a more thorough look around. The views were fantastic.

Janet checked out the Joan Miro museum which is part way up Montjuic. I was still processing Dali from two days before and felt it might not be artistically honest to visit Miro at that point, so I kept my 17 euros and had a coffee and started the book club book.

 

A "typical" Miro.

This allowed me the head space to properly address the philosophical challenges presented when we stopped later at the Abrassame Cafe.

The next day we checked out the Palau Musica (Music Palace), a spectacular example of Spanish modernist architecture (early 20th century). It was unexpectedly being used for a primary school age children's concert during our visit so we had the bonus of a free "performance".

We saw the traditional Catalan "Sardana" dance performed in the cathedral square, as happens every Sunday. It's perhpas not the most energetic dance so good for all comers.

Dancing the Sardana.

Then wandered La Rambla, Barcelona's famous shopping strip - a mecca for pickpockets as well as those ripping off tourists by legal means. Just off La Rambla was the Raval district where we found St Rita's day being celebrated. Saint Rita is the patron saint of itinerant flower sellers, and also of impossible things. Many believers use the occasion to offer a blessed rose to the saint and ask something of her. Everywhere there were red roses for sale and women carrying little bunches to be blessed at the San Agustin chapel. Apparently, to meet demand, the chapel blesses roses every half an hour.

Rose sellers in the coutyard outside San Agustin chapel.

Monday was time to head for Madrid. We took the AVE train. The AVE is the fast train, the Spanish equivalent of the French TGV. It was a very painless trip, even interesting for those so inclined. For the record we cruised at 300km/h for a lot of the way and covered the 620 odd km in 3 hours 15 minutes, with one intermediate stop. Barcelona Sants and Madrid Atocha (start and stop points) are serious railway stations, combining fast long distance trains, local trains, and metro trains into one location in layers one on top of the other.
 

Tuesday has been a chill out day in Madrid checking out the local area and getting mentally prepared for the next bus tour starting tonight. Some of us had our nails done. How about ths for a new toenail colour? Always risky getting beauty procedures done in another language, but this turned out ok.