Montserrat & Picasso Museum

Hello again!
Here's a quick recap of my weekend!

SATURDAY - MONTSERRAT
From 9 am - 5:30 pm, I went with a group of IES staff and students to Montserrat (meaning "Serrated Mountain"). Montserrat is a stunning Benedictine Monk retreat that offers spectacular mountain views of Catalunya, the Pyrenees and Mediterranean Sea.  The history is quite fascinating, so I suggest you check out this link if you're interested. The legend in particular is unique and it won't make sense if you read the rest of this post and don't know the background. It's a short summary...I promise!

After meeting in Placa Catalunya (in front of the Hard Rock Cafe) at 9 am, we were off to Montserrat. It was a 45 minute bus ride but (if you plan on coming to Barcelona) you can take public transportation and it's about an 1 hour north on train.

Morning Hike
We took a tram up the mountain to embark on our morning hike. The views were fantastic, but this little puppy made the tram ride super fun...her name was Ohna and she was only 3 months old! The family who brought the dog had no problem with me petting her the whole way up (a lot of people here aren't as open to letting strangers pet their dogs)

Ohna, the 3 month old puppy...aww!

Once I said goodbye to Ohna, we took a lovely hike through the mountains. We learned about the local legend, how the mountains were formed, the history of hermits living there, and the various plants and animals inhabiting the area. It was so fascinating! Check out the incredible views

I think this is a nice way to summarize how many Catalanes feel about Spain

Jess and I with Montserrat in the background!

Montserrat Monastery

Lunch, Exploring and Montserrat Museum
After our morning hike, IES provided us a lunch of 2 bocadillos (or baguette sandwiches), an apple, and water. Jessica and I sat down on a nearby bench and munched on our lunch. Then, we checked out the basilica and saw the famous Virgin Sanctuary of Montserrat. The line was incredibly long but definitely worth the wait to learn more about this historical Catalan gem.

Line for entering the basilica

Basilica from outside

Inside the basilica

View of Montserrat mountains and main plaza

Inside Montserrat Basilica

Inside Montserrat Basilica

Catalan Tradition: Kissing Virgin Statue of Montserrat's hand

View of Montserrat mountains from the Basilica

We finished off our day trip in Monserrat by visiting the Montserrat Museum. Not a lot of visitors are aware of the incredible treasures that this museum holds, so it was a real treat for the group! We saw works by Picasso, Dali and Caravaggio nestled amongst less well-known artists. There are over 1300 pieces housed in this museum (the earliest exhibit is an Egyptian sarcophagus from 13th century BC and the most recent exhibit is a sculpture from 2001 by Josep M Subirachs!)


Upon return to Barcelona, Jess and I's sugar blood level was quite low from all the hiking, walking, and exploring. So, she had a coffee and I a hot chocolate at Farggi's (popular cafe found ALL over Barcelona). I was so wiped out from the day, I went straight home, put on my jammies, relaxed and had a good night's sleep!


SUNDAY
Lazy Sunday Morning
Considering I was so productive Saturday exploring Montserrat, I took it easy Sunday morning. I slept in, took a nice hot shower, and just mosied about the house for a while. Bianca was away with friends at a weekend long rave, so I had the room (and bathroom) all to myself. I caught up on some of my cooking, sewing, and econ blogs, which I find extremely relaxing 


Picasso Museum Visit
Right in the heart of the El Born District in Barcelona (my favorite part of the city thus far) is the Picasso Museum. It has an extensive collection of the artist's works, particularly those from his early years. I noticed on the museum website that after 3 pm on Sundays, admission is free (typically 10 euros), so I got there about half an hour early and waited in the queue. Not as many people as I expected but fortunately, I brought a book to keep me busy. 

Outside the Picasso Museum

Once inside, I paid 3 euros for the audio tour and it was very worthwhile! I've never really considered myself an art connoisseur, so having the audio guide is very helpful for learning about the pieces, knowing what to look for/appreciate, and overall learn more about the artists himself through his work. Unfortunately, the museum did not allow me to take any pictures even though I would have gladly taken several. So, no pictures from this trip, everyone. 


My first Piadini

After a 2 hour visit to the Picasso Museum (the line was out the door and around the corner by the time I left), I felt rather hungry so I explored the local area to find something before dinner. Dinner at Isabel's is at 9 and since it's Sunday, a lot of places are closed, so my selection was limited. On Carrer de la Princessa, I found an Italian Piadini restaurant (think of it as a Mexican Quesadilla sandwich if that makes any sense). I was the waiter's first customer for the evening (restaurants typically close at 2 pm then reopen at 5pm). Since it was my first time having a piadini, I asked him for what he recommended and we started talking about Spain, Barcelona, Catalan culture, etc. His name was Jose Luis and turns out he is from Asturias, where my great great great (? don't know how many greats) was from. The piadini was delicious and Jose Luis insisted I try some wine they have. I thought it'd be a super small glass but he brought out an actual water glass but filled it with wine instead. I don't drink but I also didn't want to be rude, so I drank about half. For my first *official* 1/4 glass of wine it wasn't bad. He said it was some Italian wine, carbonated and not so dry. I wouldn't say I'd order it again but it wasn't awful. Lets just say I prefer Italian soda. 


Well that's about it for my weekend. It was mostly quiet but productive! 
Stay tuned..this Saturday I'm going to the Ebro Delta with my Mediterranean Oceanography class!

A Pleasant Sunday

A much better start
Well, I'm about 60-70% better. Feeling much better than I was yesterday. I think it's because I got an early start (got up around 9 am). Ever since I got here, I've been sleeping in till about 11:30 am and it's made me very groggy and messed up my sleeping cycle. My mom called me at 9 am and I groggily answered, but I'm glad she woke me up, because it gave me a headstart.

I took a quick shower, got dressed, and noticed I was much better. No more sore throat, dizziness, or lightheadedness. Now, I am just congested ever so slightly feverish. But I'm sure I'll be over the fever by tomorrow. I got a call from my friend Alysse around 10 am asking how I was doing (she went out last night with some friends and Bianca told them I'd been at home sick all day) and if I wanted to go out for the day. I think the very invitation to just get out of the house made me feel better instantly because in no time, I'd had breakfast, packed my bags, and headed off to the metro to meet Alysse, her roommate Lily, and Jessica at the Arc de Triomf

National Day of Catalonia
Although September  11 brings a wave of sadness to people around the world, particularly in the U.S, September 11 is "National Day of Catalonia" here in Catalonia. Think of it as 4th of July for the Catalan people...just as big, flamboyant, and nationalist (in a good way) as it in the U.S.
NOTE: For those of you who are unfamiliar with Catalan's history, Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia ( an autonomous region in Spain). In Catalonia, they speak Catalan ( a Romantic language that sounds like a mixture of French and Spanish).
Anyways, here are some pictures from the festivities:

Very typical dress of National day of Catalonia attendees

More attendees...

Catalonia's Flag waving under the Arc de Triomfe

Undergarments with Catalonia's Flag

Espadrilles for all ages and sizes

Cute little witch figurines

View of the Festivities

After walking around the booths, my friends and I decided to take a tour of Catalan's Parliament. They are only open today (September 11) for public tours, so we took advantage. It was such a gorgeous building, VERY impressive. Check out the photos.

Ceiling of Parliament building

My friends and I at Catalan's Parliament

Catalan Parliament (2nd floor)

Other tourists

My friends and I (I insist on taking group pics!)

Gorgeous architecture

Hearing room

A (Heavenly) Taste of Barcelona's Chocolate Museum
After checking out the festivities from National Day of Catalonia, my friends and I were in desperate need of a chocolate fix and visited Barcelona's Museu del Chocolate (or as they say in Catalan, Museu de la Xocolata). Unfortunately, they were closing in 20 minutes, but that didn't stop us from their knee-wobbling, mouth-watering, finger-licking good hot chocolate. We all ordered a chocolate pequeno (or small hot chocolate). For all you chocaholics out there (I'm with you!), the spoon literally stood in the hot chocolate by itself...THAT's how thick and rich it was.

Museu de la Xocolata's legendary Xocolate Caliente (peqeno)

Literally, I was scraping every last drop of the hot chocolate in my cup. Let's just say next time, I'll order un chocolate grande. The pequeno was such a tease for me...

A Spectacular Evening
After resting at home for a bit and having dinner , I reunited with  my friends from earlier today to see the Magic Fountain of Montjuic (meaning "Jewish Mountain" in Catalan). Apparently, it's every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Summer (so through September) and then afterwards only on Fridays and Saturdays. It was so stunning...beautiful water works with gorgeous accompanying music (from Opera to Classical) . I took a video because I was simply lost for words to describe it to you all.

For all the photos from my adventures, please check out my Barcelona 2011 Album.