But just as we were starting to enjoy our's, it was the end of someone else's...
On our second day in Spain, we were jolted by the news of Whitney Houston's passing. I was sad but not surprised as I've read about her downward spiral all these years. Surreal really: the passing of a diva a day before the big night of music: Grammy Awards. Dah tertulis...
It was rather quiet around our place that day. Not because people were mourning Whitney, but because it was Sunday :). We were told by our friend that many shops and establishments would be closed on Sunday. Therefore, we decided to spend our day visiting a museum in the morning and then dropping by the friend's house for lunch (restoren pun tutup kan?? :)).
There were many museums in Barcelona, but the one which my daughter and I deemed as 'wajib pergi' was Museu Picasso. Dah sampai Spain tak pegi muzium Picasso, memang rugi! I was even more delighted to discover that the museum's entrance fee was wavered that particular Sunday to commemorate Saint Eulalia :D
After breakfast, we boarded the Metro from Tarragona to Arc de Triomf station. As the name indicated, it was near one of Barcelona's landmark: Arc de Triomf. The archway structure was the works of Catalan architect, Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas. It was built in Neo-Mudejar Style (a revival of Moorish-influenced architecture). Ada nampak sikit2 unsur senibina Islam (Moor) walaupun telah diberi nafas baru (neo). Chewah... bunyi macam arkitek lah pulak!! Kikiki!
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| Baju pun sama colour dengan Arc de Triomf :P |
We walked along the avenue until we reached the Entrance of Parc de la Ciutadella. As much as we had wanted to explore the park, we had to forgo it as we had a tight schedule :(.
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| Rius i Taulet Monument in front of Parc de Ciutadella Entrance |
Museu Picasso was nestled among the narrow and cobbled street of La Ribera. When we reached there, we joined the already long queue at the entrance. Entry was free for the day, but the audioguide was not.The museum showcased Picasso's works at different stages of his life. It was an eye-opener because apart from Cubism, I didn't know that Picasso also delved in other styles. Luckily the daughter learnt about this in art class, so she was my audioguide :). Unfortunately, no photos to be shared here as taking photos was prohibited in the museum :(.
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| Around La Ribera |
Opposite Museu Picasso was Museu Barbier-Mueller d'Art Precolombi which has a collection of "pre-Colombian cultures of the Americas". However, we decided to skip this place and instead venture a bit into this "old city" quarters to visit the ancient Basilica Santa Maria del Mar. The church, like the Magical Fountain, was also under restoration but was opened for the public to visit.
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| The west end of Santa Maria del Mar |
Built in the 14th century, the church was a fine example of Catalan gothic architecture...
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| Ogival arches |
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| Rib vault |
The stain glasses were a sight to behold...
As we headed back to the metro station to catch a train to our friend's house in Cerdanyola, we managed to catch a glimpse of the El Born Market which was also undergoing restoration works. Berapa banyak renovation daa...
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| Mercat del Born |
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