Montserrat

Montserrat is famed as a place of calm spirituality, but our tour on Monday started as anything but.  There were two main reasons.  First, Barcelona has about 100,000 extra visitors this week for the global mobile phone convention.  Second, the metro is on strike.  Not completely, just minimal service.

So, we started an hour early for a trip that should have taken half that time.  And we didn't make it.  But they waited for us.  So, we did the tour, but only after much running and cursing.

The weather was iffy when we arrived.

Fixer Upper

Seems there was some interest in my beachfront fixer-upper, and I suspect there are others in the states that might like to find a place for themselves.  (I'm looking at you, Martha.)  So, I've been on the lookout for other bargain places here.

I found this diamond in the rough here in Hospitalet.

Monumental

Awhile back I wrote about Las Arenas, the bullring converted to shopping mall.  Barcelona actually had two bullrings, the other being Monumental.  It's a museum now, which Mary and I visited yesterday.

Montjuic Castle

Yesterday I met up with my friend and Spanish teacher, Noelia, at Montjuic Castle.

Inside La Pedrera

Remember La Pedrera, the Gaudi building?

Yesterday we went inside.

Pals and the Costa Brava

After visiting Gerona, we continued on to Pals.  Pals depends very much on tourism, and during off-season, it's more or less a very beautiful ghost town.

Girona

We crossed the foot bridge into  Girona  yesterday morning.

A Day at the Park

Everyone here agrees we've had unusually great weather in Barcelona since we arrived, and yesterday was maybe the best so far, 72 and mostly sunny.  We're just back from a few days in Valencia, and on Monday we're taking a day trip to Gerona, so we're relaxing on the days between.  Today we went to Citadel Park.

The warm weather brought out droves of people, especially kids.

Un poco mas de Valencia

We're back in Barcelona now, but I want to add un poco mas de Valencia.  What else is lurking down these narrow streets?

[gallery ids="2869,2867" type="rectangular"]

 

All kinds of shops, of course.



 

Especially antique shops in old town, which is only appropriate.





 

Also, all sorts of street art, and not just the hi-brow variety.

I love the blend of old and new here.



 

And some of the street art is extraordinary.



 

On the street art tour in Barcelona I learned to look for artists with a particular theme that shows up again and again in their work.   This guy was all over town.





 

Some of these works are so large they would need ladders or scaffording.



 

 

I think this one is advertising for a real estate outfit.



 

But what is this one about?



 

 

I don't recall seeing street art in the USA urging people to vote.



 

I've also never seen a street musician playing a bassoon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYirPCfeDoc

 

These guys from the Valencia Conservatory were very popular, especially with the high school kids in the square.  Mary introduced herself as the mom of a fellow musician.



 

I was sad to leave Valencia, but we will return.

North Station and the Beach

We're taking the day off.  We arrived at our Barcelona apartment about 11 pm last night, pretty worn out.  The train was roomy and comfortable, but let's just say it was not an express.

We did have a very fun last day in Valencia, though.  We wandered outside old town, and as always, found cool stuff in the streets.





 

One of Valencia's impressive buildings.



 

Here's the statue on the peak of that roof.



These artists have great fantasy lives!

We discovered the old train station. 





 

We both love train stations, so we had to go in.  This is the lobby and ticket area.



 

Here's a closer look at that vintage lamp.



 

I love the contrast between the old stained glass windows and the modern ticket machine.



 

Here's a pretty clock for those of us who are perpetually confused about 12 versus 24 hour time.



 

Seems to me that large public spaces, the churches, markets and train stations, have a lot in common.



 

This is an ave train.



Our trip from Valencia to Barcelona took more than 3 hours on a conventional train.  The trip from Valencia to Madrid, about the same distance, takes half that time on an ave.

One last detail from North Station.



Sadly, our journey began from the more modern and more prosaic Joaquin Sorolla station.  We'll know better next time.

From the station, we splurged and took a taxi to the beach.  Here's the promenade at El Cabanyal, the main city beach.



Valencia has many other beaches, and unlike Barcelona, these are not man-made.

Mary is so content at the beach, strolling in the sand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elZjmaUW-A8

 

It's a pleasure to see her in beach mode.



 

While Mary was building her sand castle, I made an offer on the fixer-upper across the street.

 

 

It needs a little work, but you know what they say:  location, location, location.