It Was a Balmy Sunday in Barcelona

(with apologies to Bulwer-Lytton)

The temperatures unseasonably high. We began the day by deciding we need another day here. We’ll see Toledo next time.

In the morning we rode the tour bus to the Picasso museum, had a quick breakfast and then spent a couple of hours wandering through the museum which gave a wonderful perspective on his later domestic life and on his origins as an artist, with other perspectives in between. No images, of course, though one patron almost got into a fight with a very forbearing guard over her right to take pictures (she had none).

From there we strolled through the old city, amazed to suddenly come across an 11^th century chapel, old even among the medieval buildings, and had a light lunch at an outdoor trattoria in one of the many plazas and then headed up to the Parc Guell, another of Antoni Gaudí’s efforts. Supported by one of his many patrons, the plan was to create a park-like housing development for forty residences. Long story short, it did not work out and Guell gave the land to the city as a park (he insisted that it be spelled as parc). It was designed by Gaudi and is a pleasant, if crowded place, especially on a beautiful day. To our amazement, the iconic Salamander is not available for general viewing, but only at a cost between five and eight euro. We refused. So no lizard, dragon salamander, but some pleasant views.