Barcelona and Madrid

 

After our transatlantic cruise, we spent a week between Barcelona and Madrid, touring with cousin Gerlyn. I hope you enjoy seeing some of our photos from this fun time together!

Barcelona

Parc Güell

In Barcelona, this park designed by Antoni Gaudí was number one on my bucket list. It has an admission fee (although portions are open gratis to neighbors and residents), but it is well worth it. We explored for several hours. Parc Güell is one of seven locations that comprise the Works of Antoni Gaudí UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

La Sagrada Familia

We had toured Sagrada on our 2007 cruise, so Gerlyn went off on her own to explore this architectural wonder. The primary architect, having worked on the cathedral for more than 40 years, was Antoni Gaudí. When he died in 1926, La Sagrada was less than 25% complete, and it still isn't completed! Gerlyn's photos show a much more completed structure than what we saw in 2007, however, and I heard various discussions that the plan (hope?) is for completion in 2026.

Gaudi's designs were inspired by nature, examples of which can be seen in the last set of photos.

Parc de la Ciutadella and Promenade de de Lluís Companys

The Promenade, with its Arco de Triunfo, was right around the corner from our hotel near the Gothic Quarter. It is a very popular strolling and meeting spot for the locals, and it was fun people watching for us. At the farther end is a grand public park, Parc de la Cuitadella. We took a stroll through there one warm and sunny afternoon, and so many people were out enjoying the park and the beautiful weather. 

The Arc from each side

GG and John joined the teens when the Milka promotional truck showed up. Free Milka! These benches along the promenade were a great people-watching spot.

The most interesting busking instrument!

La Boqueria and Las Ramblas

We had also visited these spots in 2007, but we were curious how it might have changed, and we wanted to share that explore with Gerlyn. Since Gerlyn was arriving from La Sagrada, John and I walked over to the market to meet up with her. On the way, we passed some interesting sights.

Lots of pretty designs on buildings and walls along our walk.

This sculpture, Carmela by Jaume Plensa, was getting a lot of attention. When first coming upon it, the sculpture appears flat, but when you look at it from a certain angle, it appears three dimensional. We also walked past Catedral de Barcelona and happened upon a wedding! What a beautiful setting for this bride and groom.

La Boqueria is Barcelona's most famous market, and it had indeed changed quite a bit from our previous visit. There were many more permanent stalls, with restaurants, and less variety in the types of products, but still many fun items to sample and view (like very exotic seafood). John was especially on the hunt for some Jamon Iberico, and he was happy with what he found. Gerlyn and I tried the spiropatatas and fresh fruits and juices.

After sampling, we took the stroll down Las Ramblas all the way to the Christopher Columbus statue near the port. Compared to 2007, Las Ramblas had changed. There were many more permanent stalls selling tourist tchotchkes and many fewer street performers. The architecture, however, was as beautiful as I remembered. (If you'd like to see more of that, check out my photo essay on Doors and Windows of Spain.)

I seem to have a tree growing out of my head!

Eating and Drinking 

Some food and drink we enjoyed trying:

Arrival night we tried Argentinian empanadas (sorry GG, I caught you mid-bite!) and our hotel treated us to a glass of Cava, Spain's sparkling wine specialty.

Lemon beer and sangria

Zumo, we love you! In Sicily, this is called spremuta, also widely available. A funny story .... We stopped in Catania at a cafe and ordered spremuta. The owner said, "Oh, ok, but the oranges are not from Sicily. They are from Valencia. Do you still want?" Of course!

Madrid 

The Train

I think this was the part of the trip John was most excited about! He researched and found us a good deal on a high speed train from Barcelona to Madrid with a company call Ouigo. Because we had luggage, we had to add on the extra package which happened to include upgrade to the more roomy coach. I believe the total cost for all 3 of us was around 100 Euro. That's the way to travel! So, after our morning laundry adventure in Barcelona, we were on our way. 

We brought our lunch for the ride. The ride may have also involved a nap.

Madrid rail station is quite pretty.

A few hours later, and we were at our hotel. Great location on Paseo del Prado!

A pretty sunrise and a cool building nearby.

Tiny elevator! I was amused by this, but little did I know what awaited us in Italy!

Walking Around and the Museums

The bulk of our time in Madrid was spent doing this. The city has so many beautiful buildings and monuments (especially along Paseo del Prado), its really a pleasure to just wander and take it all in, even in the rain, which we did experience at times. We wanted to visit both the national art musuem and the modern art museum. One disappointing aspect was that pictures were not allowed inside either. Not that I need to take hundreds of photos, but I do like to capture a few special pieces that strike me or might be especially famous. Unfortunately, not possible.

After waiting in line in the rain for tickets, ready to go inside the Museo Nacional Del Prado! The musuem had a pretty good collection of Bosch paintings, which are always intriguing. Most interesting to me was The Garden of Earthly Delights Triptych (I'm a fan of triptychs in general). There was also a large Rubens collection including the beautiful The Three Graces. 

The Room of the Muses was the only spot where photos were allowed. These, and several other, marble statues were discovered in Tivoli in the 1500s, and they are dated as having been constructed about 130 AD. They were restored in the 1600s. The first is Euterpe and the second Thalia, whose visage in the restoration was based on Queen Cristina of Sweden.

Gerlyn wanted to stay in the museum longer, so John and I went on a walk along the Paseo del Prado. In particular, I wanted to see the Bank of Spain (because of La Casa de Papel, or maybe you know it as Money Heist). The real bank was not used in the series, but I wanted to see what it looked like and if it had any elements that were captured in the bank used in the show. While we were looking at our map, a very nice older local man stopped to chat with us. He was on his daily walk along the Paseo, and he said he would take us to the bank. Along the way, he pointed out many beautiful aspects of his hometown, of which he was very proud.

Along our walk. We also found the gourmet candy store with free samples. Yum!

Bank of Spain

Another longer stroll we took another day was to see the Royal Palace. Spain's Royal Palace is the largest functioning palace in Europre. The complex where it is located includes other beautiful buildings, including the Catedral de la Almudena. The Jardines de Sabatini were lovely, viewed from above (it was pretty chilly this day, so we weren't into exploring deeply outside). En route to the Palace, we also stopped in Plaza Mayor, Madrid's main square.

Palace Complex

Plaza Mayor

Long walks mean a stop at a cafe for refreshments (and facilities). A type of machine that makes the wondrous Zumo!

We popped over to Reina Sofia primarily to view Picasso's Guernica. The painting is impressive, with much to view and analyze. There is an accompanying exhibit that has sketches of various elements of the painting from different periods of time, which are fun to compare to the finished product. Unfortunately, no pictures allowed. However, we spent some time soaking up the sun in the courtyard, where I was able to take piccies of a couple of sculptures. Pictured are Lunar Bird by Joan Miró and Carmen by Alexander Calder.

Cookies and Churros

Emily's number one recommendation for Spain was churros con chocolate*, so that was definitely on our list in Madrid. As I mentioned in the transatlantic blog, we met Rob and Steve on our cruise, who had spent a lot of time in Madrid. They had a specific recommendation for this speciality. As well, they told us about the Madrid nun cookies. A group of cloistered nuns (vow of silence) sells cookies based on old recipes. That sounded like a fun pursuit, so we added that to the list as well.

*If you're interested in reading Emily's blog about lessons from food in Spain, Eat Your Tentacles, you can click here. You also might enjoy our friend Martha's food memoir, which includes a portion related to her time in Spain.

Chocolatería San Ginés did not disappoint. Opened in 1894, it is the oldest establishment of its type in Madrid. (The vibe reminded me very much of going for beignets at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans.) They were delicious! It was fun to watch all the different approaches locals took to eating them.

How to get nun cookies: 1) meander around the square looking for the correct door with the buzzer; 2) ask, in Spanish, if cookies are sold today, to be buzzed in; 3) walk silently down a long spooky hallway; 4) enter the room with the wheel (these wheels were used in Sicily in olden times for leaving abandoned babies, perhaps here too?); 5) fumble around trying to figure out how the wheel works; 6) tell the nuns which cookies you want; 7) put your money in the wheel; 8) take your cookies when they return with change as appropriate; 9) enjoy your cookies.

Since I'm on the topic of food, one more piccie to share. We went out for Thai food one night where the restaurant was in an old church. Very interesting decorations!

East meets West!

Friends and Family

The highlight of visiting Madrid for John and I was getting to meet up with two special people. Our friend Mat, who we met through cruising, is currently living in Madrid, in the process of getting Spanish dual citizenship (he is from Argentina). Mat is a talented musician and music teacher, and just an all around positive ion to be around. We were happy to get the chance to see him in a setting other than a Carnival cruise ship or online. 

We made a plan to meet up with Mat at the gorgeous El Retiro Park. This park, along with Paseo del Prado, which it aligns with, was granted UNESCO World Heritate site status in 2021. No wonder Emily and our friend Martha, both who studied abroad here, mentioned this as a 'must see' in Madrid. After a lovely walk and catch up, we headed for some tapas and drinks.

Such a beautiful space right in the heart of the city! I was especially intrigued by the Palacio de Cristal and wanted to get a closer look. Gerlyn and John wanted to stop and people watch, so Mat and I headed onward to get a closer look. We also had a chance for a nice philosophical chat along the way, which I always enjoy!

The Crystal Palace was built in 1887 for the Philippines Exposition.

Walking and talking

Behind the Palace is a lovely pond.

Nearby we found Palacio de Velázquez, which is now a contemporary art museum, part of the Reina Sofia. Wish I would have known that earlier in our trip. Next time! I would definitely like to return to this beautiful city.

Boo, my group photo was blurry. I'm putting it in anyway because it shows all of our yummy food. It was very handy for Mat to be along and be able to choose and order for us in Spanish!

Proof GG and I ate the anchovies!

Our second special meeting was our first time meeting John's cousin Victor in person. Victor is a cousin through John's paternal Ciacchella line. Victor and John are 4th cousins, 1 time removed, common ancestors being Giuseppe Ciacchella and Antonia Carrabino.

Giuseppe and Antonia are John's 3rd great-grandparents and Victor's 4th great-grandparents. Victor descends from the couple Giovanni Ciacchella and Anna Passanisi, while John descends from the couple Domenico Ciacchella and Rosaria Tringali.

We have been talking virtually for a few years, but finally a chance to meet in person! We were so wrapped up in conversation of our lives, families and geneaology that I only managed to take one photo! Victor is very intelligent and personable, and we really could have talked for much longer. As the 'outsider,' it was interesting to watch the two cousins interact and look at each other. It was as if they were seeing some commonality that they were trying to place. In all, a special experience!

Victor, we look forward to more time together in the future!