Barcelona – Part 2

We took the opportunity to visit the FC Barcelona’s museum where the club’s history, the stories of its legendary football players and coaches as well as its championship trophies were highlighted. The museum path takes you through the stadium’s interior as well as the football field and then up to the press facilities, after which the path takes you back down into the changing rooms, press conference room and the shop.

FC Barcelona was founded at the end of 1899. Its Swiss-born founder, Joan Gamper, met with eleven other football enthusiasts and they played their first match that very same year (Barcelona beat Bonanova by three goals to one). The club has won 25 La Liga trophies, 30 Copa del Rey trophies, 5 UEFA Champions League titles and 3 FIFA Club World Cup titles.

The April weather was quite fickle during our visit in Barcelona. The sun shined upon us on Sunday morning. It started getting cloudy when we left the museum and the stadium, therefore concluding our football tour of Barcelona. Our late lunch and short nap were accompanied by showers and a fall in temperatures.

In the evening, we headed to the famous Parc de Montjuïc. It’s a large park rising 213 metres above the Port of Barcelona. The first urban planning in the park was started by the 1929 International Exhibition in the city and the National Palace was also built at that time. The 1992 Olympic Games brought about major renewal of the park that is today considered as a very pleasant oasis with stunning green areas, extensive sports facilities (the Olympic Stadium, the Palau Sant Jordi indoor sporting arena and countless other sports grounds), two large museums (National Art Museum of Catalonia and Comic Book and Illustrations Museum), numerous gardens and a gorgeous view of the city from the National Palace. Simply fascinating.

There are quite a few fountains in front of the palace and one of them is known as the Magic Fountain. It was also a part of the construction for the 1929 International Exhibition. When it gets dark, the water jets turn into a beautiful sound and light show. At one point the water forms a single jet that can reach up to 15 metres in height and this spectacular performance is often accompanied by music of Barcelona by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé. Unfortunately, we didn’t witness the spectacle. We were told the shows took place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.

Monday was the only day left. With all the remaining options we had available we decided to visit Barri Gòtic, the Gothic Quarter of the old town, and the zoo. The Gothic Quarter boasts impressive gothic buildings, charming narrow medieval streets and squares and, of course, the majestic cathedral built in 1298. According to some sources, the cathedral is an amalgam of architectural styles. In the 6th century, a Christian baptistery stood there that was replaced by a Romanesque basilica in the 11th century and later by a gothic cathedral. We set intentions aside and let the streets lead us and this is how we stumbled across the Palace of Catalan Music. We were fascinated by its façade and flawless mosaic art, which reflects enormous patience and perseverance as well as the effort and time that were invested in it. There’s no doubt we would be fascinated by the Palace’s interior as well. A striking Neogothic arched stone bridge built in 1928 on Carrer del Bisbe also caught our attention.

We left the hustle and bustle of the old and charming part of the city and headed to the Barcelona zoo. The zoo spreads out on the eastern outskirts of the Parc de la Ciutadella. The park was built in the late 19th century in the area of the former military fortress, so that the city’s inhabitants could be close to nature and engage in sports. There are quite a few hidden sights and points of interest worth visiting and discovering in the park, other than the zoo: the cascade fountain, the Parliament of Catalonia, the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona that comprises a museum of geology and a museum of zoology, an artificial lake, a 19th-century greenhouse etc.

The zoo doesn’t bring joy and excitement only to children; as adults, we were pleasantly surprised and impressed after visiting this attraction. We saw so many animal species from all over the world (a large number of birds, bears, monkeys, penguins, dolphins, giraffes, lions, elephants, zebras, turtles and I could still go on) whose enclosures cover large areas. This was followed by a visit to the terrarium, a home to snakes and other reptiles as well as amphibians. The terrarium boasts nice and clean circular paths that take you from one animal to another. There are also a lot of green areas with tree canopies offering shade. All in all, definitely worth a visit.

As already mentioned in the title, it was an adventure that won’t be forgotten and an experience we will surely repeat one day. If not in Barcelona, then perhaps in another city.