My mom visited us in Barcelona for two weeks...she just left yesterday, so here is a recap of our adventures together.
First, we got her accustomed to riding the Metro. She had two helpful guides. :)
Walking down the street near our flat.
These gals were amazing street performers on these string instruments...
wish we knew what they were called.
On our way to one of our favorite restaurants (Bar Lobo), we saw this sweet baby boy in his stroller hugging a very peaceful pet rabbit. The mom said we could take a photo.
This is one of our favorite dishes at Bar Lobo---very thinly sliced and lightly fried eggplant with honey drizzled all over it. Yum!
After Bar Lobo and a quick stop at our favorite frozen yogurt shop,
we go to the famous La Boqueria market.
Fun veggie animal displays at the market...
And walking further down the street,
we stop to take a photo with one of the more well known street artists...
At the base of the Columbus monument...
We left one early morning for a day trip with our Spanish teacher, Christian, and another student (not in our classes) to visit the Dalí Museum. You may remember that Salvador Dalí was a surrealist artist (you most likely know his melting clocks), and is attributed with making that type of art common even in our lives today. Many advertisements these days are considered to have surrealist qualities.
Waiting for the Metro an an early hour...
Ray was the appointed driver for the day...he drove us all in this 9-person van
(although there were just 7 of us). It was a 1.5 hour drive from Barcelona to the museum.
Can you see the happy driver through the reflection in the van window?
This museum was designed by Dalí himself toward the end of his life.
Thus, the whole building and design is a bit surreal. :) The outside is topped with eggs and dotted with bread loafs of unusual shape.
You see surrealist objects around the town of Figueres. This hanging/stretched something-or-other (eyeball??) is across the street from the museum.
Some businesses enjoy the surrealist spirit.
This is simply a sign for parking only to unload at the hotel.
A few photos outside the museum...
(only art of the museum is egg-topped and bread-speckled)
Near the entrance of the museum, you step into this atrium...
View from within the museum
An interesting photo of Abraham Lincoln, with a woman in the center and other figures and faces on the squares making up his face...
Dalí also designed jewelry; much of his most famous work is not in this museum, however, including the ruby heart (looks like the heart organ), that beats (yes, it moves).
Sculpture with the nose and ear transposed...
The famous face of Mae West...
you walk up some steps to a platform where you can really see the face clearly.
Dalí had a whole painting series of rock figures.
Christian and Nicholas
Whew...a long time walking around the museum!
In the gift shop...nope, didn't buy it.
Dalí wore this style mustache.
We then drove from the town of Figueres to the small coastal town of Tossa de Mar, north of Barcelona. Our first mission was to eat at a restaurant famous for its paella. (That's Hiro, our new friend and other Spanish student, taking a photo.) Christian can't wait to dig in...but he must wait until we are all done taking photos!
This is Mom's and my vegetarian paella. I didn't think I liked paella until I ate this one! Amazing!
After stuffing ourselves with that scrumptious meal,
we walked through this little coastal town to the beach area...
...where there is a medieval fortress castle, or fortified village (called Vila Vella), built in the 1100's.
After walking around within the castle walls for a short while, we headed back to Barcelona. That evening, as walked through the city to our flat, we came across a large nativity display in one of the plazas. Here it is.
More to come of our adventures with Mom!
