Spain: Girona along the Riu Onyar

On the way back from Figueres, we made a stopover in Girona, a charming old town along the Onyar River. One of it's imposing landmarks is the Catedral de Santa Maria Mare de Déu said to have the widest Gothic nave in the world at 22.98 m (75.39 ft), and the second widest nave after the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Sad to say, we didn't go inside. It just irks me when they charge an entrance fee to visit a church.

It was a pity we only had an hour to explore the city. Add to the fact that it was raining. And since we arrived during siesta, shops were closed and there was nothing much to see. But it was a well-preserved old town, very much worth the visit.

Spain: Dalí Theatre and Museum in Figueres

If you plan to do an out-of-town trip while in Barcelona, the museum of Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí i Domènech in Figueres is at the top of the list. So for our last full day, we made sure to visit. They say that the Dalí Theatre-Museum is the largest surrealistic object in the world. And inside, one would find the the striking and bizarre images Dalí is known for in his surrealist work

The museum was created by the artist himself while he was still alive in the former Municipal Theatre of his hometown Figueres. The building was destroyed at the end of the Spanish Civil War and on its ruins, Dalí built his museum.

Indeed, a trip to the museum was a unique experience for me. I got to experience and enjoy the unusual work and thought of this artistic genius. As Dalí himself explained: “It’s obvious that other worlds exist, that’s certain; but, as I’ve already said on many other occasions, these other worlds are inside ours, they reside in the earth and precisely at the centre of the dome of the Dalí Museum, which contains the new, unsuspected and hallucinatory world of Surrealism.”

The museum opened in 1974. He was later buried in a cryot in the museum after his death in 1989. Entrance to the museum is 11€ which includes the Dalí Jewels exhibition. The trip from Barcelona to Figueres is about two hours. Trains leave the Passeig de Gracia and Barcelona Sants station and start at 8,55€ depending on the class and type of train.

Spain: FC Barcelona's Camp Nou

Since we were in Barcelona, I made sure to visit Camp Nou, the home of FC Barcelona. Completed in 1957, this UEFA 5-star rated stadium is the largest in Europe with its capacity of 98,772 people.

In Camp Nou, one can find the FCBotiga Megastore where you can find tons of FC Barcelona paraphernalia and items. If you're a big football fan, make sure to get tickets for the Camp Nou Tour and Museum which cost 13€.

The Barcelona Bus Turistic conveniently stops in front of the stadium. While the Collblanc (L5) and Palu Reial (L3) Metro stations are 8 minutes away.

Spain: Montjuïc and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics

Barcelona hosted the 1992 Olympic Games. The Opening Ceremony is still vivid in my mind, especially the archer who shot a flaming arrow immediately over the cauldron high above the stadium to light the Olympic Flame, the first time the lighting of the flame deviated from the usual torch run to the top. Thus, seeing the Olympic Stadium, the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, and the cauldron on top when I visited Montjuïc was exciting.

Montjuïc (or Hill of the Jews) has a storied past having been selected to host the 1929 International Exposition (World's Fair). The surviving buildings from this event are the Palau Nacional, a grand structure which now houses the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), a museum that holds the largest collection of Catalan art in the world; Estadi Olímpic (the Olympic stadium); Font Màgica fountains; and the Poble Espanyol, a showcase of architecture from all over Spain (just like Nayong Pilipino without the cheap and ugly replicas), among many others. The Olympic Stadium was said to be poised to host an anti-fascist Olympic Games as an alternative to the 1936 Berlin Olympics when the Spanish Civil War erupted.

For a time, Montjuïc also hosted Formula One racing. The Spanish Grand Prix was held there for four times until a terrible car crash in 1975 that killed four spectators. After the 1992 Olympics, the Olympic Stadium has been the home of RCD Espanyol football team since 1998. The Miro Foundation can also be found in Montjuïc.

Barcelona Bus Turístic
For two days, I got to ride on the Barcelona Bus Turístic, a tourist bus with an open-air second floor. It was a really good decision. It may seem expensive at first (it's 20€ for a day pass and 26€ for two days), but it is very convenient and a good deal! The bus ticket allows you unlimited rides on the three lines (Blue, Red and Green). The bus stops within meters of all major tourist attractions so it saves you a lot of time from walking. Although the Metro may be cheaper, the some stations were quite a distance from major attractions. So this is highly-recommended especially if you have a limited time in Barcelona.

Spain: Picasso's Barcelona and La Ribera on the Picasso Walking Tour

Museu Picasso is another must visit when in Barcelona. Although there are several Picasso museums, the one in Barcelona is the first and only one established on the express wish of the artist. But as an introduction to the museum, I decided to join the Picasso Walking Tour in order to experience and understand Picasso more by visiting places he frequented in Barcelona during the many years that he was there.

Discovering the bohemian Barcelona where Picasso lived, walking its streets, hearing anecdotes of the famous painter's friends as well as the events that influenced his life and artistic career was a great way to understand the Picasso story.

We visited Els Quatre Gats, a restaurant in a modernista building frequented by Picasso and intellectuals of his time; the friezes on the facade of the Col-legi d'Arquitectes, his only piece of public art in Barcelona; as well as the Llotja de Mar, the building which housed the art school where he studied, among many other sites.

We were also brought deep into La Ribera, a district which hosted Picasso's last studio before he departed for Paris. The district has a beautiful basilica namely the Santa Maria del Mar. We also got to pass by another basilica, the Mare de Déu de la Mercé, in Barri Gotic. Stops are quick so you can opt to come back if you want to explore the interiors.

The last stop is the museum which contains the world's most important collection of works from Picasso's youth and formative years. The whole cost of the tour is 15€ and this includes entrance to the Museu Picasso. And since tickets to the museum are given to you, there is no need to join the long lines to get one!

But if you just want to visit, a ticket to the museum and the temporary exhibition would cost 9€. Entrance to the museum is usually free on the first Sunday of each month.

Barcelona Walks
Aside from the Picasso tour, there are three other walking tours offered by Turisme de Barcelona (Barcelona Tourism Office). These are Barri Gotic, a tour of Barcelona's Gothic Quarter; Barcelona Modernista which takes you to the works of modernist architects Antonio Gaudi, Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Luis Domenech i Montaner; and the Gourmet Walking Tour, where you can experience Barcelona's cuisine. Check the tourist information kiosks for schedules.