Travel Tuesday
Our World Tuesday
#WanderfulWednesdays
I wrote about our trials and tribulations of getting to Barcelona, flight and hotels issues in the weekly recap so I won't go into that here.
Florence pick up to airport
Flight Florence to Rome
Tuesday, 21 May 2019
Florence Barcelona (T1)
08:50h 10:35h
VY6004
Barcelona airport to Hotel
Private Standard Car
Barcelona, Spain (BCN-Barcelona Intl.) - Ayre Hotel Caspe
Reservation dates
21 May 2019 - 25 May 2019
Pick-up
Tue., 21 May
Barcelona, Spain (BCN-Barcelona Intl.)
Flight Vueling Airlines 6004 - Tue., 21 May, 10:30am arrival
Drop-off Ayre Hotel Caspe
Our hotel for the first two nights Gran Hotel Havana. I would definitely choose this hotel next time.
The Gran Hotel Havana was built on the original home of Lorenzo Fradera, an upper-class building from 1882, which had a ground floor, a mezzanine, and two upper floors. There was already a large clock on the eclectic architectural façade, which remains one of its more distinctive features.
The Lorenzo Fradera house was used as the French Consulate in Barcelona at the beginning of the 20th century. Later, the English fire insurance company, Northern, set up on the first floor.
In 1920, L’Hotel de France was the first hotel establishment to open in the building. It then became Pensió Frascati whilst the mezzanine was occupied by the Brown-Boveri electric machinery company.
The building was continuously used as a hotel, changing hands and name, Hotel Torres, Hotel Estoril..., but without occupying the entire building.
This changed in the 1950s when the Gran Hotel Havana finally opened its doors, occupying every floor, offering 90 hotel beds. This figure increased to 101 when the hotel owner gave up his private residence on the mezzanine.
Bags dropped we headed out on a glorious sunny day.
First stop - lunch at Els Quatre Gats (‘The Four Cats’, slang for ‘Just a few guys’, but also recalling the famous Chat Noir in Paris)
The Four Cats restaurant is a famous piece of Barcelona’s folklore. Operating as a cafe, cabaret and all-round artistic space between 1897 and 1903, Els Quatre Gats was a centre of Modernista thought, and even hosted Pablo Picasso‘s first art exhibition – the legendary brush wielder was also partial to a tipple here.
Reestablished in 1978, following the death of Franco, the Four Cats has since become something of a tourist mecca, and certainly its vibrant decor and ambiance make the restaurant a deserving point of pilgrimage.
It was fun to snag a seat within the art nouveau interior and order some classic local dishes off the menu like patatas bravas whilst admiring the larger-than-life Ramon Casas and Pere Romeu on a Tandem painting that hangs on the wall (although you’ll have to go to the National Museum of Catalan Art to see the original).
The walls display copies of the original paintings (many of which are now in MNAC).
Refreshed, and back out in the sunshine, so rare on this trip.
We have a mural to find near here.
Joan Fontcuberta’s photomosaic mural El món neix en cada besada [The world begins with every kiss]. The work, which commemorates Barcelona’s Tercentenary commemorations, is based on the idea of freedom and depicts a big kiss composed of thousands of photographs taken by city residents.
Click here to see the inside from our November 2018 visit to the Barcelona Cathedral.
This shop had great t-shirts.
My favourite.
Definitely John, he says this all the time.
Just wandering in the Gothic quarter.
Window shopping.
Hotel Havana
For dinner, room service, old cow entrecote...
Links to previous posts about this trip:
April 27-28 Toronto to Paris
April 29 Paris
April 30 Paris
May 1 Paris
May 2 Paris
May 3 Paris
Saitn Paul Saint Louis Church
Week 1 Recap
May 4 - Paris to Dijon
Epernay
May 5 - Dijon to Lyon
May 6 - Lyon to French Riviera
May 7 - French Riviera
Week 2 Recap
May 8 - French Riviera to Carcasonne
Carcassonne Cathedral
May 9 - Carcasonne to Lourdes
May 10 - Lourdes to Bordeaux
May 11 - Bordeaux
May 12 Bordeaux to Loire Valley
May 13 Loire to Paris
May 14 - Paris to Rome
May 15 - Rome
May 16 - Rome
Ancient - San Silvestro
Week 3 Recap
May 18 - Florence
Florence Street Art 1 Clet
Florence Street Art 2 Blub
Florence Street Art 3 Superwomen
May 19 - Florence
Badìa Fiorentina Abbey and Church/Dante
May 20 - Florence
The cathedral is a show stopper!
ReplyDeleteBarcelona is on my places to visit list. Someday I know I will get there.
ReplyDeletedropping by from the OurWorldTuesday linkup.
Two amazing cities that I've been to various times and will probably continue to frequent! Glad you had a great trip :)
ReplyDelete