It’s our final full day in Barcelona. I realized some might say I set myself up for failure based on the number of things I had on my Wish List for this trip. But it really came down to planning like a twenty-year old when I’m just not! But the upside to that is we must come back now. I’ve already hinted that we should plan to return in 2026 (or so) when the Sagrada Familia is expected to be finished. Even so, we did do a lot while falling in love with the place. Viva Barcelona!
Today, after our main meal of the day, breakfast, we took a gamble that paid off by trying to use our Metro passes one last time before expiration. Our destination was the Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter) and the Museu d’Historia de Barcelona (Barcelona History Museum).
It is very difficult to capsulize this museum. There was a lot of historical ground covered under Romans, Visigoths, Christians, monarchs, dictators and more. And this is only one of several historical sites managed by the museum throughout the city. (Augustus’ pillars is one such satellite site.)
But the single most interesting exhibit was completely underground. During excavations over the years, underground ruins from Roman and early Christian times were discovered, identified and then made available to the public from a series of elevated walkways that wind through the exhumed foundations and walls of the developing city.
Climbing to ground level and above, the museum continued to tell the story of Barcelona as the city grew and changed. Suffice it to say, I found many of the exhibits really fascinating. But after three hours or more of reading display plaques, I was exhausted and overwhelmed. However, I did find a few of the displayed objects photo-worthy. These are some of the more interesting.
Our last stop in the museum was the Saló del Tinell, the Great Hall of the Grand Royal Palace of Barcelona. Built by order of King Pedro the Ceremonious (1336-1387), it is said that Isabel and Ferdinand received Christopher Columbus here on his return from America.
After spending three-and-a-half hours in the museum, we ventured back into the Mercat de la Boqueria for meat-stuffed burritos for lunch from one of the stalls before heading back into old town for one last stop at the Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar.
Built in a soaring Catalan Gothic style, a 1936 fire destroyed most of the original sacred accoutrement within. However, the remarkable bones of this edifice, along with a few of the original stained glass windows, withstood the ravages of the 11-day fire, eventually allowing the repaired church to resume services. Unfortunately, the sun’s position made capturing the colorful stained-glass in photos difficult.
After another exhausting day, we returned to the room. Not for a siesta–although we did squeeze in a quick one–but for the far less attractive task of packing up our stuff for the return home.
Once we had pulled together what we could, we set out for our final late-night (it was around 8:30 PM) meal: a sit-down dinner at Miño’s restaurant located just off Las Ramblas. Although there was a little mix-up with some wine that was ordered (it was quickly resolved), the food, the service and the overall atmosphere of the restaurant was perfect as our trip drew to a close. We enjoyed a pleasant, “digestive” walk back to our hotel under the now-extinguished holiday lights.
16,874S/7.7M
Barcelona 