Barcelona Overview 2023

We took one of those tourist buses around Barcelona to get a lay of the land before going to specific sights. We started our tour in the Placa de Espanya, which was revitalized in 1929 when the Barcelona Universal Exposition was centered here. It was like a World Expo. A lot of amazing architecture went up to get ready for all the guests coming.

Placa de Espanya

The central fountain was built to honor all of Spain with sides representing Religion, Heroism, and Art. I took my pictures mostly from the bus, so I did not get a good idea of which side was which.

Central fountain

Two sides in one shot!

Another side

View with the Arena in the background

On the far side of the Arena is Dona i Ocell, or Woman and Bird. The sculpture is 22 meters tall and created by Barcelona native Joan Miro in the 1980s.

Woman and Bird and Arena

The Arena was originally a bull-fighting arena but has been converted into a shopping mall.

Back at the Placa, two towers were built in imitation of those in St. Mark's Square, Venice. So they are called the Venetian Towers.

Venetian Towers

The Fira Internacional de Barcelona flanks the Venetian Towers. It houses shops today.

Fira Internacional

Down the street between the towers is the Montjuic National Palace. The columns in front represent the Catalanism movement. They were taken down in 1928 but restored in 2010.

Montjuic National Palace

Further up the mountain is Poble Espanyol, an open air museum built in 1929 to celebrate the history of Spain. The front gates are recreations of medieval gates.

Poble Espanyol

Further up the hill we saw cable cars going up to a castle. My youngest was super-excited to see that and wanted to do it, so we rode them later in the day (with its own post coming soon).

Cable cars to adventure!

The bus went by the port though we did not get a very good view.

Mediterranean port from the bus

Along the port are several sights. A monument is dedicated to Christopher Columbus. The tower has an elevator inside and visitors can ride up to the observation deck. Next to it is a historical landmark called Junta d'Obres de Port. Built from 1903 to 1907, it was used to process visitors, immigrants, and shipped goods. The ornate exterior has inspired its survival for over a hundred years.

Columbus monument and port building

Better view of the side of the building

Columbus up high

Pointing west

Monument's base

Nearby is La Rambla, a wide pedestrian street with a lot of shopping and dining.

La Rambla entrance

Further down the road

A statue of Frederick Soler, a local playwright and poet from the 1800s, adorns the street.

Frederick Soler

A theater is closed but has some fun sculptures on the outside.

Theater

Looking for customers?

Checking for something down the street

Back on the bus, we drove past two odd but fun sculptures. One is a lobster, the other was not described by the audio tour on the bus.

Lobster providing shade

Maybe a lady?

On the port is the World Trade Center of Barcelona. The building is shaped to suggest a boat.

World Trade Center

Further in town is a pickle-shaped building called the Torre Glories, completed in 2005.

Torre Glories

A lot of the local architecture is influenced by Modernisme, a movement that was popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It shows up on everything from homes to stores to parks to monuments to churches.

Fancy balconies on apartments

Tall apartments

Some classical art is mixed in amongst the Modernisme.

More Greco-Roman than modern

The great example of Moderisme is Sagrada Familia, the church designed by Gaudi and still under construction since the late 1800s. Gaudi made up the plans but construction has been dependent on financing from either anonymous donors or tickets from tourists. The are not sure when it will be completed.

Sagrada Familia

The passion facade

Whimsical fruit on the building

The city has a lot of small vehicle. Motor scooters are ubiquitous. I was amazed at this huge parking lot. How does the owner remember which is the right one?

I still think of them as Vespas

In the industrial area is a dragon sculpture that is also a slide for kids!

Dragon sculpture

A nearby hotel seems more invested in being Catalan than Barcelonian!

Read the fine print

The 1992 Olympics buildings are still available to visit, though we just rode by. 

Olympic Stadium on Montjuic

We discovered a playground near our lodgings that was a lot of fun. It even had a water fountain.

Getting the slightly creepy-looking part done first

Climbing to...

...more climbing!

Shot from the other side

Is it a slide?

Big sis tries the "slide"

Helping on the swing

The kids also enjoyed the beach!

Excited to be there!

Swimming

Conspiring!

There's that pose again!