Hera had fallen in love with a tapa dish made of tiny fried fish, so we bought some at the market for tonight's supper. We also procured some vegetables, eggs and spices. After dropping off our purchases, we headed around the corner to the Picasso Museum. (I told you our location is very central.)
We had purchased a Museum pass that covers 6 museums, and were told that we would have to queue at the first museum to get the actual pass, and that all subsequent museums we could by-pass the ticket lines. So seeing the queue, we stood at the end, and listened to some buskers playing music.
The videos are done in HD with Lumix GH2. Upon upload to the Blogger the quality is reduced by Blog host.
The line went reasonably fast, but once at the ticket counter, we were told we had wasted all that time, as we could have simply gone straight to the museum pass window. (Good for all of you to know. And by the way, if you visit 3 of the 6 musuems, the pass is worth the cost.) If you are expecting to see the Pablo Picasso you are accustomed to, you might be disappointed. However, this is a museum not to be missed. And if you ever thought that Picasso could not paint, then this museum will enlighten you and you will never look at another Picasso the same way.
The museum holds Picasso's early works. You will be amazed at what the 13 year old Picasso painted. He was classically trained, with pieces that would please the academics. But soon you can see his ability to learn, imitate and absorb various styles of pianters who preceded him, until his own style starts off timidly within his works, then grows to take on a more predominant aspect, until the Picasso we all know is in full force. Once again, whether you like art or not, whether you like Picasso or not, this is a museum not to be missed. And the audioguide is indispensable.
Photography is not allowed inside of the museum.
We wandered the tiny little streets and found ourselves in a small opening where we decided to sit and have some wine. Tables and chairs are set out, and the near by restaurant is your host. So the idea is to look at the various menus to choose at which set of tables you wish to sit.
We decided upon El Atril (c/carders 23) as his tapas looked interesting even though we were not at all hungry. We ended up ordering a glass of his chilled house Rose which was quite good. We enjoyed our wine in the pleasant sun, as a series of buskers played their music. Hera asked if we could head over back to the street filled with various fashion stores, and since we had nothing else on the agenda, we made our over.
We walked into several stores, Hera looked and tired on a few items, while I followed along. She was good, and did not spend an inordinate amount of time. I can see many women spending days in the various stores. Ending our shopping visits we walked up to Placa Catalunya, walked around the area with its various fountains, and tons of pigeons that people feed, and little children run into to set them all aflight.
We then meandered down a bit of LaRamblas and soon found ourselves at Boqueria market. We did not need to enter as we had nothing to buy, but these markets are hard to resist. It is so tempting to buy a little of this or a little of that. But we did well by simply buying a dried hot pepper and some Garam Masala spice.
Time always goes by to fast, so we headed home following our now familiar neighborhood streets.
Hera experimented with the tiny small fish, lightly battered and pan fried. It was simply delicious! Served along with some basmati rice with sun dried tomatoes, and a fresh salad. Spanish cuisine is light on vegetables, and the salad was a welcomed addition to our meal.
