What a trip to remember! This was my second mosaic workshop abroad. I joined a group of students who wished to study with Sonia King in Barcelona. We had a week full of classes in the heart of Barcelona with plenty of sight seeing and wining and dining. My son flew in from NYC and joined me for part of the time. What did we do? So much! I came before and stayed a few days after the workshop so I could have time to explore on my own. Asher and I went to Figueres, Spain to see the Dali Museum. It was an hour trip by train and it was well worth it. Another day trip I took by myself was to the Montserrat Monastery outside of Barcelona. That was also about an hour or so and included riding a funicular up to the top of the mountain. While in Barcelona I experienced the wonders of Gaudi, the famous architect who used mosaic throughout his buildings. The Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, Casa Batlo and Casa Mila (La Pedera) were fantastic examples of his work. The food in particular was great. Paella, cuddlefish, and more. I discovered a small bar next to our hotel where I could get cheap glasses of wine with slices of jamon and manchego cheese! Churillos dunked in chocolate was a real treat and difficult to resist in the morning. Our hotel looked out over the plaza in front of the Cathedral de Barcelona in the Gothic quarter. An ideal location with many cafes and lots of pedestrian traffic. Great people watching. The beach front of Barcelona was a bit anti climatic. Not as clean or beautiful as I had hoped. However walking up and down Las Ramblas did not disappoint. La Boqueria was wonderful as an open air market with great variety and fresh fresh seafood and easy to access from Las Ramblas. Classes were held in El Born, a very old district of the city. I delighted in walking the streets of El Born each morning to get to my class. One last mention would be the Palau de la Musica Catalana. Our teacher, Sonia, arranged for us all to attend a Flamenco concert which was fabulous. We also had a private tour of the building which has outstanding examples of mosaics throughout. I was so happy my son could enjoy some of this time with me and I came away with a beautiful art piece which I later finished at home. Life was good in Barcelona!
