Day 4 - Joan Miro

Sunday was art day. We wandered about 20 minutes from our apartment and then started looking for a taxi. This was our second experience trying to hail a cab. Many drove by before Monica snagged one. It seems many drivers are only part timers and don't really know their own city. Like the day before this taxi driver had no idea where the Joan Miro museum was located. We showed her on a map and she headed in the right direction, but then got flustered when she discovered the main road was closed for a festival. Rather than taking a detour she asked us to disembark and hike up the hill; of course after we paid. 

We started walking through a very large public square which led to a steep hill that supported the Museu Nacional d'Art. There were lots of fountains and lines of people. Since this was not our destination we followed a series of small roads and finally found the steps that led up to the Joan Miro Museum. Fortunately there were many escalators to help us climb to the top. 

                            

The museum is situated in a lovely setting - sort of like Mount Royal crossed with High Park. Joan Miro was an artist who was a childhood favourite of Monica. A Spanish artist Joan Miro lived from 1893-1983. He was known for his bold colours and wild designs. He had a huge impact on design and art in the last century. You can see his influences throughout Barcelona. The museum has collected many of his most definitive works and it was fun to meander through and enjoy them. Monica was delighted to see this complete collection.

After the museum we found a lovely park built into the side of the mountain. We spent some time exploring the plants, trees and architecture and watching the people and birds. When we finally reached the road again we had just missed our bus so proceeded to hike back down and eventually found the subway and our way back to our apartment.

After a quick freshening up we decided to have a quick lunch - of course around 2pm. Since we were "walked out" we tried a local restaurant that was less than one block away. The waiter at "El 68" was very warm and friendly. He welcomed us and warned us that he could only offer us some Tapas. That was perfect for us. He recommended a great bottle of local wine and we were all set. 

After lunch we took a siesta. When it was time for supper (9pm) it had started to rain. So we decided to return to where we had lunch. It was a lot busier but we got the same table and waiter. This time there was a full dinner menu. We selected well. Our main dishes included pork cooked Sous Vide and duck enclosed in phlyo. Both were perfectly cooked and delicious. When we were all done - 2 hours later- it was a quick run through the rain to our apartment just across the road. 

We slept well that night.