![\"Barcelona](\"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/barcelona-spain-city.jpg\")
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by Jessica Peter<\/em><\/p>\n A taste of the surreal life of Barcelona starts on Las Ramblas, a broad, pedestrianized, palm tree-lined street that leads up from the harbour. Between tourists, locals, and pickpockets (watch your valuables!) are dozens of \u201cliving statues\u201d. Unlike shabby attempts in other tourist hot spots, these living statues are so impressive that you\u2019d be hard-pressed to catch them move \u2013 until you put a coin in a hat and the show begins. The variety changes daily. During my rambling down Las Ramblas, I saw \u201cstatues\u201d of everyone from Carmen Miranda to the Angel of Death to a robotic Michael Jackson.<\/p>\n The souvenir booths lining Las Ramblas give away to huts filled with squawks and chirps. Welcome to \u201cThe Rambla of the Little Birds,\u201d where you can choose a little bird or a small pet of your own. The bizarre shines through in the pet choices: my personal favourites were chipmunks, chicks \u2013 they may seem cute, but they turn into chickens \u2013 and one very angry chinchilla.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo make me crazy?\u201d I muttered to myself. I sipped \u201cOh! It\u2019s strong!\u201d<\/p>\n Watch your sangrias: they aren\u2019t the fruit juices mixed with a bit of wine I\u2019m used to. This one tasted suspiciously like alcohol mixed with alcohol. Plus a lime slice. Certainly fort.<\/p>\n Construction is publicly funded, so your entrance fee goes a long way. But don\u2019t expect to see much inside: it won\u2019t be completed until at least 2026. Gaud\u00ed\u2019s other great Barcelona works include Parc G\u00fcell with sea serpents and gingerbread-like houses, and the housing complexes Casa Mil\u00e0 and Casa Batll\u00f3. One complex has twining metal seaweed balconies and a roof of waves and strange protrusions. The other is decorated with bones and mosaics, and has a curved, scaly, dragon-esque roof. The modernista gift shop below Casa Mil\u00e0 has great items for fans of the unique or unusual.<\/p>\n To truly see surreal Catalonia, the art can\u2019t be missed. Joan Mir\u00f3\u2019s paintings with punchy colours and strange images are based on his fierce Catalan pride. Visit the paintings and other artistic works at the Fundaci\u00f3 Joan Mir\u00f3.<\/p>\n Despite rarely being categorized as \u201csurrealism,\u201d nor as Catalan, the works of Pablo Picasso are often surreal in a literal sense. One of the best collections of his work can also be found in Barcelona, at the Museu Picasso.<\/p>\n It may or may not be the culture of Catalonia that brings the dream world to life, but something there seems to be a source of inspiration for great dreamers. Their productions can be a source of great delight for the traveller.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Useful Websites:<\/strong> About the author:<\/em> Photo credits:<\/em> by Jessica Peter A house with a dragon\u2019s back. Lantern-lit trees with eerie faces. Turrets made of giant eggs. It may sound like a fairy tale kingdom, but it all actually exists in Catalonia. Catalonia, an autonomous area within Northwest Spain, suffered historical oppression of the Catalan culture and language. Perhaps because of this, its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[389,92],"class_list":{"0":"post-4524","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-europe-travel","8":"tag-barcelona-attractions","9":"tag-spain-travel","10":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Barcelona](\"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/catalonia6.jpg\")
<\/a>A house with a dragon\u2019s back. Lantern-lit trees with eerie faces. Turrets made of giant eggs. It may sound like a fairy tale kingdom, but it all actually exists in Catalonia. Catalonia, an autonomous area within Northwest Spain, suffered historical oppression of the Catalan culture and language. Perhaps because of this, its people have developed a contrary nature that may be what led to a heightened sense of whimsy and imagination. The seemingly unreal certainly abounds in the capital city of Barcelona and surrounding communities.<\/p>\n<\/a>La Boqueria market is a sensory onslaught of colours, smells, excitement, and seafood just off Las Ramblas. Drop in for a snack: try fresh pressed exotic juices, savory bites from one of the renowned tapas bars within the market, or a glass of sangria. I chose a sangria at one of the bars and was told by the non-English speaking patron, \u201cFort, fort.\u201d Holding up two fingers, he tapped the glass, and made a spiral gesture beside his head with two fingers.<\/p>\n<\/a>Antoni Gaud\u00ed is one of Barcelona\u2019s most visible figures, despite the fact that he\u2019s been dead for over eighty years. The Gaud\u00ed architecture that dots the city is generally referred to as \u2018modernist\u2019, but it\u2019s modernist to the extreme. La Sagrada Familia, the famous \u2013 and famously unfinished \u2013 cathedral is his greatest work. It appears to be made of melting pudding, and the distinctive spindly towers stand out.<\/p>\n<\/a>If you want surrealism to continue through the drinking hours, visit El Bosc de Les Fades (\u201cThe Forest of the Fairies\u201d). It\u2019s in the old horror section of the wax museum on Las Ramblas, and some wax figures remain. The walkway to the bar goes through a creepy castle and an abandoned mine before it makes it to the forest. Trees with faces are hung with lanterns while toadstools serve as seating. Every so often there\u2019s an indoor, water-free thunderstorm that lights up the fairies\u2019 wood.<\/p>\n<\/a>Undeniably, the most famous surrealist is Salvador Dal\u00ed. Though he loved to shock the upper-crust while living in Barcelona and Paris, he called Figueres home for the first and last years of his life. Do a Dal\u00ed dally northward (just an hour and a half by RENFE train) to get to the charming Catalan town which houses the Teatre-Museu Dal\u00ed. The old theatre is now a striking red building with giant egg turrets. Dal\u00ed\u2019s own crypt in the centre is surrounded by an odd circular route that tracks his works \u2013 follow the route or do not follow it; whichever surrealism dictates to you. There are paintings, sculptures, art installations (including the famous Mae West room), and even Dal\u00ed\u2019s bedroom set with his dramatic snake bed. A visit to the Dal\u00ed Jewel\u2019s exhibit next door is also worth the additional ticket price.<\/p>\n
\nSkip the Line: Best of Barcelona Private Tour including Sagrada Familia<\/a><\/p>\nIf You Go:<\/h3>\n
\nCatelonia:\u00a0www.world66.com\/europe\/spain\/catalonia<\/a>
\nBarcelona:\u00a0www.aboutbarcelona.com<\/a>
\nBarcelona:\u00a0www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com\/museums-in-barcelona.html<\/a>
\nBarcelona:\u00a0www.bcn.es\/english\/ihome.htm<\/a>
\nAntoni Gaudi:\u00a0www.gaudiclub.com\/ingles\/I_VIDA\/i_menu.html<\/a>
\nAntoni Gaudi:www.red2000.com\/spain\/barcelona\/gaudi\/html<\/a>
\nJoan Miro:\u00a0www.e-fineart.com\/biography\/miro_bio.html<\/a>
\nJoan Miro:\u00a0www.guggenheimcollection.org\/site\/artist_bio_109.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nJessica Peter has deep-seated obsessions with writing, crafting, and travel. Some of her favorite travel experiences include watching busking bands, searching out street art, and sampling local food. On her “Bucket List” is travel, pretty much everywhere. Her Blog: jessdoesstuff.blogspot.com<\/p>\n
\nFirst Barcelona photo by Vitor Monteiro<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a>
\nAll other photos are by Jessica Peter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"