The usual morning stuff, then it was off in a cab for National Museum of Catalan Art (MNAC). Its a large museum on a hill overlooking Barcelona. Its on the same hill as the Olympic venues. The collection is unique in that it has a whole wing dedicated to Romanesque art (art of the early Middle Ages). The exhibits were really interesting – they would provide a small model with colors showing what parts of the church were displayed along with a map showing where the church was located. Then, there would be a full-scale interior model of that part of the church with frescoes embedded in the right places. We also walked around the Gothic galleries, along with the material on loan from the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza which we visited in Madrid.

The National Museum of Catalan Art (NMAC)

View from inside out through the main doors

A special show of Medieval coinage was up

Absis d’Aneu, Detail, Serafi

Pintures de la sala capitular de Sexina – this is an example of how the Romanesque work was displayed

Absis de Sant Climent de Taull, Detail (this is the hand of God)

Absis de Sant Climent de Taull, Detail

We walked down the hill, got a cab, and, after correcting the driver who went the wrong direction, we ended up by the Palau Guell (under complete rennovation) on La Rambas, which was designed by Gaudi. We walked north up La Rambas, checking out buildings, people, and doing some shopping (I got an unofficial (the tag said so!) XXL Spain World Cup Jersey – they play France tonight). We went by a couple of shops selling animals – some were pets (mice, guinea pigs) but some weren’t (chickens, roosters, oversized, fat pigeons), which I think were supposed to be dinner for someone.

Aviva in front of Fira Barcelona on the way to a taxi

Dragon on a Chinese restaurant on La Rambas

Umbrellas on a Chinese restaurant on La Rambas

A “flower man” in the middle of the boulevard

This man may be picking out dinner – those are chickens and fattened pigeons

We walked by Sant Agusti, which was never finished, but is an operating church.

The facade of Sant Agusti was never finished

We stopped into a cool little mask shop, Arlequi Mascares, at Plaza St. Josep Oriol 8 – we bought a little portable sundial which includes a level (a weight on a string) and a compass (so you can set it due north) and an adjustable string to set the right latitude – very cool (we bought a little mask as well)!

Arlequi Mascares card

We walked to Santa Maria del Pi, which is an old strange church.

The facade of Santa Maria del Pi

Argued to be the largest rosette

Lots of candles were lit inside

We ate at a bar and restaurant off La Bamba next to a hotel – the food was good, but the service was worse than usual because everyone was watching the Brazil – Ghana match.

These graves were below street level outside our restaurant

This image made of tile was in a wall niche

Walked a little further north and got a cab back to the hotel.