Show f nr fW) 4T The Salt Lake Tribune ma &rmi"i'V meWTA vrygEfr ninnrWw Barcelona Sunday December 13 1987 The rain in Spain fell mainly on the plane this day by Joel Sleed Newhouse News Service BARCELONA Spain — The rain in Spain fell mainly on the plane forcing the airport here in Spain's second-larges- t city to suspend operations one recent autumn weekend While the downpour generally raised havoc with air travel what concerned Barcelonians the most was what they were going to do with their afternoon It seems the torrent had also washed out the usual Sunday bullfights and with the shadow of winter hovering over the harvest season it meant the city’s aficionados had not too many Sundays left at the Plaza de Toros Monumental before it shuttered until spring Without el toro Sunday in Spain can be very still or at the same time very hectic and frustrating for the short-stavisitor intent on a leisurely day of museum meandering and gallery gazing This is because what is missed during Sunday’s limited viewing hours usually won’t be available on Monday the traditional day of rest for museums when canvases are covered and statuary stowed until the halls reopen on Tuesday However for the visitor to Barcelona Sunday and sightseeing can go hand in hand if sites are set in proper perspective And since admission to most museums is free on the sabbath the only budgeting worry visitors have that day is how best to balance their time The first thing to remember is that the vast majority of museums are only open from morning to early afternoon on Sundays Some open at 9 some 10 some 11 but almost all are y closed by 2 p m so it’s important that you get to the museum of your first choice as early as possible and then go on from there The second thing to remember is to check before you go — times can be as temperamental as some of the artists whose works hang on the museum walls So what museum or museums do you choose when minutes are so precious? That can be a problem in this thriving and sprawling Mediterranean port of more than 3 million residents whose culture language and history can be traced back some 2000 years Considered one of Europe’s cultural oases Barcelona has enshrined not only its ancient past but also its present and even its future in more than 70 museums 16 public parks three universities and countless other sites and attractions However most residents and veteran visitors agree that must museum stops for the Sunday stroller should be either or both the Picasso Museum and the Catalonian Art Museum the city’s most popular reservoirs of artwork The posted hours for both museums are from 9 a m to 2 pm but check first there has been talk of changing the Picasso hours With more than 1000 drawings paintings sculptures sketchpads notebooks ceramics and other far from where Picasso lived as a r after his family moved to teen-age- Barcelona in 1895 The collection which traces Picasso’s life and career from his earliest days to his later years is presented so that it not only offers a strong insight into the works on display but also helps the viewer better understand the man who created them The Catalonian Art Museum is worth a visit not only because of the magnificent works of art it contains but also because it vividly reveals Barcelona’s history and culture Not all who come to this city are aware until they get here that Barcelona is also the capital of Catalonia an autonomous community within the Spanish State that has its own language history culture and government In fact Barcelona has two official languages — Catalan and Spanish The museum — in the Palacio a sprawling giant of a building left over from the 1929 InternaNa-cion- tional Exhibition — contains collections of Catalan Gothic and Romanesque paintings considered to be among the best in the world There are also altarpieces and carvings including complete apses from aban- doned countryside medieval churches and chapels Unfortunately pieces the Picasso Museum boasts the most comprehensive collection in the world devoted to the works of one artist It is housed in an elegant mansion at Calle Montcada 15 not the museums aren’t close to each other but don’t despair if time runs out and you’ve only been able to cover one The neighborhoods where each is located are rich in sightseeing attractions The Catalonian Art Museum is located high on a hill in the southwestern part of the city in Montjuic Park the site of the 1929 exposition and which will also be the site of the 1992 Olympics There is a sports stadium several botanical gardens exhibition halls (one devoted to the forthcoming Olympics) and numerous museums including the Archeological Museum and the Miro Foundation a contemporary art study center and museum housing a permanent collection of the works of Joan Miro who created and funded the institution which opened in 1975 There is also Spanish Village which preced-ethe Disney type complexes but is similar in that it faithfully has red created architectural characteristics found throughout the country The village features handicraft centers (glassworks weaving ceramics) shops and restaurants In the area just west of the Picasso Museum the visitor will find some of the city’s most famous buildings monuments and attractions in the Gothic Quarter and the Rambla one of the world’s most colorful promenades The Gothic Quarter which sur rounds Barcelona’s 14th century ca- thedral also holds remnants of the Roman Wall dating back to ancient times Plan your visit around noon because every Sunday at noon on Cathedral Square the Sardana the folk dance of the people of Catalonia is performed The favorite place in town late on a Sunday afternoon is the Rambla Barcelona’s most popular and lively promenade The thoroughfare stretches from Old Barcelona beginning at the harbor where a statue of Christopher Columbus towers over the scene to Placa Cataluyna a more recently built area dominated by large department stores Crowded at any hour of day or night the pedestrian walk is lined with newsstands cafes and stalls selling everything from bedding birds and books to floral bouquets On the streets bordering the Rambla MAJOR CARRIERS RT COACH CALL FOR OTHER DESTINATIONS BUS A 1ST CLASS ABOUT 12 OFF — NO COUPONS SOME TAXES AND RESTRICTIONS APPLY WESTERN TRWEi M 30-2- 2 7- - Barcelona throughout OBJ most His famous work Sagrada Famillia (Church of the Holy Family) which was begun in 1882 and is still unfinished is considered the most famous Modernist building in the world For information on Barcelona contact the Tourist Office of Spain 665 Fifth Ave New York NY 10022 SUNNY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA I I I Centrally located on five acres — 2 Pools — Jacuzzi — Tennis Courts Rooms — kitchenettes — studios — 1 and 2 bedrooms — hot tub suites Monthly rates available Fully licensed -C- I WHOLESALE 14tK 1 - Gaudi’s buildings are scattered Vacation this winter at the MT VERNON INN in Escondido PAIL V DEPARTURES Europe $449 you’ll find old hotels museums restaurants and the Opera House (considered one of the grandest in Europe) as well as the Palacio Guell which houses the Museum of Drama and was created by Antonio Gaudi the founder of Catalan Modernism who died in 1926 at the age of 74 - $825 and up all toll free j IOUJ RSi&lTRME L1 ?&© Ogam fe gfefti(kCB Beehive fon yfatr IftiEEraPTfcro Hawaiian Holiday Kt HDnfoaflqratepQflE 11 Day Deluxe carefree vacation includes all major attractions: Luau full Polynesian Cultural Center experience and Pearl Harbor Personally escorted by -- Kuuleilan (Pixie) Wallace Hawaii’s own Ambassador of goodwill She will see to your every need and make this vacation a memory to last a lifetime Ask our clients who have traveled with Beehive & Pixie Beehive Bonneville Travel 487-173-1 0 BeehiveBonneville Travel Enjoy a "Fun Ship Mexican Riviera Cruise Including Air Fare from Salt Lake City PRESENTS: CRUISING WITH SITMAR Pffces Will Never Be This Low Again! 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