After we came back from Logroño, we settled back in to our “Barcelona routine”. We had the apartment cleaned for a crazy cheap price of 24€, so it was really nice to come back to a sparkling clean place. The time was a mix of studio for Bob, and me making a mosaic I’m taking with me to Australia as a silent auction piece. We saw more cool stuff in the city, and enjoyed the food and drink, whether out or cooking in.

Boat Ride from the Port

This is a new thing! Inspired by the America’s Cup races going on here, we decided it would be fun to take this one hour ride with a ferry company called Las Golondrinas. We did see one America’s Cup boat out practicing, and the reigning champs New Zealand’s base. But mainly it was a fun excursion to see the city from the water.

Walking Around

Interesting sights and things we eat in various areas of the city.

Walked by a large group of people dancing, some with maracas, on a Saturday afternoon.

Manifesta 2015

from Manifesta15.org website:
Manifesta is the European Nomadic Biennial, which operates every two years from a different Host City.
It was conceived in the early 1990s as a biennial of contemporary art, responding to the new social, cultural and political reality that appeared in the aftermath of the Cold War. Due to its nomadic nature, each edition finds itself in a new locality every two years because it is invited by a Host City.

Manifesta 15 aims to reshape the relations between art, culture and society by investigating and catalysing socio-ecological change. All whilst being in continuous dialogue with both local communities and international cultural producers.

This was the largest Manifesta ever, with multiple sites across several cities in metropolitan Barcelona. It was amazing to be inside the former power plant commonly referred to nowadays as “Tres Chimeneas” — because of the three chimneys visible from all over.

We visited with Robert and Nina, all of us lovers of these kinds of conceptual art installations. We were thrilled! We marveled at the vast spaces of this former coal plant, gutted but cleaned up for the artists to make their installations. There’s a ton of history here, and I barely know any of it!

This video pans across the vast space of this huge building. We were taken by the lovely installation of fabric hung up really high and moving like a dance in the wind.

Art Exhibition att Casa Mila/La Pedrera

In one of the most famous of Gaudí’s buildings on the Passeig de Gràcia, there is a space for temporary art exhibitions. Gaudí was commissioned by the Milá family to build this apartment building. The family occupied one entire floor for their home, and the rest was rented out to other residents. Now that floor is turned into a big gallery space. We’ve visited several excellent exhibitions here, so every time we visit I check the schedule to see if it’s something we would like to see.

This one opened just a few days before we came home. Art en Pedra = Art in Stone. Stone sculpture of famous 20th and 21st century artists who worked in stone sculpture.