Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the Saló de Cent is the Saló de les Croniques - the murals here recount Catalan exploits in
Greece and the Near East in Catalonia's empire-building days.
PALACE
PALAU DE LA GENERALITAT
2nd & 4th weekend of month;
Liceu, Jaume I)
Founded in the early 15th century, the Palau de la Generalitat is open on limited occasions
only (the second and fourth weekends of the month, plus open-door days). The most im-
pressive of the ceremonial halls is the
Saló de Sant Jordi
, named after St George, the re-
gion's patron saint. To see inside, book on the website (unfortunately in Catalan only).
Marc Safont designed the original Gothic main entrance on Carrer del Bisbe. The modern
main entrance on Plaça de Sant Jaume is a late-Renaissance job with neoclassical leanings.
If you wander by in the evening, squint up through the windows into the Saló de Sant Jordi
(Hall of St George) and you will get some idea of the sumptuousness of the interior.
If you do get inside, you're in for a treat. Normally you will have to enter from Carrer de
Sant Sever. The first rooms you pass through are characterised by low vaulted ceilings.
From here you head upstairs to the raised courtyard known as the Pati dels Tarongers, a
modest Gothic orangery (opened about once a month for concert performances of the
palace's chimes). The 16th-century Sala Daurada i de Sessions, one of the rooms leading off
the patio, is a splendid meeting hall lit up by huge chandeliers. Still more imposing is the
Renaissance Saló de Sant Jordi, the murals of which were added last century - many an oc-
casion of pomp and circumstance takes place here. Finally, you descend the staircase of the
Gothic Pati Central to leave by what was, in the beginning, the building's main entrance.
MUSEUM
MUSEU D'IDEES I INVENTS DE BARCELONA
93 332 79 30;
www.mibamuseum.com
;
Carrer de la Ciutat 7; adult/child €8/6;
10am-2pm & 4-7pm Tue-Fri, 10am-8pm Sat, to 2pm Sun;
Jaume I)
Although the price is a bit steep for such a small museum, the collection makes for an amus-
ing browse for an hour or so. On display, you'll find both brilliant and bizarre inventions:
square egg makers, absorbent pillows for flatulent folks, a chair for inserting suppositories,
as well as more useful devices like the Lifestraw (filters contaminants from any drinking
source) and gas glasses (adaptive eyecare for any prescription).
There's also an exercise bike attached to a vending machine. You select the product, then
pedal away; when your calorie output equals the calorie total of the crisps you want, the
treat is yours! Don't miss the creatively configured toilets.
