Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Thistackyandoverpricedfive-acremodelvillage(alonghikeupfromthemainWorldExpo
esplanade)wasbuiltaspartoftheexpotoshowofftheculturalandarchitectural diversityin
Spain. Using fake traditional architecture from all over the country, the village was mostly a
shell to contain gift shops—and today it still serves the same purpose. Craftspeople do their
clichédthing(mostlyinthemorning),andfriendlyshopkeepersofferplentyoftastysamples
of traditional and local edibles. This is popular with cruise groups and people who consider
Disney World's Epcot Center a history lesson.
Cost and Hours:
€9.50, €3 audioguide explains all the buildings, daily 9:00-20:00 or
later, closes earlier off-season,
www.poble-espanyol.com
.
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Las Arenas (Bullring Mall)
What do you do with a big arena when your society decides to outlaw bullfighting? Make a
mall. Catalunya recently made the brutal Spanish sport (or art form, depending on your per-
spective) illegal. (This was done as much for Catalan national pride as it was out of concern
over the barbarity of the very Spanish spectacle.) The grand Neo-Moorish Modernista
plaça
de toros
functioned as an arena for bullfights from around 1900 to 1970, then reopened in
2011andnowhostseverythingyou'dexpectinamodernmall:lotsoffamousshops,afood-
circus basement, a 12-screen cinema complex, a rock-and-roll museum, and a roof terrace
with stupendous views of Plaça d'Espanya and Montjuïc (reachable by external glass elev-
ator for €1 or from inside for free).
The
terrace,
withsomeofthebestfreeviewsintown,isringedwitheateries. Fromhere
yougetabird's-eyeperspectiveofthefairgrounds.Intheoppositedirection,theparkatyour
feet (called Parc de Joan Miró) includes the giant Miró sculpture
Woman and Bird
(Dona i
Ocell).
This was one of three works (along with the mosaic on the Ramblas—see
here
) that
the city commissioned Miró to create in order to welcome visitors. Miró's sense of humor is
evident—ifthesculptureseemsphallic,keepinmindthattheCatalanwordfor“bird”isalso
slang for “penis.”
Cost and Hours:
Free, daily 10:00-22:00, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 373-385,
Metro: Espanya,
www.arenasdebarcelona.com
.
Several seriously classy venues host high-end performances. The
Palace of Catalan Music
(PalaudelaMúsicaCatalana),withoneofthefinestModernistainteriorsintown(seelisting
