Archive for 'Museums & Galleries in Spain'

Barcelona at sunset; a sea view in which sky and water alike are pastel dreams, a gentle breeze over the water cooling your skin after a long and sunny day of exploration, a great glass of wine in hand, a belly full of delicious local tapas, the night stretching long and full of possibility for partying, dancing, bar-hopping, or simply wandering the pretty streets of the city ahead of you.

This is the kind of image, the kind of moment that many of us, no doubt, are craving right now, in need of a break and relaxation given the stress and uncertainty of the current state of the world. Yet, unfortunately, for the time being, such an escape is yet a while away. However, that does not mean that we cannot indulge in some dreaming, advance planning, and adding of things to bucket lists.

All over the globe, we have had to adapt, as humans do so well, and have learned to do more things virtually in lieu of the real thing for the moment. And what a time in history to need to do that! While being unable to leave our homes is not ideal, at least we are safer when we have the luxury to do that and, if you have an internet connection, you have access to all sorts of incredible tools and resources to help stave off your wanderlust even just a little bit for now. From virtual tours of the world's best museums to regional recipes accessed in seconds at home to allow us to travel with our tastebuds, there has never been a better time to explore the world from your own sofa.

The town of Enciso is a tiny little gem, a historic and utterly picturesque little village with a permanent population of only around one hundred people, in the southern part of La Rioja in Spain. Little though it may be, it is, however, rather famous for some former occupants from a long, long time ago....dinosaurs!

You might not expect it but this tiny village, that you have likely never even heard of and that is very much off the regular beaten path for tourists, is actually a great place for dinosaur-lovers to come and see traces of those magnificent beasts from around 120 million years ago.

It was during this period in pre-history that this part of Spain was actually a swamp with a mild climate and incredibly dense vegetation. The dinosaurs that roamed the landscape in the area and walked the swampy lands had their footprints immortalised in stone due to the unique and perfect environment for preservation that existed there.

Art lovers who want to holiday in Spain are in luck as there are lots of incredible museums, architectural gems, churches, palaces, and more dotted all over the country that are stuffed with world-famous works of art. As the country has such a rich and complex history, there is a wide variety of different influences and styles that lend a diverse visual landscape to Spain and one of the most intriguing regions has to be the beautiful Basque Country in north-eastern Spain. This autonomous community has its own rich and distinct culture and traditions and is full of incredible artistic endeavours that are a treat to the senses. One of her cities, in particular, Bilbao, is a must-see if you have found a vacation rental in Basque Country.. It is a city famous for its art and two incredible museums: the Fine Art Museum and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

While the Museum of Fine Arts in Bilbao (Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao) is well worth a visit and is filled with a diverse range of works of art dating from all the way back to the 6th century BC to the present day and pieces by the likes of Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt, Piranesi, Fortuny, Carlos de Haes, Cézanne, Picasso, Duchamp, Lipchitz, Utamaro, Hokusai, Rouault, Hockney, Allen Jones, Bacon, El Greco, and Francisco de Goya, it is the Guggenheim Bilbao that is the most visited and famous museum in the region and for good reason. The building itself is an architectural wonder and an iconic global landmark that was designed by the famous Canadian-American 20th century architect Frank Gehry. With its massive scale, curved exterior that appears random, and light-filled spaces wrought in stone, glass and titanium, it has been described as "a fantastic dream ship of undulating form in a cloak of titanium," by the critic Calvin Tomkins in The New Yorker.

Casa Castellarnau de Tarragona is one of the few noble homes in the city of Tarragona that has been fully preserved to this day. It is a grand Catalan stately home that dates back to the early 15th century and is a fascinating beauty, filled with incredible antique furniture, objects, and works of art. Once the home of the powerful Castellarnau family, it is now the Museu d'Història de Tarragona, or History Museum of Tarragona. Showcasing 1700s and 1800s furniture & decorative objects in the setting of a stunning restored aristocratic residence, this inexpensive museum is a great place to go and step back through time for an afternoon while exploring the city.

Carrer Cavallers was the street on which all of the city’s noble families lived during the Middle Ages and this home, number 14, was built in the 15th century for one of these families. It has, however, undergone many different periods of restoration and refurbishment throughout the centuries, largely reflecting 18th and 19th century alterations today. In the 18th century the building was purchased by Carles de Castellarnau and under his direction there were significant changes made to both the façade and to the interior and layout of the building.

This week, we’re talking all things spooky and creepy as we plan mid-term break and Hallowe’en getaways. We’ve already looked at an abandoned and haunted cemetery in Zagreb, Croatia, and the vampires of Santorini in Greece but if you were thinking of heading to Spain, fear not, for she, too, has her fair share of tales of the supernatural and ghosts and ghouls. If you find a vacation rental in Madrid, for example, you can head to the 19th century Palace of Linares (or Palacio de Linares), now known as the Casa de América, which is said to be very haunted due to the terrible things that supposedly once happened within its walls.

The palace was previously the family home of the Linares noble family and is now dedicated to pan-Hispanic films, lectures, and exhibits as the Casa de América. When work began in 1990 to convert the building into this multi-purpose cultural space, rumours of ghosts quickly began to spread, with reports of the sounds of footsteps, doors opening and closing, and crying and screams, in the supposedly empty palace. Most of these incidents were reported to take place near the strange life-size doll house located in the courtyard, which belonged to Raimunda, a little girl who was adopted by Marqués and Marquesa de Linares. The official reports and documents report that it was a happy home but the local legends (which researchers do hold to be untrue) that have cropped up tell a different story.