Time to Unwind and Return To Blogging –

The last 3 weeks have been incredibly busy.  At work this is the time when we are preparing students for their art exams.  However, for me the biggest task and time consuming activity is the production of the end of year film.  There are more details about this in the blog post ‘A Temporary Distraction’.  I always enjoy seeing the wide variety of work produced by our students but assembling it all into a coherent narrative can often be quite challenging.

After nearly completing the film, luckily I was able to take a break in Barcelona.  My students were now on a reading week, so it was the perfect opportunity to get away.  This blog is a record from the start of the trip in England, to the return journey and most importantly everything in between.

Sunday 14th May – Morning Sunrise

The weather started off well enough and as we drove off to Bristol Airport we were greeted by a lovely sunrise.  Unfortunately my camera was packed away, but I did manage to capture this iPhone shot.  Apologies for the poor resolution.

What Greeted us at Bristol Airport

Although we woke to a beautiful sunrise, unfortunately it came with a very thick mist.  On arrival at Bristol Airport many planes had already been cancelled, so we were concerned that we might have a long delay.  However, we were flying with Easy Jet and obviously their pilots know a ‘thing or two’ about foggy takeoffs, because our flight had the green light.

When we were aboard and settled in our seats, we were told that all of our phones had to be fully switched off (not just airplane mode).  In fact all of the stewards came round to check that we were all complying.  The reason that airplane mode would not suffice was because the pilot was going to perform a reduced visibility manoeuvre!  I’m an anxious traveller and this was not doing much for my confidence.  The pilot then went on to explain how even a weak phone signal from a phone in airplane mode could interfere with the onboard equipment.

It was such a shame because I had a window seat and I really wanted to video the takeoff.  Naturally, the ‘reduced visibility manoeuvre’ had to take precedence over my smartphone video.  Disappointingly (but of course for good reason), I had to turn off my phone, which meant no takeoff footage.

What I did manage to capture was the changing skies between Bristol Airport and Barcelona Airport.  Below is a video short of the changing skies as we moved away from the UK and closer to Spain.

Changing Skies From Bristol to Barcelona

Flight Footage

I also made a short video of the flight from Bristol to Barcelona

Journey to The Hotel Barcelona Universal

Below is some footage that I shot of the journey from the airport to our hotel which was the Hotel Barcelona Universal. Although the title says walk, we did in fact take a taxi.

Sunday – Arrival and Wander Around

Sunday 14th was our arrival date and after dropping off our bags at the hotel we wandered around to get a ‘feel’ for our surroundings.  I decided that I wanted to visit the Picasso Museum on Monday so we headed off in that direction, map at the ready along with Google Maps.  Sadly my iPhone isn’t great for capturing details so apologies in advance for the poor quality of the map photograph.

Unfortunately our walk was cut short because it began to thunder with lightning.  Sadly, I didn’t manage to capture the storm but I did manage to capture some of the rain.

Rooftop Views from the Hotel Barcelona Universal

Lovely views from the roof terrace of the hotel.

Monday 15th May – The Museum of Contemporary Art Barcelona (MOCO)

My visit to the MOCO was my first gallery visit.  The MOCO was in walking distance of the hotel and I headed off there fairly early in the morning so that I could take a leisurely look around.  I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, and it was great to see such an innovative use of technology as part of their displays.  The MOCO, as with all of my gallery visits during the week has its very own blogpost. There was just simply too much to document in this post so more details of the MOCO can be found by following the link.

Tuesday 16th May – Lunch and Zoom Call

After doing such a lot of walking over the last two days it was really nice to have an enforced break.  Today’s zoom call was a special one because we were meeting our research paper supervisors for the first time.  Therefore I decided that I would grab some lunch and then get ready for my zoom meeting.

Wednesday 17th May – Olympic Diving Pool visit and blogging catch up

On Wednesday I decided to take a look to the top of one of the surrounding hills to see what was there.  It was quite a walk up to the top, but the views were amazing!  We had found the old Barcelona Olympic diving pools.  There were cable cars available to transport people around what seemed to be some kind of park.  However the best part was being able to visit the diving pools and sit and relax with a drink from the bar at the very top.  Below is a video short of the visit.

Thursday 18th May – The Museum of Contemporary Art Barcelona (MACBA)

The MACBA, as with the MOCO and indeed each of the museums listed here, has its very own blog post containing a gallery album(s) of artworks and any other relevant information too detailed to add here.

Thursday Afternoon – The Banksy Museum

After visiting the MACBA, I went in search of the Picasso museum.  However purely by accident I stumbled across the Banksy Museum and I’m very glad that I did.  The contrast in gallery space between the MACBA and the Banksy Museum could not have been greater.  The MACBA was a bright and airy space whereas the Banksy Museum was in complete contrast.  This museum reflected underground tunnels and grey concrete which showcased the artworks beautifully.  As with all of the galleries listed on this page the Banksy Museum has its own blogpost as there was much to see and discuss.

Friday 19th May – Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC)

The MNAC was certainly an experience! It is a museum packed with national treasures and because it stands in an elevated position it also affords breathtaking views.  Please follow this link to find out more, including galleries of artworks that I photographed for future reference.  The MNAC blogpost also includes images interior spaces and some photographs from around the building.

Saturday 20th May – Flying home

Arriving back at the airport seem to happen so very soon.  One minute I was arriving and then ‘in the blink of an eye’ I was right back at the airport again where the journey began.  I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and it gave me an excellent opportunity to explore a number of galleries and experience the culture.  I’d love to visit again!

Sadly there’s no flying home footage from the return journey as I didn’t have a window seat.  However, but I’m pleased to report that the weather was much better on our arrival home than our foggy departure a week earlier.