Its only a short walk from the Gothic Quarter to the modern waterfront. The landmark is the Monument a Colom, built in 1888 to honour Christopher Columbus, which stands at the bottom of the Ramblas.
The waterfront now has a nice strip of park along it, with the odd bit of modern sculpture and makes a pleasant enough walk with views across the marina.
But my main aim for the afternoon was a boat trip around the shore and port. Regrettably I picked the cloudiest and coolest afternoon of the week. But it was still okay to be on the top deck in a jacket. Quite comfortable boats for a 90 minute spin around the coast.
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| The ultra modern bridge (the Rambla de Mar) across to the new shopping centre - Maremagnum |
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| The Maritime Museum |
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| The World Trade Centre |
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| Frank Gehry's fish sculpture |
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| The Maremagnum |
Boat trip completed I ventured into the Maritime Museum, housed in the old Royal Shipyards, which just happened to have a viking exhibition on display. I have to say the London version had nicked all the better pieces!
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| If you are wondering, all the timbers had rotted away, so this just shows the bolts in position held on strings. Imaginative. |
The big permanent exhibit and in truth the only thing worth seeing is a replica of the 16th century galley in which Don Juan of Austria led the Christian fleet to defeat the Turks at Battle of Lepento. It looks magnificent but I wouldn't have fancied rowing it.
Otherwise its just the building that looks interesting, but maybe it doesn't help that I am not much excited by boats.
There is a nice little courtyard though.
With a very early submarine. Just a bit Jules Verne.
Thrown in with your ticket to the Maritime Museum you can also go on the Schooner Santa Eulalia which is moored nearby, although frankly one can see all one wants from the land.
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