Daytrip to Albet i Noya winery

On a sunny and crisp Saturday, January 26th, 2013, Pat and I headed into the hilly countryside of the Penedès wine region, to the south of Barcelona. Those of you who are familiar with Spanish Cava, this is where the most famous brands are produced, Freixenet and Cordoniù. We booked a private tour at the organic winery we like very much, Albet i Noya. Occasionally you can find their wines at certain SAQ stores in the Montreal area. An earlier blog exists on this same winery as visited by a group from the IWCB on October 9, 2010 (harvest crush in the Penedès).




Main building for sales and tasting:



Views over the vineyards:







Where the wine is produced, aged and bottled:








Satinless steel tanks, now empty, clean as a whistle!










Cava aging in racks along the walls of the room above:



Shipping area:







Pat's favourite!




Cava:



A delicious crisp white wine:




The bottling area:




Tasting room:











The shop:














Then to lunch in the village at Restaurant Cal Pere del Maset:





And a walk afterwards to burn off some calories! Below, a newly upgraded football pitch:















At 4 p.m. a go-kart race took place down the hill! It looked quite steep, but the karts did not go very fast! Participants wore helmuts (good idea) and hay bales, covered in plastic protected some of the rough corners! Here are some groups making final preparations:


















As the sun set on the village Church door, we headed for home, the car trunk full of Albet i Noya wine!




Hasta luego...

Location:St. Pau d'Ordal in the Penedès region, south of Barcelona

More Modernisme Walk January 24, 2013

A group of ladies from the International Women's Club of Barcelona set out on a chilly but very sunny late morning to explore some of the perhaps lesser known Modernist buildings in the city along Avinguda Diagonal. As usual, we followed our trusty expert, Liz, and oohed and aahed at the amazing architecture for which Barcelona is so famous.

We started at Casa Asia, currently a business research and cultural centre, originally the Palau del Baró Quadras. It was designed by the architect Puig i Cadafalch and built between 1902-06 for the Baron Quadras. The main façade sports a soaring, glassed-in gallery. Check out the gargoyles and reliefs: can you find the toothy fish or the knight wielding a sword?

The back:



The front:





Down the street is the Casa Comalat, built in 1911 by Salvador Valeri. Note the Gaudi influence on the main façade, complete with wavy roof and bulging balconies.













At #420 Diagonal, another masterpiece by Puig i Cadafalch stands proudly on its own, the only fully detached building in all of L'Eixample. The Casa Terrades, commonly known as the Casa de les Punxes (House of the Spikes), was built between 1903 and 1905 as an apartment block for the Terrades family. It looks rather like a fairy-tale castle, with a Church-like feel to it!








An entrance into the Casa Terrades:




Another entrance:
















Yet another building by Puig i Cadafalch is found just off the Diagonal along the Passeig de Sant Joan at #108. The Casa Macaya now belongs to La Caixa bank and is used for temporary exhibitions open to the public. Note the pseudo-Gothic decoration which is characteristic of this architect's style.




From here we headed diagonally towards the famous La Sagrada Familia Church, still under construction, but with less of a queue to enter at this time of year!




A lovely stroll along the popular Avinguda de Gaudí brought us to the huge campus of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau, which was started by the architect Domènech i Montaner in 1905 and finished by his son in 1930. He also designed the beautiful Palau de la Música Catalana. Together the two buildings comprise a joint World Heritage site and are beautiful to behold.




Most of the hospital facilities have been moved to more modern (and rather boring) facilities on the premises. The site is now busy with major renovations which have been ongoing for some time. Part of the site will become a museum dedicated to Muntaner, medicine and the 600-year history of the hospital, first established in the early 15th century in El Raval. There are some 16 pavillions, mostly facing south and connected by underground tunnels. The hospital was designed to create a unique environment in which to cheer up patients with lavish gardens and beautiful decorations, including murals, mosaics, stained glass and sculptures, recalling the history of Catalunya. It was interesting to note that the site was planned around two avenues running at a 45 degree angle to the definitive symmetrical grid of the Eixample streets.
















And then it was off to lunch at a popular restaurant in front of the Hospital's main gate...a lovely end to a most enjoyable daytrip! Thanks, Liz!

Hasta luego...

Location:Eixample area of Barcelona