Gym's Ramblings: Fall 2023 - Barcelona Brothers Conference

2023 Barcelona Brothers Conference - September 20-23, 2023

Gym interrupts the roadtrip to post an article on a conference he attended.

Barcelona Brothers Conference Delegates:
Left to Right - Dan, Mrs. Gym, Kristen, Allison, Zack, Bill, Mr. Gym and Gina

Gym and his lovely sidekick flew from London, to Barcelona International Airport, landing at about 9 AM on September 20, 2023. Two of Gym's younger brothers would also arrive in the Catalonian capital that afternoon. Dan, just over a year younger than Gym, would arrive with his wife Gina, on a direct flight from Calgary. Then Bill, the third oldest brother, his wife Allison, son Zack and daughter Kristen, would arrive by car from Collias, France.

Bill and his family were on an epic journey, with many months yet to go. He and Allison had taken their two twin 9-year olds out of school, to travel around the world. Mr. Bill's family had already visited seven countries before reaching Barcelona. These three days together allowed Gym, Mrs. Gym, Dan and Gina, to be part of Bill and his family’s once-in-a-lifetime odyssey.

Each brother was booked into different hotels in Barcelona but plans had been made to go on a couple of tours together and meet for dinner on three consecutive nights. Barcelona offered a great venue for this conference of brothers. There is lots to do in this great city and many great dining establishments to sample from. The conference program included tours in the mornings of the full days and when they concluded, everyone had free time to do their own thing until dinner. During the free time, the younger delegates elected to take their parents to the beach and others explored the Gothic Quarter and/or took brief siestas. Each evening everyone convened at a different restaurant to get together and enjoy some of the delicious Catalan fare. Dinners were always late, starting between 7:30 and 8:00PM but late for North Americans is early for Spaniards, who generally prefer reservations between 9:00 and 10:00.

2023 BAND OF BROTHER'S - CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Day One (September 20, 2023):

5:00 -7:00 PM - Meet and Greet - In front of the Barcelona Cathedral

7:30- 9: 30 PM - Opening Dinner - 4 Gats Restaurant in the Gothic Quarter

Day Two (September 21, 2023):

10:00- 11:30 AM - Tour of Parc Gruell

11:30 -2:00 PM - Tour of Sagrada Familia

Free time in the afternoon

8:00 -10:00 PM - Dinner at Bar Canete in Gothic Quarter

Day Three (September 22, 2023):

10:00 -1:00PM - Concurrent Tours: Choose either Mont Serrat or The Dragon's Tour

Free Time

8:00-10:00 - Closing Session and Dinner at Pez Vela on the beach

Day One:

At about 1600 hrs on September 20, 2023, all three siblings and their family members came together near the old Barcelona Cathedral for the convention meet and greet. Everyone sat down for drinks at Taverna del Bisbe, on Avenue de la Catedral. Gym was amazed that the delegates could all travel so far, coming from different directions and meet like that in a huge foreign city. Thank god for GPS! Gym and his lovely sidekick greeted Dan and Gina first and then Bill, Allison, Zachary and Kristen joined up. Everyone toasted their good fortune and Gym thought how much his dearly departed mother would have loved to have been there to smile and raise a glass.

The gothic front entrance of the
massive Barcelona Catedral,

There was no conference program on the first day and following the Meet and Greet everyone re-convened for dinner, at a very cool restaurant not far away in the Gothic Quarter. 4 Gats is an old establishment that once was the main hangout of Pablo Picasso. It is said that Antoni Gaudi also occasionally dropped in for some fellowship with the artsy crowd that hung out there, over a hundred years ago. The interior of the place is quite elaborate, with artwork festooning the walls and a grande piano gracing the centre of the main dining room. The ambiance today is bright and bohemian, like the artists that once spent time there.

The delegates enjoyed food that was a good good mix of Catalan and Iberian cuisine and was very tasty but the service was very spotty. Everyone had fun though and looked forward to the next day’s program.

Cafe Els Quatre Gats restaurant, Barcelona

The picture above is of the interior of 4 Gats from the balcony above the main dining room. One can not ignore the modernist artwork decorating the walls. The convention delegation sat at the large table to the left of the piano and behind the massive floral display

DAY TWO:

The program started with a frenzied dash up through La Salut neighbourhood to the entrance of Park Gruell. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is located on Carmel Hill which is north of central Barcelona. Eusebi Gruell, a wealthy landowner, hired Antoni Gaudi to design an upscale community on this highland, with a view of the city and the Mediterranean Sea beyond. The concept was to build a modern, suburban residential development of sixty pie-shaped lots. Gaudi designed and built the community infrastructure which includes elaborate elevated roads, free-flowing pathways and curving stairways. He also designed the entrance buildings and a stunning central plaza sitting above a covered market square. Construction began in 1900 and ended abruptly in 1914, when the founders realized they had failed to sell any lots. Only two houses were finished and Gaudi lived in one of them until his death in 1926. After Gaudi's death, the entire property was opened as a public park. It is a fascinating place to visit and see where Gaudi developed some of the themes he refined in Sagrada Familia.

The conference delegates toured the park with an excellent guide named Jordi, who was provided by Viator Tours. Jordi was very knowledgeable about the intricacies of Gaudi's work and was especially good with the two 9-year old delegates.

Of course, the other thing you must see when you visit the Catalan capital, is Gaudi's most famous project, the Sagrada Familia. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the most visited place in Spain. Only a limited number of people can enter the site each day but the Viator deal ensured entry on a fast pass. Again Jordi expertly guided the group through this extraordinary building. Zack was especially engaged and went back in after the tour was overto see the location of Gaudi's tomb which was down in the crypt. For Gym and Mrs. Gym, this was their second visit to Sagrada Familia. They had first visited the site seven years ago in 2016 (posting entitled Barcelona 2.5). It was just as moving the second time as it was the first time.

Bill and Allison with
daughter Kristen and son Zack at
Park Gruell

Kristen below an elevated roadway with support structure
designed to resemble a living forest.

Gaudi’s plaza benches lining a large gathering
place with great views of Barcelona

Kristen on the beautiful plaza.

The jaw-dropping Sagrada Familia

The amazing light coming through the
stained glass windows of the Basilica.

That night the delegation dined at Bar Canete. It is located down a narrow alley, just off La Rambla. It is really a very tiny space but despite the lack of size, it is very highly rated. Luckily the delegation had a reservation and again the restaurant was able to sit everyone together. Gym enjoyed this meal which for him included some delicious prawns and some squid ink paella. Gym thought this the best of the three places that were sampled.

On the way to Bar Canete we pass through a
typical street in the Gothic Quarter

DAY THREE:

On the third day Mrs Gym and Gina went to Montserrat and everyone else went on The Dragon's Tour in the old Roman part of the city.

Montserrat is located about a one-hour drive or train ride in the mountains to the north of Barcelona. Mrs. Gym and Gina accessed the site by road. It was a steep, winding road that switchbacked up across the mountain, the kind of road that Mrs. Gym doesn't like too much. However, they made it there safely, just like the numerous pilgrims that visit every year. It is home to three things that draw visitors from all over the world, as follows:

1. The Basilica of Monserrat - This church contains many striking works of art including a statue of the Black Madonna. Apparitions of the Virgin Mary have been reported on the mountain thousands of years ago. Today people can touch the hand of a statue of the Virgin in a special throne room near the alter

2. The Escolania or the Monserrat Boys Choir - Aged 9-14, these boys from all over Catalonia are managed by the Monastery. They go to school here and music is the core element of their education. They normally sing each day in the Basilica.

3. The Montserrat National Park - Many hiking trails crisscross the area and visitors can scale the mountains or stroll through the lush forests of oak.

Mrs. Gym and Gina toured the Basilica and saw the Black Madonna but they were very unlucky because they did not see a live performance of the Boys Choir. They did see a film of the choir though.

The rest of the delegates congregated again near the Barcelonia Cathedral for the Dragon's Tour. This tour was booked with Context travel and it was designed to engage the children and the adults. It started at the remains of the Roman acqueduct that Zack pointed out to Gym on Day One (Zack will probably be doing the tour some day). We had an excellent guide that day named Bernat. The children were impressed that he was an architect. Gym was impressed that he had a Masters degree from a university in Texas. He was perfect with the kids, pointing out all the gargoyles on the walls and teaching then about architectural styles. The adults were engaged as he pointed out the hidden remnants of the old Roman city that were mostly covered up in medieval times.

Dinner and the closing ceremonies were held at Pez Vela in between the iconic W Hotel and the Mediterranean Sea. It is a comfortable open-air restaurant that like Bar Canete is a Fodor's Choice restaurant. In that it was not in the cramped Gothic Quarter of the city, it gave the delegation a different perspective from which to enjoy the local fare. Gym enjoyed the octopus and a portion of a giant pan of vegetable paella. Dinner was followed by hugs all around and wishes of safe travels for all. The conference had definitely lived up to the unspoken theme of Carpe Diem.

As Gym and his trusty traveling companion walked back to their hotel on the boardwalk, they were treated to a great fireworks display out over the sea. Thousands lined the beach to take in the show which began Barcelona's annual fiesta, La Merce.