Eat Play Live Barcelona !: Mont Juic

The cable car which you can take to the castle on top of the mount

As I have mentioned Mont Juic previously, I thought it is time to give more details about Mont Juic. There are so many museums, sporting facilities and parks on the mount so I decided to walk about it today and take some pics of the most interesting attractions. I did not get up to the castle on the top though. That will have to be another posting - perhaps when I go up there to listen to the Jazz In The Park concerts which are held from 8pm every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Plaza Espanya, the square at the bottom of Mont Juic, with the Magic Fountain

Palau Nacional - which houses the museum of Catalan Art

A stone's throw from where I stay and literally on my doorstep is the area of Barcelona, known as Mont Juic. Translated literally, Mont Juic means Mount of the Jews. It must originate from the days when many Jews lived on the mount. Jews always know what is prime real estate! Location location location... It is not easy to recognize Jewish people here today though, as not many people show obvious signs of being Jewish – which is sometimes easy to notice because of the clothing or headwear Jewish people might wear. Back to Mont Juic... It is a mount or hill which is located near the centre of the city of Barcelona. On the mount itself, there are a number of tourist attractions. Many of them date back to the 1929 International Exhibition and the 1992 Olympic Games which were both held in Barcelona. The tourist attractions on the mountain include : The Palau Nacional (National Palace - which now houses MNAC - Museum of Catalan art), Font Magica (Magical fountain with music and illuminations at 9.30pm ), Poble Espanol (Spanish Village - a collection of houses built with Spanish architectural styles), The Olympic Ring (a collection of sports facilities which were built for the 1992 Olympic games), The Olympic Tower (a communications tower built for satellite communication of the 1992 Olympic Games), Castle of Mont Juic (an 18^th Century fortress, used for defending the city). It was another scorcher of a day here today so I braved the heat and walked about taking photos. Many of the sporting facilities were in use today - the baseball fields, the pools and the Olympic stadium - which hosted a rugby tournament this weekend. It is good to see that these once Olympic sporting facilities are still in use today, 20 years after the Olympic games. There are many parks and botanical gardens sprinkled all over the mountain as well. This makes it a good place for running, cycling, walking or just being outdoors. The parks were full of tourists seeking a cool spot to regain energy or families having a picnic. There are commanding views of the city, the port and the surrounding mountains from Mont Juic. Mont Juic is Mont Magic !!! An interesting place.