Quirky museums in Barcelona are found off the beaten track, along the charming side streets of the city. Many of the Barcelona luxury apartments are close to these special, lesser-known art-filled destinations. If you choose to pamper yourself and stay in these luxurious accommodations, why not take advantage of the opportunity to visit these hidden treasures that so few tourists are familiar with?

The best excursions are always those that are based on insider tips about the best local entertainment, activities and curiosities. Every gem listed below will be well worth your time. It is easy to add them to your itinerary no matter how tight your schedule may be.

Be sure to take tons of photos and videos. You will definitely want to document every single amazing sight that you experience during your visit to what’s considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. You can share the pics and vids all over your social media. Your friends will get a contact high and be sure to thank you for turning them on to the following cultural treats.

El Rei de La Magia is Barcelona’s museum devoted to magic

Museu El Rei de La Magia

Do you love magic? Have you ever considered becoming a magician? If so, you’ll want to explore the fascinating history of magic. El Rei de La Magia is Barcelona’s gallery of enchanting tricks and posters of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The museum also offers sleight of hand crowd-pleasers. Be sure to book reservations for magic shows well in advance as tickets disappear fast. Some shows are not in the English language but no worries. Words aren’t necessary to watch and be wowed.

Museu del Perfum

Museu del Perfum is a fascinating Barcelona attraction that even many locals don’t know about. In the Regia perfumery back room you can find 5,000 cosmetic flasks, scent bottles, and objects related to fragrance. You’ll receive access to a collection that is divided into two sections. The first collection displays unguent vases and essence jars, all meticulously displayed in chronological order, starting with black eye make-up tubes from Egypt, to Marie Antoinette’s double-flask pouch.

The second museum exhibition features perfumes from brands like Dior and Guerlain. Many are presented in rare bottles, including a Dali creation meant for Schiaparelli and a Vigny Paris flask. Recently, Museu del Perfum added a collection of perfumed boxes and powder bottles from the nineteenth century.

Hash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum

This cannabis museum houses an impressive collection of over 6,000 pieces. They are all related to cannabis plants and a multitude of derivatives. You will experience exhibits related to awe-inspiring ancient rituals and learn about the use of hash, marijuana and help used currently in modern medicine. You’ll be mesmerized by everything you about culture and cannabis. It’ll be a highlight of your trip!

Museu de L’Erotica

Museu de L’Erotica is close to the famed red-light district.  You are going to be excited by the airbrushed paintings and Kama Sutra illustrations and unique exhibits of sculpted Victorian walking sticks, studded chastity belts, and other titillating treats. Rarities that you  can feast your eyes on include detailed Japanese drawings, the “pleasure chair” of the past and brothel photos from the 1930s in Barrio Chino.

Museu de Carrosses Funebres

The most obscure museum that Barcelona has to offer is the Museu de Carrosses Funebres. It is open Wednesday to Sunday and only in the mornings. Those who have a macabre side will  not want to miss seeing the largest worldwide collection of hearses and funeral carriages that date back to the eighteenth century and all the way up to the 1950s.

Your visit will include Baroque ornate carriages, functional landaus and berlins, and a silver Buick that was used as a hearse. White carriages designed for virgins and children are close to mourning carriages for mistresses—to guarantee discretion through anonymity. Every carriage and hearse is manned by ghoulish-looking dummies clothed in period gear. Their creepy gaze adds to the thrilling chills of the spooky visit.

Museu de Cera

This museum is not quite at the level of Madame Tussauds but it is still worth the time. It’s a great addition to any rainy days that require a quick change in schedule. You’ll enjoy the time, while also keeping any young tot engaged and entertained at the “Underwater” section.

The Museu de Cera exhibits offer a mix of historical and modern characters. It’s an odd juxtaposition of composers from the nineteenth century near Star Wars characters. You’ll see ET, Lady Di, and more.

Museu de la Moto de Barcelona

This former convent, Sen Felipe Neri, is where you can see displays of motorbikes, including venerated relics. The design of the museum is also attention grabbing and displays will appeal to anyone—motorbike fanatics or not. Part of the exhibition belongs to Mario Soler, a reputable restaurateur and you can find many interesting classics, like Derbi, OSSA, Bultaco and Montesa. There is even a prized Villalbi.

Be daring and inquisitive in Barcelona. Check out these unusual artistic delights in one of the most beautiful and cultural cities in the world.

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You’ll recognize familiar female icons in his cartoons that include Snow White, Marge Simpson, Jessica Rabbit, Wilma Flintstone and more. It was an honor to speak to this male artist who cares so much about causes that are important to women. His numerous series cover timely and controversial topics that include breast cancer, domestic violence, physical disability and anorexia. He asks his viewers to rethink and redefine our rigid notions of beauty.

He also creates illustrations that fight anti-semitism, racism, and terrorism. You can find out more about Palombo and his works of art on Facebook, Twitter and his blog.

OUR INTERVIEW

Dorri Olds: What inspired your breast cancer survivors cartoon series?

AleXsandro Palombo: Every woman is beautiful, even after a mastectomy, and women should know that. I put order to the codes of beauty. A few years ago, a colleague of mine died from breast cancer. I think you really have to invest great energy in the prevention and create more awareness. If caught early, you can win upon this disease. The acceptance of your own body mutilated by a mastectomy is one of the most devastating moments of the disease. You must be very strong to be able to react psychologically and accept the new appearance of your body. My message is one of hope and courage. I believe that we must create awareness to young people and teach health education. Breast cancer is a disease that can affect younger women, too.

What sparked your Disney princesses with disabilities series?

I had a rare form of cancer. After the surgery to remove it, parts of my own body remained paralyzed. For the last few years it has been difficult for me to move because I spend a lot of time in the hospital for rehabilitation. My best therapy for life’s illness is art. I wanted to give visibility to a problem that affects a great amount of people all over the world. It’s a message against discrimination, a message to redefine the standards of beauty.

The major industries of marketing and media impose a false perfection. Diversity is not allowed. When you are a big company like Disney, you have a great responsibility toward the children that watch and learn from the messages you launch. Including, for example, a disabled protagonist who can surely create acceptance in a world where disabled children suffer all forms of discrimination and humiliation. Disability is part of our world, but unfortunately, too many people think that it is something ugly that you have to hide.

What inspired your series on domestic abuse victims?

We live in a society where women are treated like objects. In advertising campaigns, in the fashion magazines, in the TV, there’s a continuous bombardment of this type of “women as objects,” and personally I find it humiliating. We must begin to reverse this trend. We must subvert it, because if you don’t educate people to respect women, then everything will continue to be superficial.

Have you ever seen a very normal couple walking on the street, and then with a glimpse of the women’s face, you see she is bruised? In many cases, monsters are apparently very normal people. And in too many cases, women are ashamed to ask for help. Sometimes they believe that it’s their own fault, and they feel trapped in silence, and the violence goes on undisturbed. Look at the Indian women that are fighting against male abuse. They are very courageous, and I very much admire them all.

It should be men that fight against the men who abuse women all over the world. The law must ensure that these individuals are severely punished. We must never lower our attention to this important problem. There are no women immune to the violence, even if they are strong. I want my social artwork to slap faces with reality and be an inspiration to fight violence.

What inspired your cartoons of fashion icons like Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld?

I hope to convince them to ban the use of real fur because it’s a massacre that cannot be accepted by a civil and modern society.

Can you explain your #FreeGaza project?

It’s horrific that the people of Gaza are forced to live in an inhuman condition, enclosed in a fence, and that’s why I strongly condemn the Palestinian terrorists of Hamas. Their violence against the Israeli people is unacceptable.

When did you first become interested in activism?

I started to be an activist when I was 14. I was a volunteer in dogs shelters, I brought food to hundreds of dogs. Then the Red Cross. Then I volunteered in the Italian Marines for two years; I have participated in important international peacekeeping missions. I’ve seen so much despair and suffering … mine is a vocation that comes from deep inside.

Are you concerned that Disney could sue you?

No. These are the stars of our time, popular icons just like some big stars. I draw them with my language and my imagination, just like Andy Warhol did with some divas and socialites in his day. I am a contemporary artist who explores the society. The cult of celebrity is an important part of my work, but my art also focuses on the social aspects of society and fights for the right of expression, freedom and equality. I’m an activist who always faces strong and controversial issues through art with my own artistic language. I mix color, iconic cartoon characters, satirism, humor, realism and surrealism. This way, I try to entertain and make people reflect in the same time. My artworks are like a mirror, the cultural expression of the society in which we live.

Do you exhibit your artwork in the United States?

For now I prefer the Internet. That is by far the largest gallery in the world.

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I spent years fantasy photoshopping myself. I wanted to be tall and slim like Giselle, but my ankles were too thick. I was knock-kneed and short. My hair was brunette and my skin olive. I tried to wish away the dark fuzz on my forearms. I feared my face was ugly, spending hours studying blond classmates with cute turned up noses and wondering why I was so cursed. My rounded belly was the worst flaw of all.

Mirrors were tricky since my stomach could look blubbery depending on the angle. It didn’t help when others said I was thin or cute. I felt like the Michelin Man.

When I landed at Bard College, I was far away from my parents and felt drunk with freedom. Yet, loneliness plagued me while I studied the confident girls who wore bare midriff tops and tossed their heads back in flirty laughs. When their ringlets of hair bounced, the boys drooled.

Confiding my insecurities to a dorm-mate, she said, “If you act self-assured, you’ll be treated like you are.” I had an impromptu chance one afternoon when my figure-drawing instructor said, “We have to cancel class. The model didn’t show.”

“I’ll do it!” I said spontaneously.

Heads swirled towards me, eyes popped and eyebrows arched, yet instead of losing my nerve, I abandoned my easel and headed to the podium at the room’s nucleus. There was an absence of fear. Instead I was now excited about the room of 20 artists who’d render my body. It seemed like I’d taken a dare to go on a brave adventure.

The teacher told the class to take a five-minute break. When the room cleared he said, “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” My heart quickened when I smelled his aftershave. I smiled and nodded and he said, “I’ll give you a minute to get comfortable.”

In the silence of the empty room, I pulled my black, crew-necked T-shirt over my head. Next I unhooked my bra. The pumping beat in my chest felt like conga drums until I unsnapped my pants. Suddenly I was overcome by an intrusive memory.

My mind drifted back to elementary school when I was nine and on a gymnastics team. “Everybody, line up,” Coach Tepper had said. “Today we’re going to add something new. It’s called a weekly weigh-in.” He held a clipboard as he explained a BMI index and the desired height and weight for a professional gymnast. Coach motioned to what looked like a nurse’s scale.

We all worshipped Coach and did what he said. When it was my turn to step on the scale, I had nothing on my mind but pleasing him. I climbed atop the wiggly scale platform. He checked my height, and wrote on his clipboard with a pencil while I studied his face. Next he moved the sliding metal piece and I awaited approval. Instead, Coach frowned. He muttered, “Hmmm,” like my dad did when displeased. “You’re too heavy, you have to lose five pounds,” Coach said.

I stood frozen, stunned, unable to move. “Step down,” Coach said as he scribbled on his chart. Then he called out, “Next.”

Now, in my college art class, I shook the shameful memory from my head and continued to pull off my jeans. A montage of near-naked, 5-feet-10-inch Victoria Secret models like Miranda Kerr haunted my brain. Thinking of their flat stomachs, I folded my pants and tossed my shorn undies to the pile of discarded clothes while I worried about my belly. It wasn’t flat like Keira Knightley’s or Gwen Stefani’s. Fighting to banish androgynous figures from my mind, I replaced those thoughts with images of voluptuous sirens like Meghan Trainor. My favorite meditation phrase came to mind: breathe in good, breathe out bad.

Read more…

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Larry Crowne starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts opens July 1.
It’s about a simple guy (Hanks) who gets fired when the company downsizes. With a desire to start over he goes to college. There he develops a crush on his teacher (Roberts). Their lives had seemed sadly stalled but then an unexpected lesson comes along and rejuvenates both of them.

John Carpenter’s The Ward opens July 8
The master of horror, best known for directing Halloween, hadn’t directed a feature film in nearly a decade. Now he’s back with this story of a girl who wakes up in a psychiatric hospital after being caught for pyromania—she burned down a farmhouse. At the hospital she is disoriented and suffering from amnesia. The lighting is dark and creepy, there’s oodles of strange noises and malevolent ghosts. The other girls begin to inexplicably disappear. It’s not a great film but for those who like cheap thrills and jumping out of their seats, it’s fun summer entertainment.

Project Nim opens July 8 at the Angelika Film Center
Nim is a chimpanzee who became the subject of a 1970s experiment to see if an ape could learn to communicate with language if he were raised like a human child. It is a heartbreaking and unsettling biography of a chimp that people tried to make human. It’s more than just a documentary, this film will leave you feeling deeply moved.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 opens July 15
This is the epic finale. The battle between the good and evil forces of the Wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort.

Captain America: The First Avenger opens July 22
Based on a Marvel comic book, this movie is about a U.S. World War II army soldier who agrees to a top-secret military experiment. He is given supernatural powers and proceeds to use them to defeat his nemesis, The Red Skull. Lots of action and fight scenes.

BOOKS

I’m a Fan: How I married U2 into my life without going to the altar by Eric Shivvers
This is an inside look into one of U2’s most passionate fans. The author, a devotee of the Irish band for over 25 years, takes us on his personal journey. From the collapse of his parent’s marriage to sitting on Oprah’s couch shortly before Bono takes the stage for a taping, Eric shares with us his parent’s divorce, his battle with depression and more of life’s pitfalls, while U2 sits in the background playing the soundtrack. www.iamau2fan.com

The Social Climber’s Handbook by Molly Jong-Fast
This satire of Upper East Side elitists takes place during the Wall Street crash of 2008 and centers on socialite Daisy Greenbaum who will stop at nothing to prevent her husband from being laid off in order to hold onto his paycheck and her luxury lifestyle. She’ll do anything to protect her future shopping sprees even if it means murdering his boss. Though killing starts out as a solution to a pesky problem, it soon becomes a bit of a bad habit. You’ll lol as you whip through the pages. A deeply twisted tale was never so much fun. www.mollyjongfast.com

THEATER

You’ve Got Hate Mail is a hilarious Off-Broadway Van Zandt & Milmore comedy hit about an extra-marital affair going terribly awry when a juicy email is accidentally sent to the cheated-upon wife. “The perfect bedroom farce, expertly directed, riotously enacted by a five-person ensemble,” said the NY Post. “It doesn’t get better than this!” said Show Business Weekly. The playwrights have been called “the masters of modern farce” by The New York Times and are among the most produced playwrights in the world for over three decades. The show is performed weekly every Friday at 7 pm at The Triad Theatre. www.youvegothatemail.com

War Horse has been nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Play. The star of the show is Joey, a life-size horse puppet. Experience the magical, mesmerizing bond that takes place between the entire audience and Joey. The story is set at the outbreak of World War I. The central character, a beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. The play is based on the inspiring, moving novel by Michael Morpuro. Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones won a Special Tony Award for Handspring Puppet Company’s Artistic Achievement. The scale of the puppet is a dazzling thrill. Vivian Beaumont Theater, Lincoln Center. www.lct.org

The Off- Broadway hit Murdered by the Mob is celebrating its 15^th anniversary and shows no signs of slowing down. Mingle with mobsters, and maybe you’ll be made an offer you can’t refuse! The two and a half hour comedy features a sit-down dinner and dancing Presented by Murder Mystery, Inc., the company that has brought interactive mysteries for over 20 years now, the show can be found at Arno Ristorante on 141 West 38^th, just a few blocks from Times Square. info@murdermysteryinc.com

The Book of Mormon made history by hitting number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Created by Matt Parker and Trey Stone (South Park) it follows a pair of mismatched Mormon boys sent on a mission to AIDS-ridden, poverty-stricken Uganda to spread the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is the oddest premise for a Broadway musical—but it works. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it “a musical blast: not just funny as hell, funnier.” The Village Voice said to “ask yourself, ‘Dear God, how do I get tickets?’” Eugene O’Neill Theater, 250 West 49^th Street. www.bookofmormonbroadway.com

ART

Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities
While the digital world continues to expand, a profound human need to re-experience the actual and tangible has also arisen. People spend more and more time staring into a monitor or smart phone in order to interact with others in cyberspace. Now the pleasures of making things by hand in the real world has an increased appeal. Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), 2 Columbus Circle between 8^th and Broadway. www.madmuseum.org

Bastille Day on 60^th Street
Each year this event brings the best of France to New York for an afternoon of activities and delights for the entire family. Kids can have their faces painted and play games at the Kids Corner booth. Enjoy music all day, French eats and a myriad of attractions provided by artists and artisans from France.  On 60^th Street, Sunday, July 10, Noon–5pm. Free and open to the public. www.bastilledaynyc.com

Drop-In Art Workshop
Pre-school and young elementary-age children can enjoy their creativity at this lovely art studio. They’ll make exciting projects inspired by the lively, colorful world of artist Maira Kalman. The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Avenue at 92^nd Street. www.thejewishmuseum.org

The Art Center, Mostly Art Summer Program Your child can spend one or more weeks this summer drawing, painting and sculpting, listening to stories, and enjoying active breaks. There’s a high ratio of teachers to students so children receive personal attention. Monday through Thursday: 9am–3pm, Friday: 9am through noon. Generous snack provided. Children bring their lunch Monday through Thursday. While eating, they’re read fairytales and fables. The Art Center, 423 East 75^th Street (between York and First Avenue). www.theartcenterny.com

This article was published in the July 2011 issue of the New York Resident magazine.

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