Re-sending my list below as it bounced back from Jays's address and might not have got through to the arachne list either. I hope Jay, and perhaps others, find it useful.
Hi Jay, When you are in the Barcelona area then you might like to catch a train from perhaps the station at Plaza de Cataluña station which plaza is in the centre of the city and no doubt you will be staying nearby, the station is underground. Take a train going North to Arenys De Mar. Journey approx, 30-40mins. fares very cheap compared to UK. Once you get off the train come out of the station, cross the main road and bear slightly to your right and take the first road on your left, which should be quite a wide road, it is in fact the river bed which has been tarmacced over, the streets has several pavement bars and restaurants. Walk up this road a little way until you come to some steps up to a square where you will see the church. Go to the church and, facing it, walk up the road on the right hand side of the chuch, you will come eventually to the Museo Marés de Puntes. This is a lovely lace museum. It is quite a long way up the narrow road beside the churcn and just beyond the Geology museum. Arenys De Mar and Arenys de Munt, (Arenys of the sea and Arenys of the mountains), were both busy lace making centres in Cataluña. The museum has about 6 floors each consisting a large room, or two, full of glass cabinets containing lots of lace. Lots of Mantons, large cape like articles, and Mantillas, a wedding dress or two and many fans, all sorts of items in various types of lace. Look out the Ret Fà which is Catalan Blonde. Ret Fà meaning fine net. There are a few pieces in other techniques to give a contrast but mostly it is all bobbin lace. This page is about the museum. http://museu.arenysdemar.org/index_i.htm check the opening times as it is not open all day every day. When the OIDFA conference was held in Barcelona in 1994 the ladies that came from England paid a visit to the museum and the general concensus was that it was better than some of the lace museums they had visited in England simply because it had so much lace all in one place. Hope you find time to go to this one it is well worth the effort. Arboç is quite a distance from Barcelona and I have only visited there once when it first opened so I can't comment on that one or how to get there, it would be about an hours drive south of Barcelona, not sure if a train goes there or not. I don't know of a lace museum in Barcelona itself, Barcelona is a province which is like an English county, and covers many towns and villages, Arenys De Mar & Munt are in Barcelona Province. Cataluña is made up of 4 privinces, Girona, Barcelona, Tarragona and Lleida/Lerida. Each province has it "Capital Town" which bears the name of that province. Barcelona is the capital of the region of Cataluña in the north east corner of Spain, the language is Catalan but everyone speaks Castellano too, as a second language. Regards Jenny DeAngelis. Spain. The free time won't be completely finalised until we return home, DH has a knack of attracting commitments as he goes but it seems likely we will be in Spain from 1-5 August - initially in Madrid then in Barcelona, unfortunately not in time for the 'great lace days' but I hope to visit some museums and lace shops. The lace fairy site lists museums in Barcelona, Arenys de Mar, and L'Arcoç. Unfortunately neither DH nor I speak Spanish - are there likely to be English brochures in the museums? - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
