Take Five With Tom Fenton

5 (Other) Things to Do in Barcelona at KubeCon + NativeCon Europe 2019

Here are five lesser-known places to explore in the city during your free time at the Linux Foundation event.

• By Tom Fenton
• 05/14/2019

KubeCon + NativeCon Europe 2019 will take place in Barcelona, Spain, at the Fira Gran Via Conference Centre May 20-23, 2019. Barcelona is an interesting place, but if this will be your first time there, you'll want to set aside some of your free time to explore the city. Of course, there are some well-known sites and activities that will show up on most "must do in Barcelona" lists, such as walking the Las Ramblas, viewing the Sagrada Família, as well as Antoni Gaudí's other architectural masterpieces scattered around the city, and watching the surfers on city beaches. While I agree these are all worth checking out, in this column I wanted to share with you five of the lesser-known places that I've very much enjoyed while visiting Barcelona. Please note that I did not include location, visiting hours or admission fees, as they may change.

TAKE 1
Museu del Modernisme de Barcelona. The art and history in this museum is fantastic, but what really caught my eye was Antoni Gaudí's furniture. I find Gaudí's buildings, well, gaudy, but his furniture is simply gorgeous and understated compared to his other works.

TAKE 2
Museu Maritim de Barcelona. Barcelona has many fine history museums, but I really like this museum as it highlights the history of Barcelona as a port city. Also, it's located in a medieval shipyard right on the waterfront, has a full-size replica of a medieval rowing galley and many modern boats.

TAKE 3
Retro Auto-Moto Museo. This museum, located a few blocks in from Barcelona's waterfront, has an interesting selection of automobiles and motorcycles from around the world; the collection is not unusually large and is spread over three floors. Whereas other auto museums tend to cater to upper-end automobiles, this one has a wide variety of European automobiles and motorcycles manufactured for the working class. Despite its downtown location, this place is a little hard to find, so make sure to use a good GPS-enabled device to locate it.

TAKE 4
The Roman Walls of Barcelona. Be sure to walk the Roman walls at night as it is truly magical to hear the singers' voices and musicians' notes echoing off walls that are more than 2,000 years old. The city lights up the walls for dramatic effect, which adds to the whole ambiance.

TAKE 5
Live Music in the Gothic Quarter. I love wandering around the Gothic Quarter, admiring the beautiful buildings and architecture, until I find music emanating from a restaurant or bar. During weeknights, keep an eye out for venues that have jam nights where local musicians take turns performing.