Lloret de Mar’s Maritime Museum
Paradise Found in Lloret de Mar (part 4)
While experiencing a perfect Catalonia day in Lloret de Mar our guide Marta showed us around Lloret’s Maritime Museum. On display was a chronological history of the town’s seafaring past arranged throughout the rooms of two adjoining houses.
Seafaring and Treasures of the Indianos
Casa Garriga was built in 1878 by one of many ‘Indianos’ who sailed to Cuba in the late 1800s, amassed a fortune then returned home a wealthy man. The town council acquired the property in 1981, restored it to its original appearance and converted it into a museum.
Our journey through the museum took us through rooms containing paintings, ship models, photographs and maps. Additional rooms housed furniture and other items brought back to Lloret de Mar from Cuba. Samples of lace made by women when they mending sails shared space with sacks of dry goods. A wicker suitcase and a steamer trunk made an amusing comparison to today’s carry-on luggage.
One room in the Maritime Museum used audio and digital graphics to recreate a young boy’s voyage by ship from Lloret del Mar to Sevilla. We began with the boy leaving his parents, and followed him to his destination. There were storms and calm seas, and a star-filled night. After his voyage, one of the old salts sat with the boy imparting his knowledge and wisdom to what could have been his younger self. It was a clever way to teach children about how their counterparts from past times lived.
The Indianos
Equally as interesting as the museum was the building that housed it. Obsessed with decorating, the Indianos covered everything with something. Colorfully tiled ceilings and floors, as well as floral and swirled designs painted on the walls were the decor of the day in Indiano homes. Some might call it gaudy, but it certainly was cheerful.
As we looked out the window at the current day esplanade below, we could imagine the the Lloret de Mar of the past with homes of the Indianos overlooking the sea.
Marta, was well versed on the history of the museum, especially as her mother used to play with the children who lived in the structure when she was a child. She also had a story for every room and almost every item on display. Her tales made what we saw come alive for us.
Entry to the Maritime Museum is €4.00. Discounted tickets are €2.00 and children under 12 can visit the museum at no charge.
Read more about Penny’s Lloret de Mar holiday on MilesGeek.
Paradise Found in Lloret de Mar
Santa Clotilde Gardens in Lloret de Mar
Restaurante POPS
Disclaimer: Our day in Lloret de Mar was generously hosted by Lloret Tourisme, Restaurante POPS, the Institut Gem Wellness & Spa Hotel and Patronat de Turisme Costa Brava, Girona, who coordinated our entire visit to Costa Brava. However, all opinions, as always, are entirely my own.
