The magic of dining at the Fabra Observatory, under the Barcelona sky
The dome of Fabra Observatory it can be seen in the distance, from some points of the city, high up, close to a sky under which one dines, in the open air, during the summer nights. dinner with stars is the name of an initiative that has 16 editions mixing scientific dissemination, astronomical observation and gastronomy. Let's add to it, one of the best views over the city of Barcelona.
During the summer months, until October 6 this 2019, the terrace of the Fabra Observatory hosts from Tuesday to Sunday some evenings that start with a dinner, continue with a popular science conference and end with a guided tour inside the building with final observation.
Scientific outreach under the stars
You arrive at the Observatory around 8:15 p.m. to start the evening with a glass of cava, a beer or a juice, as a welcome. You walk around the terrace, enjoy the views and, while we're here, take photos of the Barcelona skyline.
At 9:00 p.m., the dinner begins, which is run by the chef Miguel Guimera, who executes different types of menu with a common link: its astronomical inspiration.
Thus, among other dishes, you can enjoy starters based on Sardine nigiri with oyster sauce or Iberian ham airbag that you will identify under the name of Spring Equinox; a monkfish and seafood cannelloni with soft velouté , known around these parts as The Secret of Poseidon; either a vegetable moussaka named Artemis.
Dinner fades at around 10:15 p.m., coinciding with the beginning of the scientific conference, in which each day a disseminator from the Observatory or academics from the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona (RACAB) will deal with a different topic that will range from, for example, Jupiter and its moons to the Andromeda galaxy, going through the Big Bang, the fascination with Mars or the reason for the seasons of the year. These talks will be given in Spanish or Catalan, and you can find the information related to each one of them in this document.
One of the oldest telescopes in operation
Half an hour later, it will start the guided tour inside the Observatory which will take attendees on a tour of the technical apparatus room, the modernist room, the library and the dome, where the the 1904 telescope with which the astronomical observation will be made. Note that you will be contemplating distant constellations, stars, part of the solar system... with one of the oldest and largest telescopes in Europe still in operation.
The experience, which can be booked through its website, has a different cost depending on the menu chosen.
One of the most magical views over Barcelona