VISITING

For instance, how often is there a chance to have an archaeologist for a personal shopper? That’s what customers get at the Egyptian Museum’s store. Christian Mil, store manager and buyer, is also an archaeologist. With his discerning eye, he stocks the store with merchandise representing the museum’s collection, some of which he purchases in Egypt. This tranquil sliver of a store is an oasis from the noisy street. Stately sculptures are moulded from original Egyptian antiquities (€50 to €300). Cheaper than a burglar alarm, a sleek, bronze cat goddess sculpture will protect the home, according to Egyptian tradition. Tailored, geometric jewellery is replicated from old styles, but is surprisingly contemporary in design. Mil buys hand-made glass beads from an old man in Luxor and has them incorporated into sterling jewellery in Barcelona.

Stationery items are of fine quality. Pads, in desert tans, are decorated with hieroglyphics, and there is a King Tut metal pencil box. The store boasts the largest Egyptian book inventory in Spain, with books in several languages. Want to really impress that special someone? Book a trip for two on a cultural expedition down the Nile River on the School Boat. Lectures, archaeological sites and moonrises will be memories forever.

At the Joan Miró Foundation, two stores under one roof make for efficient shopping. Opened in 1975, the Foundation Book Store has approximately 20 percent of their 5,000 titles in English. Categories include interior design, photography, cinema, art history and books on Barcelona. A rare book, Cahier de Poems, written by Miró in 1937, contains individual pages with sepia-toned copies from his notebooks. This large book, a great gift for devoted (and well-heeled) Miró fans, is 18-inches high and fits in a ceramic case. Printed in a limited edition of five hundred, it sells for €520.

For those who have always craved a colourful Miró adorning the walls of their homes, there are dozens of striking choices. An original Miró lithograph can be bought for around €150,000. Considerably less expensive prints, with excellent colour quality, come in small to large sizes at €30. Kandinsky, Klee and Dalí prints are also available, as are numbered and signed engravings of contemporary Catalan artists.