Barcelona

Photo transfer now active! Too bad the first one is so poor. It is the view through the French doors of the B and B dining area. There is a little table and two chairs on the balcony...utterly charming.




As I had been told, and true it is, ham is the national food of Spain. It is everywhere in many forms, here displayed by the leg:




And here you can buy it by the slice:



Most interesting is ham bits sold in paper cups like our french fries, and so many varieties to choose from.

Aside from ham and many many tapas bars, there was lots of other stuff to see in Barcelona. The most famous landmark, and
breathtaking it is, is the Cathedral designed by Gaudí If you are not planning a trip to Barcelona to see this architectural gorgeousness in person, do look it up. The space is so creatively designed and filled that a religious impluse is not necessary to put one into a state of awe. There was no way I could take a decent picture of the cathedral, so just
Google Gaudí to learn about a creative genius and see some of his work.

Another architectural prize is the Museum of Catalan Art. Couldn´t take a decent picture of that either, but here is a sorry shot of the series of waterfalls that lead up to it. This photo is called Water and Water.





You get up to the museum by a series of escalera mechanica on either aide of the falls or by a series of stairs.

Remarkable about Barcelona is the decoration. Buildings are graced not just by wrought iron balconies, but intricate wrought iron balconies. Street lamps are works of art, stones that make up the streets are patterned, so as you walk along and look around, your are treated to beauty all along the way.




Like this statue here....Rather than your generic general on a horse, weilding a sword...the general, that is, you see a naked lady sitting on a horse holding a ship in the air.




Back to food, since it is all over the place, here is a party sized croissant:




A turtle and birds on a wall:






How reassruing is this sign? And the ATM actaully worked, spitting out the needed cash:




Our B and B was in a charming area of the city, El Born. Narrow, winding streets, old old buildings about five stories high, beautiful heavy doors that hide courtyards. Inside, marble steps and faint paintings on the walls of the hallways, stained glass windows on the landings.

A view down a street:




Another example of decoration





A common sight in El Born is the freestanding ornate lighting fixtures with fountains at the base:




Here is Tanya demonstrating the fountain :




From some of the windows people hang plants or laundry to dry:




Lots and lots of motorcycles:



An especially nice feature of many streets is the placement of iron posts rather than sidewalks to separate the pedestrain area from the traffic. The even surface creates a sense of spaciousness.




So, what did we do in Barcelona? We walked a lot and went to a few museums. The Picasso museum, just down the street from our B and B is spectacular, but a few others we saw not that great. But here is a fact or two about chocolate from the chocolate museum:





And here a chocolate Don Quixote:




We spent hours seeking out the Museum of Contemporary Art. Have to admit, none of us appreciated the exhibits, but if you like spare and weird, this is the place for you. As one enters--or exits--as the case may be, there are large foam blocks for reclining. Ian fell asleep quickly:




And Tanya took a rest. It was the best part of the museum.



Our last night in Barcelona, Ian not feeling well, Tanya and I went to an early flamenco performance. It seemed necessary to have some Spanish energy and art before heading off to main purpose of this trip, the hundreds of kilometers that await.

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Location:Barcelona