Tag / Barcelona

Today we headed boldly into L’Eixample, and completed the trifecta of Antoni Gaudi’s greatest hits. Well we did two and a half of them 🙂 I will explain.


After a breakfast of strong coffee and couple of meaty-cheesy-flaky pastries, we strolled the tree-lined Passeig de Gracia to Casa Batlló. Completed in 1906, the house oozes Gaudí’s signature modernist style inside and out. The balconies undulate. The interior windows are framed in carved wood mirroring natural shapes; the exterior windows are also oddly rounded but trimmed in ceramic tiles or colored class. Walls are wavy like the oceans; ceilings take on the shape of shells. And the roof…covered in colorful tiles and glass and twisted into bizarre-yet-natural shapes. The entire Casa Batlló is a museum, leaving us to wander from room to room in admiration.


A bit further up the Passeig de Gracia is an altogether different Gaudí masterpiece…Casa Milà. Compled a few years after Basa Batlló, Casa Milà is a multi-unit building. It wears it’s best features on the outside…it’s iconic monotone, undulating facade…and it’s uneven rooftop, rising and dipping around ameba-shaped interior courtyards and dotted with natural-shaped sculptures. Watch your step!! The roof provides sweeping views of the city out to the sea, and a peek at Sagrada Familia in the distance. Inside the building, the tour gives you a glimpse of the beautiful arched brick attic, and an art nouveau apartment.


We had a late lunch of croque monseiur in the Casa Milà cafe with a striking wavy ceiling.


Finally, we walked to the nearby Sagrada Familia, Gaudí’s crowning achievement. This cathedral is an icon of Barcelona…and still under construction after more than 100 years. We didn’t have time to visit the interior today…we are saving that for Monday…but we did circle the cathedral in the warm afternoon light. It is truly inspiring. Of course! By the time we headed back to the apartment, the Passeig de Gracia was teaming with locals…out for their ritual afternoon stroll.


We paused in the apartment for cold Cava (Spanish sparkling wine) and fresh peaches. So refreshing.


Dinner in the Plaça Reial tonight. Drinks at a couple of spots in the L’Eixample. We discussed the quirks of American politics with a new German friend visiting from Berlin.

After a quick coffee and pastry to jump-start the day, we set our direction for the Museu Picasso in the El Born section of the historic center…just a hair further than our Barri Gótic routes from yesterday. Passed through the busy Mercat Santa Caterina, with it’s colorful undulating roof. Found a cute teal-metal Vespa toy…a perfect memento for our Christmas tree. Turned up our noses at the long lines at the museum…no rush…the weather was just too beautiful to stop walking.


Nevertheless, just beyond the museum, we spotted an open door to a grand church. Like cats distracted by a ball of crumpled paper, we diverted from our walk and ducked into the Santa Maria del Mar. What good fortune…we stumbled on the last 15 minutes of an a cappella choir. Mesmerizing chants emanated from this motley, street-clothes-dressed group of twenty, filling the cavernous stone nave. Immediately after they finished, they rushed for the door. It was like we had witnessed a choir flash mob.


The church closed abruptly for midday siestas. So we grabbed a satisfying lunch on the adjacent Plaça Santa Maria. Patatas bravas (another yummy rendition with a spicy aoli). A wood oven pizza with artichoke, mushroom, and ham. And cold cervezas to quench our thirst. A Spanish guitarist played softly on the square. A light warm breeze.


Looped under Barcelona’s very own Arc de Triomf. Unlike the Parisian icon, this one is made of red brick and colorful ceramic tiles. Dodged dozens and dozens of bicycles trying to snap a couple of pictures.


Strolled winding paths in the pleasant Parc de la Ciutadella. A towering fountain/monument in one of the far corners: the aptly named Cascada Mamuth A cascade of water originating from marble horses above. Dragons or gargoyles spraying water in the pools far below. A golden chariot topped the display. Otherwise a peaceful park…a few of the trees showing the initial signs of autumn.


Out of curiosity, we returned to the Santa Maria del Mar just as it was re-opening for the afternoon. More free entertainment…a simple-but-beautiful wedding, complete with a dimpled ring-girl and a blushing bride in a beautiful white gown. Traditional wedding tunes belted from a hidden pipe organ. All weddings are beautiful, but there is something fairytale-ish about a wedding in a grand Roman Catholic church in Europe.


Walking back to the apartment, we were lured back to our cupcake shop from the day before. Today, we rewarded lots of walking with two cupcakes: a Katy Perry (raspberry) and a Madonna (lemon). Took a historic (and less sweet) detour to see the impressively in-tact, first century B.C. columns from the Temple of Augustus from the old Roman city of Barcio. And finally another market–the Mercat St. Joseph–delivering sensory overload. One minute your smelling fresh oranges and peaches, the next the smell of fresh fish smacks you in the face.


Yay…a break at the apartment.


For dinner we wandered in the Rival neighborhood. Found a wonderful spot…Lobo Bar…and snagged a choice outdoor seat. Fantastic tapas again tonight, including tempura asparagus with a romesco sauce, a fantastic twist on a Caprese salad with a wonderful pesto sauce, and a fried egg/jamon iberico/and potato dish. Tonight’s street entertainment? Two fire dancers. Very impressive. And maybe a sign of things to come in Morocco.


We walked off dinner in the twisting lanes of the Rival. Tiny bars spilled out onto the street around every corner. Every bar seemed full and festive. Must be the weather? Or just a normal Friday. The chaos of the Rival transitioned into the quiet, orderly, tree-lined grid of L’Eixample. A peaceful route before bed.

The end of the day always seems to get short shrift in these entries, so let’s start at the end today.


2 A.M. Approximately a three-quarter moon tonight. Fluffy clouds. Plaças are busy. Streets in the Barri Gótic are silent.


Ok. I don’t even know how to describe this in words. So, a person…on a bicycle. Covered head to toe in yellow and red flowers. Wrapped in Christmas lights. Circling the Plaça. Jeff had it right: a mini-Rose Bowl parade on a bicycle. Priceless. (On closer inspection, I have to describe him as Cee Lo Green on a bike.) OMG now he has a matching umbrella. No wait. I’m sorry…he has two flower-clad umbrellas!! He was wearing Liberace-sized “diamond” rings on every finger…but please…did you expect anything else?


We returned for refreshing mojitos at the Ocaña Café. A bit of a nip in the air tonight, but this doesn’t seem to lessen the bustle on the Plaça Reial. Tonight we sat under the historic arcades that ring the square…quite reminiscent of Venice’s Piazza San Marco, albeit on a far more intimate scale. Cute server wearing a lime green L.A. tee shirt. Stylish second-floor bathroom with a long stone sink controlled with a foot pedal overlooking the plaça arcade below. Groups of clubbers dressed to the nines, drawn to the throbbing bass from the electronica club downstairs.


We were drawn back to the Plaça Reial by fond memories of our meal the night before. Tonight we spun the dial and chose a different Plaça-side restaurant. Tonight we shared a classic paella accompanied by some manchego cheese, patatas bravas and a mushroom omelette… Dos cervezas por favor.


Before dinner, we wandered thru the Barri Gótic. Taking random side streets. Wandering into random art galleries. Discovered (and then devoured) a decadent blackberry cupcake. YUM!!


Caught a dramatic street performance. Hard to describe. A dark-haired woman…long flowing white dress. Music a mix of opera and Enya. And a chair. This woman was on the chair, under the chair, and draped over the chair in the middle of a medieval cobblestone plaza. Quite unexpected.


Toured the Museu d’Historia de Barcelona, which features a subterranean tour of the ancient Roman roots of Barcelona. Fascinating tour of well-preserved streets, walls, and sewers. Learned the many uses of urine in Roman village life.


Lunch in a quiet inner courtyard adjacent to the Museu d’Historia. A simple-but-filling potato omelet Coke Light sure hits the spot on a warm Spanish afternoon. A light breeze cooled us.


Spent a few hours touring the Catedral de Barcelonia…a fine example of Gothic architecture. We have seen dozens of big, awe-inspiring cathedrals across Europe, and this one stands up well. A highlight for us was a walk on the roof, providing a panoramic view of the city. Oh and there were big geese in the courtyard fountain.


Began our day with a warm shower, hot coffee, and a filling ham and cheese croissant. I bet this will be a grand day 🙂

UA900 lifted off on time, leaving behind unseasonably hot temps in San Francisco. Phones switched safely into airplane mode, severing the stream of email notifications, Facebook updates, and general life-ness…at least for a while. Nine+ hours en route to Frankfurt provided us with ample time to stop thinking about that one shirt we should have packed, and focus on the excitement of three weeks of total newness. Our first visit to Barcelona. Our first taste of Africa. Getting lost in Marrakech. Our first camel? So much to think about…to get excited about.


Must sleep. Well…one more quick glass of wine. Then sleep. Definitely.


An early morning transfer in Frankfurt, but not so early that the airport wasn’t bustling. Back and forth thru tunnels. Watching well-off business travelers in a way-too-hot business lounge, crowding around stainless steel trays of frankfurters and meatloaf (Munich style…which I think is meatloaf made from hotdogs…or something the consistency of hotdogs).


A relatively short hop to Barcelona over the Alps skirting over Marseilles before approaching from the Mediterranean…a flat blue expanse, still in the late afternoon air. For the record, BCN is a beautiful, efficient airport. Take notes, SFO…they know how to move luggage quickly!


Checked into our apartment, perfectly situated in the heart of town. A bubbly young woman from DestinationBCN greeted us and gave us the nickel tour. Fourth floor bay window with a peaceful breeze and comfy chairs in which to sit and blog. But first, a long over due shower.


Fresh and riding a second or third wind, we took an afternoon stroll along Las Ramblas…THE quintessential walk in Barcelona. An arrow-straight cobblestone street, lined with shops. Las Ramblas took us on a gentle slope down to the water and the Port just in time to catch the towering statue honoring Christopher Columbus in a warm sunset backlight.


From the Port, we headed into the winding, historic Gothic quarter which immediately transported us to our favorite European cities steeped in history layered in graffiti and gelato. Stopped for dinner on the Plaça Reial. La Terrasa del DO didn’t disappoint: a wonderfully creative version of patatas bravas and a fantastic dish of crispy potatoes layered with egg and chorizo. Afterwords, we grabbed a plaça-side seat for a raspberry mojito and a view of the craziness. Shirtless tumblers, romantic guitarists, and origami artists all vied the eye of any woman (or the Euros of the woman’s boyfriend to end the performance).


We slowly walked off dinner as we wound thru the Gothic quarter back to our apartment. We are already infatuated by this charming city.