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April 02, 2004
Barcelona Happenings
It's been a while since the last posting, but I've really been busy. One of the things I did in March was visit Spain. More specifically, we went to Barcelona. Fortunately for us, we have a buddy who was in a Spanish language program and happened to be in Barcelona at the time. So, we got to stay with him in his apartment, and to boot, he's a fluent Spanish speaker, so we didn't have to worry about learning beforehand.
Anyhow, Barcelona is an enchanting city, and we had a total blast while we were there. I like to see a place in full detail, so "city hopping" just to say I've been there is not my thing. By the end of the fourth day in Barcelona, I was ordering food in Spanish mixed with Catalan, even though I do not speak Spanish or Catalan. I also feel confident that I can find my way around on the Metro system in Barcelona. For those of you who are not into "city hopping", you know how great this feels. I learned to respect the time schedules of the locals, as well as adjust to their pace of living.
Barcelona is a very cultural place. There's a lot of artistic influence that originates from Barcelona. Pablo Picasso spent seven formative years in Barcelona. Antonio Gaudi was a Barcelona resident. Salvatore Dali hails from slightly north of Barcelona. Joan Miro was another Barcelonian. The list goes on. You get the idea.
We hit the Picasso Museum, where Picasso donated over 1700 pieces of his early work. Like most people, I associated Picasso mostly with his blue period and his cubist style of painting. I was very surprised to see that his early work - ranging from ages nine to mid-thirties - was very structured and focused mostly on landscapes and figures. From looking at his work, it appeared that he had completely mastered painting and drawing very realistically by the age of nineteen. Truly prodigious.
Gaudi's Sagrada Familia was another destination of ours. This is the only cathedral in the world that is still under construction. In fact, the Sagrada Familia will not be completed until 2050. The Sagrada Familia was the only place we saw immediately as soon as we emerged from the Metro underground. It was just that impressive. There's no way I can do it justice just describing it on this site. You have to find a way to go see it someday. I think you will be glad you did, even if you are not religious. We also went to the Parc Güell, which was Gaudi's park, in the sense that he designed it. Gaudi also lived in Parc Güell up until his death, just before he turned 74. Gaudi was killed by a streetcar, and died in a pauper's ward because no one recognized him. When he died, the whole city of Barcelona accompanied his casket to the Sagrada Familia, where he was laid to rest. Truly tragic.
We loved the food in Barcelona. In case you ever go to Spain, you should know that eating schedules will vary. The Spaniards do not really eat breakfast. Lunch is around 2PM, and dinner is around 9PM. So, I tended to eat big lunches and dinners, because I was very hungry by the time meals were available. In general, though, Spaniards do not eat a lot at meals. I ate a lot of tapas and bocadillos. Jamon Iberico bocadillos are really tasty. I wish stores around here sold Jamon Iberico. Anyhow, "Jamon" is basically cured pork leg. The Manchego cheese there paired well with Jamon and Rioja wine. I don't think I've had better red wine than Spanish Rioja. OK, the sangria pitchers were really good too. If you are a vegetarian, it will probably be challenging in Spain.
I will be adding a couple of new restaurant reviews from the places I ate at in Barcelona. Stayed tuned!
Posted by Kathy at April 2, 2004 12:51 PM