Cruise

We had our first visitors!  We met about eighteen years ago when their kid was playing water polo and we would take our kid to games because they got us out of the house and nobody cares if your baby makes noise when everyone else is making noise, too.  We have kept in touch and one parent joined D. on his trip through the Grand Canyon.

There were about 100 people on their cruise, but they toured in groups of about twenty.

They were on a cruise that stopped in Barcelona for a bus tour and lunch. Afterward they had a bit of time before their next event so we headed to the docks.  It was easy to find and gave us a great view of the city.

We did not have much time so we walked to the Maritime Museum, which
is housed in the former royal shipyard, used in the 13th to 18th centuries.

In the window of the museum you can see the aduana, or customs, building.

Our friends brought us persimmons (called sharon,
different from the pointed caqui persimmon) from their tree!

After we said good-bye we took the scenic route back to the train.
This cat had been in different spots around town but has settled in the Raval area.

This is enclosed garden was part of a hospital and now houses institutes and a library (where we checked out seven books for free as long as we return them to a library that is part of the city's system).  It was a nice sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the area.

I tried to capture the beauty, only to be distracted by the graffiti in the center of the picture.

One of the institutes in the building is Institut d'Estudis Catalans,
which was having a microscopy neuro-images exhibition.

What really caught our eye were the tiles.
I think if you click here you it will take you to a link that
you can scroll through a whole 360º of the room.

We were mostly wandering by shops at this point and this caught our eye, too!

chök was in a beautiful old building with a bakery in the back.

And then it was time to head home.  Another good adventure!

Great to see in person

photo by A.

I know I wrote about human towers here, and I know people have posted more amazing pictures, like on this link from one of my sisters, but there is nothing like seeing it in person.  We watched for two hours as two teams (this one and this one) of castellers built towers in traditional but varying styles, accompanied by traditional music that communicates to the people on the bottom what is happening above them.

 Old and young, men and women, tall and short get ready.

 Musicians warming up.

Going up,

last one is up,

and then each layer slides down.

 Each group has its own set of musicians.

 Some kids are there to watch parents and some participate.

Here's the first stage, with the little kid in the foreground waiting to start,

almost to the top,

and hand in the air to signal the completion.

Here is a video D. took of the whole process (celebrating at the end is cut short). 

Then it is time to unwrap and head home.

More food!

It is still fun to go to the store and discover foods I don't see at home.

I think of Bonne Maman preserves as a treat so maybe they have this is the
US and I just never noticed because I don't buy this brand often, but I was
surprised to Creme de Castaña, or chestnut puree.  Mmmm!

Also new to me is Philadelphia mousse in classic, olive, and truffle.

Seeing pollen for sale here made me wonder if I had seen it at a farmers market in California.

Oak honey and eucalyptus honey - have not tried these.

Five liter bottles of olive oil!  There are so many so there must be people who buy them, right?

White bread with no crusts is very popular. I don't buy it.

I am missing certain spices and being able to buy yeast in large quantities, but mostly we are adapting.  No one has gone hungry yet!

Newspaper

In the US we get two different daily newspapers and the local weekly newspaper.  I have been reading the paper my whole life (as far as I can remember) and it feels natural to have the news on paper first thing in the morning.

There are only apartments are around here and I don't see newspapers delivered to them.  I don't know if there is delivery to private homes.  The newsstands and small periodical stores sell a variety of papers.  I see people buying them to read with their morning coffee and/or cigarette.

I had not bought a paper because the American one cost 3.20€, which seems like a lot for information I can get online.  I decided I wanted one after the election so today was the day to buy one

Wow - so thin!  Only twenty pages!

But wait, you say.  Why does it say The New York Times?  What happened to The International Herald Tribune?  Or to The Paris Herald before that?  In 2013 it became The International New York Times and just last month became The New York Times (International Edition).

Great place to live

We had been led to believe that Gaudí's Torre Bellesguard was a private residence and we could admire it only from afar.

Would this be our best view?

As we approached the gate hoping to peek in we could see it was wide open and there was a ticket booth.  The price included an audio tour and a semi-guided tour of the house, the roof-top area, the stables, and gardens.  And they let A. in for free (not sure why).  How could we say no?

What an amazing building!  And the history was fascinating!
And there were not swarms of people!

Bellesguard means beautiful view.
From above one can see the mountains and the sea.

I loved all the stones and mosaics.  Guadí had his workers sort stones by color in order
to use them the way he wanted.  Glad that wasn't my job, but I like the results!

D. liked that even the plumbing was covered with stone.

Gaudí was very religious and the three porches represent the Holy Trinity.
He was also very dedicated to the Catalan cause and this can be seen in other details.

Ironwork outside and 

tiles inside.

A water fountain in the main entrance.

Great staircase, great lamp, great people.

Because this was tiled in the Catalan colors it was painted
gray and not restored until about 35 years ago!

Here is a video of the exterior of the building, a bit of the view, and quick peek inside.

If you come visit I would happily visit here again with you!

Walking tour

Friends let us borrow their book of walking tours and we chose one that was in a residential area but that would pass the science museum, which he had not visited yet.

Our tour started at the Sarrià station, which has public art I like.
I'll save more of it for a post about art in the metro system.

Our first stop was Biblioteca Clarà, named after the sculptor Josep Clarà.
It was fine the wander the garden of nudes, but I was sorry the library was closed.

We took a detour to a cemetery, which was like none I had seen. I am guessing there more flowers than usual since just last week was All Saints Day. I didn't see the no-photography sign until later, so I will post only one picture to give you an idea of the layout.  Or maybe the sign was referring only to photos inside the building on which it was posted?

Gaudí had a budget when he worked on Col·legi de les Teresianes, but it still
has some of his trademarks.  We were sorry not to be able to go inside. 

Cutting through Plaça de Ferran Casablancas (a Catalan inventor)

Graffiti - not obscene or political
This is another topic that could be its own post.

Next we came to Gaudí's Torre de Bellesguard, which the book said was a private residence. Lucky for us it had been converted to a public place over ten years ago.  This is definitely getting its own post, so check back tomorrow. 

We walked into the science museum but will save this for another visit.

The Frare Blanc Moderniste mansion, which is in the neighborhood
highlighted in Carlos Ruiz Zafón's The Shadow of the Wind.

We did not take the Tramvia Blau (Blue Trolley) to the top of Tibidabo this time.

We ended our tour at Plaça de John F. Kennedy, by La Rotonda that just reopened last month.

Thanks to Cheryl and Tom for the book.  Wish you were here, too!