We
left Bristol early on Thursday 19 July 2012, at the end of two months rain and
cloud in the UK - the Poms were at thier whinging best. The jet stream passed north of Barcelona so we were greeting by welcome
sunshine. It was 23-30 degrees for our stay, Noice.
Our
first arvo was spent getting our bearings on the open top tourist bus. Nicky
got into the swing of things with a siesta, then G and T, then a walk down La
Rambla to Port Vell. The Regina hotel (highly recomended) is just off Placa de
Catalunya, at the top end of La Rambla, which is the main tourist artery thro
the old city, tree lined and packed with shops, tourists, pick pockets and
police. The guide books and locals warned about the crooks but the police seem
to be on top of it.
Supper
was black paella (calamari ink) on the beach at Barceloneta, at Kaika. Yum. We
strolled back thro Barri Gotic, the old city and had a cold beer in the bar
that was to become our local, Bootleg. We got chatting to a few poms, one of
them damon, a jazz trumpet player who has worked with our old friend Jonny
Scott and the Jules Holland band. What a small world?! The trip back was the
first of many thro winding narrow alleyways that often lead to open placas.
Stunning.
Friday
was the day to start Barcelona in details, and first up was Anton Gaudi's
magnificent Sagrada Familia. We ignored advice to book tickets online which
cost us a 45 min queue. Everything is much quicker if booked online in
Barcelona, largely due to the locals tendency to chatter, to anyone, before
tending to customers. Mañana indeed!!
Sagrada
Familia is Barca's icon. It's huge and awe inspiring. Most cathedrals were
built over many decades and SF is no exception - a church, tourist attraction
and building site all in one. It's very much work in progress, being built to
the Designs gaudi left behind having died after being hit by a tram in 1926. Barca's
architectural style is Modernista, Gaudi being its most famous architect. Gaudi's main influence was the natural world and the video shows a good example - the internal columns of SF branch off like trees at the top.
After
3 hours at SF we headed north to another popular Gaudi site, Parc Guell, for
more groovy Modernista designs including the mosaic lizard and some real live
parrots. PG was packed,
hilly and bakingly hot, so the ice cream shop at the end of the no 24 bus home
was very welcome.
After
a siesta it was off to supper. Reader might start to see a theme here. We stopped at a small wine bar and tried a
catalunyan red, yum once more. Next was Nicky's choice of restaurant,
an excellent one, Señor Paradella, but it wasn't open til 8.30 - the locals eat
SO late. So we had tapas instead. When in Rome and all that...but Stuey didn't consider
it a proper meal!! Back to the hotel via Bootleg.
Sat
21st was Cooler, overcast. After
a later start and obligatory tea from Starbucks we cut thro La Rambla, Barri
Gotic, to the La Ribena walk, Museo Picasso (which we saved for Sunday due to
the queue), antic market, more laneways and Santa Maria del Mar.
Lunch
was at the Santa Catarina market, bread, jambon, queso, bread, yumo. Next we headed
north to Palau de la Musica Catalana, an awesome modernista concert hall, by
Lluis Domenech i Montaner not Gaudi. What an awesome concert hall - now that would be a great place to work
But
we were soon back in a Gaudi building after a tube ride to Diagonal. La
Pedrera or Casa Mila is remarkable, especially the out of this world roof and
attic. Most designers treat the roof as a functional space rather than aesthetic - not Gaudi. The chimneys are works of art and the roof undulates rather than being flat. Inside is an apartment in period style.
The
28 bus got us to Starbucks for refreshments prior to our siesta. then it was
back to the Bootleg and a local tip for dinner, El Salon to sample Catalan food, with a
local Chardonnay, yum yum.
The locals are seriously into dogs, but not so into rules - check out the No Dogs sign just by the Catalan to in the photo!Sunday started with tea, then the Cathedral. As with every other building there are many Catalan flags and crests - locals are Catalans first, Spanish second.
After
a croissant it was
off to the Museo Picasso, which focused on a few early periods. Stuey doesn't
really get the cubist and later stuff. His early realist and impressionist work
matches the masters - remarkable that he was only a teenager. Some of the late stuff looks like
the work of a 6 yr old!! The blue period was...blue. It was a great insight
into P, or Pable Ruiz, as he signed his earlier work, using his fathers surname.
After a baguette
lunch we walked thro the La Raval region before watching Sir Wiggo win the tour
de France at siesta time. Next was the metro to the beach - packed with young
bodies. It's very like Sydney with glorious beaches in the city. Stuey had a
dip in the Med. It's great for people watching, and some of them had clothes
on! Picasso would have been confused as all noses seemed to be between eyes,
ears on side of heads etc...
After cleaning up
it was off to Señor Paradella for a magic yummy dinner of jambon, seafood both
and roast lamb with a big ballsy Priorat red.
Monday
was our final day, which started with smoke haze from bush fires further north
near Figuiras. After tea we rambled La Rambla picking up wine and jambon to
take home.
And
when the lovely folk at Eastjet delivered us in Bristol the sun was shining - in fact it was only 1 degree
cooler than Barcalona. We shall have to go again!!
