Rambling Down La Ramblas

Despite the title of this blog post (it's kind of required when blogging about Barcelona to use the "Rambling. . .La Ramblas" construct), we hit a few sights in Barri Gotic that we did not get to on Sunday.

 These are the old Roman towers that guarded the entrance gate of the ancient Roman city of Barcino.  As you can see in the picture, the base of the towers are the original Roman, while the rest of the tower is reconstructed.

 This is the "O" in the whimsical sculpture that spells out "Barcino."  I didn't take a picture of the whole thing, because, with the festival coming, they had placed a number of port-a-johns right by the other letters.  That picture would have looked crappy.  (Blogger: Don't say it, I'm actually shaking my own head at that one.  Editor: You almost showed some restraint on that, but you still used it, so, no points for you!)

Pictured above is the Monument to the Martyrs of Independence.  These five Barcelona patriots (including two priests) receive their last rights before being garroted (strangled) by Napoleon's troops in the early 1800s.  They gave their lives for God, country, and King. 

 Gaudi's church -- not the Sagrada Familia, but the one he actually went to worship.   The is the Sant Felip Neri Church, and it is hidden away from the crowds on a peaceful little plaza.  The plaza has a fountain in the middle of it, and is surrounded by beautiful buildings.  

The church was not open when we were by in the morning, but the most remarkable thing about it can be seen in the photo (btw, click on any photo and it enlarges).  The pock marks in the wall are damage from the Spanish Civil War, when the Franco forces were bombing the Palau de la Generalitat, which is sort of nearby.  It also means the Franco forces were bad shots.

 The Jewish Quarter in Barcelona is not large, but it has narrow lanes and a pretty plaza.  The photo above shows the stone that marks what was likely the city's main synagogue during the Middle Ages.

This amazing fountain is not far at all from the Cathedral.  And yet, as hundreds streamed by, Carol and I were the only two paying any attention to it.  While the tiling is from 1918, the fountain itself dates back to at least the 1600s.  It served as the last watering stop for horses on the way out of town.  It is just a short block from the Foot Locker store.

The two photos above are of the Church of Santa Anna, which dates back to the 12th Century.  Based outside the city walls for the longest time, this Catalan Gothic church was part of a convent.  The cloister remains, although you can not go in it -- just look in it.

The marker cross photo is above the bell tower.  The church itself is pretty austere.

This photo of a grave inside the church sparked an interesting interaction.  There was a group of homeless men sleeping on the pews on either side of it.  Looking for the door to the cloister (it was locked) I didn't realize there were homeless sleeping until I was upon them.  

I quickly took a picture of the grave and left, as to not disturb them.  One shouted after me, and chased me down the row of pews.  He gestured at my camera, all the time speaking Catalan.  I have a fluency of one language, and that usually is English (go ahead dear Reader, insert snide remarks here).

I realized he thought I took pictures of the men.  I quickly showed him my pictures, and he clapped me on the back and went back to his group, explaining to them I did not violate their privacy.  Taking their pictures is definitely something I would not have done, so I am glad digital makes it easy to show that I had not.  Carol was a tad shook by what she thought was a confrontation, but I did not take it personally at all.

 Now, we actually got to La Ramblas.  As it seems most people do, we started at Placa de Catalunya and headed southeast down toward the Med.  The above sculpture, which looks like two staircases mating, actually represents the shape of Catalunya, in honor of a former president of Catalunya.  Declaring independence in 1931 was a bold move for the man, but it did not work out.

Just past the sculpture is a Five Guys, which, for some reason, we did not expect to see.  Speaking of not seeing, somehow we missed the famed Fountain of Canaletes, so we'll have to catch that on another ramble. 

The whole Bolger family had walked La Ramblas back during our short visit in 2009.  The difference between August then (even in a recession) and mid-September now was striking.  Far fewer people.  La Ramblas is the pickpocket capital of Barcelona, which is the pickpocket capital of Spain.  I'm not sure they had the crowds they need to purvey their pickpocket purloining.  However, I still have been keeping my wallet in a zipped up pants pocket, and my phone in a snap button pants pocket. 

Of course, now that I have bragged about defeating those who make their living picking pockets, I will no doubt let down my guard at some point and be ripped off.  Have to stay vigilant! 

Just a block off La Ramblas is a 2,000 year old tomb-lined road.  It's a Roman necropolis -- back in the day, tombs were built lining the roads out of cities.  It's impressive to see such as well preserved necropolis, realizing that it is a good ten feet lower than where the city is now.  

A fountain just off La Ramblas.  The beautiful tells

the story of a long-ago city gate, as merchants

sell their wares.

This Baroque Church from the 1600s is quite overpowering from the outside.  It is the Betlem Church, dedicated to Bethlehem.  Apparently the Nativity scenes at Christmas time are a crowd-pleaser.  

The inside is quite austere, having been burnt during the Spanish Civil War.  The interiors of many churches were destroyed back in that war.  

After strolling through, and lunching in, La Boqueria, Barcelona's most famous market (and rightfully so -- a separate blog post is coming on that), we continued down La Ramblas.  

We walked over to Santa Maria del

Pi, a medieval church.  We decided

to wait for another time to tour it.

In the Placa Reial are two helmeted lightposts that represent Gaudi's first public work.  The square itself is classic -- palm trees, a fountain, bars with outside tables (we'll be back for a drink there).  Big squares like this often originated as monasteries.   When the monasteries were dissolved in the 19th Century, the government took the land and left it open.  

Our next stop was a wonderful early Gaudi work that was being rehabbed last time we came through the city.  More on that amazing house in a separate post.

Miles Walked -- Week One

Walking a lot of miles on this trip -- so I thought it would be fun to keep track each week:

Saturday 9/14 (landed):   7.11 miles
Sunday 9/15:                    8.07
Monday 9/16:                  7.95
Tuesday 9/17:                  8.38
Wednesday 9/18:             9.61
Thursday 9/19:                6.43
Friday 9/20:                     9.69

Total, Week One            57.24 miles
Average, Week One:       8.18 miles per day 

(Editor's Note: Fun is NOT the word I would associate.  Blogger: Math IS fun!)

A Day In The Barcelona Life: Montjuic

Montjuic is the famous large hill right in Barcelona.  There are museums, a castle, and the Olympic Stadium, Olympic swimming venue, and other Olympic venues. 

Part of renting the apartment included a free tour from Milena, who is the manager of the apartment, and a former tour guide.  She came to Barcelona 30 years ago from Yugoslavia, and provided interesting insight into the city.  We did not go up Montjuic ten years ago, so we picked this free tour so we could become better acquainted with this section of Barcelona. 

We took the funicular up to about mid-mountain, got out, and walked around.  We were afforded fabulous views of much of the city.  Sagrada Familia was easy to spot, as was the Cathedral.  

I can still remember the incredible backdrop of

the city behind the Olympic diving pool.  And

now I got to see it for real.

The Cathedral with Torre Agbar behind it.

One is over 500 years old, and the other

is 20 years old.  If you need to Google

which is which, you need more

help than you realize.

The Cathedral from Montjuic.

Templo del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus sits on a hill,

next to an amusement park, on the outskirts of

Barcelona.  

Christopher Columbus is an optical illusion.  From 

below, he is pointing East.  From here, it looks

like he is pointing West!  The white building in

the middle of the photo is our apartment 

building, so that's pretty cool we could see

it from Montjuic.

The feet of many Olympic stars from 1992 and other

years are displayed outside the Olympic Stadium.

The great Mark Spitz!  I'm showing him rather

than Michael Jordan, because. . .swimming!

Pau Gasol had the largest foot!

Olympic Stadium and the famed

torch lit by the archer.

Inside the Stadium, which was built in 1929

and refurb'd before the Olympics.  It was

also home to the old European football team,

the Barcelona Dragons.  Milena was sorry

to see the league fold.

The tower built for broadcast TV

during the Olympics.

A view of Olympic Plaza.

Fountains and the Stadium.

The Olympic swim venue.  Top Americans included

Mike Barrowman, Matt Biondi, Pablo Morales,

Janet Evans, and Summer Sanders.  The latter

won four medals for the US. 

The MNAC, the art gallery of Catalunya.

A beautiful building, we got all the way up

on the roof.  Not many people realize you can

go up to the top.

A view of the Magic Fountain, the four columns,

the Venice towers, and the old bull ring.

The building is less than 100 years old.  The design

is definitely old school.  Check out the organ.

Part of the seating area in the great hall.  Milena

left us after this, and we went exploring on our own.

The spectacular Sagrada Familia from 

more than three miles away.

Rooftop selfie.

The flag of Catalonia.

After our rooftop adventure, we had a late lunch at the museum, sitting out on the lower terrace.  It wasn't the best food, but it was convenient.  

I wanted to cover a bit more of Montjuic, so we headed back up to the Teleferic, the mid-mountain cable car to take us up to the castle at the top.  The line to buy tickets was long, and not moving.  After 15 minutes where they sold tickets to about four people out of 50 standing in line, we bagged on that idea.  

We took the funicular down to the Parallel Metro, and journeyed back.  We got off again at Sant Jaume 1, just so we could get gelato again.

After a nap, we headed up to Bar Brutal for dinner.  A cool wine bar in El Born, we did not have reservations.  It was no problem, however, as we were seated in the back room, by the third bar.  I picked a bottle of wine off their huge list, but the waiter talked me out of it, saying it was almost like a white wine.  Instead, he recommended another Priorat, more in the classic style.  The amazing part is the bottle he suggested was 15 Euro cheaper than the one I picked.  

I figured his recommendation was sincere, so we went with it.  It was a great, inexpensive bottle to go with a fun meal.  The "tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes" salad was quite good, as were mussels in tomato sauce, the charcuterie plate, and the cheese plate.  We fell into conversation with a Canadian couple at the table next to us, talking about travel, food, and mostly Barcelona.  

They are from the Montreal area, and, like us, have a brother in Toronto.  I joked that Toronto is such a small city they probably know each other.  At first the husband played along with the joke, and then he changed and solemnly informed me that Toronto is one of the biggest cities in North America (I know.  That's what makes my joke a joke.)  Anyhow, I let it pass and we had a nice conversation the rest of the meal.

There's a lot to be said for Barcelona restaurants and bars! 

The Peak of Gastronomy

After exploring the Cathedral and El Born, we got gelato from our favorite gelato shop (hey, going there twice so far means it is our gelato place!) on Carrer de la Argenteria.  Then we chilled for a little while at the apartment.

We agreed we had been in Barcelona too long (two and a half days) without visiting the Mediterranean, so we walked the nearly mile down to the beach.  Then we walked along the "boardwalk" (not actually made of boards) for nearly a mile, before doubling back.  

On the way back, we stopped at a chiringuito for some cerveza for me and a gin and tonic for Carol.  It was perfect, sitting by the sea and relaxing.  We were amazed at the beach scene on a Monday.  The beaches were packed with people, many swimming, others playing volleyball, but most simply relaxing in the sun.  

We lingered over our drinks, and we liked it.

Then, we went to Disfrutar for dinner.  In April 2018, when this idea of spending of a month in Barcelona was still a theory, I read a restaurant review in the Washington Post Sunday magazine by the esteemed Tom Sietsema.  The title alone sold me -- "When in Barcelona, I'll have what Jose Andres is having."  For those not in the DC area, Jose Andres has multiple restaurants, including two of our favorites (he also has restaurants in Vegas and NYC, among other places).

Anyhow, we had to scratch and claw for reservations at 8:45 pm at the counter on a Monday night(!).  That's how popular it is.  We could have Metro'd, but with Carol wearing a dress and me in sport coat and khakis, I was worried we would sweat through our clothes whilst in transit.  So we cabbed for only the second time on this trip.

When we arrived, they were able to move us from the counter (which would have been cool to eat at) to the wine room, so that was nice.  

We had the Disfrutar Classic menu.  Thirty courses that took over three hours to eat.  Disfrutar means "Enjoy" and was founded by three of the alumni of the famed El Bulli, which was considered the top restaurant in the world until it closed in 2011.  Jose Andres worked three years at El Bulli (1988-1990) until he was fired and decided to come to America (our everlasting gain).

Obviously, with 30 courses, we are not talking large plates.  These are small, very creative plates bursting with flavor and imagination.   I think there was one plate we found underwhelming/not to our tastes.  The rest was incredible.  Many could be eaten in one bite, using your fingers to greedily shovel it to your mouth.  We had a glass of Cava to start, and then shared a bottle of Finca Dofi 2014, Alvaro Palacios from Priorat.  (You will note I haven't bored you with the name of every bottle of wine we've had, but this place is special!).

It's a once in a lifetime meal, similar to Inn at Little Washington or Jose Andres's Minibar.  

(Editor's Note: So, you are saying it is NOT once in a lifetime?  Blogger: Well, once in a lifetime to go to Disfrutar!).

If you want the meal of a lifetime, and you are in Barcelona, go to Disfrutar.  But plan ahead, as reservations are scarce!

El Born, Again

The two most famous neighborhoods are El Born and Barri Gotic.  Our apartment is right on the border line of El Born and Barceloneta, so it is easy to lose oneself in the narrow streets that make up El Born.

We sort of followed the Rick Steves' walking tour for El Born, but we also improvised, cutting this way and that to follow our wanderlust, or an interesting looking street.  If you look at a map of El Born, it's a mish-mash of streets going every which way.  The streets are quite narrow, some of which can only be walked, others have which do have room for a car.  A car going one way, of course.  There might be a street or two that can handle two-way traffic, but not many.

First we covered some of the Barri Gotic, by the Cathedral.  Because, why not.

The Palau De La Generalitat at Plaza de Sant Jaume.  It is the office of the autonomous government of Catalunya.  I'm not exactly sure what that means, but given the major tensions that exist between Catalonia and the rest of Spain, it has to be pretty contentious place. 

Throughout Barcelona, there are lots of Catalon flags, as well as protest signs about political prisoners.  And people think the US has a lot of division.

The famed Carrer del Bisbee bridge, which evokes Venice's more famous "Bridge of Sighs," connects the Generalitat with what was the Catalan President's residence.  While it looks like it went all medieval on us, it was actually only built in the 1920's.  It's still pretty cool; I don't have anything like this in my neighborhood.  Do you?  (Didn't think so!).

(Note to Barcelona's tourism office -- "Bridge of Sighs" has a much better back story, was built longer ago, and is in a very scenic spot.  No wonder it is more famous. My suggestion -- change the name to something more colorful, such as "To Hell With Madrid" or something.  You can thank me later.)

There are some pretty cool postboxes in Havana, but this one on the Casa de l'Arcadiaca has them beat.  Built in the late 1800s by modernista architect Lluis Domenech i Montaner.  Not bad for what is the city archives.

The city archives has an inviting courtyard just inside, with a beautiful fountain and tiled mosiacs (see below).

After the Cathedral, we strolled through the famous Santa Caterina market, considered the "second market of Barcelona" after La Boquiera.  Renovated in 2006, the roof is a sweeping homage to Gaudi.  Just a short walk away from our apartment, it has some beautiful fruit and vegetable stands, seafood, and meat stands. 

 This signs are all over the old city.  They were used to let carriage drivers know which direction to enter a street, and which to way to exit (Salida).  It's pretty cool that these have been left up; once we noticed one, we noticed 20!

After strolling past the oldest church in Barcelona, the Capella d''en Marcus, from the 1100s, we went down the iconic Carrer de Montcada.  The street has multiple museums on it, including the Picasso Museum (we went ten years ago, we will definitely go back at some point on this trip).  There are multiple museums on this street, once one of the most posh streets in the city.  The museums used to be mansions. 

At the bottom of the street is the famed Church of Santa Maria del Mar.  The rose window photo above is from the church, which was built by the money from shipwrights and merchants.

The statute of Mary on the altar always has a ship model at her feet as sailors have a tradition of asking for her protection.  Unfortunately much of the inside of the church was burned during the Spanish Civil War, as local leftists took out their anger on the Catholic Church for backing Franco (who, last SNL checked, is still dead).  Fire marks still blacken parts of the ceiling.

 A typical narrow street of El Born, shooting off of the area surrounding the Church.

The facade and towers of the church are iconic, and the little plaza in front is a favorite spot of many to hang out.

After the church, we cut through a number of side passageways to Bar del Pla (bar of the plan) and had a great lunch of tapas whilst seated at the bar.  There's a lot to be said about getting lunch or dinner at these small tapas spots.  The mussels and tomato broth were great, and deconstructed suckling pig tacos hit the spot.  The small beer I had with them was good enough that I had another.

Then we wandered back out, taking whatever side streets struck our fancy.  I'm getting to know the El Born neighborhood pretty well.  (I just immensely increased my odds of getting lost the next time we wander out in El Born).

 This view of one of the Towers of Santa Maria del Mar has already become an iconic look on our trip, as this street is one we travel quite often.

This dude represents something, and is part of the main square at the bottom of El Born.

The famed Barcelona Head Sculpture was created by an American artist for the 1992 Olympics.  It brings together the colors of Miro, the tiles of Gaudi, the Cubism of Picasso, and some of the American artist's signature look.  Not sure it is really in El Born, but we walked to it anyhow.

Apparently this lobster sculpture was a marketing tool for a seafood restaurant that closed down years ago.  The good news is, the lobster stayed!

And To Think It Is Only The Second Best Cathedral In Barcelona

On our first Monday, we did the El Born walk from the Rick Steves book.  We detoured a bit, to cover Placa St. Jaume and the Cathedral.  

There was originally a Roman Temple of Jupiter here 2,000 years ago.  Then in 343 AD, the first Christian cathedral was built here, followed by a Romanesque-style Church in the 11th Century.  The current Gothic cathedral was started in 1298 and finished in 1450, taking a staggering 152 years to build.  

And, it was done by hand, instead of by the DOT.

It's free to enter, so we got in the relatively quick moving line and entered.  The church is 300 feet long and 130 feet long.  The side chapels are quite ornate, the choir is glorious, and the high altar is amazing.

The cloister is probably my favorite part, as it has the symbols of the shoe guild and scissors.  As well as the famous 13 geese.

Obligatory picture of some of

the beautiful stained glass.

The pulpit

The choir

Ornamentation on the way down

to the crypt.  It was closed -- you

can only look down into it.

One of the many side chapels

In the cloisters.  This guy is definitely dead.  The

only question, is did he work in death before he died?

Fountain of St. Jordi in the Cloister.

A frog, a pond, and one of the 13 geese.  There have

been geese here for at least 500 years, if not

longer.  There are always 13, in memory of Eulalia's

13 years and 13 torments.

View from the cloisters.

Not sure what this represents.

The sun was at a bad angle to get

a good picture of the front of the 

Cathedral, but here's part of it.