Barcelona, Continued (first day)

The first set of images are from "Barcelona Cathedral" also known by the Catalonian title I have included in the first caption below. This church was also constructed beginning in the 13th century, and it dwarfed the first church that we visited in size. It is an incredibly popular attraction with lines of people heading inside. There were some active masses occurring in sections of the structure, and it was also under construction, so our appreciation of it would have to be limited to what we could access.

Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia

 Writing this blog as late as I am makes it painfully apparent to me how important to do this when it is still fresh in my mind. I would have liked to have an accurate description of each of the spectacular structures, and perhaps I will try and dig it up at a later date, but now, try and appreciate their beauty.

 The square below is adjacent to where we ate lunch. I really need to try and figure out what we had, I feel like I had some sort of authentic Spanish specialty, but reflecting back I don't remember specifics. It was from one of Kate's guidebooks and hopefully she might be able to jog my memory. I feel like we had sandwiches, perhaps even some sort of Bocadillo, (baguette with jamon, Spanish ham). I think it was Kate's introduction to Jamon, which I had grown to like from my time in Galacia on a prior work trip.

The real memorable thing about this lunch is that there was a quasi-riot going on in the Saint James's Square (which was in front of the city hall). Yes... riot, complete with armored vehicles filled with heavily armed Catalonian police officers which came and threw some sort of smoke emitting crowd thinning devices, or at least that's what appeared to happen. They were chanting (the protesters) banging metal trash lids and lighting off fire crackers (I think?). It was a bit intimidating to say the least, and it seemed to be some sort of pro-socialist, class warfare type of rally as hammers and sickles were noted on some banners. Older clientele in our sandwich shop boisterously appeared to cheer the protesters until eventually (by the time I had eaten) the police had scattered the gathering.

This certainly added something to our trip, and this event coupled with the large sit-in a couple of blocks from our hotel demonstrated that civil unrest and Barcelona's revolutionary past still seem to be very much a part of this exciting city.

Palace del Rei-Barri Gotic- King's square, center of "Old Barcelona"

 Above is a sign on the Roman Wall in the Gothic quarter of Barcelona. Below you can see a full view of this wall. Sections of this wall date from the fourth century AD. One of the oldest structures I've been privileged enough to see. Apparently it was first constructed as far back as the first century but what is seen today is from a later reinforcement.

 Me eating lunch and sipping some Mahou, a popular Spanish beer.

Carrer del Bisbe Irurita

This slightly blurry picture is from inside Barcelona Cathedral. Native Americans brought to Spain from Central and South America were said to be baptised in this baptismal. This really struck me because it really causes you to reflect upon the passage of time and how much the world has changed, and yet this marble religious item still stands here in the Cathedral as a reminder of the past, mistakes of the past, and perhaps some things such as strong Catholicism amongst the Spanish/ Catalonian population which remains even today in an increasingly secular industrialized world.

Onward From La Rambla (Barcelona day 1 pt. 2)

Looking down La Ramblas one can see the Columbus Monument in Barcelona.  If memory serves me correct, there is an elevator that is available to go to an observation point at the top. The monument is located towards the Barcelona water front, and while it is probably not the highest point in the city by a long top, its location probably allows for some excellent views.

The building (with the flags) is an example of a typical building on La Rambla. You can't really get a full appreciation for the tile that faces the building. This is something that was fairly common in Portugal, but seems a little less common in the Barcelona area of Spain.

Kate is pictured here in Placa Reial, which is one of the more photographed locations in Barcelona. 

The cathedral pictured is Santa Maria del pi, the first of several magnificent churches we would tour while roaming Barcelona. It dates to the 14th century.

  

The street photos are in or around the Barri Gotic quarter of the city, or the Gothic quarter. In future posts I'll include some of the more interesting architectural sites.

Barcelona, our first full day begins...

 La rambala!!!!! So this is a crazy crazy street through Barcelona where the street performers put American street performers to shame.. and you are always marginally worried you'll be pick-pocketed. Really its chaos, supper busy, and it is fantastic. We started our day here and the pictures don't do it too much justice. Rambla comes from the Spanish and Catalan word Ramla meaning water flow. Back in the day it was an open sewer. It has come a long way to become one of the most famous streets in the world.

 Below are several photos from Boqueria Market Barcelona. The Market represented an extension of the chaos of the street. Very busy it used to be the market to go to for food in Barcelona, however it has become more of a tourist attraction over time... but I mighty fine one, that can fool people into thinking that they are seeing something authentic.

 Mmmmmm Seafood! Kate would have been making a face.

 To finish this rather simplistic post of our morning being Ramblistas... Me with a Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee.... Yeah baby! Coffee Americana as they called it... oh did it ever hit the spot. I do like European coffee... its really nice, thick, tasty... but it was warm, and I was sooooo in need of this guilty pleasure. They made it all wrong, but it was still good anyway (hot coffee poured over ice). Stay tuned as we continue our exploration!

Catalonia! Arriving in Barcelona

Our plane landed in the early evening and we found our way easily from a beautiful airport which seemed very new, to the commuter rail station, which was essentially a heavy-rail subway car tied into Barcelona's transit hub.We had a little difficulty being certain we were getting on the right train, but eventually we found someone who spoke some broken English. Spain generally does not have as many English speaking people as other places I've been in Europe, but eventually you can always find someone who knows a little. Knowing a few words in Spanish, or Catalonian can also get you quite a bit, as it isn't so foreign from our own language that you feel helpless.

 Barcelona is the largest city in the Catalonia region of Spain, which they speak a unique language, Catalonian, which has substantial differences from Spanish. During the fascist rule of Franco, the Catalonians were heavily oppressed. Prior to heading on this trip I read "Homage to Barcelona" by an Irish transplant Colm Toibin, who actually lived through a lot of the tumultuous changes that occurred in this city. He drew heavily upon his experiences, touched upon the seedy underworld, which still is present, talked about the how it is a city built upon revolutions, and intertwined the distant history to the more recent events such as the Olympics. I highly recommend it to anyone that visits, or just wants to learn more about this exotic city, and get a glimpse into another culture.

We stayed at a small hostel, which in Spain, it often means what Americans think of as a Bed & Breakfast. I paid extra to get a room with a private bathroom, despite this the room was still very affordable and the location could not be beat, as it is right on the edge of the old city. Hostal Residencia Australia was the name of our hotel. Kate rushed to check out the channels on the TV. Sadly there were no English channels (I didn't really care myself) although I think she did find this episode of the Simpsons with subtitles. I believe some of the channels were in Catalonian and others in Spanish. One night we did find some dry movie in English, I think it was "The Accidental Tourist". Good for putting you to sleep. The room was great other than thin walls. The owner Thomas lived in the back of the floor, and one evening we got a knock on the door asking us to turn the television down. We had actually been making a concerted effort to be quiet after reading reviews of this very scenario- ironically our version of quiet and Thomas's were not mutual. I think the problem was that we had the window open, and had turned the volume up a little to hear over the drone of the traffic.

Thomas, was a very friendly & interesting guy, just like all of the reviews said. I don't know if he found us dull, or if he was preoccupied and tired, but I felt his friendliness seemed a little fake and forced at times. Notably he'd start a conversation, only to end it abruptly. I guess that is to be expected, as I'm sure the job gets tiring at times.

The rooms as you can see were quite gorgeous. I really liked the furniture, and there was a great balcony that opened out to the street. I liked the tiny bathroom, and the elaborate, Mediterranean print on the tiles. We had a little issue with the toilet running, but it was a small problem in the grander scheme of things.

 The balcony, I should have taken a picture during the daylight, as this first one is too dark, and the second is too blurry given that I suck at taking night photos, as you need quite a steady hand... and Shakes McGee here just doesn't have what it takes.

 After settling in we went out and got some supper. We were tired from the travel so we just walked over to the nearby Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, a very busy street and then connected to Passeig de Gracia which is home to several architectural gems, including one from one of Barcelona's most famous artists, Gaudi. This building is Casa Batllo (last two... less than wonderful night time pictures). I'll revisit this later in our journey, regretfully we didn't go inside. We got our grub on Passeig de Gracia, it was touristy, al fresco, tapas at a place called (drum roll) Tapas Tapas. It was easy, and we were both happy. I had some seafood, Kate, various potato and meat products. We shared several mutual dishes. I tried turning Kate on to paella, but was unsuccessful.

 To rid Kate of any lingering weirdness of the Tapas, we went to McCafe, per Kate's request and got desert.

We headed back to our hostel, excited in anticipation of exploring the city the next day.

Back to Amsterdam

 I really enjoy this sign above. It really sums Amsterdam up, yes, ride your bike, yes smoke your weed... but no public drinking... at least not in this playground. Nice.

 This was a holocaust memorial (above) which was part of an interesting museum detailing the impact of the occupation on the Jews of Amsterdam. Very tragic. It was right down the street from our hotel, and it had been closed when we were in town previously, so it was good to take some time to remind us of the horrors of the past, how good we have it, and how we need to preserve that.

Above, Anne Frank statue. The Anne Frank house is a must see. It made me tear up, and I don't see how you can't after watching what people went through, watching her relatives, reading what she wrote, her hopes and dreams, and hearing her father comment on the symbol that she had become for people. A must see.

So, (below) notice the helmets on the riders (or lack there of). Not even the kiddos need helmets. Amsterdam's a bit weird. Where they arguably might have some more social engineering, in many ways they are substantially more "free" or libertarian than the "Land of the Free" the US, from the legal prostitution, or the lack of enforcement of drug laws. Additionally, the ADA, that in the US would prevent a business from locating upstairs, or in a basement with a narrow entrance where one has to climb or bend over, does not impede upon European business. It seems that some aspect of American politics want to combine the bad aspects of Europe and the US, and sustain it here for the good of all of us reckless citizens. That makes me sad.

 Sweet digs below.

Grocery store. Provider of late night snacks so we could watch our couple of English TV channels with some goodies.

Super Dickman's?? That's what these chocolate marshmallow goodies below were called in Germany. Sadly I can't remember the name in Amsterdam... nothing cool like a "Super Dickman." You can get these in the US, but they aren't as big or tasty.... so much for that myth that they don't have cheaply available sugar loaded junk food in Europe. I call BS.

Above is a view of the Bejinhof (a monastery) in Amsterdam. Kate and I had tried coming here previously but it was closed. They didn't allow photos inside the compound because sisters still live there. No one was abiding to the rule, however I couldn't bring myself to participate in the vulgar touristy behavior.

Typical Amsterdam head shop. A bit more blunt (pun intended? than the typical shop in the US, at least those outside of San Francisco)

This cafe near the Anne Frank house was the last place Kate and I ate in Amsterdam before heading back to our quaint hotel with its crooked steep stairs. It was directly on a canal. I had a mozzarella, basil and tomato sandwich on a baguette. It was nice.

 Below is the outside of the Anne Frank museum. The facade of the original house is obscured by this front. It is a little odd, however since their residence would have had blacked out, curtained windows during the occupation, I suppose it is rather symbolic.

And below here I am at London-Heathrow airport which was our transfer en route to Barcelona. The best thing about that meal were those diet carbonated beverages. What is it that Europeans have against a fine fake hamburger establishment in an airport? I would have been happy with an Au Bon Pain, and that is saying something. Even the banana was probably better than the poor excuse for a sandwich (which probably cost me $15 after the exchange). Blecch. Well soon we'd be in Barcelona and at least I (can't speak for Kate) would enjoy the tapas.