Quick Links to Spain Pages:
Barcelona!
Also see these Barcelona pages:
Our VRBO apartment in Barcelona
Not as nice as the one in Madrid but adequate and in a great location
We were facing Las Ramblas, just north and on the opposite side of La Boquería, the famous mercado.
The digs were kind of Spartan.
But the location was good. This is from our little balcony.
Looking down La Rambla
Looking across La Rambla
Down on La Rambla
The big end of summer festival took place on the weekend. It was a big deal there.
These are the checkout lines at the big Carrefour down the street. We stocked up on supplies for the week.
Looking down La Rambla from our balcony as the lights start coming on
Dalí, Picasso, Gaudí...they like their art and architecture
Barcelona is in Catalonia where the speak Catalan and fly the Catalan flag everywhere. They speak Spanish too but you rarely see the Spanish flag.
This Barri Gòtic, the Gothic Quarter, which leads to...
El Call, the Jewish Quarter
There are the remains of a Roman temple in this building
Here they are. Not much to see.
But I guess the point is that the City has been around for a while.
A bicycle tour. Check out the Catalan colors in the upper left.
Beer, cocktails, tapas, music, friends, mojitos and Lorri. What more could a guy ask for?
We went to the Picasso Museum. No photos allowed except this one when we were leaving.
Cheers! This was on a side street in El Call. I was waiting for her to move but no luck. Sorry. I thought it was more important to show how the Irish have infiltrated the far corners of the globe. All day Irish breakfast! Cheers!
Self-portrait in front of the entry to our apartment building.
Selfie on La Rambla.
Shiraz from La Mancha and Jamón Iberico from a pig. Now we're talking.
Speaking of Jamón Ibérico! This is La Boquería.
It's a very impressive market, big, bustling, slightly dowdy, fun.
Nice produce! Sorry about the guy's head.
Fruit too!
Kiwi, Pineapple, melon, you name it...
There are many different types of Iberian Ham. The best is supposed to be from black pigs fed on acorns. Look for the black hooves, they say.
Hold still while I slice!
Oh Jeez, now who is this guy?
This is Gaudí building, the Palau Gűell, just off La Rambla. It's on a narrow street so you can't get far enough away to get a decent photo.
Here is a detail of iron work above the entry
And a light fixture, I think.
Cristobal Colón at the south end of La Rambla.
For Thursday Happy Hour, we made our way to El Nacional.
It's a large, relatively new building, that houses a bunch of high-end eateries, bars, enotecas and such, very nicely done.
Martini Night in Barcelona!
Skip and Josie, who were staying at a nearby hotel, were able to join us for a bottle of vino.
El Nacional
Leaving El Nacional
We heard about the alternative market to La Boquería, so we thought we'd check it out.
Mercat de Santa Caterina. Gaudí's influence is pervasive in this city.
We found this market to be smaller, cleaner, less frenzied and overall nicer than La Boquería.
Fishies
Mean looking fishies
People buying fishies
Lunch at the market
Beer, orange juice and cava.
I'm thinking that you want to go to the market before you visit this store.
We took a walk on down to the beach along Passeig de Joan de Borbo. I saw this sign and was wondering if they sold martinis to go at the little street stand.
We bought some souvenirs along this row of venders
We made it to the Mediterranean!
It wasn't a great beach day so nothing was crowded
This building was perfectly straight and symmetrical until I drank that street martini.
I hope they don't use the same contractor to rebuild the lifeguard tower at Moonlight beach.
Time for a break! Plenty of opportunities to stop and enjoy the sand, sun, suds, gin and tonic, whatever...
Yup, gin and tonic and cava. Lorri drank a lot of cava.
That little restaurant is where we were having our drinks.
OK, here we go! Dipping those toes in the Sea.
The "boardwalk" or, as they call it, "Passeig Maritim de la Barcelonta".
Looking south
Looking north
Looking more north
Looking south again
Port Olympic
Resting up by Port Olympic
I was told Frank Gehry is responsible for the fish-shaped thing. I believe it.
I don't know who is responsible for this, but it seems to be missing the upper half.
The street car goes by here.
And then it goes this way. The zoo is to the left.
Here we are in the Parc de la Ciutadella
A lot of the Parc was fenced off and being prepped for the big Mercé celebration.
After a long day of walking and sight-seeing, it was time for a refreshing Guinness for our health and strength.
As we approached our apartment, these large people emerged and started parading down La Rambla.
They are really kind of cool. Big and imposing but somehow peaceful and comforting. Huh?
Adiós, big people!
Friday night we ventured out with Skip and Josie, trying to find one of the great places we visited on our pincho tour.
We found the place but it didn't open 'til later, so we came here instead.
It means "Shaded Area" in Catalan.
The owner, server, wine expert spoke decent English and was very helpful with our wine and food. Both were excellent here.
It had been threatening rain all day and finally broke loose with a vengeance while we were in Zona d'Ombra
So we were forced to stay and order more wine and tapas
and make the most of our situation
Back to: