BARCELONA

We won’t leave Spain without visiting one of my favorite cities: Barcelona. It is a modern, hip city filled with vibrant energy and lots of interesting sights. If you were plunked right down into in, I’m not sure you’d know exactly where you were in Europe. It’s definitely not Kansas, but not necessarily Spanish either (as I’ve come to know it, anyway). Barcelona buzzes like a place on the move and dances to its own inventive rhythms.

Barcelona is Catalan, with its own culture and language (street signs here are in both languages), though it is not demanding independence from Spain, in contrast to the Basques. The Catalan language seems at least to be accessible to reading if you know Spanish and French… again in contrast to Basque (see my posting on Bilbao). It would take a more politically astute person than I to explain why. But possibly, they already have possession of what they want. 

Architonic, painting by Janet Strayer, click for more

To me, not conversant in local politics, Barcelona (and other Cataluñian places we visited), seemed quite thriving in a sense of individuality and self-determined development, as well as in receiving favorable public acknowledgement within and outside of Spain. Perhaps this contributes to making Cataluñia less strident in its politics than what we hear of Basque independence demands. 

 Today's Thought

The creation continues incessantly through the media of man....

But man does not create... he discovers. 

--Antonio Gaudi

The great quality of true art is that it rediscovers, grasps and reveals to us that reality far from where we live, from which we get farther and farther away as the conventional knowledge we substitute for it becomes thicker and more impermeable. 

--Marcel Proust

Like most fairly big cities, Barcelona has many concrete apartment buildings and offices comprising rather uninteresting sections of town. It also has pollution, but is trying to get green. The air seemed very clear when we visited. Mostly, though, it’s a city tuned to its own heartbeat, which beats strong. It’s upbeat, vibrant, young in outlook, easy to live in, except that everyone walks so fast. 

See all the fabulous Gaudi you can take in  (not only the Sagrada Familia, which must be the most unusual cathedral in the world. Gaudi’s personal take on Art-Nuveau Gothic is always an adventure. 

 Guell Park is a welcome outing within the city, much visited by locals and tourists alike Gaudi's dream-like park, with fine views of the city. The park boasts both a set of gardens and architectural complex atop El Carmel hill.  La Torre Rosa, Gaudi’s former home (now a museum) has interesting features inside and out. 

See also the random buildings Gaudi designed around the city as you walk. They are scattered treasures among its apartment houses. Call these structures interesting, organic, weird, inventive, whatever. But they offer quite nice surprises. People must enjoy living in them, and I’d like to have met someone who does. 

The challenge of designing city housing that doesn’t look like a vertical mausoleum seems a big one. But Gaudi has certainly met it, as has another mystical artist-architect: Fritz  Hundertwasser in Vienna. I suppose some will find their works off-putting or even a bit Disneyesque in the midst of grey and humorless city facades. 

But I’m all for it.  

In addition to all else, Barcelona has the best tapas we’ve eaten. I had the best and most diversely yummy selection of tapas at a very nice fine restaurant  with an unassuming name (Cervezeria Cataluna?).You can sit at the large tapas bar, with the beautifully presented dishes all around you under glass. Or you can go into the formal dining room and have a full-service dinner, including your selection of tapas.  It’s located somewhere near the Astoria Hotel. Ask the friendly-helpful desk staff there.

 The Astoria Hotel reminds me of a better kept version of the Chelsea Hotel (NYC), with a similar artsy history. All the people in Barcelona seemed friendly and lively and ready to help, even though they rush around a lot. Here's a photo I took looking down upon its elegant staircase:

Barcelona has a good assortment of art museums, contemporary and traditional  (*the Cataluña), Its shops are inviting, including some stylish clothing. Very trendy, very much its own.  Walking  around the city is interesting, particularly Las Ramblas with its street performers -- like a brighter, more upbeat NYC.

street performers on Las Ramblas when I visited (JS)

Walking along the wide boulevard known as Las Ramblas, one is treated to lots of good street performers. I’d hoped to view original paintings on display there as well, but maybe it wasn’t yet the season. I guess I’ll have to come back!