Sítges on Wednesday

Sea at end of street

Me with the Mediterranean Sea in the background

We waited and waited for a nice clear and warm day to go to the sea side resort town of Sítges, but on Wednesday, we had to finally just do it.  The day turned out to be overcast with some warm, sunny moments, but I was determined to wear shorts, so I did.  We took the noon train for the twenty minute ride along the rocky coast of the Mediterranean, hoping that leaving that late,

we would hit the maximum warmth of the day.  I've wanted to go to Sítges for years and the place was everything I expected.  It's a quaint town with narrow, cobblestone streets that slope down to the water, tourist shops, restaurants, and of course a beautiful beach.

Chris

The only Mediterranean beach I had ever seen was at the Southern end of Spain at Torremolinos, which was flat, had brown sand and green, murky water.  It frankly wasn't too attractive.  But the beaches in Catalonia have rocky out-croppings with stretches of white sandy beaches and blue sea.  It looked like the travel posters that you see of Mediterranean resort towns.  Chris and I had a great time and at the end of the day we headed back to Barcelona to come back to Madrid today.

The charming streets of Sítges

Today (Thursday) was the gorgeous, sunny day that we had been waiting all week for ... I guess you can't have everything!  We hopped on the AVE bullet train and zoom zoom, we were back in Madrid in two hours and forty-five minutes.  I'm going to miss those AVE trains ...

Txapela Euskal Taberna

I took a picture into the mirror behind the bar, reflecting back at Chris and me

Photos of Basque men wearing "txapelas" (Basque berets)

Now that I'm back in Madrid and can download photos from my camera to computer, here are a couple of pictures of the Basque bar that we went to on Sunday in Barcelona.  The bar had lots of murals of Basque scenes and photos of Basque men wearing txapelas (Basque berets), and of course, great Basque "pintxos" (tapas, more or less).  As I mentioned before, you would never see such an overt display of the Basque culture in Madrid ... I assume that ETA has just made the subject too touchy to "celebrate" the Basque culture here.  And given what ETA has done here, it's quite understandable.

Tuesday in Barcelona

1992 Olympic Plaza + communications tower

Chris later in a bar café

When Chris and I went down to the sea the other day, we thought that we were at the site of the 1992 Olympic village, and while the some sports were done there, the main campus and Olympic stadiums were built on Mont Juic in the center of town.  Barcelona has a natural high hill where the fine arts museum is located and where there has always been a park.  For the Olympics, the sports arenas were built there as well as a really cool communications tower which became a sculpture landmark.  It needs a good coat of paint, but is yet another example of Spain's great sense of modernist design.  Tuesday, we went there and took it all in.

The entrance to the market of St. Josef along Avenida La Rambla

After Olympic park, we took a taxi down to La Rambla, the famous tourist street which starts with an obelisk and statue of Christopher Columbus at the Mediterranean Sea and runs through the old Gothic quarter into the city.  Yikes!  I thought Florida was a tourist trap!

Stone roof of the cathedral

We hot-footed it over to the old cathedral (started around 1300), paid the six euros to get inside and saw an amazing structure.  Then, without realizing that it was part of the entrance fee, we took an elevator up to the roof, scurried up a scaffolding staircase and catwalk, and walked across the ridge of the nave!  Wow.  I've always thought it would be great to be able to go up into the bell tower of one of those old cathedrals, but we actually got to walk down the ridge of the roof!  The slopes of the roof weren't slate or tile shingles as I had imagined, but were stone blocks, laid in a running-bond pattern like the side of a wall would be.  Huh.  No wonder the ceiling inside has black mold on it.  The vaults direct rain water into valleys, which pass through openings in the walls, carry the water down stair-stepped troughs, over to gargoyles, who then drop the water onto the street below.   It was how I had imagined it would all look, but to actually see it!  Wow!  I can now die.

Barcelona has a lot of Art Nouveau buildings as well

The view up there was spectacular too.  We could see the construction of the Sagrada Familia in the distance, the Mediterranean Sea, the Olympic village, and the whole layout of the city.  And all because Chris said "oh look, they have an elevator that goes up to the roof".  After a while, I get kind of cathedraled-out, so told Chris that if he didn't want to see this one it was okay with me.  But I'm so glad we decided to go in.  Both interior and rooftop were spectacular.  But the photos from the rooftop don't come close to showing how great the views were, so I've left them out.

Torre Ágbar at night

After a long day of sightseeing, we went and had drinks and some dinner.  Being the alcohol light-weight that I am, I was smashed on one (very large) gin and tonic, so we stumbled around a while and decided to hop a cab to a great beach bar that we were told about.  The cab driver told us that the Torre Ágbar (the torpedo shaped building that I mentioned in an earlier post) was only lit up on the weekends, and since we're leaving on Thursday, we wouldn't see it lit up at night.  Bummer. When we got to the bar, it was closed, so we hopped another cab and went home.  But on the way, we drove by the Torre Ágbar and it was illuminated, so I got to see it up close at night and snapped a photo.  And the photo is not touched-up; it really looks like this.  What a fortuitous faux pas that trip turned out to be!  And the end of a great day.

P.S.  While the name Ágbar sounds kind of arabic, Héctor told me that the name comes from the words "Agua" and "Barcelona", and thus is the building for the water works company of Barcelona.

Barcelona - Sagrada Familia inside

Present church with only 8 of the 22 towers built.

On Monday, Chris and I went back to the Sagrada Familia church to see the inside.  Chris bought tickets online, so we sailed past the huge line of people waiting to buy tickets at the window and just walked in.  Not having a printer here in Spain, he  downloaded the bar code onto his iPhone so that they could just scan the screen ... ah, someone who knows how to use technology!  I'd still be standing in line...  The picture above is the church in it's present stage of incompletion.

Workmen climbing on the gable

When it is finished it will have fourteen more towers, the tallest of which haven't been built.  The photo on the right shows workmen climbing the "small" gables to the right of the tall towers in the photo above, which gives scale to this enormous building.  Notice the gables have ceramic glazed fruit atop, giving an oh-so-Spanish "Carmen Miranda" effect.  The caps of the spires are gigantic ceramic polychrome glazed flowers

Central nave of the church

Columns have branches like trees supporting the ceiling

Light from a side wall

But the church isn't even near completion.  It won't be completed until 2041 when the central tower over the transept and the front elevation (which hasn't even been started) are done.  When the front facade is completed, the portico will span over the street in front of the building, the entire block of buildings across the street will be razed, and the staircase will go down into a green space/park where they now stand. 

Chris and I stood back and looked at the behemoth building and tried to imagine how much bigger/taller it's going to be once the rest of the twenty-two towers are completed.  Eighteen are bell towers.  It's just mind boggling. In the park across the street, I bought a great abstract painting of the church from a Bolivian artist.  I couldn't believe how inexpensive it was and it's original; she said that she doesn't do copies!  We had a nice conversation about Barcelona and Bolivia as I extolled her talent.  It wasn't gratuitous; she was quite talented.  I'm looking forward to getting home and framing it.

Barcelona - Batlló house

Front facade of the Batllo house

Front facade at night

Front balconies

Built in 1877, the Batlló house in Barcelona is the most famous of Gaudi's residences, and for good reason.  What an amazing place!  Gaudí was the architect and contractor, and because there isn't hardly a straight line in the house, it would have been nearly impossible to draw blueprints one hundred + years ago.  He made rough drawings, but had to be there everyday to tell the workmen how to free form everything from walls, to windows and doors, to the ceilings,

Living Room of the Batllo house

etc.  Because Gaudí designs are so unique, the house is described as being Art Nouveau "in the broadest sense" (what an understatement!).  It's a highly organic-shaped house, and I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but you have to experience the space to fully appreciate it.  Unfortunately, the camera card slot on Chris' computer broke, so I can't download any of the pics I took and got these from the internet ...

Afterward, we went to a Basque bar and restaurant on the same avenue.  The place was very well done, and it was interesting to see the difference between Basque restaurants in Madrid and here.  Because of the history of Basque terrorism (directed mostly at Madrid), Basque restaurants there have very mild references to Basque culture and language.  Mom always told me that Catalán and Euskadi ( the Basque country) have always been kindred spirits regarding their individual identities and feelings toward Spanish nationalism, so the Catalonians aren't wigged-out by overt Basque displays.  Too, the Catalonians have never been targeted by ETA, the Basque terrorist group.  This bar, called "Txapela", or in Spanish "Chapela", is the name for the Basque beret-like hats that men where there.  The sign out front says "Txapela Euskal Taberna" or "Chapela Basque Tavern".  "Taberna" was written in Castillian, I assume

 because no one would know what the Basque word means here.  Poor Chris listened patiently while I explained the Basque significance of this thing and that.  I took photos of the inside with their thoroughly Basque decor, but can't download the photos ... grrr.



Lots more on Barcelona, but can't upload my photos until I get back to Madrid tomorrow.  Then we're leaving for Florida on Sunday ...

Barcelona Saturday

East face of the building

West face of the building

The last time I was at the the church of La Sagrada Familia (The Holy Family) was in the late 1980s with Mom.  Designed by Antoní Gaudí and started in 1882, the building is still under construction.  When Mom and I were there, some of the towers were completed, but the church itself wasn't really even begun; just some of the foundation work.  In the past 20+ years, they have come a long way to completing the nave of the church and most of the exterior.  It is now expected to be completed in 2041.  A huge difference between the last time I was there and this time, is that now there are throngs of people waiting in line to pay 13 euros to tour the place.  As I remember, Mom and just walked right into the towers and I'm not sure that we paid anything to get in.  But when she and I went, construction had just resumed after years of nothing much happening there. The security guard told us this time that the wait would be about forty minutes, so we decided to come another day, get there early, and hopefully not have to wait such a long time.  

Chris patiently waiting for me ...

But while we were there we walked completely around it and took some photos from the outside.  The building is stunning.  It is essentially Art Nouveau, but has deep roots in Gothic architecture.  A lot of it looks like a dripped sand castle on the beach.  It has essentially gothic form, but like someone left it in the oven too long and it melted ...

Afterward, we went looking for the 38 story torpedo-shaped skyscraper called Torre Ágbar.  It is part of the new technology district of Barcelona and opened in 2005. Chris and I went during the daytime, but at night it is illuminated in purplish-blue light and really quite an amazing sculpture.  When we got close to it, we realized that it has a shell around the entire structure which stands off about five feet, made of both clear and frosted glass louvered panels.  When illuminated from behind at night, those panels give it an ethereal glow.  We plan to make the trip back at night time while we're here.  It's quite an amazing building.

Chris with the Mediterranean Sea behind him

We then hopped on a modern streetcar and took it down to the 1992 Olympic Village area for some drinks at a beach bar on the Mediterranean Sea.  Very modern and vogue, it felt more like Miami Beach than what we generally find on the West coast of Florida, that is, Hooters tiki bars serving buffalo wings and pitchers of beer.

We also saw some more great modern architecture along the waterfront.  Barcelona is quite an amazing city ... more to come.

International Signs

I had another "incident" today and didn't even realize it until it was over, and even then, someone had to tell me about it.  Chris and I were having lunch at the counter of our favoriate bar with our coats hanging on the backrests of our stools.  Patricia (she was in a photo in an earlier post) was bartending when a man came in and stood between two barstools closeby me.  He asked her a question and they had a brief exchange, all the while she moved closer and leaned over the bar next to me.  He quickly left and she told me that he was a "robero" (robber).  I said, "you mean like a ladrón (thief)?"  She said yes, that he was Romanian and she moved in closer because he was eyeing my leather jacket with the pocket open and eyeglass case showing. She was letting him know that she was on to him, so not to try anything.  She went on to explain, and Héctor later confirmed, that there is a huge problem with Romanians in Spain.  They come to Spain because Spain is soft on crime, and they have organized into crime rings.  Chris put his coat on and Patricia told him to zip it up, because they'll snatch an open coat right off your body on the street.  Whew!

Chris and I have been observing street signs and trying to figure out their meanings.  I have a problem with international signage anyway, because I can never figure out what they're supposed to mean.  So I've come up with my own interpretations:

Do whatever you want, except
 for tussam and taxis

Don't do anything



Don't do anything in either direction



  

Beware of man dancing
the Charleston in doorway




Everybody:  look at this guy!



Everybody:  look at these people!







Man walking across piano keys ahead





Picket fence ahead





Boobs in the road ahead



Thyssen-Bornemisza and El Prado Museums

Notice the cerveza (beer) on the McDonald's tray

I have a dirty little secret that I rarely share with anyone, but I like McDonald's food.  So this evening, Chris and I went and had an American junk-food fix.  They have painstakingly recreated the American menú, although I can imagine it was difficult to get all of their European suppliers to understand and produce the identical products that they sell in the U.S.  There are a few differences however.  As with everywhere in Spain it seems, alcohol can be bought anywhere.  Full liquor licenses must be fast and easy, because hard liquor is sold in convenience stores, department stores, bakeries; you name it.  However, McDonald's only alcohol is beer, and it's one of the beverage options when you buy a McMeal.

Saturday was museum day for me.  I left H.B. (Chris) at home and went to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum to see their extensive collection.  In 1992, Madrid was fortunate enough to obtain this impressive collection from the Thyssen-Bornemisza family, who was looking for a city to take their private collection.  It's an eclectic mix of middle ages era to contempory art and is dispalyed chronogically.  I don't think I've ever seen a collection displayed chronologically, but it made sense.  Starting with their earliest works from the 1200s through the end of the 20th century, one can view the historical advancements in western art, not only in technique, but also in the evolution of societal sensibilities, priorities, politics, style, fashion, values, mediums, and so on.  In was a very interesting context in which to view art. 

Edward Hopper's 1931 "Hotel Room"

While I realized the progression of art over the centuries, having it presented in this way keeps the observer ever-mindful of it's advancement.  It started out with strictly Catholic art, slowly moved into royal portraiture, Protestant art, noble portraiture, historical battles, historical political movements, architectural depictions, merchant-class portraiture, romantic themes, everyday scenes, revolutions, political statements, and on and on, until it ended up with pop art of the late twentieth century.  Wow.  I walked out of there dazed by how far society has come in such a (relatively) short time.  But my biggest excitement was finding Edward Hopper's 1931 painting entitled "Hotel Room".  Boom!  He's probably my favorite painter, and while I've seen plates of this painting for years, I had no idea it was here until I turned the corner and saw it.  It alone was worth the trip to the museum!



Goya's "El Tres de Mayo 1808 en Madrid"

 After the Thyssen, I went across the street and viewed the collection at the Museo del Prado again.  I haven't been there in many years and had forgotten what an enormous and impressive collection they have.  It's one of the world's most important museums and I guess I had just forgotten why until Saturday.  They have statues from Roman antiquity, and gallery after gallery of paintings from the early renaissance through the early 1900s, with the body of their works from early renaissance through the early 1800s.  Having taken some classes in Spanish culture as part of my language study here, I better understood the importance of some of the Spanish masters.  Velázquez, Goya, and El Greco are particularly well covered, but there are many, many works from many of the great masters of the rest of Europe as well. 

Velázquez´s  "Las Medinas"

While the painting to the right seems pretty snoozy by twenty-first century perspective, it was revolutionary for it's time.  It was the first time in history that a painting was a "snapshot" view of people who were captured in the moment of doing something as they stopped and looked at the viewer, who was standing outside of the canvas.  The "viewers" were the king and queen, and their reflection can be seen in the mirror on the rear wall, looking back into the painting.  Velázquez also put himself in the room, in the act of painting the scene itself.  Never before had anything like this been done and it was radical.  It challenged every artist of the day, and changed the way that they thought about paintings forever.

When I left the Prado at five o'clock, it was raining and my impacted eye was killing me from over-straining it all day, so I hopped in a taxi and zipped home to get some Advil and take a nap.  Sensory overload ...

Easter

Easter was an odd day in Madrid.  We saw another small procession, but this time the street performers were starting to compete with them.  All morning, I could hear the jazz band playing "Hit the Road Jack" in the Puerta del Sol, but when the Easter procession started down the street, the jazz band wasn't backing down.  As the drums of the procession drew nearer the Puerta del Sol they beat their drums very loudly and the jazz band finally relented and let the procession take over.  It was like they had shouted them down.  But not long after they arrived in the Puerta, the procession broke up and the jazz band began playing "When the Saints Come Marching In".  Either the Madrileños were over the Easter festivities or the street performers were tired of losing out on their tips.

Easter is a major national holiday in Spain.  Business is closed from Thursday through Sunday, and in some cases, Monday.  The weather was beautiful this year and everyone was outdoors enjoying the springtime sun, walking and cycling; it was spring break vacation.  But something seemed odd during all the Semana Santa (holy week) processions and I finally put my finger on it  Easter afternoon.  While they were elaborate and uber Catholic, I never saw anyone who was emotionally caught up in them.  The religious icons that they carry are very dramatic and clearly designed to evoke religious passion, but I never saw it.  The crowd was respectful, but acted more like a crowd going to see Fourth of July fireworks, than a religious ceremony.  It was clearly a social event for them. They were talking and laughing with one another and eating bocadillos, but watched the procession with detached respect as it passed by, like one might watch the funeral procession of a stranger.  I know that mine is just an outsider's observation, but it seems that Catholicism is more cultural than religious here.

However, I understand that Andalucía is more somber and emotional.  The Semana Santa processions are more extensive there and the people are more passionate.  Many of them are also done in total silence; thousands of people in the streets and no one speaks.  It must be a powerful experience.  But still, I've heard that others there have bands and chanting, with wailing and a lot of dramatics.  Andalucía is really the place to experience Semana Santa in Spain; Madrid is kind of Semana Santa Light ...

In the Plaza Mayor, Chris and I have seen a street performer with a great schtick.  He´s a pot-bellied, out of shape middle aged guy who dresses up like Spiderman, doing superhero poses with members of the crowd.  He is so engaging that he keeps the crowd in stitches.  Here's a video of him:

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday was more of the same processions in town.  However on Saturday the parade went right down the street where we live, so we were able to take photos and videos from our balcony ...