Barcelona, Day 1

I hope this kid is up-to-date with his vaccinations.

June 5, 2006

Where to begin? We had a fantastic day getting completely lost in Barcelona. This was mainly due to the fact my map was missing quite a few streets, but we actually enjoyed wandering and soaking up the city.

Our hotel is right by the beach, so to get into the center of the city, we had to take the metro. We sat at the station like we were waiting to jump into turning double-dutch jump ropes, pretty unsure of our next move. We didn’t know which train to get on, but after eyeing a few go by, we chose one and lo and behold, we chose correctly. Okay, the second time. The second time we chose correctly. We got off by La Placa de Catalunya, where pigeons and humans commingle with reckless abandon. Anyone who knows me knows that I am convinced that pigeons are rabies-carrying, winged mediums of Lucifer. Still, I couldn’t help but to be morbidly fascinated by the poor souls playing with the vermin, and took a lot of pictures. Oh, there was also a really nice fountain there and some impressive bronze statues.

We rambled on down to La Rambla, a beautiful tree-lined street in the heart of the city that just bustled with activity. We stopped at a little tapas bar for a snack and had rabbit in garlic sauce and a fresh mozzarella cheese salad that I could eat every day of my life. Born and bred in NY, I’ve seen my fair share of street performers, but the human statues on La Rambla were the best I’ve ever seen. Still, the highlight of La Rambla for me was La Boqueria de St. Josep. The food at this huge market was so fresh and so beautifully arranged, I felt like I was walking through a movie. We tried some fruit we still don’t know the name of (very dark pink with tiny black seeds) and just walked around marveling.

We wandered off the main road a few times when something caught our eye, and that’s how we found Esglesia de Santa Maria del Pi. It was a beautiful old cathedral with different depictions of Our Lady in dioramas running up either side of the nave.

At the end of La Rambla, we saw the tall statute of Colom keeping watch over the port, pointing out to sea. So, we took a left and kept on meandering. The side streets are incredibly narrow, but bikes, people, and even cars shared them relatively well. We ran into La Placa de Jaume, another pocket of action. We relaxed on steps for awhile with many chatting people, taking in the view of the market, listening to a street musician play Spanish guitar, watching a couple moved by the music perform an impromptu and wonderful dance.

I picked up a copy of Spanish Vogue from a newsstand, which is of course an essential. From people-watching, I would say that Barcelona style seems to be sort of a polished bohemian-chic. Lots of colors, patterns, scarves, flat shoes, slouchy bags, and hair in natural waves. This is just fine with me, as I was in my NY-all black with heels and spent a good portion of the day a little warm and a little sore in the feet. Tomorrow I’ll know better.

When the map told us the Arc de Triomf was nearby, we picked our way there. Made of red stone and ornately decorated, it was fantastic--but not as fantastic as the young skateboarders and bicyclists using the square to practice their tricks. I watched and applauded for a bit, and the more appreciation I showed, the more daring the stunts got. We moved on before anyone went and maimed themselves.

After a jaunt in the Parc de Ciutadella looking at sculptures and locals jogging and picnicking, we got back to the hotel around 10 PM, turned around, and went back out for dinner. Since all I can think about is tapas, tapas, tapas, Dean indulged me and we tried fried squid, chicken with caramelized onions and goat cheese, and tomato bread among a few other things. We planned tomorrow over candlelight and a few glasses of wine as we grew full and sleepy.

As far as days go, this one was pretty incredible.