THE RAMBLAS

We decided that a walk down the Ramblas would be a good activity for a day so we hopped on the metro and got off at the Placa de Catalunya.  Dotted with fountains, statues, and pigeons, and ringed by grand Art Deco buildings, this plaza is Barcelona's center.  Placa de Catalunya is the hub for the Metro, airport shuttle, and Tourist Bus.  It's also where Barcelona congregates to watch soccer matches on the big screen ,to demonstate, to celebrate and to enjoy outdoor concerts and festivals.  

It is a 12 acre square that links the narrow streets of old Barcelona with the broad boulevards of the newer city.  In 1850, when Barcelona tore down its medieval walls to expand the city, this square was one of the first places to be developed.  

At the Ramblas end of the square is this odd shaped monuments which represents the shape of Catalunya and honors one of the former presidents, Francesc Marcia i Llussa, who declared independence for the breakaway region in 1931.  That didn't work out so well.  The scuptor of the monument is Josep Maria Subirachs, whose also did much work at the Sagrada Familia.  

Just a very attractive building.  

The Ramblas was a drainage ditch.  Rambla means "stream" in Arabic.  You can't help but notice the wavy tile works of the pavers which represent the stream that flowed here.  The tiles are level but very much give the ilusion of waves.   

Betlem Church is dedicated to Bethlehem, and for centuries locals have flocked here at /Christmas time to see Nativity scenes.  

During the month of February there is Seguici festiu  de Manresa. Activities include dancing and processions of giants, and dwarfs, and animals.  An exhibit of some of the main"characters" of the festival were on display in one of the building on the Ramblas so we went in to explore and learn a llittle bit about the festival.  

This is "Gegantona Laia.  She holds the attributes of Santa Eulalia in her hands: the palm, symbolizing martydom, and the X-shaped cross, which shows she was condemned to death.

The dragon is on the right.

Our next stop was the Barcelona covered market, La Boqueria. Since 1200 Barcelonans have bought their animal parts here.  The market was originally located by the walled city's entrance as many medieval markets were.  It later expanded into the colonnaded courtyard of a now-gone monastery before being topped with a colorful arcade in 1850.  

This little stand had the best looking burritos and other items but it was just too cold to eat at the market today.  We plan on coming back one day and picking up items to bring home for supper.  The food booths had so many delectable items it will be hard to choose.  Perhaps we will make several trips to the market to purchase many dinners .  Sure beats cooking.  (We will have to take the subway and we will have to change lines but it can be done and I think so worth it).  Oh!  I just came up with a good idea - Perhaps Sandi and Sharon can go to the market and I can open the wine at home so it will be ready when they arrive.  I will run that by them later.  

Red Pithaya Fruit - looks delicious.  

This particular area is the "Rambla of Flowers".  Besides just admiring the flowers, gardeners  covet the seeds sold here for varieties of radishes, greens, peppers, and beans seldom seen in the US.  Across the street is a little  shop that sells cigars.  You can buy a cuban cigar for 1 euro.  We decided not to do it today, maybe tomorrow.  Maybe tomorrow we will enjoy a giant glass of sangria and watch the people and mimes ( a friend recommended we do that) and smoke a cuban cigar.  I'll be sure to take a picture of that.

This building was a former umbrella shop.  Those are umbrellas decorating the facade.  

Same building but a close up of the dragon holding a latern.  While the dragon may seem purely decorative, its actually an important symbol of Catalan pride for its connection to the local patron saint, St. George ( Jordi).

In the center of the Ramblas is this much trod-upon red-white-yellow and-blue mosaic by local artist Joan Miro.  The black arrow represents an anchor, a reminder of the city's attachment to the sea.  His art work is all over the city - murals, mobiles and even the la Caixa bank logo.  

By this time we were hungry and cold.  We were following Rick Steves "walk down the Ramblas" and right at this point in his narrative he asked , "Hungry?" We were, so we followed his suggestion and went to a little tapa's bar on Carrer del Cardenal Casanyes.  Instead of ordering you just had to point or grab whatever was on display.  At the end of the lunch they counted the toothpicks on the plate and charged accordingly.  Couldn't have been easier and the food was delicious.  A lot of fish tapa's but Sharon managed to find a few good tapa's to enjoy.  Only down side was we had to eat at the bar.  

After lunch we again headed down the Ramblas and then detoured to the Placa Reial.  The square is dotted with palm trees and surrounded by an arcade and ringed by yellow buildings with white Neoclassical trim.  This elegant square has a colonial ambience.  It is filled with bars, taverns, and lots of patio seating.  Great place in the summer.  ( How would I know.  I'm here in February and its cold)  It also has Gaudi's first public works - two colorful helmeted lampposts.

Down another side street we saw Palau Guell, designed by Antoni Gaudi.  This was the first of Gaudi's Modernista buildings.  It's one of his earlier works so its much darker and more Neo-Gothic than his more famous later works.  

A mime and me!  For a few euor's I could get his attention.  

This is a portion of the Columbus monument.  Too big to get in one picture although I think it was in yesterdays or one other days blog.  This is a 200 foot column that honors Christopher 

Columbus.  He made a journey to Barcelona in 1493.  This monument was erected in 1888 for the Universal Exposition, an international fair that vaulted a surging Barcelona onto the world stage.  

the base of the monument is ringeed with four winged victories(taking flight to the four corners of the earth).  It is loaded with symbolism: statues and reliefs of map makers, navigators, and early explorers.

We took the elevator to the top of the monument and enjoyed some wonderful panoramic views of the city.

This one was taken looking straight down from the monument.

We ended our day on the Ramblas at the Cafe Zurich which is a popular downtown rendezvous spot for locals.  American tourists might prefer the Hard Rock Cafe in the same area but as we are residents of the city we  don't want to be seen there.

I think next time I get my haircut I'm just going to awsk for a typical Marine Corp haircut - high and tight.  Could it get any shorter?

We called it a day.  Went home and warmed up and ate chili for dinner!  Tomorrow a walking tour of the "Gotic"  area of Barcelona.