Barcelona & Valencia, 2019

It’s a beautiful day, though it’s cool when the breeze blows and you’re in the shade. We head down Grácia and walk through Catalunya square and down the pedestrian street, Ave. del Portal de l’Àngel.  We realize we’ve never been able to enjoy this area  before because of the crowds.  There are still lots of people but not the suffocating numbers.  We stand and watch some good buskers playing horns, and the buildings are beautiful.   We keep getting distracted and it seems to takes us forever to locate the museum we’ve gone by a thousand times in the past.  It’s right next to the cathedral and in a lovely Renaissance home.  Frederic Mares was a sculptor and capacious collector of art who donated his collection to the city.  In the museum we walk through Roman artifacts, Medieval Christian iconography—more gruesome passion/crucifix sculptures than one can imagine!  Then we wander through an endless num...

Today we hit a couple of new places. I've been working on getting into the university for years, but typically we are here during the holidays when the central campus building, and it's beautiful gardens, are closed. This morning I was able to walk right in and wander about and take photos. University of BCN It's quite overwhelming in its grandeur, with paintings on loan from the Prado museum, and one room devoted to portraits of past chancellors (I suppose) who numbered in the hundreds and went back through centuries. University of BCN All male. I loved the inner courtyards and tile and general serenity enhanced by the multiple flowing fountains. University of BCN University of BCN University of BCN University of BCN In the afternoon we went over to Poblenou, a neighborhood we had visited once to see the historical cemetery, but then realized there was a lot more to see. Rambla Poblenou Today we walked down the main...

C. Còrsega I'm thought of entitling today's post "false starts" because our planned itinerary fell short twice. This morning I had intended to go take photos in the University gardens, but when I stepped out the gusty wind changed that plan. It's too hard to take photos in a garden when the wind is up like this, but there's still plenty to observe and enjoy. I opted for a neighborhood walk instead, and strolled a 4 block radius around our apartment. You could tell it was a Monday morning. Most people were out heading to work, so there was that rush-hour buzz and energy. It was about 10:00, but very few businesses and stores were open. Things are late to close and slow to start here. Still, all that big city action and sound. So dynamic! There are lots of dogs out for their morning constitutional or patiently waiting for owners outside shops or in cafes. C. d'Enric Granados As always, the architecture and colors catch my eye. The city see...