19 December 2017
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| Spanish patriot on Las Ramblas |
“Just last week we were so responsible,” Kitty notes tonight. “And now….” All we worry about is how to spend our time: what to read, where to shop, what to buy, what to eat. Last week we were both scrambling to free ourselves from work. Now we have time to file our nails, to eat a leisured lunch, and to actually nap in the afternoon. Relaxation is such a part of the culture here, that downtime has a name. Siesta. Total invitation to slow down.
We still have traces of our work-a-day worlds: Lorena checks her email, and Kitty dreams of competency verification methods. But we are definitely moving into vacation mode.
We start out in AM with three layers, gloves and ear muffs. We hit the street and realize instantly we are overdressed! We turn around and go back up to our apartment to shed layers. Fascinating what they call “extreme weather.”
My weather app scrolls orange with exclamation point and snowflake icon: “Potential disruption due to extreme cold,” and people are dressed with furs, hats, heavy coats (all of the above). Just checked the temp: it’s 9:50PM and 49F outside and partly cloudy. Will see what tomorrow brings.
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| Palau Güell |
Today we went to the Palau Güell. It was Gaudí’s first commission with Güell and an early effort for the architect. I found it oppressive overall. Daring in its design, but also mired in a traditionally expression of power, power Gothic Style. Massive stone, wood and steel. It exuded that Joan Crawford “Don’t fuck with me, gentlemen” kind of air, and from a clearly patriarchal perspective.
The basement/stable was designed to allow horses to descend in a spiral: a natural geometrical design that recalls sea shells, but with a top-heavy support that seemed to defy the laws of gravity. Parabolas figure obsessively throughout the design of the house. Hard to see it as a stable, although they had left a trough and ties. The palace was full of intricately carved wood and ironwork. Notably, the rooftop was where Gaudí’s playfulness let loose with colorful, ceramic chimney tops foregrounding sweeping views of the city. Between the heavy supports of the basement and the playful design of the ceiling was an odd mix of bourgeois and pious display, such as a towering music room/altar with doors: feeling holy, open the doors and invite in the choir; feeling not-so-holy, shut the doors to the altar and invite local musicians.
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| Ribbon Store, El Raval |
The informational film notes that one contemporary described Güell as having a personality that mimicked the home: seemingly austere, power-hungry and humorless from the exterior, but warm and homey on the inside. I missed the homey part, and think he was probably more a “captain of industry.” But then he had an eye for innovative architecture, and I appreciate his patronage of Gaudí. Interesting detail that Güell’s wife never liked the house.
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| El Gato |
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| El Raval |
We left the house and headed for “El Gato,” a giant cat sculpture that has somehow captured my imagination enough to be a photographic destination. We remember to stop for a bocadillo. We eat cheese sandwiches and café Americana in a charming patisserie and rest our legs. We climbed more steps today than we have in months.
We wandered up through the Raval to the Catalonian library (an old hospital we had visited last year on our food tour), and then to a restaurant (last year it was “Carmelitas” to honor the Carmelite nunnery that once occupied the space—now it is Llop, the wolf). It is very cool: young, beautiful people with Macs abound. We drink a Vermouth–this one is better and richer than what we had our first evening. We are settling right in. I take a minute to dip inside the university while Kitty waits outside the door–must go back as they seem to have beautiful gardens.
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| El Raval |
Kitty gets her jigsaw puzzle at Puzzlemania. Another routine we seem to have adapted here.
We wander on to lunch in Eixample to “Pepi Pla,” a restaurant I’d seen reviewed somewhere and had added to our plans. Get their set menu for a total of 30 EUR: salad, pumpkin soup, Catalan beef stew (perhaps a bit toobeefy for Lorena), wine, dessert and expresso. It’s nearly 4:00 by the time we finish (we’ve had no trouble adapting to Spanish time, but it also aligns with jet-lag time). Back to the apartment for a siesta, and then out to the Ribera neighborhood.
At home dine (10:30PM) on pesto & pasta and delicious French bread. Kitty had brought the pasta and pesto and pine nuts with her, and the bread was fresh from the bakery around the corner.
Our one English channel has a European version of “How It’s Made,” just the right pace. A full and delightful day in BCN.
K & L's Travel Blog 