Porc, Gaudí, Churches and Bars!

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After a long night out and given the national holiday, I wasn't expecting a very productive second day in Barcelona. Once out the door around 12:30 or so we realized that really it was only the shops that were closed, so força! We had plenty to get done.

Walking down our street we eventually hit the Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàli, Barcelona's main and most well-known cathedral. The 13-15th century neo-gothic exterior that is currently being remodeled is kind of spindly and reminds me of soft-shell crab tempura, but the inside is glorious. Unfortunately we couldn't visit at that time so we'd have to come back later. Lucky for us, the Cuines de Santa Catarina, where I was hoping we'd have lunch, was right down the street and open on the holiday.

We ended up sharing two dishes - charcoal-grilled young goat ribs and then suckling pig leg. I don't know what I'm going to do when I am back in the states and can't eat some part of a suckling pig every week. The ribs were delish, though I could have used about 18 more of them, and the large pig leg served on the grill still sizzling was obviously quite edible. Nothing like pure fat to ease your hangover!

Next it was due east for the Parc de La Ciutadella, Barcelona's central park and former site of King Philip V's citadel used to control the city after the War of the Spanish Succession. Once demolished it became home to the regional parliament, a fountain partially designed by Gaudí, the city zoo, and a lake for rowboats. The park is also home to a large colony of small green parrots that constantly are chattering about. Though much smaller than Madrid's Retiro Park, I think I prefer the Parc de la Ciutadella just for its being more manageable and its more Mediterranean feel with palms and such.

Walking up through the Moorish Revival-style Arc de Triomf built for the 1888 Universal Exposition, we eventually caught the Metro and headed north toward Gaudí's Parc Güell. Originally part of a plan for a housing development, the gardens and structures are now one of Barcelona's popular sites. With its colored tiles and incorporation of many motifs of Catalan nationalism, as well as elements from religious mysticism and ancient poetry, the whole place is otherworldly. Even though this was my third time visiting the park I still adore it.

This time, however, I had the opportunity to continue along one of the park's paths toward the "Tower of the Three Crosses", an almost termite mine-looking mound from which the entire Barcelona panoramic can be seen. You also have the fun of risking falling to your death!

After working our way back down through the park we hopped back on the Metro into the Ciutat Vella where we visited the 14th Century Gothic church of Santa Maria del Pí. "Pí" is of course pine tree, not urine, incase anyone was wondering. Its octagonal bell-tower and large rose window were quite lovely, but I think I was more fixated on the scary depictions of religious figures on the interior, particularly the one of the Virgin Mary for which I've attached a picture.

By this point the Barcelona Cathedral was available for entering, so we headed over that way. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Eulália, the city's co-patron, who was rolled down a hill in a barrel full of knives by the Romans after being exposed nude in a public square. Nice. The cathedral's interior is breathtaking - surprise! - and not quite as stark as the equally massive Catalan gothic Cathedral in Girona. Supposedly the cathedral also has a secluded Gothic cloister where thirteen white geese are kept, 13 because Saint Eulalia was 13 when she was martyred. Very strange.

Exhausted from our day we headed back to the hotel to rest up a bit before dinner in El Raval at a restaurant I had gone to before with Alex. There was nice live music with vocals, drums, guitar, and jazz flute, curiously in Brazilian Portuguese by Spaniards. We shared a nice plate of morcilla (blood sausage), some patatas bravas (fried potatoes in a sauce), delicious cured ham with tomato and garlic-rubbed bread, and a pitcher of sangria.

To finish off our day we headed to L'Eixample to bar it up a bit, first going to "La Chapelle", a nice little place adorned with all kinds of religious paraphernalia and statues and whatnot. Kind of fun. Then it was off to "Átame" (more of less "tie me up") where we had another round of drinks, watched a horrible drag queen perform, and entertained ourselves with the blackout crowd enjoying themselves around us.

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