Catalonia is not Spain

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Life is not predictable and even though I planned to be in Salzburg to celebrate my 60th birthday I ended up in Barcelona. Why? Because it was recommended by my son who had been to this city and loved it. I am glad we followed his advice as it turned out that due to the cold weather Austria was not the right destination for a spring visit in 2012. The journey starts at noon with a long layover in Philadelphia. At the gate we are joined by people flying to Amsterdam. Bruessels and Zurich ~ different languages are heard all around and there is a joyful noise all over the area as most people are anxiously awaiting the boarding process. Finally in the plane the atmosphere changes and the joyfulness is replaced by hectic as travellers are trying to find their seats and stuffing carryons in the overhead compartments. While settling in our seats we realize that we are in an prehistoric airplane without individual tv screens and the thought of taking the 1000 Dollar offer to upgrade briefly comes to mind but never seriously. The flight to Barcelona is supposed to take 6 hours and 50 minutes and I will be happy to take this less than par plane ride without TV for ten days of fun in a colorful city full of amazing sights to explore, delicious food to eat and new red wine to discover. My list of sights to see is written, my camera battery is charged and the memory cards are empty.

We land in beautiful sunshine 30 minutes ahead of schedule and arriving here reminds me of the first vacations we did in the Canary Islands belonging to Spain some 40 years ago. My Spanish language skills are slowly coming back at least the written part of it. I am starving and we have our first breakfast at the airport. While enjoying croissants and coffee we witness two female security guards trying to make a totally drunk woman leave the airport which seems to be more difficult than one might think. No force was used, they just listen to her stories, her complains about not being able to smoke here and try to convince her to leave on her own which she finally does. Welcome to Europe! After picking up our Barcelona Card which gives you free rides with the subway and busses as well as discounts at museums, restaurants and even stores, we are on our way. We grab a taxi which turns out to be quite an experience. The taxi driver does not know our hotel, so we give him the street adress which did not help, he still looks lost. Despite not knowing where to go he starts driving and tells us he is taking us to Barcelona. He continues on to the highway and while driving he fumbles around in his glove compartment and finally after what seemed like an eternity he produces a city guide. After discussing back and forth in our still rusty Spanish we understand that he wants us to find the street in his street guide. Finally he knows where to go. Traffic is heavy and he fits right in, driving crazy, talking nonstop and praising the city pointing out important buildings and sights. Before we leave his cab he warns us to be careful with our belongings.

The hotel is located in a neighborhood just below the area where the stadium for the 1992 Olympics is located and is quite contemporary but we cant check in quite yet as it is just 8 o'clock. We leave our luggage and start exploring getting a first exercise by climbing a long flight of steps up the hill but what a reward awaited us on top with a view over the whole city in lovely sunshine, Barcelona knows how to greet travellers, I already know I will love it here. I love the rooftop view of European cities with the reddish shingles and chimneys, the steeples of the churches and the countryside in the distance. After a while we venture back down and try to find La Rambla, a must for any visitor to Barelona. This amazing area located in the middle of tree lined streets where cars try to tackle traffic around tourists, parked cars and the many bikers. It consists of a pedestrian zone with street vendors, cafes, restaurants, bars, and performers of all kinds.The name La Rambla or Las Ramblas comes from the Arabic language meaning a dry riverbed which this used to be until the 14th century. It is certainly THE place for people watching and the cafes are ready to let you do just that by having heaters so one can sit outside even in chilly weather. We are walking all the way to the Placa de Catalunya where Las Ramblas ends and enjoy our first round of tapas, typical appetizers in the Spanish cuisine. Placa de Catalunya is a beautiful plaza with fountains and people feeding the many pigeons looking for food. A truly nice spot to take a little rest at any time of the day. We join the pigeons and the people for a while before deciding it is time to check in and take a nap. Walking back, taking in all the beautiful sights, I am thinking how it could be possible that I lived in Germany for 36 years and never visited here.

Just like the rest of the hotel our room is super modern and for European standards quite spacious but what I like best is the large window with a view into the courtyard where you can witness real Catalonian life. I love the balconies with all the flowers and laundry and am delighted by the colorful pottery on the housewalls. A short nap is all we need to be refreshed enough to go out again and explore the city. We are headed for Palau Guell, a beautiful mansion that the local architect Antoni Gaudi was asked to built for Eusebi Guell. While there was a huge line in the morning we are now able to get right in. Perfect timing! Palau Guell located off La Rambla in one of those beautifully narrow sidestreets was built between 1885 and 1890 and has recently been restored to its original splendor. Gaudi's style is called modernism similar to Art Nouveau and the house offers plenty of beautiful sights for lovers of this style. The staircase is magnificent and there is a lot of evidence that this house was once a true beauty. There even is an organ, originally for the daughter of the house but now playing every thirty minutes to offer visitors a little glimpse of what it must have been living here over hundred years ago. The most amazing thing about the house is the roof terrace where 20 chimneys emerge from a tiled floor that add a colorful touch to the rooftop view of the city. I could not resist the urge to purchase a replica of one of those chimneys in the giftshop and know I will have to visit other buildings created by this master of a style I am beginning to appreciate so much more. Dinner consists of more tapas and vino tinto ( red house wine) in a little neighborhood restaurant and lively conversations with our table neighbors to the right, a couple from Brazil and a group of ten from France to the left. Satisfied with the day and a full belly we walk to our hotel.

True to the tradition in Europe our breakfast is not only included in the room price but it is splendid and plentiful with everything one could wish for except good coffee. As most people do, we enjoy our cup of coffee in the morning but as most Europeans drink espresso getting normal coffee or Cafe Americano ( fittingly called so as American coffee tends to be weaker than espresso) seems to be a bit of a challenge. Some mornings we were too late, others too early but the staff does not seem to take it too seriously. There will be coffee maybe manana! and then again there is always Starbucks, right? And as we are on the subject, let me tell you that Barcelona has over 3000 restaurants and one can get everything possible from the finest fish dishes to a hamburger. Most restaurants offer a menu which consists of a three course meal sold at a fixed price and often includes even an alcoholic beverage. These menues are just the right size in proportion so that one can enjoy everything even the dessert. An idea that might be a good thing to transfer to America where the portions are so big that there is never room for dessert. Tapas, which are small pieces of food mostly made with fish toppings, are served everywhere, with some restautants serving nothing but tapas. The traditional dish is the Mar i Muntanya, the Catalonian version of Surf and Turf. But overall one can say that fish is the preferred dish at the coast while inland you will find a lot of pork dishes. And then there is paella which is usually served as a meal for two and comes in lots of varieties. Catalonians seem to also have a flair of using the body parts of animals that in my kitchen would end up in the trashcan. The local market is proof that you can buy tongue, kidney, liver, tail, heart and even the head of different animals. I saw a stew on a menu that was made of a variety of body parts ~ I don't have to tell you that I did not try it. Dessert is plentiful and served as pieces of art. Noteworthy is the Crema Catalana which is kind of a flan served with fresh fruit and topped with a bit of a liquor by the same name. A heaven for dessert lovers. But be careful if you order hot chocolate because in this country you will receive melted hot chocolate thick enough so the spoon can stand alone in the cup. I love chocolate but that is even too much for me.

As the weather is overcast on our second day we decide to go to one of the two cemeteries on my list but we can not find the way and decide to call a cab. The cemetery is located on the Montjuic Hill where you also have the Olympic Stadium, the Publo Espaniol ( a miniture Spanish Village built for the 1929 Universal Exposition) a castle and the Catalonian museum. By now it is raining and so we decide to visit the castle instead, however the cab driver decides to drive us to the Catalonian museum. He says in his broken English that this was a good place for us. Not sure if he does not know where the castle is or if he simply did not want to go there but here we are at the majestic Catalonian museum housed in the palace that also was built for the Universal Exposition. The Palau National then stood empty for almost 70 years until 2005 when it became the home to the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya. The museum houses mostly Catalonian art and one can see a collection spanning 1000 years. The palace is fitting for a king's residence right down to the promenade that leads to it, the fountains, the statues and beautiful gardens but one cannot find royals here as it was just built as an exhibition piece. The view from the museum is breath taking even on overcast days.
One can see the bullring that also stood empty after bull fighting was outlawed but now houses a shopping center and features roof top restaurants all around the top. One can also see the other noteworthy buildings of the city, the Sagrada Familia, Santa Maria de Mar (the gothic church), the olympic stadium, the harbour to just name a few.

My favorite part of Barcelona is the gothic area or as it is called Barri Gotic. There you can find buildings from the 1500's, and part of the Roman Wall, a leftover from when this city was in Roman hands over 2000 years ago. The area off La Rambla is beautiful with its narrow sidestreets and high buildings where flowers on the balconies compete with the laundry hanging out to dry in the warm weather. Some balconies almost resemble a mini garden and the colorful housepaints in pink, salmon, blue, green, orange and yellow underline this beauty. There are shops everywhere in the city but here you can find the most unique ones. Best known streets for unique shopping are Carrer Ferran or any of the other alleys, but if you are looking for designer shopping you need to visit Passeig d Gracia and Portal de l'Angel or the El Corte Ingles department store by the Placa Catalunya which reminds me of the Gallerie Lafayette in Paris though the building is not quite as exquisite here.

Barcelona ~ the largest city in Catalonia and the second largest in Spain is a city of great architecture and it's local hero is Antoni Gaudi who built many beautiful houses, the foremost mentioned Palau Guell,the unfinished church La Sagrada Familia. and of course Park Guell. After Gaudi built Guell his mansion in town the plan was to create a park outside the city limits, a park where 60 homes were supposed to be built in beautiful surroundings. The economy however was not strong enough to support the idea, so in 1914 it was abanded. Only the park was built and evenutally donated by Senior Guell's inheritors. Today Park Guell with it's 1718 hectares of nature is a mecca for Gaudi worshippers from all over the world. The main attraction is the serpentine bench in the large square where you can find visitors resting, taking a nap, watching the birds and people or just hanging out and chatting with friends. There are so many details to this beautiful, mosaic tiled 110meter long bench that just looking at it makes people happy. I did not know much about Antoni Gaudi before coming here but I am becoming more and more a fan of this master of beauty. The two lodges are the caretaker's lodge and the adminstrative lodge, both beautiful examples of Gaudi's style, and the only two that the architect had planned for the park.

In the city one can visit two apartment houses completely built by Gaudi, Casa Mila or also known as La Pedrera and Casa Battlo which is one of the seven buildings that are now declared World Heritage sites by Unesco. Both buildings are perfect examples of Gaudi's style that combine his four passions: architecture, nature, religion and the love for his native Catalonia. I am fascinated by the perfect balance in the use of ceramic, stained glass and wrought ironwork he used in all of his creations. The chimneys on the rooftops of the aprtmenthouses are surely photographed by visitors from all over the world. Casa Mila or also known as La Pedreza ~ the Catalonian word for Quarry ~ as the building is completely constructed of natural stone. The highlight at Casa Mila is the large emsembly of surrealisitc chimneys some of which have tops created from hundreds of broken champagne bottles that shimmer in the bright sunlight. The mosiac of ceramic pieces are a colorful contrast to the earthy color of the chimney's terra cotta. Gaudi's first work were the lamposts at Placa Reial but his magnum opus is the unfinished church La Sagrada Familia. Gaudi started working on the church in 1883 and dedicaded more than 40 years on the project working the last 15 years of his life exclusively for it. The plan is to have it finished in 2026 or 2041 depending on whom you ask. Once finished the church will comprise of 18 tall towers with the tallest reaching a height of 560 feet and it is supposed to be 180feet wide and about 300feet long. A 180m high tower with a lamb on top representing Jesus is surrounded by four taller towers representing the four evangelists. The basilica includes three facades ~ the passion facade, the nativity facade and the glory facade representing faith, hope and love.One can go to the top of the church but only if the weather is nice, the decision about the weather is being made by the people in charge. During the civil war in 1936 some of the models and most of the plans were destroyed by Catalan anarchists that wanted to rid the city of it's religious icons. The construction is now under the lead of Jordi Bonet i Armengol and starting in the 1980's computers were used for the design and further progress.

A little bit of trivia ~ After living in several places in the gothic area Gaudi finally moved to a house in Park Guell ( now the Gaudi Museum) where he lived with his father and a niece until just a few month before his death when he started living at the workshop of Sagrada Familia. Gaudi remained single having been attracked to only one woman who did not love him back. At age 73 he was walking along a street and was struck by a passing tram, he lost consciousness. Since he looked like a beggar due to having no identification documents and judged by his shabby clothing, he did not receive proper care for his injuries. When he was recognized two days later his condition had deteriorated to the point that help was too late and he died three days after the accident. Gaudi is buried in the crypt of the church.

Finally it is time to visit the cemeteries. It is a sunny day and we walk a long way in order to prevent having to switch trains in the underground. The Metro like the one in Paris, London and Berlin is a construction of endless tunnels completely underground yet has cellphone reception. Sometimes one has to walk quite a distance from one platform to the next. It helps to know where one wants to go as the color coordinated lines go both directions. Also like the Metro in Paris it is completely safe to ride even at late hours and for single young women.

The cemetiri de Poblenou( also called the old Barcelona cemetery) is located in the neighborhood with the same name and close to the beach. It is frequented by lots of seagulls and home to many stray cats. There are no tours but one can follow the map in a self guided tour ( not available in English). The tour covers 30 different markers from famous architects covering different periods and styles from the year 1775 when the cemetery was opened until 1888. It is a fairly small graveyard and it's most famous statue is the Kiss of Death where death in form of a skeleton grabs onto the body of a lifeless man and kisses him. A very odd marker, I wish I would know the reasons why and for whom it was made.

The other cemetery Cemetiri de Montjuic is built into the hillside of Montjuic and used to be the Jewish cemetery before the grave makers were needed for building projects. The cemetery now houses 152,000 bodies in 57acres between the cargo port of Barcelona and the Castell on top of the hill some nine levels high. Opened in 1883 it offers also a self guided tour slightly longer than the one at Poblenou with three different routes to chose from and lasting at least three hours. One can find some impressive enormous mausoleums here and many many walls where one is buried in a small niche up to eight high, kind of living in an apartmenthouse versus a mansion. Famous people buried here are Joan Miro and the founder of the soccer club Barcelona though one would not find them easily. The most visited and well known staue is that of the man who dug his own grave. He was one of the workers, a grave digger by trade who hit himself with the axe and was killed and then buried in the same grave he dug. The statue was created as a memorial for all the workers.What is apparent in both cemeteries is the fact that the angels are beautiful and young ( in some case even sexy looking)which gives you the feeling that the afterlife is nothing to fear about. It is known that the people of Barcelona do not care much for tourism in their graveyards so it is not encouraged. We are alone for most of the time only to be joined by two ladies from Ireland at the end. Planning to visit the Olympic Stadium we end up at the Catalonian Musuem again, it seems to be our destiny to end up here which is okay. Today is a great day to be enjoying the city from above.

Barcelona is also the stomping ground of young Picasso and the Picasso museum offers mostly works from his childhood which is just fine with me. I like his way of painting before he became the artist of paintings for what he is known for. These early works are amazing especially if one considers that they were done by a child. What happened? one might ask, did he take crazy pills? How else is it possible to paint where the eyes are outside of the face and the nose on top of the head. Anyways before all you art critics get mad at me, let me just say, the guy did have talent but did not use in a way that can be appreciated by all.

On Sundays after 3pm the museum is open for free however one has to stand in line in order to get a ticket, so many many people join us waiting in the rain ( not sure if the rain or the free entry is the reasonfor the long line , maybe both). We are bothered by the other many many people that are trying to sell cheap umbrellas that only last one or two times. We already had bought two of these a few days before and resist the urge to do so again. Waiting in line we have conversations with some American girls and an old lady from England who now makes a living as a tourguide in Barcelona. She too does not care much about Picasso. Even in the rain people are happy and don't mind the long wait, even in the rain this city is colorful and fun. Inspired by Picasso ~ if that is possible~ we venture out that night to have dinner at the restaurant where the painter used to hang out in his days. Els Quatre Gats sure is a tourist place but it is pretty cool and the fact to be able to sit in the same room where some famous guy spend his time almost hundred years ago is awesome. The atmosphere is great which live piano music and while the food is only okay, the wine is superb and the dessert to die for.

Sunday is also the day when one can witness the people of Barcelona perform the traditional dance of Catalonia, the Sardana. On the plaza in front of the cathedral Santa Maria del Mar, built in 1298, members of this Catholic church come together and dance the Sardana to the music of seven or eight musicians. It is a nice day and the mostly elderly dancers all seem to enjoy themselves. I was expecting it to be a fundraiser for surely needed church restorations but nobody other than the beggars arked for money. We are planning to visit the church which as do most old churches offers different styles from different centuries, but first it was a mass that prevents us from doing so, and later it is the siesta ( church is closed from 1;45pm to 5'15pm). Noteworthy is the Capalla del Santo Cristo de Lepanto ( built between 1405 and 1454) which contains a crucifix that was brought on board of a ship in the battle against the Ottomans and is considered one of the finest examples of Gothic art. We also want to climb to the roof of the church but we always seem to be there at the wrong time. Hm, considering that the entrance fee to climb up the stairs is 6 Euros you would think they are interested in having people do so but that is not the case neither here nor at the other churches. The relaxed attitude is visible everywhere or is it a case of not really caring? I hope not. No matter what it is, we never made it to the top of the church or got to ride the cable tram as that was either out for maintenance or it was too windy or rainy or whatever the reason.

And then there is the beach which is certainly worthy of a visit even when the weather is not hot. We have a nice lunch at a lovely beachside restaurant, eat delicious food and drink some good wine, the waiter speaks lots of languages but he is Russian. He tells us that the cheeks are the best part of the fish he serves us. Well fed we walk along the beach where we witness girls in Barca ( the name of Barcelona's famous soccer club) shirts play soccer, man in barca shirts play volleyball and others just enjoying the outdoor living on a Saturday. We admire the different art displays on the beach mostly leftovers from the 1992 Olympics but still beautiful. Two very visible ones are Frank Gehri's fish sculpture and Rebecca Hoke's " Estel Ferit" ( wounded star) that pays homage to the many traditional beach restautants that are now demolished.At the end of the beach which is manmade also for the Olympics sits the Westin Hotel in the shape of a sail just like the one in Dubai. It is a sunny day and people enjoy themselves, we find them sitting in the sand drinking wine or champagne, having a picnic or just hang out. It's a good day for either of those things.

While Barcalona is a city of music contrary to most people's belief flamenco is not native to Catalonia. We had plans to visit a flamenco show but changed our minds. There is a lot of other music, mostly classical guitar performances in the churches. As in most big cities you will find many amateur musicians on the street corners, in front of touristic attracktions, and in the subway. Some better than others but all give the city this special atmosphere that makes it charming.

Whenever we are in different country we try to be as local as possible, eat at the local restaurants, buy at the markets and small mercados. Barcelona has many of these mercados that are the size of half a garage and sell everything necessary, bread, butter, cheese, sausage, a little bit of fruit and of course wine. In fact the wine selection is pretty decent and inexpensive. One day we went to our neighborhood mercado and picked out a few bottles of vino tinto one of them being under 2 euros. It was good wine and it did not create a headache the next day. I think just like the French, the Italians, and the Germans the Spaniards keep their best wines in the country.

There is one thing in Barcelona and maybe all over Europe, that I find disturbing ~ graffiti being visible everywhere. Every store door is covered in irate writings, and wierd drawings in colorful spraypaint. To prevent this some people have hired painters to produce nice "graffiti" and often it seems to work but still some doors continue to be the subject of this disgraceful act. There is a very high unemployment rate here and I wonder if that has something to do with it, certainly the paint thrown against government buildings will fit into that thought. Boredom and anger is not a good combination. Anger can also be heard clearly as Barcelonians complain about the lack of jobs and the bad economy. While Catalonians have the right to speak their own language many also seem to wish for the statue of autonomy of Catalonia. Signs saying "Catalonia is not Spain" and the Catalonian flag are visible everywhere.

A visit to Barcelona would not be complete without a visit to the enourmous marketplace Mercat de la Boqueria or Mercat Sant Josep. The market is built at the exact spot where in 1835 the convent of St.Josep was burnt down, the first stone was laid in 184o on March 19, which is Saint Joseph's Day. It is a very busy place with tourists wandering through the market mostly taking pictures, slurping coffee or juice, housewives shopping for the evening dinner and restaurant owners picking out the meats, fish and vegetables to prepare the dishes for the many tourists. There are sellers of sweets, fruits, vegetables, eggs, mushrooms, spices, fish, and meat and there are restaurants where one can pick out the fish one wants to eat and it will be prepared right there. Talk about fresh!The atmosphere is lively, all languages can be heard and if you arrive hungry you will surely find something that pleases you.

When our time is up only a few of the items on my list are uncrossed and many new things have been discovered. Things I will never forget, others maybe not so noteworthy. I am happy to have been able to spent 10 days in this beautiful, lively, and colorful city. As for the many museums we did not have time for, the Arc de Triomf and the Parc de la Ciutadella, maybe next time. I could get used living here but first I need to improve my spanish/catalonian language skills. Adios!

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