Barcelona - The Pyrenees and Costa Brava, a Work in Progress

When I started blogging with Patch a few weeks ago I had just returned from a trip to Spain: or specifically, Barcelona, The Spanish Pyrenees, Andorra, and the Costa Brava. When I returned from the trip, I had an exhibition  to get ready for.  The day after the exhibition my computer, had a melt down and went into Best Buy for service.  The cushy life was gone temporarily and my files and photos scattered.

Luckily, I've started regularly backing my files up on Dropbox (an online file storage facility in the Cloud).  I had done so before we left Barcelona.  When the man at Best Buy asked me if I wanted them to back up my hard drive (an additional 150 dollars) before the repair, I had cavalierly answered, No, (while my heart pounded). But before I signed the document waiving Best Buy's responsibility for damaging any of my data, I stood at the counter and  went online to my dropbox with my Iphone and checked my files for damage control.  So friends, Please BACK UP frequently and try out DROPBOX.COM for free if you want to test their service out.

Most of my photos from the trip were there in Dropbox in my shared folder with my daughter Joanclair. On the 18 hour trip back from Barcelona Joanclair and I had decided to write a journal of our trip:  to stave off boredom on flight but also because we knew we'd both be thrown back into a frenzy of activity when we returned.  It is only now that I have a moment to catch up and savour some of the highlights of the trip.  Since returning,  I keep meeting people who are heading out for Barcelona, the Pyrenees and the Costa Brava, and right now  there are so many priceless memories in my head. 

For now, I will mention just a few about Barcelona.  Please excuse my rambling style but part of going to Barcelona involves a bit of time tunnelling. You end up in places that have existed for centuries; in medieval squares that are 200 feet from one another but might take a half hour to walk between (and you imagine you have crossed borders, changed languages,  cultures, ethnicities).  Cultural Diversity is not a new term in Barcelona.

We stayed in a small self-service apartment on a pedestrian only street a block from the Principal Cathedral of the Historic area.  It crowns the labryinth of the winding ancient streets known as the Bari Gotic,  which ramble out from the Cathedral all the way to the harbor; and where we wandered daily in search of  new discoveries.   A few of our delightful and unplanned adventures included: stops for a cafe express in varied small dark grottos filled with ambient light,  local wine in artists' bars, locals pubs filled with families chatting at 10 and 11 at night,  a fresh meal of Spitfired Roasted Catalan Meats, in a tavern whose entrance was behind the bar, through the kitchen, up several flights of stairs into a maze of room filled to the brim with diners: a gelato stand featuring freshly made each morning choices, a chance festival of Catalon folk dancing, a small square filled with fashionistas in the Born area rimmed by dazzling galleries, cobblestone walls, artisan shops,  hand made goods, teas, coffees, paintings, leather, clothing, antiques, hair and hand boutiques, small pubs, clubs, you get the picture.

In Gotica, round one corner and we would be immersed in the scents of Morrocco and Mint Tea and see men in Fez playing cards or games, around another, in the Born district, the famous  restaurant Cal Pep, where crowds line up at 7 pm nightly to sit at the diner style counter and be consulted through a talking menu and instructed to eat cockles with your fingers and fresh calamari without lemon.  We were told by our Japanese counter mates that we were in the Best Restaurant in Barcelona, and it was not only laid back, but incredibly entertaining to hear raconteur waiters in blatant discussion of the various customers. Our favorite part of the Bari Gotic was the Born district, probably because it is so current with contemporary foodie issues and casual fashion.

Our first day we also we bought an ARTCARD for 7 various museums around the city.  Our first official stop in our artistic cultural excusion was the Church de la Familia Sagrada, Antonio Gaudi's unfinished modernist masterpiece, followed by a tour of one of the apartment buildings he designed, La Pedrera.  The unique architecture was a perfect introduction to the Catalan artistic imagination of the modernist period – typical of Barcelona. Also included with the art card are the Museo Picasso in Born, The Miro Fundacion in Montjuic, The Museum of Contemporary Art in the Raval District, Gaudi's modernist masterpieces, La Familia Sagrada,  Parc Guel, and La Pedrera ( all by Gaudi) At the other end of our street was the famous Ramblas, the large pedestrian thoroughfare that starts at the Plaza Cataluna and also ends at the seaport threading several districts. This is street scene paradise: Street Hawkers, Living statues, sidewalk cafes, enormous puffs of multiflavoured and colored Meringue Treats, bouquets of flowers, bicyles, tourists,  locals, enjoy the wide colorful street 24/7.  Walking along the Ramblas for a block north we reached the Mercat Boqueria,  an immense bustling daily market and festival of every ilk of fresh food, where we joined the locals each morning for Breakfast and enough food  usually cheese, bread, fruit, (and some sinfully good ham-like prosciutto coming from Black Hoofed pigs who dine only only on acorns. Inside the Boqueria is also one of the best tapas restaurants we found. El Quim de la Boqueria. Eat here, you will not regret it!

to be continued........and a word on the meaning of TAPAS

If you have places to recommend in Barcelona, please let me know.

Catalina Express is celebrating their 30th Anniversary by giving a Free Pass to anyone who wants to go to Catalina on their birthday.

Here's What You Do:

• You must pre-register online!
• You will receive an email confirmation from which you will download and print your Free Birthday Pass.
• Before traveling, make your boat reservations online or by calling 800-995-4386. Your birthday promotion code, found on the Free Pass, must be entered for online reservations or mentioned at time of booking by phone.
• Bring your Free Pass and valid photo I.D. to the Catalina Express ticket window on your birthday and hop aboard the Catalina Express to Catalina Island!