Park Güell

Remember when you were a kid and loved to play games in the park like hide and seek or some mangled version of hop scotch? Remember those days when you were a teenager and loved to hang out in the parks for, well, other reasons? Parks — gotta love em! But if you haven’t been to Barcelona, I bet you haven’t seen one like this.

Once a rocky hill with little else in sight, this area that would soon become famous was known as Muntanya Pelada (Bare Mountain). The first plan was to build a residential area for affluent families … and then Antoni Gaudi got hold of it and magic followed. Inspired by the English garden city movement, the original name for this ethereal tract of land was Park Güell. In Catalan the name became “Parc Güell”, and in Spanish, “Parque Güell”. Gaudi’s luscious public park was begun in 1900, officially opened in 1926, and was recognized as an artistic monument in 1969 and a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984. There are spaces both large and small, ornate and calm, the quiet and the raucous. The park is 12 hectares, or roughly 2.5 acres, of magic.

Do you see the yellow bird in the palm tree????

Enjoy!

The Remarkably Mind-Boggling Sagrada Familia

I can’t imagine any edifice on the planet that might hold a candle to this endlessly spectacular work of art. Antoni Gaudi began his massive project at only 31 years old, and worked on it for 43 years — from 1883 until his accidental death in 1926 when he was hit by a tram. An incredibly massive project imagined and brought to a life by a genius who viewed possibility as few others could, Gaudi realized that he might not live until its completion. As a safety measure before his death. he left a model showing the main shapes of the building that would later be constructed. Anticipated completion date is 2026, and I can’t wait to go back.

A Costa Brava Day!

Sea, sand, waves, restaurants, shops, flora, climbing rocks, all kinds of boats moored in the distance, a stairway straight to heaven, and a bevy of girls attached to their phones. And yes, it was a beautiful, beautiful day.

Left to Right and Top to Bottom:

Boats on Shore; Step Lightly; Boats Close-Up; Window Box of Succulents; Flowering Vines; Lunch! Goat Cheese and Veggies; Looking for Bait, and Moored Boats; Bougainvillea; Texting by the Sea.

Barcelona Food!

Do you travel for adventure? Scenery? Meeting new people? Architecture? Exploring? Food? All of the above?

I’m most definitely all of the above, but I did fall madly in love with the local food and Barcelona’s fascinating Mercat de la Boqueria, which is open Monday – Saturday, 8:00 AM – 8:30 PM.

From top to bottom and left to right:

Dragon Fruit; Mixed Fruit; Rambutan; Mushrooms; Olives; Chives and Greens; Oysters; Ummmm, no clue; Percebe and Langosteno ( ; Fruit; Market Entry; Veggies on Strings; Colorful Popsicles; Clams; Ice Cream Sandwiches; Veggie Chips; Calamari?; Eat your Veggies!; Clams and Friend; Stacked in Blue; Dinner!

P.S. Percebes, known as goose barnacles in English, are a Galician delicacy from Spain and are among the most exclusive seafood in Europe. Customers in Spain and Portugal pay up to 200 Euros per kilo for superb quality Percebes. This extraordinary price results from the extreme circumstances in which the rare barnacles are harvested from the rocky cliffs off the Galician coast.

The edible part of the goose barnacles are the stems. These are usually boiled for only a few seconds in salt water with a bay leaf. The leathery skin is then removed with a rotating movement to reveal the flesh. Percebes are most commonly eaten without any other ingredients or side dishes – maybe some olive oil at most.

Until next time!

Barcelona Architecture

It just so happens that my family is laden with architects, which means I can’t get enough of Barcelona and her boundlessly beautiful style. Enjoy!

Barcelona Street Art

A very small sampling of the prolific art that graces Barcelona’s many delightful districts.

Barcelona Moments

For your ogling pleasure!

When It Isn’t Love

Ohhhhhh how I wish I could capture the expressions (and conversation) of the two sitting next to me. I can’t hear either of them, but sometimes the expressions are more than enough.

They’re both young, but that’s as far as similarity goes. I’d say that they’re having a conversation, but he’s the only one talking. He speaks with a firm gaze as though he knows what he needs, and she quietly considers him as if he’s an ass and doesn’t know how to converse. He’s got one arm outstretched and one hand partially raised, as if she just isn’t smart enough to understand his reasoning.

She laughs slightly, but not in the way he thinks she’s laughing.

She’s wearing a cute outfit and and cool white shoes. He’s in flip flops — rarely a good sign.

Her legs are crossed and so are her arms — rather tightly — around the bag in her lap. She knows he’s trouble, and not the good kind.

Her hair is cute — free and wispy. His is tight and sits above a bit of beard. He could be cool, but he’s holding too much anger and even more superiority. He speaks low because he doesn’t want anyone to hear — or worse — to step in — which would certainly throw a wrench into the way he sees himself.

How many times can I look over at him safely? How many times can she?

He wipes down the table. She reaches out to put her hand on his and it moves while he moves, still wiping. He doesn’t look at her.

He stands abruptly and walks to the trashcan. She takes a swig of her frappucino, turns, and follows him.

I wish she hadn’t.

And Suddenly it’s Almost Summer,

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Home from Ireland

And then she was home, happily laden with:

  • three new (heavy) sweaters that I’ll surely need again next time,
  • the thick gloves and ear muffs that were a godsend,
  • not quite enough leggings,
  • a new pair of shoes to replace the two pair that fell apart as soon as I got to Ireland,
  • a baggie full of beautiful stripey rocks (WAY fewer than I wanted to bring home),
  • several sets of broken pottery that I haven’t yet had time to reassemble into something fabulous,
  • notes for my next trip to Ireland,
  • 215 emails that need responses,
  • the joy of laughing with favorite old and new friends,
  • the opportunity to try new things: new art, new hikes, new food,
  • a brand new grandson who sleeps like clouds from heaven,
  • beautiful gardens all gloriously blooming and a sweet husband who keeps them that way,
  • and several handfuls of notes for my next trip (to Barcelona in June!)

Because we’re not getting any younger.

Love to All!