Ramble Bamble to Barcelona

Our plan for our 30th wedding anniversary (2020) was to visit Spain. Covid 19 had other plans for us. A pandemic has a way of pausing your life and at the same time bringing it into closer focus. In the end, you learn that you can celebrate anything at any time, every day, in any way that works for you. Don't let the calendar dictate your joy. Two years later and we're finally taking our anniversary trip.

Generally speaking.

Barcelona is big and busy and bustling but at the same time it's slow and steady. There is time for coffee and pastries and tapas and strolling. The native language is Catalan, which is a specific type of Spanish that my Duolingo app did not teach me. The people are friendly though and really encouraging as you attempt to speak the language. Most speak English so you don't have to worry if you don't speak any Spanish.

Favorite Food:

Tapas: I love the way the Spanish eat! All in moderation and carb load in the morning. #churrosconcholate Portions are smaller and a few euros each so it's not uncommon to order several plates and share just to have a taste of each.

Paella- They tell you when you go to Spain that you have to try the Paella. Usually what we do to get the most authentic dish is to find the tourist section and then stroll off the beaten path. You're looking for the neighborhoods where you see laundry hanging and people strolling to the local market with their carts. We ramble bambled to a place called Can Romanet: "Can Ramonet is a long-established restaurant, filled with great food and contagious joy. The story of Grup Ramonet begins with this restaurant, in a small, 18th century winery located in the heart of the Barceloneta district."

Pastisset: we discovered this Catalan dessert in one of the cafes in the Ramblas district. I have absolutely no idea what the filling was, maybe some kind of figgy, cinnamon, almond goodness but it was delightful and I'm glad I tried it. You know who ordered the chocolate cake and red wine.

Favorite Places

Park Guell- It's one of the main attractions in Barcelona and it's whismical and beautiful and so forward thinking for its time especially in the area of sustainability and ergonomics due to the prinicipal architect Antonio Gaudi. His designs are meaningful in so many ways and many pay tribute to his faith. You'll find many mosaic pieces. In Catalan trencar means to break. In some ways, we are all broken, but together we are something beautiful.

Sagrada Familia- This cathedral is a must see in Barcelona. Many will say, if you've seen one cathedral, you've seen them all, but not this one. It will take 8 more years to finish! It's based on the traditional Gothic architecture but every nook and cranny and facade tell a story. The Gaudi guy I just told you about was commissioned to add his special modernist touch. As a result, there are colors on the exterior, bright grapes and grains that symbolize communion, there are statues that represent every contintent (the Americas are an Eagle) some of the angels have Asian eyes as a nod to the Japanese sculptor who created them. The Our Father is displayed in every language of the world. There's a mirror table in the back of the room. When you look into it, you see all the details on the ceilings. The Bobster and I agreed that it really looks like there's a stairway to heaven. The pictures that we took, do not do it justice. As I walked in, after being totally blown away by the outside, my jaw dropped, literally. I looked to see one of the guides smiling. She witnesses that awe every day. She watches people's reactions as they walk in and it truly must be one of the joys of her job.

Picasso Museum

To be honest, we're not really huge fans of Cubism and the way Pablo depicted eyes and noses in the middle of nowhere, however, his story is fascinating. He said that as a child, he learned to paint like an adult and as an adult what made him the most happy was to paint like a child. I love the idea that he kept reinventing his work and that he would take one idea and keep painting it different ways with subtle changes. I think the same is true of all of us. It's never too late to have a new perspective.

Favorite Fun Fact:

Caganer: The Castalans have an interesting take on the equality of all people. They have little figurines that they actually put out with their nativity sets that show a bodily function that no matter who you are, everyone must do. These figures are in many of the shops and some depict famous people. If you look closely, especiallly at the figurines in the display case, you can see that each one has a little deposit left behind. Of course, we bought one!

Barcelona was a blast and our very last day was a beach day, just soaking in all the sites! Onto San Sebastian! Stay tuned!