- The Ramblas. Every ten paces you take, you are blocking an ecstatic tourist taking a photo of a mime miming doing nothing.
- Obviously the city has passed a city ordinance stipulating that a guy cannot be seen on a terrace or balcony or window visible from others' terrace-balcony unless he is buck-naked.
- 21 July night. Music from Sir Mick y sus chicos drifting from Montjuic onto my Barrio gotico terrace. One moment the whole town seemed to be joining the falsetto chorus of "Miss You".
the good: the sights, sounds, tastes and textures of the fabulous Boqueria market - I couldn't believe how expensive the barnacles were (how do you cook them, for goodness sake?)
the bad: the unhelpful nature of the Barcelonans in shops, tourist offices, the rental agency we unfortunately used and on all forms of transport. They were so rude so often!
the ugly: the mouthfuls of abuse from the buskers in the Ramblas if you took a photo without putting money in the hat
the dreamy: Gaudi, Gaudi, Gaudi and more Gaudi - his fantasies are the stuff of dreams
We were lucky enough to go to a concert at "The Palau de la Musica" when we were in Barcelona last year. I agree with you Bobbix,it's fab!
Although we were in awe of Gaudi's mastepieces we didn't fall for Barcelona like we did Madrid, which is now becoming more popular than Barcelona I hear. Maybe we felt some of Gaudi's sadness or maybe because it's just a busy port that it comes with all the attendant problems. I'd go back to both but Madrid would be my first choice,even though I'm a compulsive "Shadow of the Wind" reader! Wendy
Posts: 2745 | Location: Lightwater Surrey U K | Registered: 30 March 2003
Madrid is also my first choice. I am not a Gaudi fan. In fact, I positively dislike his work. I do like Catalonian culture overall, however, and Modernismo.
Good: Those granjas. Those horchatas de chufa. The leche marjoquina at Granja Viader. Other delightful surprises: . having a barrio gotico apartment can actually mean a very quiet environment, if the apartment gives onto an inner courtyard or side-side-street. My very central barrio gotico digs were quieter than my Paris apartment! . had an extremely reasonably priced dream of a lunch at the 7 Portes. But we both had - in addition to a mountain of seafood - arroz negro and got black teeth. We looked like 2 Edo period geishas, at least from the nose down and the neck up. I therefore do not recommend arroz negro as a 1st-date dish. Luckily it wasn't our first date or nobody would be kissing anybody. - Night of San Joan: fireworks on all sides of my terrace. Didn't know which way to look. More moving than the big fireworks were the smaller fireworks but on every roof, all around us...
From good to notso hotso: - modermismo and its momentum of extravagance. But I also understand that many of you don't like Gaudi. Extravagance can become tiring. It permeates all level of life too. In Barcelona you can't sell chocolate in a store without a concept. You can't eat, dress, live, walk, without a concept. Many of those trendoid bars are obviously concepted-out and don't have a single customer in them. Much of Gaudi hits me the same way. You see it for the first time, it elates you. You see it for the second time, it tires you. Likewise, I love much of Barcelona fashion. But often I feel like screaming for the designer to stop: stop it right there! Enough! No more detail! More is less! There's such a thing as too much of a good thing. Ceci dit, am huge huge fan of Julie Sohn.
Ugly as sin - How come all the naked guys on my neighboring terraces all have chimp-style body hair and an alpha gut to match? How come there are never hunks? how come it's never King Juan Carlos?
Dream: Yes, how come King Juan Carlos never sits naked in front of tv guzzling beer screaming-cheering FC Barça in front of my terrace?
Dream: Did you hear? Thierry Henry is coming to Barça. Next year, if not King Juan Carlos, maybe dishy Henry? maybe?
Originally posted by bobbix: King Juan Carlos has rational reasions not to come to Barcelona, although coming in his birthday suit might be a nice gesture!
Leave his majesty alone, he's mine! In fact he made an official speech once in Barcelona, in Catalan. If all kings were like him, I'd be a royalist.
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