Auto Retro Barcelona: Antique Cars and Motorcycles Exhibition

Auto Retro Barcelona (2006) came to an end after four days of exhibition in the Fira de Barcelona venue.

I am not a big fan of classic cars or motorbikes, at least not from the point of view of engines, value and so on. What I do like is the aesthetic aspect of these collector's exhibits, especially when you can capture them in your pictures.

Admission fees were a little above my standards (not being a fan and all) so I wandered about the esplanades at the entrance where improvised parking lots lodged some beauties you could easily snap. This was the case of this black Citroën. I've had a hard time identifying the brand and finding a proper link so I leave it up to you to suggest.

Fortunately, it appeared unexpectedly driving down the access road and against the marvelous Palau Nacional building in the background where MNAC (National Art Museum of Catalonia) is.

If you want to know about the history behind Fira de Barcelona i.e. the International Exhibition of 1929 please check my previous posts about this topic.

Spices

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More spices at the Medieval Market of Súria. Remember I showed you turmeric or tumeric in a past post, today you can see madras curry, cayenne pepper, some varieties of tea among others.

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Nativity Façade Detail in Sagrada Familia

This is a detail of the Nativity Façade by Gaudi. An explosion of imagination, the artist at his most. 

I like those wingless angels blowing the trumpets. Did you know that Gaudi firmly believed that angels had no wings and so it goes that no angel in the basilica is represented as such?

Composed by Portal of Hope, Portal of Charity and Portal of Faith and with Joseph, Jesus and Mary as the center in each of them, Nativity façade  is my opinion much more attractive to the eye.

Catalan Modernisme: Múrria Grocer’s Shop in Barcelona

This is a small shop called Queviures Múrria (Cat.) or Colmado Múrria (Sp.) and located in the Eixample quarter, at carrer Roger de Llúria 85. The shop was opened in 1898 and it was called "La Puríssima" but it was a coffee roasters’.It is another example of Catalan Modernisme, one of the many scattered all around Barcelona. There are beautiful signs on the exterior like the one at very corner which has been preserved, advertising famous Spanish brands such as Anis del Mono, a strong anisette liquor still on sale. This grocery store is one of those in which we can still find the savoir faire of family traditions and the excellency of good products so elegantly exhibited that you can't help stopping to look compulsively at the shop window like the three men in the picture.

Stonecutter at Súria's Medieval Market

I felt like black and white today so I selected this stonecutter in the Medieval Fair at Súria near Barcelona (see the original color image here). True craftsmen disguised for the occasion showed you the secrets of old medieval trades. There was the basket weaver, the coal burner, the potter, the weaver, the glassblower and a long list of other crafts represented. Stonecutters or stonecarvers were highly appreciated and well paid at the time and their history is linked to the masons lodges of the middle ages. Learn the basics of stone carving art. An amusing reading to learn about medieval crafts, especially stonemasonry is The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. I couldn't help thinking of Tom Builder when I saw this man.

Cat at Large

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That's it, just a little cat beating around the bush. As you noticed I don't have many pictures of animals and I think this is my first cat. Everybody's got a cat or a dog in their repertoire so I thought I'd give it a try. I liked the place most of all, next to an old house along the road to the fortress town of Suria, although it could be anywhere else. Suria is in Barcelona province but the cat is just a cat.

PS: I am doing my best to keep daily posting. As you know my dsl is down. I proceed to publish past and upcoming posts in a row till next Sunday. I know it is pretty weird but I won't be able to have a connection until Monday when I am back at the office. Friday is a bank holiday here in Spain. I don't want to bother anyone with a "push button" request now since I don't know how long my problem is going to last.

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Parc Guell: Serpentine Bench in the Afternoon

Parc Guell is a place to visit early in the morning or late in the afternoon when long shadows and golden rays of the sun magnify the complex geometry in Gaudi's architecture.

Don't let those unique images you take only once in your lifetime be adorned by blown up skies or the strong highlights on the numerous white tiles of the serpentine benches of the famous hallmark in Barcelona.

I thought I had arrived late to the park the other day, even the little museum inside was about to close but once at home and going over my photographs I was very pleased with the light and colors of the vanishing afternoon.

Other posts about Park Guell

Stained Glass Windows at Palau de la Musica

Dark interiors is not one of my gifts if any! but stained glass windows stand out nicely even when the rest of the image loses shadow detail. I was satisfied with the result considering it was forbidden to take pictures inside Palau de la Musica Catalana concert hall as I mentioned in a previous post and some of you have corroborated.

Love me Tender

Still trying to relax I pick up some more soothing images. This is a lovely couple sharing an intimate moment with me. Is it ethical to spy on people with your camera to show the world? For the sake of beauty and art? I prefer to protect their faces a little bit but of course family and friends will identify them immediately, sorry boys!


Recommended: America from the Great Depression to World War II: Black-and-White Photographs from the FSA-OWI, 1935-1945

Barcelona Beach: An Ever Changing Waterfront

This was the way the beach looked at the beginning of November 2006, the waves had swallowed most of the sand as it happens every year. They want to build some new barriers to stop the sea from altering the shore, a group of 15 piers acting as artificial dams and as every rule has its own detractors, now surfers oppose and claim for their rights.

Costumes in Monistrol de Montserrat

No more food for now, I promise. Now we will deal with people, people wearing costumes. These three characters were walking down the streets of a small town near Barcelona called Monistrol de Montserrat. You would think: it is a boring picture for a post,...it is! My archives are running out of images!...help. On second thought, why not just cropping the lady's feet. It would be great for promoting DP theme day - please read the Recommended section below - From the Waist Down Theme. Besides, I like the funny guy on the right standing in the sun with a smile, almost detached from the scene: maybe you could help me with the character, is he Mr. Gadget or Keanu Reeves traveling incognito in Europe?.

Catalan Traditional Cocas at Suria

A coca is a sort of flat, elongated or round bread dough base baked and covered with different ingredients. Technically similar to pizza you could say, but different in taste. You can have coca de recapte where such base is adorned with escalivada - a mixture of aubergines and red peppers cut into strips and dressed with olive oil (recommended for "anti-baconists") - or you can find the sweet versions (trillions of them swallowed with cava on Sant Joan's eve) covered with glazed fruit, custard, pumpkin jam or just sugar and pine nuts. Although sold in pastry shops and bakeries we prefer the ones baked using traditional recipes and artisan wood fired ovens as the ones in the picture.

Bacon: A Still Life Portrait

Vegetarians should refrain from watching this image for obvious reasons. Bacon, in Spanish: Beicon or panceta, has been present in our "diet" since pigs started becoming pork or even earlier, maybe that's why this product was being sold at the medieval market in Suria, a small town near Barcelona. Learn about the origin of the word here. On the left you have a sample of blood sausages or Spanish chorizos, which you can have in slices in a sandwich or simply add to stews, of course you can do that with bacon too. There is an immense variety of pork by-products in Spain and some of them are traditional in Catalonia such as fuet which is a kind of cured sausage (specially appreciated is the one made in Vic, Girona).

Sunset over Port Vell, Barcelona

Today's picture was taken last Sunday after having lunch at one of the many restaurants in front of the marina in Port Vell (I know, I know, it was quite late for lunch!). It was a hot day, somewhat foggy and the sun was setting rapidly over Columbus column on the other side of the port, just in front of Las Ramblas. Notice that on top of the mountain in the distance you can also spot Calatrava's tower which I had photographed early in the afternoon.

Calatrava Tower at Olympic Ring in Montjuic, Barcelona

This sunday we went out for a walk and some fresh air after recent events I mentioned a couple of posts before. We climbed the mountain of Montjuic to visit the Olympic Ring one more time. I took some new pictures of the big squares and particularly the Calatrava Telecommunications Tower you can appreciate on the left and featured some months ago here.

Art Nouveau Lamp at Palau de la Musica Catalana

This incredibly elaborate art nouveau lamp can be admired inside Palau de la Mùsica Catalana, the famous concert hall built in 1908. Visit this wonderful site called The Route of Modernisme to learn more about this masterpiece of architecture.

Wild Yellow Flowers

These beautiful yellow flowers I dedicate to the memory of a very dear member of my wife's family. As a result of this sad event posts of November 25th and 26th have been uploaded past the corresponding date. I will soon browse all comments I have received from you during these days and try to get up to date. As bad things never come alone, my ISP has left me stranded precisely this weekend but I will do everything within my reach to publish on a daily basis.

Beach Volleyball in Barcelona

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This picture I took the same day as in previous post. Some of you were wondering about the time of year and the weather. Both images are from November 1st. But temperatures are not quite different today the 24th. Let me see, 20º C. Forecast for tomorrow, sunny and 22ºC. Beach volleyball is not one of my favorites but I enjoyed the game for a while. Nice for practising sports photography.

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By the Sea in Barcelona

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Today I am a little late with my post. It has been one of those days work piles up on your desk and you don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Anyway, I chose this image of a couple scrutinizing the horizon at Mar Bella beach in Barcelona dedicated to "sea lovers" worldwide.

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Think Twice: Poverty in Barcelona

Coincidence or not, the cardboard boxes promoting IBM think centre series, grabbed my attention after I took this snapshot next to a bus stop in front of Plaça Catalunya in the very centre of Barcelona. This homeless guy is sleeping but on seeing the sign I can't help imagining that he is thinking, thinking hard, thinking twice about his non-existent future while the rest of the world is thinking about consumer products like the ones that used to be in that box for example. Maybe you would like to see the image in black and white.

Recommended: Now that I raised the issue of homeless people, I suggest you don't miss wonderful Stoneth's photos at Flickr.