Barcelona Photoblog

May 31, 2007

Barcelona Port Mouth: A Quiet Place

Barcelona Port Mouth: A Quiet Place

If you entered Barcelona by sea, like say, on board of a Mediterranean Cruiser or your own boat (stop dreaming!), you would necessarily have to see this place as it is the mouth of Barcelona Port . A very quiet place, away from the noisy city which can hardly be seen from this point on the blurry horizon if you could look left of course. Those fishermen you see came walking along the long concrete wall looking for a deep place to throw the bait. I have left the harbor for the open seas twice, one going to Menorca on a big ferry at night and the other, this time, onboard of a sightseeing boat. On both occasions the experience has been very pleasing, I mean, there is so much silence out there when you are alone with your own thoughts watching the hypnotizing beauty of the sea, that you all of a sudden rediscover that you are alive, that you are not attached to the city, to that portion of land and bricks, that you are not a number in the stats but a human being only attached to nature, to Mother Earth.

May 30, 2007

Garden Flowers: Musings

Garden Flowers

Not the first time I upload some flowers to my photo blog, and certainly I hope it's not the last time. Beauty is all around and as I am not going to have the eye of Ansel Adams for landscapes or Cartier-Bresson's gift for street photography, I'd better concentrate on capturing my modest reality come what may. There is always some art in minor things too. Take for example a bunch of orange flowers in a garden on your way to work or at your neighbors'. You can take a snapshot every time you pass them by and it will always be a different picture, not just because you arranged them in different compositions but because you were many times in a different mood. So art is also a state of mind, it has to do with the soul, with spirituality, and you must be satisfied first with what you create in order to please others. You may be good at it or clumsy as hell, but it's your work, and it is as legitimate as the art of Da Vinci or Michelangelo. This is what I saw, what filled my soul with joy for some milliseconds and now I want to share the scene with you.

May 29, 2007

Singers Rehearsing at Colonia Guell, Barcelona

Singers Rehearsing at Colonia Guell, Barcelona


The day we visited Colonia Guell in the outskirts of Barcelona it was a complete surprise to come across these singers rehearsing in front of the entrance to the crypt (the small church built by Gaudi). They were singing traditional Catalan songs and were supposed to walk towards the center of the small town to enter by surprise in bars to entertain clients.

Places I stumbled upon today: Running the Numbers


May 28, 2007

Well Guarded Thorny Cactus

Well Guarded Thorny Cactus or Every Rose Has Its Thorn

Well guarded secrets have been protected by the sword for centuries and so does nature sometimes with her treasures in many ways. These small flowers perhaps are meant to carry the fruit of this cactus in the long run so they are better kept somewhere safe among these deterrent daggers. Only insects allowed.
Two interesting links I stumbled upon today: Sidewalk Chalk Guy and Lost Cities.

May 27, 2007

Mysterious Faces From the Past by Igor Mitoraj

Street Art in Barcelona: Lying Head

This has been a busy weekend for me. I have not been able to post right on time and besides I have been all day long participating as vocal at one of the electoral tables during deputy elections. So here is what I've got, an almost mortuary image with a strange attraction. As you can see in the picture these small faces on the base of a pedestal at some bigger sculptoric work by Igor Mitoraj are rather spooky, but that is what makes them more interesting. Here is a link to Igor Mitoraj's work.

May 26, 2007

Seaside View of the Solar Panel at Barcelona Forum

Seaside View of the Solar Panel at Barcelona Forum

This is a view of the huge solar panel overlooking the Forum esplanade, as seen from the sea while onboard one of Las Golondrinas, the sightseeing boats navigating both in the harbour and along the coast. Once you reach the Forum area it is time to turn around and navigate back. You never lose sight of this colossal piece of architecture. As the small boat is too far away to compare with the panel and get an idea of its true size I recommend you enlarge the picture and check those tiny people walking under the 10,500-m2 surface of the photovoltaic cell or solar panel. Check some old pictures of mine from other angles: Other side, underneath and the stairs.

May 25, 2007

Waiting for the Bridge: Rambla de Mar, Barcelona



These people were waiting for the wooden decked swing bridge at Moll d'Espanya to close again after letting boats sail into the marina. The wooden platform and the path along the bridge towards Maremagnum, the big leisure center, is called Rambla de Mar. The bridge was designed by Albert Viaplana, professor of Architectural Project at the School of Architecture of Barcelona University and Helio Piñon, his partner, teaching at the school since 1970 and co-editor of Arquitecturas-bis since 1974. They are responsible for major projects in the city so I suggest you check their work here Viaplana & Piñon. Here is a Google Earth Map with a view of the bridge at Rambla de Mar and Maremagnum.

May 24, 2007

Fideua: Paella Made with Pasta

Fideua: Paella Made with Pasta

Following with the odd image carrousel on which Barcelona Photoblog is often riding, lets introduce Spanish Fideua, the pasta version of widely known rice paella. As the name suggest you need noodles (fideos Sp.), but not any kind of noodles. A good fideua is made with capelli d'angelo or vermicelli noodles. Like classic paella, seafood is an essential part of the recipe. When cooking any of both bear in mind that you can obtain a delicious dish either by packing the pan with all ingredients you can or by adding just the right spices and a most tasty kind of fish, its stew and fresh seashells. Whatever way you choose don't spoil it all by overcooking the pasta (or the rice in the case of paella). Here is one of the most simple and well explained fideua recipes I found and here is another much more elaborate. During popular celebrations in Spain it is not strange to see these pans or bigger ones (called paelleras or paellas) full of fideua or paella indistinctly to treat passerbyes (sometimes you have to pay for it). This man in Terrasa near Barcelona, was being followed anxiosly by a hungry pack of humans ominously approaching for the feast.

May 23, 2007

Cactus Flowers






As I was missing my flower posts and I had a terrible need for colors again I've decided to display some tiny cacti full of "flowers". As I am not an expert in Botany here is a specific link to the so called cactus flowers. I try not to turn Barcelona Photoblog into a nature photography site but I am color addicted and I guess I am not the only one. To add some valuable content to the picture here is the web adress to the Botanic Garden of Barcelona.

May 22, 2007

Topsy-Turvy Confidence

Topsy-Turvy Confidence

Being upside down, hanging from just one foot and depending on your partner's firm hold to keep your head safe some meters above the ground simply takes guts and a blind confidence in your fellow trapezist. This circus act took place in Terrasa near Barcelona recently (remember my previous post about the Perch Act). I added a vignette action in Photoshop to blur the distracting blue sign on the left.

May 21, 2007

Street Art in Barcelona: Lying Head

Street Art in Barcelona: Lying Head

Barcelona Photoblog continues with Igor Mitoraj sculptures series. This time, a huge hollow head in the middle of Rambla Catalunya, like some long forgotten totem left behind by an unknown ancient civilization. I close my eyes and I imagine myself diving in a lost world, maybe Atlantis, and seeing the bottom littered with hundreds of these and perhaps part of the 500,000 coins found by US Odyssey submarine who recently claimed to have discovered one of the biggest hoards in a wreckage ever.

May 20, 2007

Igor Mitoraj: Hold me Tight

Igor Mitoraj: Hold me Tight

This is a detail of one of the sculptures disclosed recently along Rambla de Cataluña between Gran Via and Consell de Cent by artist Igor Mitoraj. I forgot to write down the name so I had to give it this title (sorry Igor!). Most of the statues appear fragmented or eroded, and evoke classic sculpture although with a modern approach. There are 20 sculptures in all, and some of them two or three times the size of a person, so it is really impressive to take a walk and see them standing among the crowd. The work of this Polish sculptor will remain on site till next July 1th and if you want to see more visit CaixaForum where some of his marble statues and sketches are also exhibited. In coming days I will show you some more pictures although it was hard to be original over there as there were photographers of all levels capturing them from every possible angle.

May 19, 2007

Folk Dancers near Barcelona

Folk Dancers near Barcelona

Today I would like to resume an old post of mine. It was called People in Catalonia: Dancers. I don't know if this happens to you but everytime I shoot I take several pictures about a single subject and then due to the nature of our photoblogs I am unable to post them all, or what's worse I end up publishing just the one I didn't like so much. Perhaps back in November 10, 2006 I should have posted today's picture, who knows? At least in this image you can appreciate the costumes better. If you want to know more about these dancers or the town, Monistrol, don't forget to click on the labels below.

May 18, 2007

A Dalinian Friend: Portrait

A Dalinian Friend: Portrait

A friend of mine, while we were having dinner at one of those tourist packed terraces in front of Barcelona marina. I don't remember the name of the restaurant, maybe the Rey de la Gamba or similar. The point is that he was sitting next to my daughter, laughing and joking and suddenly gave me this stern look, with his peculiar moustache and I couldn't help thinking of that famous Dali portrait. Portrait photography is not one of my gifts so I try to learn about the light, the focal length, the best aperture and most important identify myself with the subject to trap that inner something. I can't teach you portrait photography cause I have a long way to go myself but I will recommend a good tutorial on how to take portraits to start over with and the work of a couple of modern photographers that serve as an inspiration to me. One is the solid work of Istoica and the other the provocative art in David Lachapelle's collection of portraits.

May 17, 2007

Moritz Beer is Here to Stay

Moritz Beer is Here to Stay

Moritz is an old brand of beer still present in the collective mind of Barcelona, in spite of the fact that the factory was shut down in 1978 due to financial problems. Moritz became the first big brewery in Spain by 1864 although it had been founded some years before (in 1856) as a small factory in the Raval quarter by Louis Moritz Trautman, an Alsatian brewer. Moritz company came to life again in 2004 and the 1864 brewery of Ronda Sant Antoni was commissioned to famous architect Jean Nouvel for restoration. The place is to become a new leisure and gastronomic project called “Fábrica Moritz” and is due to open in 2007. As a curiosity you should know that the basement of the building is a wonderful sample of XIX industrial architecture according to experts. The brand is easily recognizable by a blue M on top of a canary yellow background as seen in this picture of a van at the entrance of Fira de Barcelona venue. The company has reinvented itself not long ago by means of an aggressive and clever marketing campaign that associates itself with major Barcelona city assets. Its most fierce competitors San Miguel and Estrella Damm (featured in Barcelona Photoblog some months ago, see Damm Group post here), are still the predominant brands, especially Estrella, but Moritz is squeezing itself into the little niches big brothers neglect such as a more direct relationship with clients, an impeccable efficiency in production (now you can buy it almost at any bar in Barcelona after only two years of relaunching itself), an attractive design and what's more important an exquisite flavor.

May 16, 2007

Fountains of Montjuic in Barcelona. A Winter Photograph

Fountains of Montjuic in Barcelona. A Winter Photograph

This is a winter photograph I have picked up from Barcelona Photoblog archives. It depicts a line of small dry fountains as I am walking down the stairs on my way to Plaza España from Fira de Barcelona venues. In fact, the real Montjuic fountains, those that are illuminated to the beat of the music every September 24th during La Mercè celebrations are the ones you see in the roundabout. But these modest ones always call my attention and now after so much time I notice again the non-polluted light of the winter sun illuminating that perfect diagonal that I had accidentally overlooked in my previous daily publishing. For a bird's eye view of the place why don't you take a look at this Google Earth snap.

May 15, 2007

Mosaic Wall Signs at Park Guell. Why Park?

Parc Guell: Serpentine Bench

Although on looking at the thumbnail (some of you come through the City Daily Photo Blog portal or directly searching for Barcelona pictures in Google images) you might think these are a couple of hand wrist Swatch watches nothing could be further from the truth. These are the two mosaics found on the wall at the entrance of Park Guell, which were made following the trencadis technique used by Antoni Gaudi. For English speakers the name is completely normal but it is odd for us that it reads Park and not parc (Cat.) or parque (Sp.). Why "Park"? Basically because the place was initially conceived to be a sort of city on the lap of the mountain based upon the Garden City model by British inventor, Ebenezer Howard, who impressed by a futuristic novel published in 1888 and some other preceding works created his own Utopian plan about a garden city, a new home for an idyllic society that would make a better world. Remember that Gaudi and his art patron Eusebi Güell i Bacigalupi were very influenced by the modern ideas of those times, coming from Europe and the United States, and besides, they were very religious men. About the image, I should say they were taken on a dull weather day and are not especially my favorite, in fact, I think the idea of mixing both words in one is not new but they surely have helped me make my point about the origin of the name.

May 14, 2007

Old Trades: The Basket Weaver

Medieval basket weaver


The new week is here so we must all get back to work as we have been doing for centuries. Work wouldn't be the way we know it now, if it weren't for those medieval craftsmen who developed their skill at so many different trades in the Middle Ages. Man was no longer a serf bowing before the landowner but a laborer, a freeman and in doing so he developed his intellect, his culture and came out of the darkness. Here is this basket weaver at the Medieval Fair in Súria near Barcelona. I have dealt with this famous market in previous posts. Feel free to explore them using Blogger labels right below.

May 13, 2007

Yellow and Red Flowers for Mothers Day 2007

Yellow and Red Flowers for Mothers Day 2007
*© This Picture is Free

Although here in Barcelona Mothers Day was celebrated last Sunday, I would like to wish all mothers in the world a very beautiful anniversary to enjoy in the company of her beloved sons and daughters. To them I send them these impressive flowers, you may use them as wallpapers, print them, sell them, this particular picture I give everyone for free. Happy Mothers Day 2007!

May 12, 2007

Castles: Salvana Tower at Santa Coloma de Cervello

Castles: Salvana Tower at Santa Coloma de Cervellò
© All Rights Reserved

An abandoned castle near Colonia Guell in Santa Coloma de Cervelló, Barcelona city. Known as Salvana Tower, the castle was first documented in 992, the year it was sold by Ramón Borrel i Ermengol to the lord of Masquefa castle whose heirs first acquired the Cervelló name and the title of Baron until 1297. After that it was occupied by different illustrious families until 1857. Most of the castles I see here in Catalonia are lost up there in the mountains and I rarely have time to take my camera and climb up for some good pictures, so being this close has been an interesting experience. It is a pity that being so near to Gaudi's Colonia Güell , nothing is done to restore the tower, at least. Behind the building there is a beautiful valley the dwellers must have been scrutinizing constantly for different reasons and in between, the highway to Barcelona.

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