Bicolor Flower Fantasy

It's Friday. I am tired and felt like watching some movie. Got home from work and thought I might as well play with an old picture to see what came out. After some time and not without changing looks on many occasions I went for a more surreal touch. Have a nice weekend everyone!

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Looking for the Perfect Chocolate Display, La Boqueria Market, Barcelona

Whether you are on a strict pre-winter-holiday diet like me or you are prone to go on an unleashed dessert-swallowing spree more than often convinced as you are that gluttony is no sin, you have to admit that an attractive display is 90 percent responsible for our brains to start sending green light signals to our less rational stomach. Take the case of this impeccable chocolate stand display so well kept by this young employee at renown Barcelonian market, La Boqueria.

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Boatman Rowing - Parc de la Ciutadella Lake, Barcelona

Rowing is not as easy as it seems. Everyone getting on board of a boat for the first time stranded in the middle of one of those beautiful park lakes will probably agree with me that coordinating both arms to make the ship move in the right direction is not a piece of cake, so guess what it should be like towing almost a dozen boats the way this dexterous boatman does in the Parc de la Ciutadella. Should you want to row a boat on the lake, check the price:

30 Minutes:

2 Persons 6 EUR
3 Persons 9 EUR
4/5 Persons 10 EUR

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Graffiti from Barcelona, Spain

Just another sample of good Barcelonian graffiti. Street art is everywhere in our city. Maybe too much sometimes but when nice it is really refreshing and stimulating.

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Aurora and Chariot: Golden Horses Detail

I had promised to continue with the full story on the Cascade fountain in Ciutadella park but I was busy and chose another detail of one of the many elements in the sculptural group and monument: the horses drawing Aurora's Chariot. Aurora obviously is not on sight due to this low angle. The fact is that the lady is only visible from the square in front of the cascade. I was not carrying the proper lens to zoom in so I had to come closer. By the way, Aurora is the name Romans gave to Eos the dawn goddess according to Greek mythology. Notice: there is also a renown art deco wall relief by the name The Chariot of Aurora and also just to make a bad joke, Eos has nothing to do with Canon.

Griffin Reflection - Cascade Fountain, Parc de la Ciutadella, Barcelona

It is strange but before describing the stage which is the Cascade fountain at Parc de la Ciutadella and its history, I would like to show you one of the actors, a griffin (griffon or gryphon). Remember Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban? That beast they are trying to feed? Well, that was a hippogriff, the mixture of a horse and a griffin. A griffin has the body of a lion instead plus the common eagle traits. In the Cascade, there are four of them. The combination of the mythological being and its reflection really captivated me. I hope Aurora on the chariot back there (you will see tomorrow) is not jealous. It is evident that she has the leading part in this elaborate fountain. By the way, the four water-sprouting griffins were sculpted by the same artist that created the famous 7.2 m high statue of Columbus at Las Ramblas, his name, Rafael Atché (1854 - 1923). Once said that, check next post for the whole story.

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Ciutadella Parc: Tricycle Ride

Who said Barcelona is just museums! Our city is great to enjoy a good ride or a nice walk along one of its many green promenades. Notice these girls having fun in Ciutadella Parc on board of this curious tricycle with front load.

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Ciutadella Park: Water-Jug With Children by Josep Reynes

Ciutadella Park, a part of the city I had not covered much in my blog in the past, is a vast green area, a sort of Central Park that holds some museums and the zoo and is sprinkled with numerous sculptures. This fountain designed by Josep Reynés dates back to 1882. The Font Gerro amb Nens (water-jug with children fountain) is one of the finest in the park.

Josep Reynés (1850-1926) was a Catalan sculptor that was trained in Barcelona and at Carpeaux’s studio in Paris. He was greatly influenced by the French school. We saw one of his works when we featured the reliefs at Arc de Triomf.

Egg Stall, La Boqueria Market, Barcelona

Illuminated by both the warm incandescent light of the bulbs and the pristine rays of the early morning Sun these eggs, so carefully laid out as they are, seem to draw the most attention in La Boqueria market. In my opinion, the egg stall is only second best to the fruit stand at the entrance. By the way, today it is starting to be slightly cold in Barcelona although for tourists coming from up North this must be a joke. Sooner or later we will be like little chicks looking for a warm shelter under Mommy Hen's feathers. I hate winter.

Placeta de Sant Francesc, Barri Gotic, Barcelona

This is a tiny square, in fact it does not have width enough to be called so, along Carrer d'Aglà in Barri Gotic, Barcelona. Check the map below. There are some interesting bars on the area like Pilé 43 near Carrer dels Escudellers where you can have some mojitos and enjoy the retro decoration which is on sale by the way. But I digress. Most of all I wanted to include another front door street art sample in the neighborhood and perhaps highlight the beauty of the upper part of the image.

Placeta de Sant Francesc on Google Maps

Opuntia ficus indica: Cactus Figs - Higos Chumbos

Here are some Cactus Figs, Indian Figs, Tunas or as we know them in Spanish, Higos Chumbos. A lot of names to designate a delicious fruit that oddly enough comes out of Opuntia ficus-indica, a cactus. This is one good example of specialization, of survival in extreme conditions, one of those wonders of mother nature.

Would you expect to get food out a cactus!? I mean, imagine you are a primitive man, you are starving and you get lost in the Sonoran desert. You know that you should not try any odd beautiful fruit or plant cause previous experience tells you that it could be dangerous. You probably get to smell it, lick it but finally the spines make you change your mind. I have always wondered who was the first to try so and so, say, eating an octopus or a snail or a swallow's nest or a shark's fin!? They say cattle have a knack for this plant once farmers burn it to get rid of the sharp points.

I suppose no one got rid of the spines for us in the past, or was it a lightning perhaps, maybe a suicidal cow who dared to chew on it or why not, the blasting jet of a mysterious alien mothership? I have read that in Mexico you do not only eat the fruit but also the young pads called nopales before they grow the spines of course and have them with eggs and jalapeños for example.

In southern Spain higos chumbos grow in the wild as they have this incredible ability to multiply out of any small fragment but there are also extensive crops. Take for example the case of Murcia where almost 200 tons of tunas are harvested every year. The plant has some medicinal properties too as it contains a mucilaginous substance good to treat nausea, headaches, fever, arthritis, constipation, asthma, burns, stomach-ache and a long etc, it even served as a remedy to fight scurvy during long sea journeys. Besides, there are lots of recipes for both sweet and savory dishes.

I just wanted to show you how they looked at La Boqueria market and to let you know that it is quite common to find them when you travel around Spain. Care for a bite?

Hospital de Sant Pau: Modernista Turret

To welcome the new week enjoy this beautiful modernista turret inside Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau many times featured in this blog.

If you want to know more check previous posts by using Sant Pau label below

A Song to Maremagnum

On the bridge to Maremagnum center there are numerous opportunities for interesting photographs. Many people stretch along the brim of the wooden planks looking both ways, the busier side where sightseeing boats and distant cruisers come and go or this part, where the marina is, much more idyllic and inspirational. Take a look at this musician in his solitude with no one but the boats, his guitar and of course me, annoying as a greedy seagull.

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Gills - Corvina Fish, La Boqueria, Barcelona

Today, another dead fish and for a change in La Boqueria market. Yep, posts are somehow fishy lately. Well, fishmongers must be glad, ichthyologists not much, and Barcelona fans, eager to watch other hot spots in the city, rather disappointed. I found the gills of this fabulous corvina extremely attractive so I thought, what the heck, one more for the blog before I say, so long and thanks for all the fish!

Tapa or Pintxo? What's in a Name?

Allow me to use two words to refer to this small serving. As I mentioned in a previous post according to the region you are visiting in this multicultural concoction known by many as Spain, you would call this slice of bread holding a given combination of ingredients, either tapa or pincho. If it carries a toothpick it is certainly a pincho but either way it is a kind of tapa. According to the Real Academia de la Lengua dictionary a Pincho is a small portion of food taken as an appetizer sometimes pierced with a toothpick while Tapa is a small portion of food served as an accompaniment to a drink. Considering such "subtle" difference, a tapa refers to anything small you have while you drink and a pincho does not imply a drink (hard to believe!) and may carry a stick on it (sometimes!). You see, our dictionary does not help much. Well, a pincho or pintxo has to do more with Northern Spain (the Basque country, Navarre, Cantabria, etc) although you may find they call it so in other regions as well. The way I see it, tapa is a more general term that may include larger portions, whether pierced by a toothpick or not but you know what? some pintxos are served on a roll or with no bread at all and even without the toothpick! So there we go again! As you know language is alive and a dictionary just tries to make rules out of common usage. In real life concepts are not that strict. Don't be surprised when you find it hard to decide upon one word or the other and you hear "give me a tapa of jamón" and "a pincho de tortilla".

We went to this Basque restaurant, called Sagardi, where I had a reasonable amount of pintxos like one of these of shrimp and red pepper. In Barcelona pintxos are never as good as in San Sebastian, Bilbao et al. We are aware of that but we look the other way. Most clients already know how a pintxo should look and taste, cause they have been up North and have had a great time there, hopping from place to place in renown streets full of pintxo bars. But we accept the fact, pay more and dream about our next trip to the land of pintxos. Those of you who never tried them before are surely missing one of the greatest culinary experiences you can think of not just because of the quality of the product and the way it is presented but also because of the ritual behind it, the social aspect of going for and sharing around pintxos. As I said, Barcelona is not the perfect place for what is known strictly as pintxos. We have a whole bunch of extraordinary tapas bars but for us going for pintxos is not a way of life if you know what I mean. In the Basque country there are annual competitions of pintxo bars, everyone wants to serve the best pintxo cause positive word-of-mouth communication really makes the difference. Good pintxo fans travel together in groups and have a route of their own with an expert eye for the best choice so guess how important it is to have a good reputation and deliver quality service.

How it works?: Ask the waiter for an empty dish and order your drink of course (I prefer cider or sometimes a glass of txakoli which is a young white wine) and then start "fighting" with other clients in your quest for the best pintxos properly displayed in comfortable self service lid covered glass shelves or conveniently distributed all over the counter and constantly refurbished with an extraordinary amount of possible combinations of food. Take as many as you wish but never throw the toothpick. You ought to keep those on your dish so you can tell the waiter how many pintxos you had when you ask for the bill. If you want to know more and choose your own route or find the best tapa/pintxo try: Todo Pintxos.

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Straws - La Boqueria Market

Whoever has visited La Boqueria market has probably seen the attractive display of colorful straws on the chilled glasses of orange juice.

I have to confess I rarely try one of those. You know, locals sometimes avoid the obvious specially when we think something is too much tourist-oriented. But one thing is certain, the presentation is fantastic and not just because some straws match FC Barcelona soccer team colors but also because of the perfect arrangement, the ice, the froth and the smell of fresh fruit.

In fact, I think I am being pretty unfair and stubborn in this case. Whatever you do, please don't miss this stall at the very entrance of La Boqueria market. Take a break and enjoy a refreshing glass of juice à ma santé!

Ficomic, Carrer Palau 4, Barcelona: Street Art on Door

On one of my photo walks in search for street art I found this beautiful work on a wooden door. I simply took the picture unknowingly of the relevance of the place. At home, and upon zooming in I found that little black sign on the right that says: Ficomic and a small one in white that read, Palau 4 entlo. 1. So far so good. I googled up the company's web and learned that they organize the Salón del Cómic de Barcelona and Salón del Manga both events having great significance in the cultural agenda of the city. So I hope this artsy door acquires the relevance it deserves.

Barcelona Wine Stores: El Celler de la Boqueria

El Celler de la Boqueria (Cat. for cellar) is one of those small businesses surrounding La Boqueria stalls that you should bear in mind when visiting this famous Barcelona market. The place is run by the second generation in a family of wine connoisseurs with over 40 years experience. And I won't say more because I don't mean to advertise the shop but to sell the excellence of the Spanish and Catalan wines showcased in this beautiful corner of La Boqueria.

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Seafood Stand, Boqueria Market, Barcelona

Yesterday, I went to La Boqueria market and took some more pictures. For those who were interested in images that were more on the report side and less on the artistic one here is a general view of a seafood stand. There are others with more fish but I thought you would like to see the shells and some people buying stuff. Once more, there's a contradiction here: my first impulse would be to show only those beautiful gigantic shells from a close distance but you want to see more of the market. I understand. Maybe a little bit of everything is better. When you capture all the scene then you start getting some noise, like a bottle, a box, people talking on the right, a man turning his back on us, etc. But then again this blog is meant to please you more than myself. If not it would be a monologue.

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Barcelona, the City that Still Remains

There are cities that are in the middle of nowhere, secluded in secret valleys, or hidden in impossible ravines. Cities that talk about their past, a past of conquest, of war, cities that in general tend to be at the very center of their vast territory as in fear of raids led by the many enemies their glorious exploits gained. But there are quieter urbs that make us think of more bucolic scenes, of meadows, of water springs, of good spirits and the smell of incense, spices and saltpeter, a city between two rivers, a Mediterranean metropolis the Romans once called Barcino, surrounded by gentle hills that any hostile horde could easily invade but that still lies in the very endroit parfait its founders sought for her against all odds, all greed, all plagues: the city of Barcelona.

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