'R' In Barcelona

This time we wanted to make it right. We traveled to Barcelona several years ago (http://sbelenkaya.blogspot.com/2009/12/snow-blizzard-in-dc-is-perfect-time-to.html) and didn’t quite get the buzz. We liked it back then, but we only knew that there was a beach and major gothic Cathedral, because we saw it on the map. We felt like we missed too much.

 

We rented a tiny studio in the middle of everything: 10 minutes to the beach, 5 min to El Born and on the border of Barri Gothic. The studio is in a medieval building on the 5th floor walkup. It has an exposed roman brick wall,

a narrow dark staircase
















and a view of a major very noisy intersection. Life is beautiful!

The Barcelona we saw this time was young and creative. The art was new and the setting was old.

 Chandeliers made from bicycles parts

The Picasso museum is housed in a beautiful gothic building. The most important part of the collection is a gift that Picasso gave to the city of Barcelona: 58 variations on the Velasquez ‘s masterpiece Las Meninas. It felt like a jazz concert performed in drawings and paintings

The art was everywhere, sometimes abstract

sometimes tacky

sometimes funny

 made from a shopping card

 

in form of a urinal

 sometimes high-tech (a 3D printing shop which scans live model)

sometimes nostalgic

strange and surrealistic

It was on the beach

just off the beach

on random buildings

on a chocolate cake



 and just simply vulgar graffiti (attracted my attention because of the Russian scribe)

It has the best tile work ever and most amazing chimneys (stunning Gaudi masterpieces)

 

 

 

and most ornate toilet we have ever seen

The Barcelona we heard this time had rich musical diversity. The grand Palau Musica Catalana was splendid with an ostentatious mix of Art Nouveau with baroque. We saw flamenco gala  of stunning virtuosity.

 

The same day we stopped by a no name coffee bar, because we heard live music playing. It was a free jazz concert. The musicians were young, enthusiastic, and very talented. They played American jazz standards and more native bossa nova compositions with great style and sensitivity  

The Barcelona we understood this time was moving towards Catalonian self­-determination and separation from Spain. Catalonians were celebrating the 300 year anniversary of it’s loss of independence (September 1714)

This was the most extensive celebration of a defeat we ever seen. The celebration included exhibits and cultural events and more amazing public art displays like this:

 

 These are separate photos with "moments of freedom"

 

 And this is how it comes together in a kiss:

The Barcelona which surprised us this time was desperate, trying to preserve the old way of life. The older folks enjoying the  game of bocce on the beach:

 

 La Barceloneta, the old traditional fishing district near the beach and fancy marina

  has several blocks of old working class housing

 

 with clear signs of resistance to the forces of global capitalism:

 

The Welcome note says: The rent of holiday apartments in this neighborhood destroys the local socio-cultural fabric and promotes speculation. Many local residents are forced to move out. Enjoy your stay.

The Barcelona we tasted this time was simply amazing. The markets are to die for

 

 

the wine is dangerously cheap, and the perfumed and silky hamon is omnipresent



 We had the loveliest lunches in our studio just to taste market’s offerings

The tapas bars are picturesque and tricky

They fool the naïve tourists and delight the pickiest of foodies. The old Bar de Pla has great reviews; the tourists are all queued to get in; a traditionally looking décor; expensive basic menu and waiters who don’t look you in the eyes. We learned a long time ago these are bad signs. The food was mediocre and the prices were outrageous.
The Tapeo bar located just down the street was so good, we wanted to try every dish on the menu and food disappeared from our plates before I could pull the phone out of my purse to take a picture

We befriended a waiter after visiting the place for the third time in two days
 

The Barcelona we left this time was warm Mediterranean urban beach in early morning; the sand is little dirty, but water is so clear you can see schools of fish swarming  around you feet. It is so beautiful, relaxing and inviting, you want to come back every morning and will miss it for the rest of your life

 

 



Siesta in Seville

We arrived in Seville early afternoon with the expectation to walk from the train station to our hotel. The expectation was based on our experience that the train stations are located in the city center. It turns out that Seville had undergone quite a bit of development in the last 20 years or so and the modern train station was quite a distance from the center. But we decided to walk to the hotel anyway. A long march under the hot sun all the way through the center exposed a lot of damage the recent development had brought to the city. New buildings and a lot of cars were not thoughtfully integrated into the old city.



















































We arrived to our hotel in the middle of a HOT afternoon exhausted by the long walk. The hotel staff greeted us nicely, offered iced water, but the hotel room was depressingly dingy looking with a stale cigarette’s smell. We reluctantly unpacked but did not want to stay in the room, and decided to walk out and see what’s around. The city was oppressively hot and empty; the windows were covered with heavy shutters to protect homes from the sun.





















But as soon as the sun was down, a cool breeze came out of nowhere and it became rather pleasant. Unfortunately, the window of our hotel didn’t open outside, but on to something which was described as a court yard, but turned out to be an air shaft. The room was so stuffy; it was impossible to sleep. We spent the night searching for alternative accommodations. We decided to try tourist apartments which you can rent by the day. The price was comparable with the price of our hotel room. Next morning we moved to the apartment with a view on Cathedral. It was clean, tastefully decorated, had a kitchen, a balcony, a patio and even a washing machine.




















Within a few hours we started to refer to this apartment as our home. Our few days in Seville were greatly improved by having a lovely
place to hide from ruthless Spanish sun,
 eating food prepared from ingredients
bought from local markets and napping
thorough the afternoons.
Real Siesta experience!














After the living situation was settled, we started to explore Seville. The local cuisine, represented in bars and restaurants, was mostly deep fried food and ham. Vegetables were almost not available.
The jamon on the other side is omnipresent and delicious.
The abundance of ham in Spain, of course, is not specific to
Seville but the ham vending machine we only saw there...




































I have a theory, that because local fruits and vegetables are so cheap, Spaniards don’t consider them a restaurant style food. My theory was confirmed at the local market. We stopped by to get some produce and chatted with a shopkeeper while he was eating lunch right at the counter. The lunch consisted of sliced tomatoes heavily covered with onion, pepper and olive oil. All we had to do is follow suite.



The simple meals on the patio in our Seville home where far superior to anything we eat in the Seville restaurants

The visit to the Real Alcazar was another amazing experience of the Spanish Renaissance with Islamic influence (Mudejar) architecture.

The Alcazar Gardens are stunning completed with grand views from the palace arcade, lovely fountains and cozy corners

One of the coolest attractions of Real Alcazar is the Bath of Maria de Padilla which was built for her by her lover King Peter

 

The best preserved district of the old Seville is Santa Cruz, the Jewish quarter. It has plenty lovely bars, night life and stores with colorful flamenco costumes

the weird but traditional mix of images somehow feels very reflective of the Seville experience

Not much left from the centuries of Jewish presence. This is the only trace that I noticed:

The traditional industry in Seville is ceramics. It is still locally produced in the Triano district on the other side of the river. Our tour of the factories was somewhat depressing, because even this traditional industry is showing signs of decline. Many of the factories were out of business. The ceramics are beautiful, visible everywhere, and cover many aspects of life including politics, history and food, although much of it is heavily religious.

 

The required Spain experience cannot be complete without flamenco. An old ceramics factory in Santa Cruz is transformed into flamenco house - La Carboneria.

The setup is very simple, the entrance is free, the drinks are cheap, and the experience is exhilarating.

At the end we fall in love with the Seville. The smell of horse manure and perfume of flowers, the amazing Cathedral, the sounds of church bells and tourists luggage on cobblestone streets… The romance of old Europe is still there