The Sagrada Familia deserves its own post simply because of the history behind it and the fact that it’s still being built as I type this out.
To read more about the architect, Antoni Gaudi, click here. To know more about the basilica itself, click here.
For the rest, just keep scrolling to see some wide-angle images of the church.
Surf&turf paella
Catch of the day
The gourmand goes gourmet
Pesto and avocado galore!
They even make eels look good. Almost.
Mercado San Miguel is all about fresh seafood displayed to perfection.
A night cap (or caps) of sweet vermouth really hits the spot!
The peppers are always prominently displayed and are huge!
Wine, meats and cheese- can’t go wrong with that combo.
A regular supermarket or mercato is a riot of glass jars filled with olives, fruits and tangy things that tickle the tastebuds.
The cries of Ole resound in the small room. The lights are dim but bright enough to shine on sheen of sweat on the faces and bodies of the dancers.
Suddenly a deep baritone growls out notes to a song you don’t understand but can feel all the way down to your toes.
The thudding off the heels, the snapping of the fingers and the flinging of the fringed shawl in a frenzy is enough to create a tempo that you are moving along to; even without knowing.
The sangria is forgotten, the fatigue of the day is parked for a while…and you just watch the fury that is the flamenco!
This was our last day in Barcelona. We decided to skip the beach in the less than balmy weather and spend the day in the Gothic Quarter instead. A good decision as it turned out.
Browsing through a flea market, listening to street musicians and having a perfect lunch in a quaint, hole-in-the-wall place in one of many warrens of the Gothic quartets was a leisurely way to see not just see the tourists but also see how the locals look at the likes of us.
Street artists who busk all day at the main square
The wall of an art museum there.
Huge wooden doors with wrought iron knockers dot the area
A Brit watercolor artist who’s called Barcelona his home since the 70s.
Lladro statues being sold so casually at a flea market.
The saints outside Barcelona cathedral
Gaudi and Barcelona are synonymous and even without anyone going too deep into the psyche or temperament of the artist, you can’t help but concede, the man had style! A glimpse of his masterpiece Sagrada Familia…
When I visit a new place, I don’t just focus on the well-known or even the off-the-beaten track kind of locales and sights; I like to capture the every day lives of the people there.
Here are some glimpses of Barcelona, the way the locales live.
Apparently Annabelle resides in Barcelona
A bit of Argentina on a Barcelona sidewalk
St.Joan’s church..FYI it’s a he and not a she.
In the midst of elegant balconies and facades is graffiti.
Butcher shop store front
Grocery stores are a riot of colors
Doesn’t make sense? Or oddly enough, it totally does? Whatever be the case this is the story behind it.
My sister from her own parents and I met in college 21 years ago and since then had made countless plans to go travelling together. Over the years, decades really, we have visited each other many times but never been able to get ‘our own trip’ off the ground. With a milestone birthday coming up for both of us, hers before mine, we decided that tomorrow never comes and today is what it’s all about….so a girls’ trip is taking place. One which isn’t falling through!
For the past 5 months we’ve bored the spouses thoroughly discussing places to visit and then what to do when we get there. And after 5 months of researches, plans and spending more time chatting and talking to each other than we have in all these years combined (time zones be damned!), the day is finally arrived…I’m enroute and she’s going to be starting off soon as well.
With Red happily pushing me out the door this morning and saying “Don’t calling me, you’re on vacation”, I’ve completed one leg of the journey and am about to start on the second leg shortly. The flight started with a surprise upgrade to better seats and deliciously-warm and eau-de-cologne scented towel to pushing all the seat buttons to see what each one did. Tt’s a gleeful time! I’m fairly sure I bounced once or twice.
Of course, me being me, I met my share of “interesting” people along the way as ever. Starting with the airport security guard who saw my ticket and got enthused because he’s a huge soccer fan and am off to a major soccer hub, to the elderly Arabic gent who kept tutting disapprovingly at the violent movie and booze that I consumed right in front of him, it’s been quite fun.
Stella’s a good companion
Grumpy Grandpa who couldn’t take his eyes off my movie screen but kept tutting at my choice the whole time.
They feed you well in Business class…right down to laying your napkin out with flourish!
P.S: Reached Barcelona and had one of my country people as my cab driver. Waiting for the other half to arrive so we can finally kick things off good and proper!
Packed roads are a must in all metros..
Barcelona from the skies
Cod fried and spicy beef empanadas with a glass of local white wine
Watch this spot for more updates!Ole!
