Initial Barcelona Scenes

Much of our Good Friday, April 7th, was devoted to sleeping, unpacking, moving into the new apartment, locating the nearby mercats and patisseries, etc. By afternoon, determined to power through the jet lag, we did a medium walk about the neighborhood...the Barcelona Nord station, the Arc de Triomf, and then a bit of the Bari Gotic. It's great to be back in Barcelona--five years since our last visit--with the opportunity to see more of the great city than ever before.

Barcelona Nord station; nord back in the 19th century maybe;
inner city now

Initial Modernista (Spanish version of Art Nouveau)

Us at the Arc de Triomf: not a military triumphal arch, but rather the
entrance to the 1888 World Fair in Barcelona

Promenade of the Passeig de Llouis Companys, leading to the
site of the fair

Metal work in Barcelona is second to none

Never, ever park under a tree

Among many street scenes

Block-long queue to get into the Joncake; could be
another Fergburger experience

We're still deciding which tattoos to get

The line at Demasie wasn't so long, so we popped in for a pastry

Walls and tower of Roman town of Barcino

Catalan count Ramon Berenguer

Interesting sculpture outside the cathedral area

With the 2010 consecration of Gaudi's Church of the
Familia Sangria, the 13th century cathedral of Barcelona
(above; click to enlarge) quickly became last month's flavor
and was sold recently to Samsung to cover back taxes; the
cathedral spire will become Spain's highest cell tower; here,
an appreciative crowd sits on the cathedral's steps--a
profanity that would never be permitted in Rome--enjoying
a Good Friday rock concert

The Diocese of Barcelona has gone full Gaudi

Ditto the market of St. Caterina

Dumplings made the old-fashioned, not the modernista, way

Thought for the day