Ah…Barcelona!

We are in Barcelona for two weeks and there is so much to see and experience.  It was wonderful to arrive on a weekend because the city was bustling with locals and the many students from all over the world who come here to study.  Our tiny but well designed apartment is in the El Ravel neighborhood, just northwest of the Gothic Quarter and very near Plaça Catalunya, a huge open area. It is basically one room with the bathroom behind the kitchen and separated from it by a glass wall!

We signed up for two walking tours in our first days here to get oriented to the city.  A lovely young art historian took us through the Gothic Quarter and shared a lot of information about Catalan culture while showing us many historic buildings.
  
Did you know that the primary language in Barcelona is not Spanish, but Catalan, which has many similarities to French?  We each know a little Spanish, but we’re grateful that Google Translate includes Catalan or we wouldn’t be able to read menus or communicate much.  Shops and restaurants usually have English speakers.
Our second walking tour was a Foodie Tour that took us to many of the historic shops selling typical Catalan food items.  One of particular note was a shop that roasts hazelnuts in the same wood fired oven that they have used for 165 years! The nuts have a distinctive smoky smell and taste.
   
We visited the famous Mercato Boqueteria, a bustling market that is open every day but Sunday and sells everything you could want. We found that moving off to one side or the other kept us sort of out of the crush of tourists which made the visit more pleasant.  Rick found some of the largest oysters he has ever eaten here – 3 for 5€.
       
Being in Barcelona on a Sunday has several distinct advantages.  One is that the City Hall is only open to the public on Sunday.  It is free and worth a visit.
      
Another reason is that the locals really come out on Sunday and there is dancing in many of the public spaces.  We observed a traditional Catalan dance in the plaça outside the Cathedral and swing dancing in the gazebo in Cuitadella Park.

The park, referred to as Barcelona’s ‘Central Park,’ is a lovely place for a stroll.  Families were gathered here on the weekend to enjoy the nice weather – chasing bubbles, rowing on the lake, and enjoying the beautiful fountain.

Of course, what would a European city be without a cathedral.  This one has a beautifully painted choir, a lovely altar with a crypt of St. Eulalia below and a cloister that houses 13 geese along with the usual statues, etc.
                        

For our ventures outside the city, we chose to sign on for two guided tours conducted by Catalunya Bus Touristic.  We’re usually not fond of bus tours, but these provided access to places we couldn’t have gone on our own accompanied by wonderful explanations (in English).
One day we went to Montserrat, stopping on the way in Colònia Güell. This is an industrial estate from the 19th century built by a wealthy textile manufacturer and merchant.  The town was self-contained, providing housing, schools, recreation and, of course, a church for the workers.
   
Güell commissioned Antoni Gaudi to build the church.  According to our guide, this is where Gaudi experimented with several architectural solutions that he later used in building Sagrada Familia (the famous church in Barcelona that we’ll visit later). He draws on nature for the shapes of windows (the pine cone) and columns (like palm trees).
    
The church that stands today was originally envisaged as a crypt with a bigger church on top.  The church itself was never finished (seems to be common among Gaudi buildings…) but the crypt is a beautiful small church.

The monastery of Montserrat dates back to the 9th century.  It is located in a remote area of the Monserrat mountain range, so named for its ‘serrated’ appearance.  The bus took us to a train station from which we rode a’rack railway’ up the mountain to the monastery. Later, we went even farther up by way of a funicular.
  
We toured L’Escolania de Monserrat, a religious and choir school where 50 boys study. This included an exclusive perch near the front of the Basilica for the prayer service at 1:00 when the boys sang.  They will be touring in Washington DC and San Francisco this year.
   
The reason many pilgrims come to Montserrat is to see and honor the Black Madonna. It is a rather small statue that dates back to the 12th century and has a complicated legend that surrounds it.  You can get close enough to touch the statue but photos are strictly forbidden.

Our next bus tour took us to three wineries in the Penedés region.  Our first stop was Bodega Jean Leon, the first winery to produce Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay in Spain. We tasted both and especially enjoyed their premium Chardonnay, ‘Gigi,’ which we have learned is quite available in the US.
       
Next stop, Bodegas Miguel Torres.  This place is so big that they took us around on a small train!  Torres makes wine in many other countries, but Spain is the main operation. We enjoyed a pairing of 4 of their wines with 4 different Spanish cheeses…interesting and instructive.
   
We were told at both of these stops about a method they use to fight insects without chemical insecticides called “sexual confusion.” They hang this little gadget filled with pheromones on each row of vines and the male insects apparently become so frustrated looking for the females who aren’t there that they leave the grapes alone!  Go figure!

Last stop was Freixenet, a large Cava producer.  We have really enjoyed the Cava, as we did the sparkling wines in many other regions we’ve visited thus far.  They all use the methode champenois and produce a quality product.  Here we toured the caves that were deep underground, and finished with a plate of Iberian ham accompanied by a glass of brut Cava; and delicious carquinyolis, the Spanish version of biscotti, with a rosé.
     

There is more to come in Barcelona, especially seeing the Gaudi buildings. Stay tuned…