In Barcelona all the buildings have balconies - but no one uses them. They are too tiny usually. (Not like Athens, where all the buildings have big balconies, and everyone uses them. They put their dining tables there, and chairs, and the Athenians have their dinner out there. They often have big plants that grow up and drape down, and this gives them some privacy.
My Parisian friends call Barcelona "the L.A. of Europe".
I suppose it's that the weather tends to be nice? Of course they have never been to LA... so they’re basing their comparison on movies or something. But it’s similar in another way, which is that both Barcelona and LA are composed of variety of very different neighborhoods. In Barcelona you can walk (or take fast frequent trains) to the different neighborhoods and in LA, you have to drive (although they are building an extensive train network. Barcelona, like most large European cities, already has a terrific fast system and modern subway system. The trains usually like every 5 minutes, sometimes every 3.
These shady guys are friends I met on the road. On the left is JP, a former digital nomad, who fell in looove, and has settled in Barcelona with his GF. JP and I go way back. We met for the second time at a wrestling class in Paris. He's looking at me and saying "I know you" and I'm thinking... oh shit, from where? And he says it was 2 years ago at a BJJ class ago at a gym called Rise in San Francisco, which is my home gym, so I guess we met. (but 1 time, 2 years ago...? That's a remarkable memory!) Or I suppose it's the dementia... I'm demented... this isn't news to my friends. We hung out in Paris twice, and in Barcelona this last trip. He's an excellent fellow.
The other guy is excellent also, but I really don't know him very well. He was sitting next to me on the flight from Athens to BCN and wanted to ask me some question, but his English was not so great. I tried Spanish and French... nope... I didn't try Greek right away because you hardly meet Greek-speakers on the road... BUT Evangelos is Greek... so he speaks it better than me.. I've forgotten where he is from... somewhere in Thessaly... near Larissa, I think? So we got to talking, and I could answer his questions. (His first trip to Spain, and actually his first trip on a plane. He's meeting a lady in Barcelona, so I think he will be fine.)
It's not surprising that Barcelona supports Ukraine in their struggle against the Russian state. Their situations are unfortunately similar. Barcelona is the capitol of Catalunya, which today is an autonomous community of Spain, but has been part of the Spanish nation for centuries. Ukraine with it's capitol at Kyiv has been part of the Russian empire also for centuries. Following the Russian Revolution in 1917, the Ukrainian People's Republic was formed. In 1922 it became a constituent republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR)
They both have different languages (Catalan and Ukrainian) from the larger dominant culture (i.e. Russian and Spanish) and both want to have freedom to develop independently. Vladimir Putin, the leader of Russia has invaded Ukraine militarily and is trying to bring it entirely under Russian control. In Spain, during his 36-year rule (1935 1975) as dictator, Francisco Franco repressed all forms of Catalan culture, including books, periodicals, theater, schools even ordinary public speech. Today the Catalonians celebrate their cultural freedom and political autonomy. We hope the Ukrainians can celebrate their independence in peace and prosperity.
The Gothic Quarter (Catalan: Barri Gòtic) is the historic centre of the old city from the Rambla, a pedestrian promenade, to the Via Laetana, which separates it from El Born. The streets are narrow and winding, and open into small squares like this one to the left.
According to Wikipedia (and news to me!) most of this section is not Gothic at all.
[Despite its name, a number of landmark Gothic buildings in the neighborhood do not date to the Middle Ages. Rather, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the quarter was completely transformed from a sombre neighborhood to a tourist attraction through a massive restoration project, timed to be completed for the 1929 International Exhibition.]
Barri Gótic
L'Eixample
The Eixample in Catalan means the 'extension.' (think more 'ample') When the City fathers realized that the old city -- Ciutat Vella -- was getting crowded and dismal, they decided to lay out a broad extension of the city with novel ideas.
If you look at the satellite map on the right you will notice all the street corners are trimmed to produce extra wide and light-filled intersections. There are also several extra-wide boulevards which work like LA's freeways, whisking autos across the Eixample. The middle of these new blocks were to be used as garden spaces and parks, but they acquired other uses, mostly garages..
above: Sagrada Familia
This is a church designed by Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona's most famous architect and designer. You will find his name on a park, apartments and institutional buildings.
La Platja -- Beach
While I was in Barcelona I happily discovered that it was during the time of the city's greatest festival, the annual celebration of La Mare de Déu de la Mercè (our Lady of Mercy), one of the patrons of Barcelona. There were many performances, art shows, concerts, etc. But the coolest thing I saw was a light show performed by (maybe) 300 drones that flashed colored lights and created recognizable city landmarks in the air over the water.
During the evening of the last night of La Mercé, there was a huge, hour-long fireworks show set to music, in the Plaza d'Espanya. I don't know how many people were there, but you can get an idea from the video above -- definitely several thousand. It took about 30 minutes of walking until the crowd thinned out, and we found an open Metro.
