A Piece of ... Art

It was a beautiful day for a walk so we took ourselves to the art museum just a few minutes from our apartment. Museu nacional d'Art de Catalunya had multiple sets of long, steep stairs up to the front of the museum punctuated by fountains and waterfalls. Thankfully, there were also escalators tucked along the sides because at this point our legs have done more walking than we probably do in a YEAR!

And what's up with creating contemporary statues of naked people with no arms? Really? I fail to comprehend. It's not as though the statue was so delicate and old that the arms broke off. Is it some kind of statement?

This journey actually started a day or two earlier. I had worked all day in my little room in the apartment and Rich had been out all day checking out the markets and wearing his legs out. At the end of the day I was itching to go outside and he was ready to relax. So I took a quick jaunt through the neighborhood on my own. When I saw this pretty tower in the evening sun I was enchanted enough to snap a photo. Then a little further across a large street I sighted the grand entrance to an art museum.

I reported back to Rich and we scheduled to explore. Doesn't the statue above look like she's just overwhelmed by the interest of so many visitors? The museum was a popular place! It was set atop a hill that provided panoramic views of the city below.

Crazy about Culture!

Merriam Webster says it's the beliefs, customs, and ways of life of a particular society. Culture, that is. I can tell you that discovery of the culture here in Barcelona has wreaked havoc with my sleeping!!

For the first few nights I had serious trouble sleeping. I wasn't sure what was happening. Jet lag? New bed? None of that! It was the light from the city. You can see we have these glorious sliding glass doors out to a lovely balcony. That lets in a LOT of light all night long. I woke up one night when the bright sliver of moon became a piercing light exposed by passing cloud cover.

Notice the sheer curtain I've highlighted in the far right box? Who hangs only sheer curtains over big windows? Really?!! But alas, I can now hang my sleeping mask on the rope pulley that controls the heavy shutter that comes down and blocks almost all of the light. Whew!

Turns out that these kinds of shutters are quite common in Europe. I discovered it out of desperation when I was trying to figure out if I could hang the bedspread over the curtain rod!

And that's not the only thing curious about our experiences here...

We've been walking all over the city at various times and often find the stores shuttered, very similar to what you might see in any American city. Sometimes the graffiti is belligerent and sometimes it is obviously a "can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach. But there don't appear to be regular store hours. Maybe they practice siesta? I don't know. It feels random and confusing!

We did read that dinner isn't usually until nine or ten at night (past my bedtime!) so we have avoided that altogether and opted for late lunches, which fits nicely with my work schedule. Most of the restaurants in our neighborhood have pre fixe menus for lunch, so we choose our first and second course and have dessert. Then we have no appetite for dinner so it's a bit of fruit and bread in the evening.

The best bit? They sell small bottles of wine. I have rediscovered the joys of wine paired with cheese, bread, or a sweet treat.

Another thing. Not so many people speak English. Even in the most touristy part of town. So we have to get far out of our comfort zone. Order food blindly. Use hand gestures. Smile and nod. A lot.

It's a good thing Rich knows how to de-bone a fish!

Making friends at Cafe Sabor

The joy is truly in the people! As we left the Picasso Museum we stopped for a coffee at Cafe Sabor. There were three English women sipping their coffees and us. We ordered and then Rich noticed the oversized champagne flute filled with wine corks. The Cork Trick Master came alive!

Our proprietor came to the table and Rich demonstrated the trick. Our host spoke no English, but no matter. Who needs language with the cork trick? The man tried so very hard to do it. He was willing, lively and fun and we were all laughing - including the three ladies who now wanted to know the trick too.

Finally the man mastered the trick with a slight alteration (apparently he suffers from arthritis and used his pinky instead of the middle finger to catch the cork). Triumphant he returned behind the counter. But when the three ladies struggled with the trick, he came out and assisted them!

We left the three women - who were visiting the one woman's son at university - to their day of shopping and we decided to explore. We had many interactions with people today - at the bakery, at a Tapas Bar, in the lobby of our building - and I can't imagine remembering Barcelona without them!

It's Origami! It's a Museum! It's Superman!

So excited on our first day exploring the old city in Barcelona that we headed out early... say 9am or so. Who knew that the city sleeps until 11am? Las Ramblas was full of people, but not so many and the street vendors were just beginning to set up their wares. A man was painting his face and his wings were waiting patiently to join his back.

Do you notice how the pavement appears to be undulated? It is an illusion! It is actually quite flat and easy to walk on.

When it's early morning what is there to do but have coffee? We found ourselves down a tiny dead-end alley with a crowd of people waiting. The museum had yet to open. But look at the beautiful origami in the window and then, wait!, is that Superman atop the museum? I wanted to share with you my discovery as I saw it. In the window. Just as he is about to take off!

Look who carried the cat in!

Today in Barcelona we tackled the Picasso Museum first thing and then we rambled. The old city is full of winding streets that are completely paved - like alleyways. Thankfully there are drainage grates and little, roaming, mobile street washing machines. To clean up after trickling streams and other items that dogs (and humans no doubt as well) leave behind. Peeewww!

And then we happened upon... Rambla del Raval (a paved walkway with an open market); and noon; and a really big, round cat; and tapas; and beer; and kisses!

I amsterdam!

So on our way over to Barcelona from Florida we took a day layover in Amsterdam. We were instructed by our flight attendant, Miriam, that gin was a specialty of the Netherlands and she gave us each a small bottle of gin in a ceramic souvenir house. We must chill the gin first, as it is best when cold!

After dropping our luggage at the hotel we took the shuttle back to the airport and attempted to buy a train ticket at the kiosk and then at the desk. But our credit cards were not welcome there! One must have a chip in the card and have a PIN. Being Americans, we had no such thing. Well, we had a chip, but the only PIN was for a cash withdrawal at ridiculous rates. It became a cash trip.

We eventually navigated into town and made our way to the Rijks Museum. First we made a stop for a cup of coffee amid the bustle. Amsterdam = bikes, right? It was more than that. Bikes people and cars in a cacophony of overdrive activity! There wasn't much in the way of traffic signs and signals and yet everything and everyone moved around mostly gracefully.

There are dedicated bike lanes and pedestrians must beware. I found the entire thing a bit overwhelming at first. The jet lag probably didn't help much. The demarcations between sidewalk, bike lane and street didn't feel terribly distinct. But it was very entertaining from behind a cup of tea!

The Rijks Museum was fully open in all its glory! On our last visit it had been under construction with limited viewing. And geez was it big. By the time we walked there we were about ready to fall over. So we took our time. At one point we sat in front of paintings of a ship and I managed to nod off on the bench for a few minutes...

When we left the museum we decided to do nothing else for the afternoon but people-watch. There was a park across from the museum and it had an "I amsterdam" sculpture. What mad mayhem!

Oh the fashion! Oh the clustering around the cell phone charging station! Oh the posing for cameras!

But it was quite cool and the breeze picked up so we decided to move on. We purchased two sodas from the hot dog stand for a caffeine kick and sought out our next refuge.

I did manage to saunter around the museum gift shop before leaving. It represented both the Rijks and Van Gogh museums.

As we passed by it struck me as remarkable that we had purchased Coca-colas from an "American" hot dog stand with our flag painted boldly on the back.

What else could we do but pose for a selfie in the reflection? Swirled in the jet-lagged confusion of a Van Gogh masterpiece.

The rest of that day is a bit of blur. A terrible meal at a restaurant with incredibly slow service (or was that just the perception of tired travelers?).

A ride on the bus with a crowd of school kids and a conversation with their teacher.

Waiting and waiting for the hotel shuttle.

Tumbling into bed wondering how to wake up on time the next morning.

And then it happened. Morning arrived. Rested. Showered. Packed. On our way!

We were so excited! We walked out of our way so I could climb up on the "I amsterdam" sculpture at the airport. All to myself! Then we checked-in.

Except that they couldn't find us. Turns out we were supposed to fly out .... yesterday! The layover that never was! Our sleepy, jet-lagged motions in Amsterdam a sham!

Use the cell phone to log into the internet in the airport. Dial the airline via Skype. Breathe. Pray the connection doesn't drop. Pay extra. Board the plane. Hooray!

Christmas Tree Pitcher

I haven't had time or inspiration to take photos. Instead I've been pouring myself into my work. But as Christmas bleeds into 2014 and I sat at the table with naught to do, the pitcher suddenly intrigued me. The amazing things our eyes see every day!