I'MMA LET YOU FINISH
Boqueria Bush!
First?
uno
I meant bugger...
Hokey smoke!
Buy a pigs leg.
what a fabulous and beautiful country...
Those poor folks, living in a socialistic, highly-taxed land. They're obviously just window shopping since they certainly can't have any money left over for frivolous stuff. They are the unfree, and we are the free.
/sarcasm
God, I so want to go back to Spain.
Thanks for this picture - wonderful.
Iced Drinks at the ItalCafe!
In Barthelona - oh, please, please, bring some back, hunh? Anything?
Ham ! Jamon! I must have some of that fabulous acorn fed Ham!
Friday "MerCAT" Blogging!
it's a damn shame that atrios has to look at these monsrosities.
and absinthe, I forgot to mention the absinthe....
Well, I guess that means you aren't in England.
I've never been to Spain,
But I've been to Oklahoma.
bush's upcoming visit to russia looks like another political disaster in the making. cbs had a clip of putin calling bush's adventure in iraq a disaster and that it has only resulted in more terrorism, not less. he was also pissed that bush is stopping in latvia prior to moscow.
atrios should have vacationed in scandinavia. all that sunshine is bad for you, you know?
forza barca!!!
sorry... football fans will understand 
absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.
Always remember: You're a Canadian!
Barcelona Blogging!
Not much absenthe in Spain anymore, but if you walk down any alley in Barcelona, you're sure to get offered bootleg Marlboro's and cocaine. Fuck Catalan.
I've never been to heaven
But I've been to Arizona....
absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.
Absinthe makes the Fondas grow heartier.
Isn't Spain next to France? What will we tell the kitties?
"Friday "MerCAT" Blogging!"
--mnkid
How funny. I didn't even CATch that.
So you're livin la vida loca, hey Atrios? Sounds like I'm not the only one who's jealous. Will you go to the Alhambra, and send us pix?
me in the corner is right. nobody can actually afford to shop there because the oppressed citizens of europe have to cough up a huge ammount of their pay to support the socialized commie medicine. may god continue to bless america!
scandinavians are hilarious.
I know this thread has a spanish edge, but click on my homepage for some French humor.
Nice.
That "Vidal" Stores, can you buy "Gore" or "Sassoon's" in bulk?
Was able to get absinthe in Lisbon, but wasn't brave enough to drink it.
Oh, Atrios always goes to Spain....
he is so boring!
si me quieres escribir. . .
Mena--here are some Alhambra pics just for you:
Alhambra, Granada, Spain 2002
"he is so boring!"
I prefer to think of it as delightfully consistent.
A few blocks up the street from this picture you can buy live poultry and rodents. What a country. Buying absenthe and not drinking it is pathetic.
I thought it was Fonda's Hargrove- maid, Absynthe...
Oh, Atrios always goes to Spain....
==
Smarts AND good taste!
man, i'm so jealous. I was only there for a couple of days and it was mostly overcast.
Have fun!
JDW--your kitties totally rock.
bonus pic, what a trip!
i would love to visit barcelona. i din't speak the language though, i only speak english and spanish,
New Blumenthal.
maybe if i stick a yellow parasitical fish in my ear i'll be able to understand spanish well enough to go to barcelona.
ahh....barthalona! que bueno!
That bottom pic is a brothel...
(i got nuthin')
I think the bottom pic is...
...The Moorish Hilton...
Sallyh, what great pictures. I'm determined to get there someday.
What kind of cake are we having tonight?
We are having...carrot applesauce spice cake.
Thanks, Sallyh. Gonna post them here, too, cause I wanna spread the joy....BUT...but....Atrios, I thought the cats scratched the camera and pissed in the usb port? Busted!
Friday Cats and Ducks.
OT
Interesting show on the BBC here in the UK tonight. “55 days, the fall of Saigon” This was to mark the 30th anniversary, of another great American adventure.
But it is the contemporary comparison with 2005 Iraq that are more interesting for a modern audience. Alan Carter, director of the US information Agency in Saigon at the time says….”In the 6 months that followed, I woke every night, and it was always a nightmare about abandonment -always”
Carter concludes “Trying to grow a democracy in the midst of chaos and in the context of a historical culture and society is as foolish now as it was then. There is an American messianic quality at work again. It leads us to believe we can go on recreating our own image. As you can see, I’m highly cynical about that.”
Pity he did not tell Rummy.
We're fushed with bush.
Oh and a nice cat and dog photo also on my home page.
great pic, blue dragon.
sally,
I wouldn't be suprised if Carter did talk to him.
"Talking to that fool is like trying to put socks on an octopus" - A Death in the Family, James Agee
i would love to visit barcelona. i din't speak the language though, i only speak english and spanish,
Olaf glad and big | Email | Homepage | 05.06.05 - 7:11 pm | #
Got that right. Friend of mine, born and raised in Spain, seethes about the blank looks she gets from some Catalan-speakers when she speaks Spanish to them. They understand her just fine, they just pretend not to.
Pero, que ciudad tan bella.
Casa Republicana de Cuero Internacional
All I want to know is how many times has he seen Barca at Nou Camp. That's the only thing that counts.
Just coming in to say goodnight, moonbats.
Have a lovely evening.
See you tomorrow.
sweet dreams.
Casa Republicana de Cuero Internacional = Where Condi buys her footwear and marital aids.
Y'know, for her husb...
I, uh, *ahem* I have a cat today too. Nothing really special mind you, just sort of a toe in the water again and all that.
Not true -- you can speak Castilian and be fine. If you attempt to speak Catalan, natives will appreciate it and be accommodating about speaking Castilian. Just like the French. It's the arrogant attitude both from foreigners and other Spaniards that pisses the natives here off.
Atrios does fine without speaking either Castilian nor Catalan. And when he says "la nota, sisplau", the natives love him.
Fuck Catalan.
Evening, freethinkers
I think the bottom pic is...
...The Moorish Hilton...
Is that where Paris Hilton wears a veil before she blows guys on camera?
OT (again,sorry)
I can't stop obsessing about Kent State, 35 years ago, May 4. I was only 10 at the time, but even at that age, I realized something had gone very wrong. The government did not arrest students (see Berkeley, Columbia,etc.), or beat the shit out of students (see Columbia, etc). They burst upon campus, knelt down, raised live weapons and on an officer's command, ended 4 teenagers and seriously wounded 9, many just going to class. Then they filed out in military fashion.
Some of the victims were several hundred feet away. None of the Guardsmen were fired upon. Nobody went to jail.
And the media has nothing to say about it, even now.
Alan Canfora does.
The worst thing that the government can do to you is not to take your life. It is to take your life for now defensible reason and walk away as the good guys.
Anyone out there know if that's (2nd photo) a Gaudi designed building?
OT: Death Squad Johnnie picks his capos
Patrick Kennedy, a former United States representative to the United Nations for Management and Reform, to oversee management
Mary Margaret Graham, a 27-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency's clandestine service, to oversee intelligence collection
Thomas Fingar, head of the State Department's intelligence branch, to oversee analysis and serve as chairman of the National Intelligence Council.
David R. Shedd, a longtime C.I.A. official, who is senior director for intelligence programs and reform at the National Security Council, will become chief of staff and associate director, overseeing a new 24-hour watch office and other activities, the intelligence officials said.
So here are some of the stories being featured at CNN.com:
* Pentagon: N. Korea appears to prepare for nuclear test
* Bombs kill 23 in Iraq; 14 bodies found in dump
* 'Al Qaeda hit squad' arrested
* 9/11 suspect charged in train blasts
And what's their poll question?
Should the man who found a severed finger in a pint of custard have returned the digit right away?
Anyone out there know if that's (2nd photo) a Gaudi designed building?
Shaw Kenawe 7:31 pm
that was my first thought, but it seems a bit tame for Gaudi, como no?
Shaw-I doubt it. That's not Gaudi's style at all.
Mrs. Atrios --
Yeah, I'm sure they're much kinder to tourists than to other Spaniards. It's not our fault our schools don't teach Catalan, its that goddamn Real Academia de la Lengua Española...
Is it too early for some New Mother and puppies blogging?
Our next door neighbors MinPin, had a passel of pups (5)
enjoy
.
The worst thing that the government can do to you is not to take your life. It is to take your life for now defensible reason and walk away as the good guys.
Pez
They always go after the schools first. Take El Salvador in the 1980s. The military stormed the university and just opened fire--they killed a bunch of students and the Jesuit priests/teachers.
They are going after the universities today with their rants against "leftist totalitarian professors". Horowitz is taking his cue from Mao who went after the universities during the Cultural Revolution.
Should the man who found a severed finger in a pint of custard have returned the digit right away?
dave -- 7:32 pm
not til he took its fingerprint
...but hell, he bought the damn thing; he otta be able to do whatever he wants with it...
Guero,
I am not faulting the RAE -- I think that the animosiry comes from the fact that a lot of Spaniards are not even willing to recognize that there are other languages spoken in the country. That's what happens in the majority of cases. A bit of willingness to be faced with a different language shouldn't be that trying...
OT:
Microsoft comes back from the dark side on gay rights initiative. Click on homepage.
...but hell, he bought the damn thing; he otta be able to do whatever he wants with it...
==
Property rights! Fuckin A!
Catalexis,
your cat is just beautiful, but you may want to replace the comma before the com with a period.
.
I just bought some property. I'm going out later this evening to look at the property line. Right now i'm watching Fox News.
Hey Otter-
Good to see your name, and those beautiful kids of yours.
Microsoft comes back from the dark side on gay rights initiative. Click on homepage.
Gee
A sail flipping in a strong breeze can always flip again. Especially when the boat has no rudder. And when it comes to ethics and values, Microsoft has never had a rudder (just the latest marketing drivel provided by one of their guns for hire outside marketing firms)
I guess I was thinking of this building
And what's their poll question?
Should the man who found a severed finger in a pint of custard have returned the digit right away?
How DARE they lead with N. Korea getting nukes when a man found a finger in CUSTARD. In CUSTARD mind you. And it was a runaway finger, mind you, I hear. Got scared off of the big glove the hand wanted to put on.
Also I heard rumors about Michael Jackson having pajama parties with the finger.
If they keep leading with N. Korea getting nukes, do they really think anyone's going to watch them any more? People might confuse them with those -- reporting -- things -- that -- report -- whatsitcalled --
news
Those are some pretty pups, Proud Papa Otter.
It's an office building which includes the european headquarters for peoplesoft and starbucks.
That's what happens in the majority of cases. A bit of willingness to be faced with a different language shouldn't be that trying...
Mrs. Atrios
Ya mean, people in South Texas and Southern California shouldn't get freaked out by people speaking Mexican Spanish amongst themselves?
A sail flipping in a strong breeze can always flip again.
This, among other reasons, is why I have a Mac.
Totally agree. I pointed it out not to suggest it evinced some virtue on MS' part (the company having first caved in the wrong direction, it could hardly indicate that), but rather that those on the right side of the issue somehow managed to demonstrate to MS that their interests lay with our side, not with the theocrats and their foot soldiers.
A victory, in other words, however long it lasts.
Beautiful pictures of a beautiful city.
"Proud Papa" doesn't begin to cover it.
The worst thing that the government can do to you is not to take your life. It is to take your life for no defensible reason and walk away as the good guys.
Pez -- 7:29 pm
defensible reason = plausible deniability...
i think, contrary to recieved wisdom, that the killings at Kent State and at Jackson State a coule of weeks later, along with violent reactions against students at various other campuses (including UNM, as i can testify), actually reinforced the resolve of the protestors. Among my peers, there was a pervasive attitude of resistance; of providing those deaths a meaning in a larger story...
i think we succeeded...
.
Fun with the diverse linguistic history of the Iberian peninsula: "Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish." Identifies Celtic, Arabic, Visigoth and Basque words in modern castellano. Oh, and it also teaches you how NOT to curse in Spanish. Great book.
Huh? I'll be darned. Didn't notice that. Thank you. How long has that been there, ohh I hang my head in shame...I am not worthy.
That does it. I need some really strong, dark, bitter, stand a fork in it Stout.
Tom,
why not? Spanish (and Spanglish) is, after all, one of the official languages in the U.S...
sdf,
I thought Paula Abdul put the finger in that American Idol contestant's car because he was trying to blackmail her for sex. Or was it Kim Jong Il who gently masturbated young boys? I don't remember.
What's on Fox Nooze?
WGG,
I don't have any references, but I remember being taught in Poli Sci in 1977 that there were no major protests after the 1970 Kent State and Jackson State massacres. The prof, a bona fide hippie said, "Those events marked the end of the Protest Era."
Is the finger the Fickle Finger of Fate?
WGG,
are we going to be able to succeed this time before students die?
: "Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish." Identifies Celtic, Arabic, Visigoth and Basque words in modern castellano. Oh, and it also teaches you how NOT to curse in Spanish. Great book.
ese guero 7:49 pm ?
a truly great book...
Pretty but the "MERCAT" sign is no substitute for your usual Friday Cat blogging! Real kitty pictures, please.
djmm
GATOS! GATOS GIGANTES! CORREN! CORREN!
For those that have missed it, there are cats in the apartment building picture.
Que onda Guero? -- Beck
catalexis--where've you been?
Mena--here are some Alhambra pics just for you:
Alhambra, Granada, Spain 2002
Sallyh, La Poissoniere | Email | Homepage | 05.06.05 - 7:06 pm | #
--------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
atrios can not go to that arab palace.,merkans no likey
And yeah, the building in the second picture is breathtaking. Can't decide if it reminds me more of the Dakotas or El Escorial.
Damn Wiley and Gizmo are celebrates in Spain! Who'da thunk!
ooops. CORRAN! CORRAN!
("Aaagh! Imperative! Imperative!" [/Life of Brian])
Otter,
I don't remember it that way. On the morning after the Kent State Massacre, the school I attended (Hope College) shut down. All of the students gathered in the chapel and there were protests that lasted that entire week and into the weekend. It might be convenient history to marginalize such things, but I do not believe that was the case.
If they keep leading with N. Korea getting nukes, do they really think anyone's going to watch them any more? People might confuse them with those -- reporting -- things -- that -- report -- whatsitcalled --
news
sdf (Disco Stu only in spirit)
Won't confuse them with a news report. Purveyor's of propaganda, probably.
AP report on Japan's worries
"""The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, refused to specify the information or its source."""
If that doesn't set off your warning bells that it's propaganda, then I've got some property that was formerly beachfront in Banda Aceh to sell you.
{And the information is all single sourced from US Defense Intelligence Agency. So you can see who is willing to be the US' cabana boys by repeating the propaganda.}
ese guero,
I understand fully. One of Eleanor's favorite books is "Corre, Perro, Corre." I still mess up imperatives.
Ese Beck es buena gente. Y que futbolista!
Had to look a couple of times before I noticed Gizmo and Wiley.
Lord help me, I'm just not that bright.
That said, here's Polycera capensis, a travelin' nudibranch in honor of Atrios, Rorschach, and Chica Toxica!
Or was it Kim Jong Il who gently masturbated young boys?
Lord knows what we'll find out about Kim Jong Il years from now. Probably makes Uday and Qusay look like choir boys, er, bad metaphor but you know what I mean ...
DWD,
Thanks. I was still in HS until '75 when it was definitely over. The prof also had some attitude of "if it didn't happen in NYC, it didn't happen." Maybe it was just quiet on old Broadway.
I guess I was thinking of this building
Yup, Gaudi is psychedelic. I like the building in the bottom photo, don't get me wrong, but it is a bit of an architectural mishmosh. Most of the elements are from Islamic architecture. The 2 top towers look just like minarets, and there's that fancy fretwork on the windows. But then they went and put Greek pillars on the bottom, and the 2 things sticking sideways out of the top section, looks like they took them off a pagoda.
Gotta go burp Brigid! Later, Moonbats!
There was a cool article in the LA Times about Villaraigosa's pocho Spanish. In the opening scene, he can't decide whether or not he needs to use the subjunctive. You'n me both, ese.
Enjoy the stout Cat.
.
Mrs. Atrios in the house! Hope you're loving Spain!
jdw,love your kitties,and I have 30 louvely duckies.they make the cutest faces! twist their heads like parrots too cute,thanks for pics!
"atrios can not go to that arab palace.,merkans no likey"
Me no like merkans.
I don't have any references, but I remember being taught in Poli Sci in 1977 that there were no major protests after the 1970 Kent State and Jackson State massacres. The prof, a bona fide hippie said, "Those events marked the end of the Protest Era."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAH! (gasp) AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (gasp) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH......
Me likey cream cheese frosting.
jdw,
love the cats and their many names.
And Ducks? You are blessed
.
Kent--love the MinPin blogging! Beauties, all of them!
I can testify to going to a number of major antiwar demonstrations after 1970, including the one in Washington in 1971, where at least 5000 people got arrested, and the whole city was practically shut down. The protest went on for a week, they ran out of room in the jails and filled up the baseball stadium with people.
Phila,
Stunning Nudibranch. I like that it is a well traveled fellow.
Shaw, I don't think so; there's too much verticality and direct reference in that building. For comparison, see http://www.op.net/~jmeltzer/Gaud...udi/
batllo.html
Let me point out that a great deal of the distinctive character of Barcelona architecture is a result of Islamic influences.
"Me likey cream cheese frosting."
Thassa good, cause you getta cream cheese frosting!
You have a crazy cat there Buckeye. Love the Kitty Fu.
.
Buckeye--what a love!
smudge
Buckeye, 8:06 pm
i once had a kitty named Smudge...
a big owl got him, one evening, when he was feeling particularly cocky... walkin' right out in the open...
Fun pictures. I wanna go to Barcelona too!! and the alahmbra!
Hey Mrs. Atrios- make atrios take some pictures of some local kitties for us.
That would be extra special neato.
Me likey Sallyh best.
Kent, that cat is hysterical!
It is nice to come here and find pretty pitchers, including babies and puppies, after getting annoyed out on the internets.
First there was this annoying When Those Pesky Blogs Undermine NPR News, which y'all have probably ripped to shreddies at some point during manic daytime posting.
Then there was this article in New Scientist about opposition to HPV vaccination of the young, in which this annoying Bridget Maher from the Family Research Council is quoted in all her know-nothingness. I went to the FRC site to find an E-mail link. Everything's nicely categorized, no direct links, and they want everything but your mother's birthname before they'll LET you send a comment.
Safer to stay here with the babies and puppies.
4Legs--we saw cats at the Coliseum in Rome. They have apparently been there since before the place was built (although I think the personnel has changed over time) and are something of an institution. You can buy postcards with the Coliseum cats on them. They are very fat, happy, and lazy cats.
Also saw huge colonies of cats on the Costa del Sol.
Silleigh--Brigid Maher is a moron. She and all the others from the FRC have taken over the NIH and are ruining the place. It needed reform, but not of this sort.
Sallyh,
They really are adorable. and only 4 days old!
right before I was to take their pictures, the black cat brothers, were in breathtaking formation, a synchronized lounging, if you will, and just as I was ready to snap their pictures the got up to see what I was on about [Damn you curoius bastards].
After a bit, they decided to follow me into the neighbors house, to see the puppies (an inadvertant movie had filled up the camera's memory), so I did not capture that abundant cuteness.
.
Random cat fact for cat blogging Friday:
Mohammed (Arabian religious leader, 570-632)
The founder of the Muslim faith believed that dogs were unclean. However, cats found favour in his eyes. In order to go to prayers, he once cut off the sleeve of his coat so as not to disturb his sleeping cat.
Brigid Maher is a moron. She and all the others from the FRC have taken over the NIH and are ruining the place.
What kills me (and, literally, many others) is that even given the abstinence nonsense these people spout, what is to prevent your God-fearing, abstinent daughter from being raped and contracting a strain of HPV that can lead to cervical cancer years later? Oh, right... if she got raped she must have been asking for it. ::thumps head::
The site indicates that Maher is supposed to be a "marriage and family" expert, yet her bio mentions that she likes playing with her nieces and nephews. It seems passing-in-the-fast-lane strange that a "marriage and family" expert would not have one or two rugrats of her own to play with, y'know? Maybe that's not fair (but what the hell, I AM ragging on a moron here).
"4Legs--we saw cats at the Coliseum in Rome"
When I was a kid, and I saw all those old movies where the Christians were thrown to the lions I used to feel sorry for the Christians.
Now, I would welcome Baptists VS Lions rematch.
Lots of great Gaudi pictures at that link, Randolph, thanks.
And I just now noticed the cats on the building. Who's going to call the fire department to get them down again?
he once cut off the sleeve of his coat so as not to disturb his sleeping cat.
Yeah, like the cat wasn't lying doggo....
Great cat, Buckeye!
Thanks for the compliments, kent_excessive Wanderer and sittenpretty! We are blessed...the ducks show up every year like clockwork.
We've got a decently wooded backyard(for suburbia) and have a lot of bird feeders. Just this week, the migrants that have come thru are: a rose-breasted grosbeak, chipping sparrows, white throated sparrows, white capped sparrows. The warblers dhould be appearing next week or so as well as a thrush or two..and possibly an oriel.
Atrios, if you miss out on the Parc Guell then you're lamer than an Ashcroft-Powell reunion tour.
I was just there WHY THE HELL DID I COME BACK??????????
Woo-hoo! Wiley & Gizmo flags flying in Spain. Damn, those euro users have good taste.
/keeping my traveling jealousy in control....
If you're in Barcelona, be sure to check out any Gaudi architecture, it's fab but will leave you a little seasick - kinda like US politics. Who knew?
Yay for Gaudi country!
(if that isn't Gaudi in the lower pic it's one of his imitators.)
Be sure to check out "Las Ramblas" - main drag in Barcelona - At least it was 35 (Yikes!) years ago, when I was in Jr. year in Spain. We went to Barcelona, walked Las Ramblas, ran into some US Navy guys, who kindly sent us a case of toilet paper - most greatly appreciated, since in those days European toilet paper was the equivalent of newsprint.
Also, be sure to check any architecture by Gaudi on an empty stomach.
It sure looks Gaudi. My dear ol globe-trotting mom will know. She went to a Gaudi tour or museum or some sort of Gaudi Garden while she was in Spain, and his work ended up blowing her mind (alas, like too many n74-year olds, she refusews to use a computer, so I can't just email this to her & get a positivce ID--will have to Google). He's apparently done a WHOLE lot more than Candy-Land/Wizard of Oz-type buildings. Like me, she used to thnk "Gaudi?? uh, a BIT much, really... (& talk about being eponymous)." But judging by the pix she brought back, once you see the body of his work it's easy to understand his iconic status. Enjoy Spain!
Take as many pictures of the Gaudi buildings as you possibly can.
lxxf - the top picture is la Rambla. About midway between Columbus and the big square, near the bird vendors. If Atrios is reading this, there's a little joint adjacent to the Jardin de las floristas de las Ramblas that serves the best arroz negro in the inhabited universe. Atrios (and particularly Mrs. Atrios) also have to see the Sunday craft vendors on the Columbus end of Las Ramblas.
Now, I would welcome Baptists VS Lions rematch.
sally - 8:26 pm
inasmuch as the average talibornagain talibangelist apparently requires the sting of the whip of persecution in arder to feel religiously fulfilled, i have several times tendered my offer to flog or even flay ant who do not feel they've suffered enough for their faith...
so far, no takers...
can't imagine why...
I want Friday Gato blogging! Find a Gato!
It's also kind of cool to know that Atrios is probably blogging from the same net cafe where some jerk stole my backpack. About two blocks north from the big Columbus statue and on the left. Don't look away from those bags for a nanosecond!
Apparently they worship the Atrikitties like living gods in Spain. I hear they put billboards of them on top of every building.
Thanks, Tim. My memories are from l969, so I didn't quite recognize it. I still have very fond memories of the huge care package we got from the sailors we met while strolling Las Ramblas. Lots of TP, ketchup and peanut butter!
I'm sure you won't make it this far in the comments, but I have to say, you should really spend more time in Madrid and less in Barcelona. It's a much better, and certainly a more lively, city.
If they keep leading with N. Korea getting nukes, do they really think anyone's going to watch them any more?
Only if the North Koreans get Cold Feet.
Best catblogging ever. LMAO!
I heart Barcelona. I'm jealous.
party in m'pants 'n' murka invited
Duncan, get some photography lessons.
You suck.
meow.....back on script
Love the Boqueria. get some of the fried calamari at the food stand near the exit where the enclosed grocery shops are. yummy.
looks like you stuck some cat fotos on top of the bldg too, you clever hombre.,
Once I was the king of Spain. Now I eat humble pie.
The lower photo is definitely not a Gaudi building. Gaudi's work is far more organic and flowing. From the truncated corner the building is located in the Eixample and appears to be later Modernisme. If possible try to get a tour of the Casa 'Batllo on the Passeig de Gracia. The Guell Palace is also superb.
Oh, how I envy you.
Hope you made it to Sitges, too.
Frederoil:
That should be "Visca el Barça!"
Steve Gilliard:
When we went to Barcelona in 2000, our good friend Maria got us into a game against Villarreal. Never mind the fact that they lost, it was one of the most memorable moments of the three weeks we spent in Spain.
My husband's comment when I told him that atrios is in Barcelona: "The bastard" (is actually a term of affection in Australia). Just envy - we have been to Barcelona twice, the last time in April 2003. Enjoyed ourselves royally!
Thanks for the pictures Mrs. Atrios. It reminds me of the time I lived in Barcelona. I lived on Pintor Fortuny, which is only a couple blocks up La Ramblas from the Boqueria on the way to MACBA.
I would give you suggestions of places to visit, however my experience in BCN is probably a lot different than yours. I do recommend staying away from the MACBA area at night. It is not terribly dangerous, however there is a decent amount of drug activity going on. Also, watch out for the glue snuffing kids at Placa Catalunya.
I do however recommend going to Nou Camp. It is just a football stadium, but it is much more. It is really a shrine and it is memorable just to see how people react when visiting.
The second thing I recommend is going to Joan Miro museum. It is fabulous and a good chance to stroll Montjuic. I cannot remember which days the fountain goes anymore, but it was around 8 PM that the fountain outside MNAC between Montjuic and Placa Espana would light up in brilliant colors. It is a great spectacle and extremely romantic.
It is a shame that you are going in May and not August. Because the best spectacle of all BCN is the Festival de Gracias in August. It is the most fabulous thing that I have ever encountered. During the day there are cultural activities for the childeren and the old. The Castellers are amazing. And then at night, it is a huge party with non-stop bands and music. The street decorations are amazing. It is probably the best neighborhood block party ever.
Gracias is the best neighborhood in the city in my opinion. As for the beach. Just be fore warned that if you walk all the way down to the last beach, you will eventually reach more secluded and less populated beaches. But these beaches are also considered the "natural" beaches.
In terms of restuarants, take your pick. However I recommend this restuarant called "Espai Sucre". It is a dessert restuarant. Fabulous! You need to go!
Atrios:
Thanks for the unexpected Friday night treat of seeing the world's most fabulous market! At heart I'm such a Francophile that it wasn't until a couple of years ago that I deigned to take time away from the French experience to visit Barcelona. My eyes were opened. A great, great city, and among hundreds of civilized high points that market is close to the top.
Cats are good on Friday, but refreshed memories of the Mercat de la Boqueria are going to send me to sleep tonight with a smile on my face and happy vapors drifting through my mind.
Maybe atrios should take photography lessons from David Ehrenstein who is a very accomplished photographer even if I say so myself. Mr Helga has also taken quite a few photographs in Barcelona.
And David, according to my ISP, your 'domain records appear to be missing an entry', and that's why your email address does not work for me. On the other hand, there might be a Tasmanian devil in OUR computer because you cannot reply ..
Atrios, one of the highlights of our visit to Barcelona in 1999 was the 'Museu-Monestir de Pedralbes' which once was a convent and is now a museum housing part of the Thyssen-Bornemisza art collection. Although most of same collection is in Madrid, the paintings in Barcelona impressed us more. There is also a beautiful three-storey cloister built in the early 14th century. Pedralbes is a wealthy residential area north of Camp Nou.
Our favourite restaurant: 'Nou Cellers' (?) on the Carrer de la Princesa near the Picasso Museum. As for that museum, the architecture is interesting but the Picasso Museum in Paris is much better!
And Jeff L., I must protest: Barcelona is a much livelier place than Madrid!
"Cal Pep" in the Barrio Gotico, made the list of the best 50 restaurants in the World.
The note next to the entry said "Best Value."
Sure sounds like my kind of place.
Oh, and if the building is on Paseig de Gracia, isn't it the Hotel Majestic?
man, i'm sooooo jealous you are in spain. i visited in 1998. my husband and i rented a car and drove southern Spain....we loved every minute of it. the people were great; they even loved my high school spanish. i am now planning a vacation in spain for me and my hubby and our 2 daughters with their boyfriends. i hope they make great memories like my husband and i did years ago.....
It isn't the Hotel Majestic. the Majestic facade is much more reserved.
Been there. Very nice it is, too.
how did those kitties get waaaayyyy up there?
cal pep's great.
Hola, benvinguts a BCN. Cal Pep is great, but for rice and paellas, best is Elx, there are two, one in the Maremagnum Port Vell and the real old Elx (owners are the same family, cuissine is identical) in calle Vila Vila, (Paralel)
If you like absenta, go to Bar Marsella, near Rambla del Raval.
As for modernism, number One is casa Batllo, the liquid blue house, from Gaudi, Passeig de Gracia, and number 2 Parc Guell.
Have a nice time and enjoy this sunny springtime
Ooo, pretty.
I'll be in Barça for three days next month. First time. I can't wait!
¿Está algo que conmemore a Durruti hoy en Barcelona? ¿o la revolución trabajadora?
Tenéis suerte de estar en Barcelona. Siempre quiero ir.
Hope you made it to Sitges, too.
Bah, Sitges is overrated. And god help somebody who tries to drive from Barca to Sitges without first-rate directions.
To amend my post above, the best arroz negro on the planet is in a dive adjacent to the Placa de las floristas de las Ramblas.
The other two Catalan restaurants that made the list of best 50 were "El Bulli," of course, in Roses. (Never been, but a high-roller friend said the food was not "comestible," i.e. not edible. And "El Raco de Can Fabes" in San Celoni. They have a website.
Where is Placa de las Floristas de las Ramblas?
Is Atrios going to make it to the F1 grand prix, I wonder...?
Tim F:
Sitges off season is lovely. I liked the old streets and the way the light reflected off the buidlings. had no problem finding my there either and had the best razor clams I've ever eaten in my life. To each his own.
Barcelona? This weekend? You *are* going to the race on Sunday, right?
You can move easily around with public transportation to go places like Sitges (southward) or other coastal towns north of BCN. Check Rodalies Renfe. To Sitges is a half an hour ride, trains leave every 30 minutes from Sants Station or Arago-Passeig de Gracia Station.
To the north, there are good and peacefull beaches in Caldes D'estrac, Arenys de Mar i Canet de Mar, 50 minutes ride from Pça Catalunya Station if you want to chill out from the sometimes chaotic and noisy BCN (too many motorcycles in this city).
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