Barcelona - City of Modernismo

This was the third time that I visited Barcelona, and it was my favorite time even though I revisited some places I already knew. That's the wonderful part about Barcelona though, it's spectacular enough that you don't mind seeing things a second time.

Here's a sample of some pinchos we ate at a local restaurant near our hotel on the ultra chique street Passeig De Gracia, just above the Plaza Catalunya in the center of the city and Las Ramblas.

The Barceloneta: the beach and surrounding neighborhood where tourists and natives alike flock to take a dip in the warm waters of the Mediterranean. I remember that we didn't swim that day, and that it was windy and sand blew all over us. Some days you just gotta go to the beach though.

The coast of Barcelona is packed with piers, parks, boardwalks, shopping centers, etc. Just past the statue of Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus) and the famous Ramblas streets is this pier called La Rambla del Mar.

I'm standing at the base of the Columbus' statue.

Here the girls are in front of Antoni Gaudi's unfinished master work: La Sagrada Familia (Temple of the Holy Family).

Gaudi was a Catalan architect who was extremely influential in the Modernist/Art Nouveau movement. His style in many occasions mimics patterns found in nature, like the winding spiral staircase in the Sagrada Familia.

In the north of Barcelona is Gaudi's famous park, Parque Guell, where there are a collection of interesting architectural designs and creations. The park was originally designed to be a housing site, though it failed, and today there are only two houses there. The park serves as an important tourist attraction, however, and millions of people go there every year to see great views over Barcelona and to explore the wonders of Gaudi's curious and naturalistic designs.

Another picture of Parque Guell: I'm sitting on a mosaic tiled bench with some cavern like walkway in the background.



Gaudi designed a great deal of buildings in his native Catalunya, and in Barcelona. This house is called the Casa Batllo.


Here we can see a close view of the scaled roof and cross turret. It looks like the back of a dinosaur or dragon. I have many pictures of the inside of the house as well, which was equally impressive and filled with unique angles and geometric designs. I didn't add these photos to my blog because many of them didn't turn out as well due to lack of lighting. The Casa Batllo is an expensive tourist attraction (12 - 15 Euros), but I think my mom, sister, and I would all agree that it's one of the most enchanting houses we've ever visited. Well worth it.

Another jewel of Barcelona's collection of modern architectural marvels is the Palau de de la Musica Catalana (Palace of Catalan Music). My mom invited us to go to a Spanish guitar concert at this concert hall that dates back to 1908.

The Catalan architect, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, created a space that could be entirely illuminated by natural light during the day, much of which comes in through the stained glass skylight 'sun' in the center.


Here's a view of some of the pillars that line the outside of the concert hall. The colors and lighting of the building are beautiful, and I would recommend a tour if you're ever in Barca, or definitely whatever concert you can get tickets to; the building alone is worth it.

Bilbao & Sanse

Bilbao, the magnificent metropolitan capital of Biscay in the Basque Country, city of monuments of great modern architecture like Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum, pictured below.


My mom, sister, and flatmate Juan are standing on a bridge in front of the Nervion River in the old center of Bilbao.

The Campo Volantin Footbridge along the Nervion, designed by famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

Hilltop view of the Greater Bilbao, an urban area of around a million inhabitants. Bilbao is one of the most important seaports and industrial areas of Spain, and much of its growth was due to the industrial revolution.

Besides the factories, Bilbao is a city sprawling with commerical and cultural life. There are many parks, monuments, beautiful modern buildings, luxury shops, restaurants, hotels, museums, concert halls, and more. It's definitely one of the more interesting places to visit in Spain.

Now we change cities to San Sebastian, or Donostia in the Basque language of Euskeda. San Sebastian is the capital of the Basque province of Guipuscoa, and it's a popular tourist destination for all of Europe. Gail and Rachel are looking out over La Concha Bay from Mount Igeldo.


San Sebastian's old center is filled with wonderful restaurants dedicated to some of Spain's most elaborate and delicious pinchos.

Here Mom and I are standing in front of the river Urumea and one of the many bridges that cross it. You can see the cathedral in the background.

One of the most famous sites in the city is the lookout over the rocky coast near the base of Mount Igeldo where the Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida has several of his famous 'wind combs'. Interesting side note: I just learned that before he became a sculptor he was a professional goalkeeper for Real Sociedad, San Sebastian's football team.

La Concha Bay has a wonderful large beach shaped like a conch shell. The boardwalk that surrounds the beach is filled with restaurants, spas, cafes, clubs, parks, and more. It's a wonderful place to spend a nice morning, afternoon, or evening strolling around or just lying and relaxing.

Food you don't generally eat in the USA: salads with gulas (aka young eel). If the gulas (or regular eel would be 'angulas') are authentic they are a delicacy, and a very expensive one at that. Most times if you catch these slimy suckers in a typical restaurant or supermarket what you're getting is the imitation stuff, which is much cheaper. It tastes a little like crab... me thinks. Very good.

San Mateo 2008! Get some!

We are back in Logrono this school year. The patron saint of the city is Saint Matthew, or San Mateo. The fiesta of San Mateo goes on for a whole week, in which students don't have class and there are a few days off of work for everyone else. It's true; we the youth have no idea how good we have it.

The picture above is a fountain turned red for the fiestas. The water runs red with the blood of the Logroneses from years ago, who worked hard to create the vineyards and wineries that today we all enjoy so much.


Yes, the wine is good. We went to some tastings and bought some local specialties and reasonable prices. This dish is called 'picadillo', which is basically like spiced pork. It's delicious, and they provided us with a mini wine bottle commemorating the festival and containing a young wine from one of the oldest and most prestigious wineries.


Here's me with another pincho (little Spanish snack/bar food!). I gotta be honest, I don't remember what it is. I should've written it down I guess.


Street performers. They crowd to the fiestas, or anywhere where there are a lot of people. This guy was dressed up as a toy soldier from Toy Story.


There was a wine taster in one of the squares near our apartment. Pay five Euros and you get to wear a glass around your neck while they fill it for you and send you off to bump into other people, who also have wine glasses hanging from their necks.


Here's a view from one of our balconies. We have several in our main living room, and more windows in the bedrooms, kitchen, and bathroom. It's a fairly big place: three bed, one full bath, small kitchen, storage closet, living room with dining table, couch, coffee table, TV, a couple cabinets, some shelves, etc.

Anyways, our situation is on standby. Two of the bedrooms are stilled filled with junk from the previous occupant. He's coming to get it all soon, and then our landlady is going to furnish them. She'll put another bed and dresser in one of the bedrooms and a desk and book shelf in the other. As for now, my dresser is the cabinet in the living room, and my hamper is on top of dude's junk in the other bedroom.


This is a busy street during the fiestas. There are more people in Logrono during the 'sanmateos' than any other time of the year. It's a mess if you wanna go to your favorite places, and many locals--after experiencing the fiesta many times before, no doubt--take the opportunity to go on vacation.


Abby and I lived on this street last year. There are a lot of bars and clubs, and they were all open and all hours of ridiculousness during the fiesta. Par-Tay!


The bullfight ring in Logrono, complete with ultra modern retractable roof! How traditional is this anyway? So there were actually bullfights: those with the bull death and the gorging of matadors and the like; and we didn't go. Instead we went to something called 'vaquillas', which are like bullfights without swords. Entertainers basically just go out with a bull (smaller than the big ones they 'fight' and with taped up horns) and they run around with it, put rings on its horns as it tries to kill them, and by some act of fearlessness some of them actually leap over the large charging animals. Good stuff.


Some of the ceremonies during the fiestas include wine stomping! It's the beginning of harvest time in La Rioja (during autumn), and the stomping creates the season's first (symbolic) mosto! Mosto is grape juice; it's the liquid that comes from the grapes, and when it's fermented you get wine. Increible!

There were also concerts everynight in some of the bigger plazas in the city, and there was also a fireworks contest with different countries and Spanish cities competing. I don't know who won. Several of them were very good.

Well, more coming later, amigos. Hasta luego!