Barcelona: You Directed – I Discovered!

I think I got the better part of the bargain 😉 In my post Tell Gina Where to Go: An Experiment in Interactive Travel/Blogging , I asked for suggestions from you, my bright and shiny new readers, as to some sights or tastes or experiences you thought I should seek out.  Well, I thank you all for taking the time to “tell me where to go”!  I really did discover delights of Spain that I had yet to savor, and I’m grateful.  Here are some of the things I was able to squeeze in:

Patty’s suggestion for Barcelona:  “Do take in all the street artists that you can. Ramblas (a street called La Rambla) at all hours and the sea walk at dusk!!!”  I did all of these (I know, I’m so dutiful!) and the sea walk was new for me. We DID go at dusk and it was brrrrr cold!  Here we were one day after the first snowfall Barcelona had has in 15 years! lol I think it’s a nice spring or summertime diversion, but we returned whilst on our bike tour.  It is a lovely long stretch of an open air, open ocean promenade and it’s nice to join locals and tourists alike in a slower paced savoring of this lively coastal city.  The large “fish” sculpture in this picture is all the more curious because when you are beside it, it looks like an abstraction of a wave, constructed of confetti.

Street Artists on La Rambla, Barcelona

Street Artist on La Rambla in Barcelona, Spain

The street artists along La Rambla, the main grand boulevard of shops and mobs of pedestrians, are living sculptures and they have evolved into ever more creative and fantastic characters and creatures since I was here several years ago. I actually witnessed two of them bickering. It seemed one had moved too closely into the other one’s precious “territory”.  This is big business and very lucrative. Thank you, Patty, for “directing” me! Happy travels, always.

Antigua Casa Figueres, Barcelona

How could I not heed the sage advise of both Helene (Desertsnail): “Also make sure to grab some of the delicious hot chocolate from one of the local coffee shops… yummy.” and Garo: “Be sure to stroll the Rambla/la Rambla/les Rambles, and drop in at the Antigua Casa Figueres (at C. Petxina) for pastries and coffee; yummy.” OK, I’m no dummy. When two people say “yummy”, I motivate!  Funny, (sorry, can’t help to continue flogging the rhyme) I had visited the lovely Antigua confectioner in my previous jaunts here and even snapped pictures, inside and out. It is a lovely, nearly 200-year-old art nouveau building and somehow, entering makes the anticipation of a sweet indulgence even more rich!  The name of the chocolatier doling out delights in this heavenly yet sinful space is Escriba. I once again did as bidden, and ordered the hazelnut infused chocolate, which is closer to oozing melted chocolate than what Americans are used to.  Am I complaining?!? Claro que no!  My nephew had the chocolate with cream (some of which I commandeered) Below, please witness the evidence.

Chocolate Caliente

And thank you to Garo and Helene for not steering me wrong 🙂

museu de l'erotica, Barcelona

Now for another type of sin.  Last, and certainly not least, T1theinfamous generously researched a concert going on in Barcelona that my travel schedule didn’t have me there for, and I would really have loved to attend. His other suggestion was off main-stream: “If you’re up for it there’s a museum in Barcelona that’s completely dedicated to erotica…so if you’re willing to do it and completely embarrass the person you’re with you should go and check it out.” Of course, this piqued my curiosity and I did locate it, plum centered on La Rambla, hoping at least there was a window display – haha.  I saw my 19-year old nephew squirm even as I snapped pictures, so entering was not an option!  Thanks for the great suggestions, all of you.  I really had fun enjoying these forays for you vicariously 🙂 Stay tuned for my heads up on my next excursion! G

(All photos by G. Stark)