Last Day in Barcelona

An Extraordinary Photo Exhibition and Candy!

Some of the people I know leave the best things till last. They will eat a whole meal having pushed their favorite food aside in order to savor it for their last bite.


There are people that travel the same way. They look at this and that, saving the best stuff for last.

My philosophy corresponds with the saying: life is uncertain, eat desert first! Before I go somewhere I research it and make a list of the things I know I want to see and the restaurants I think I'd like to eat at. I then make sure to hit the biggies first. I also try to leave plenty of time unscheduled to sort of go with the flow. The list gives me my framework to start with, and after a few days, I've usually scrapped it, re-planning time to see other new things.


For our last day in Barcelona we decided to go back and stroll a bit aimlessly in the Gothic Quarter. We also wanted to tour one of Barcelona's famous Design Museum's.


Think of that, design is so important to people in Barcelona that they actually have museums to celebrate it! I say this since I come from the fifth largest City in America, a city where every new public art project is roundly ridiculed in Letters-to-the-Editor. The standard question being why we should spend money on art and quality design in our built world.


Why indeed? Maybe so ordinary day-to-day life need not be so UGLY?


Just a thought.


Well first up was our wonderful stroll. I just marvel at how harmonious it all looks despite sloped walls, narrow streets, and such amazing little spaces created seemingly at random. I could wander here for days. We stopped at a lovely shop to buy a knit hat since it was a cold morning. 

Balconies with Flowers Clamoring For 

The Soft Filtered Light That

Makes it to the Ground

The Land From The Time Before Cars

The Graffiti All Over Barcelona Was Interesting

Although I Found This One Strangely Creepy

The show we saw at The Design Hub was a 20 year retrospective of the work of fashion photographer Manual Outomoro. The photos were just dazzling. He had images he had created and captured all over the world for most of the planet's most prestigious fashion houses.


I found myself retracing my steps to go back twice to see a couple of the photos. This guy knows how to compose a photo and capture all of its beauty leaving in a little attitude for good measure. Of course we could not take photos inside the exhibit. Sorry bout that.

  

The Manual Outomoro Exhibition

  

We have determined that Irelands gift to the entire planet is a pub (or three) in every city! In Barcelona they even fill historic Art Nouveau buildings!

In Barcelona St. Paddy's Day is Safe

Since we had an evening flight to Granada lined up, we had to finish up early. We completed the day with a visit to the most famous of Barcelona's public markets La Boqueria. Here you can buy almost anything. While the market traces links back to 1217, its current configuration was finished in 1917. Saturday it was filled with the very finest fruits, vegetables, superb Spanish hams, and candy! Lots and lots of candy!

Bright, Fresh Produce From All Corners of the World

Amazing Spanish Hams

How Bout Some Candy?

More Candy

And Still More Candy

And with a couple of bags full of wonderful sweets we were ready to go hit the airport for Granada. My plan was to spend St. Valentines Day at the Alhambra!


Barcelona, till we meet again!

Roadboy's Travels © 2010