Barcelona

What do you give someone for an anniversary - especially when they don't want anything, and even if they did, you're in a new city with some level of a language barrier, you can't easily (or more importantly, confidently) convert clothing sizes, and they have more than enough ties? 

You plan a small trip.  That's what!

You plan a small trip to a city where his favorite band of all time is scheduled to perform.

(and you can handily rely on his existing familiarity with the language, too)

Buenos dias, Barcelona! (NB:  so glad we visited you in an off-season time of year, because you're clearly inundated with tourists a lot of the time)

Shot at the wrong time of day, I'll admit...this our oddly shaped hotel.  Must be somehow an homage to Gaudi.

An extension of the lobby area.

Part of the actual lobby.

The view from our hotel, which gives you an idea of the city's geographical positioning.  Mountains to one side, which often trap the misty air over the city.  Sea is on the other side (which you'll see in a bit).
We stayed on the outskirts of the city but also on a metro line...which is a little confusing because both proper trains and subway trains travel on the same line.  With a city pass, you can ride either one, but not being sure of what you're doing can be a bit unnerving.
However: staying on the outskirts of the city means lower prices, nicer digs, and quiet.  These features made for a really nice stay. I guess that we're old if we say that.  I think we may be old enough to not care that we sound old.

A city that knows the way of the pig.  Mmm.
Wait...this means...tapas!

A course of small plates of things to share.

So, I could eat these potatoes at every sitting. That combo of mayo and spicy sauce on top? YES.

I really couldn't get into the grilled sardines.  Too bony. The Spouse happily crunched through all of them. 

A major cathedral.  I was surprised to find that Barcelona is ok. with charging entrance fees to churches.  Unless the church is deconsecrated in Italy, you generally aren't charged (although I found that the city of Florence is of two minds on this - which is a later blog post).  

In the choir...

The term for these benches - installed in old church choirs - is 'misericord.'  They're really half-seats, since they're not large enough to put your whole tushie on.
Spell the term slightly differently - miserichordia - and we are now in the Italian realm, and the name of a confraternity that assists with the volunteer efforts for emergency rescue.  'Miserichordia' means, quite simply, 'mercy.'  So the ornamental benches in old church choirs must have offered mercy to those who had to otherwise stand for long periods and sing.   

quite the soaring, Gothic space

Below the altar.  

I felt pretty o.k. with paying an entrance fee when it meant that I could take an elevator to the roof.

Dear former art history students:  what is the term for those items that lean from the top of this lower part of the roof and attach to the wall of the taller part of the roof?

Panoramic view of Barcelona's historic center.

look for the snail!

complicated rain gutter

Gotta love Spanish religious art.  Spare no expense. Spare no space for more visual onslaught!

A lovely cloister

a geese population with its own dormitory in the courtyard

There are Roman ruins in Barcelona (ah Rome, I might leave you temporarily, but you never leave me, do you?).  These are the remains of a large temple to Minerva - now enclosed by much newer architecture - smack in the historic center. 

After a nice lunch, a stroll to the harbor and beachfront

This city has it all:  a historic center, fascinating architecture, a sprawling layout, a beach

We enjoyed our stroll so much in one direction that we went quite far...and found that upon returning, the sun had slipped considerably lower in the sky.

Because we had a show to catch later, we stopped for an early dinner...and started off with a couple of sangrias, some crisps and olives. 

And among the many small plates we had, this...THIS.  Figs and manchego cheese on squares of polenta.  

The venue was nice and small. The band is one with which I had no familiarity before knowing The Spouse...but I have grown to appreciate their work.  This group is, without doubt, The Spouse's absolute favorite.  

It was actually kind of nice to be at a show where the crowd is mostly your age, and is therefore done with being obnoxious about...well, anything, really.  Middle-aged diehard fans of activist-themed punk with a lot of acoustic components, enjoying the music, zero problems.  

THIS guy was pretty much beside himself with happiness, singing along with every tune...I am patting myself on the back for plotting this out.  I won Good Spouse points here.

And the next day, the Big Letdown:  La Sagrada Familia is so popular that you have to book tickets in advance. Did I know this? Did I bother to think about it in advance (after all, I am a museum junkie)? Nah. I will say that I mistakenly thought that in the cooler months, Barcelona was pretty well emptied out, tourist-wise.  We never had to worry about getting a table at a restaurant or entrance into a museum. There seemed to be no crowds anywhere.
The reality is that they're ALL standing in front of this church. 

The church that is perpetually under construction will have to wait for another visit.  

A turn of the century pseudo-Gothic arch, built (of course) for a world's exposition

See?  Almost no people.  

Surprise - we went to an archaeological museum.

massive Roman ruins below the street level

So these deep terracotta vessels were designed to hold garum, the popular ancient Roman fermented fish sauce that was a condiment for just about everything.  And while I'm not above using bottled fish sauce in some of my Asian recipes, I try not to think about the means of preparing ancient Roman fish sauce.  

I included this not just because of the information, but also because of the most prominent language on the sign:  Catalan.  And no, it's not just a version of Spanish. The Spouse reports that it sounds vaguely like Spanish to him, but only vaguely. So much for relying on his knowledge of that language.  I mean - it helped, but not as much as either of us expected. 

Some Early Christian doves

Again, the Chi Rho emblem in the mosaic fragment

Time for some refreshment at a craft beer place.

We wanted a cider.  We got a cider.  But the usual cider fizz was produced by the distance pour.  

Good thing we only had one cider! Barcelona does seem to, in some ways, take itself not too seriously. 

I wanted authentic paella.  It was really good. (When you go, get a small version like this)

Last day:  we go to....another Roman ruin! 

A necropolis, discovered during excavations for city works.  And this is only a fragment of it. The rest remains underground. 

There are a number of these (at the time they were made) above ground tomb monuments.  

You can see them wending their way into the distance.  All different in size and even some in material.

Lest you think that select flowers at gravesites is singularly a Christian thing...

And some of that still-buried necropolis, including a large mass grave, sits under...a children's playground.  Something about that is decidedly Spanish, to me.  A different kind of comfort level with both the living and the dead in close proximity.

Our departure.  For those of you not accustomed to catching cheap flights in Europe, the advice is:  know that Ryan Air is indeed cheap.  You get what you pay for, which includes the lack of an actual connecting gate for the plane. 

All in all, I'd highly recommend Barcelona.  We definitely want to return, but during the low season of course.  Still thinking about those tapas....and the art...and the archaeology.