Hi all,

Just thought I'd get going with the idea of a blog.  Will be working for 2 more weeks and until then I'm meeting up with many friends to make up for the next 3 months of being on our own (Jim and I only).

So this is the address and I'll try to do as Becky has done so well, once a week a post with pics.  We'll see if this oldster can keep it up.  Stay tuned.......




September2013
Barcelona.

View from the Museum of Catalan Art's Restaurant

We have walked every inch of this amazing city.  Sometimes we even actually know where we are and where we are going. I gave directions to someone last night who was going to the Pilau of Music!

The Palau of Music

Inside the  Palau of Music

Beautiful architecture everywhere (especially at the Pilau of Music where we heard some beautiful classical guitar played), sunny skies, warm sea, what else could one hope for? Oh yes, good food and lots of cafes.

Guided by Rick Steves, Lonely Planet and Cousin Federico, my grandfather's brother's grandson, we have managed to sample everything from Gaudi to Roman ruins and even some modern art.  Our room in an apartment building in La Ribera neighborhood is withing walking distance of everything folks come to see.  We have learned to use the bus to go to Parc Guell and the metro to Montjuic.  Both places show an amazingly creative imagination.  I like the way this city is a blend of so many experiences, dynasties, conflicts, victories and defeats.  All these are evident  in the architecture which changes from house to house.

The history here is of incredible repression.  From what I learned, Barcelona, and the province of Catalunya where it is located, was on the wrong side of various military conflicts over its long history, and each time they lost, the punishment was repression.  At some points, the walls kept the growing populace from moving out and therefore many died from diseases due to unhealthy living conditions.  Isabel and Ferdinand sent the inquisition to keep things in check. The native language, Catalan, was forbidden and it was not until 1975 that it was allowed in schools. Las Ramblas, cousin Federico tells us, was place where prostitutes and homosexuals would be tolerated.  It is now an amazing place to stroll and watch people from all over the world walk by and sometimes interact.  Cousin Federico also told us that Barcelona took on the Olympics in 1992 in an attempt to develop tourism to save the city from bankruptcy.  It worked!

There are strong feelings about becoming sovereign state instead of being part of Spain.  Many flags are being flown now in anticipation of the September 11 celebration, which is an interesting one.  It celebrates the Bourbon dynasty winning over the opposition.  Barcelona was on the wrong side of this and as the result the city was ruled by a strong military presence for some centuries!  The striped yellow and red flags (Catalunya's flags) are everywhere, but equally visible are the flags with a star which are flown by those who would like to see Catalunya be independent from Spain.

As an aside, Jim has had some interesting experiences bought on by people noticing his PD.  A couple stopped us in the middle of Las Ramblas to tell him about the Deep Brain Stimulus surgery success the wife experienced,  She demonstrated her gait and showed Jim where the battery lies.  They were quite jolly about the results and encouraging of Jim to consider it.  The very next day, while eating the mandatory Paella at a sea side restaurant, a waiter carefully draped an extra napkin around Jim's shirt collar and lovingly explained his Dad suffers from PD.  Jim seemed warmed by these reactions.

Today we will spend our last day here at Sagrada Familia and, if I can help it, back at Montjuic, an enchanting array of gardens and paths on a hill overlooking the city and the Mediterranean sea.