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Barcelona for Architecture, Tapas and Sangria! (Barcelona is a city to capture one's imagination. Above, an artist on the popular Las Ramblas works on a religious drawing.) By
Arnie Greenberg If you know me, you know how important Paris is in my life. But if I can't go to Paris, I'd choose Barcelona in a minute. The city is a young and vibrant place filled with special sounds and charms, visual delights, historical reminders and tastes to remember. I was there only an hour when I discovered tapas and sangria. Now the secret is out. People thrive on these Spanish discoveries, especially in Barcelona, the Catalonian capital. Twice a day, thousands of locals (and informed tourists) gather at any of the city's typical bodegas, or wine bars. Here they order a draft beer, a dry Spanish sherry or 'fino'. And fill their plates with tiny hors d'ouvres, snacks, open-faced goodies, or delicacies beyond belief. It's a veritable ethnic wedding. And this is only an entrée to their lunch or dinner. Dinner Begins Late in Barcelona People eat late in Barcelona. That's because they frolic until the wee hours of the morning, sleep in and get a late start. It's a vicious circle, but nobody complains. Lunch is at 2 or 3 p.m., so tapas and whatever at 1 p.m. makes sense. It starts over at around 6 p.m., with dinner following at 8 or 9. I've been to tapas bars buzzing with people until 10 p.m. and the restaurants waiting for diners until well after that. My question is if they spend so much time in Tapas bars and restaurants, when do they work? Maybe that's why so many are always on cell phones. Tapas means "cover," and they come in hundreds of varieties, depending on the imagination of the bar owners. It is customary to stand around while drinking and nibbling. I've seen cheese tapas, meat, vegetable, chicken, lamb, broad beans, snails, and round potato omelettes. There are hundreds of possibilities, and the ambiance is upscale, friendly and often noisy. In Madrid, the tapas bars often feature videos of old bullfights. In Barcelona, sangria and tapas is a social custom. They are the perfect things for parties. You just let your imagination go. Tapas recipe books are readily available as are web sites with ideas like Orange & Cod Salad, Sizzling Prawns or Marinated Fish. The ideas are endless. Las Ramblas Teems with Street Performers But that's only one reason to visit Barcelona. Here in this Catalonian wonder city you can walk, day and night, along Las Ramblas, that tree-lined pedestrian street teeming with street performers, flower and bird vendors, and people just wandering down towards the old port. It's like a continuing festival. Here, at the bottom of this colorful street, the statue of Columbus points out to sea. At the top end of the Ramblas is Catalunya Square, the hub of the city. Here, too, there are restaurants and hotels for every taste and pocket. This is a young city and people are smiling and warm. It's a wonderland, especially on a warm evening. Add to that the architecture. Barcelona has been blessed with great architects who had a vision. The most celebrated was Antoni Gaudi, whose visionary sense of space gave birth to some of Barcelona's most unique buildings. From street lamps on the Placa Reial to the monumental Temple of the Sacred Family (Sagrada Familia), you will marvel at designs seen nowhere else in the world.
(One of Antoni Gaudi's other-worldly works at Park Guell) A walk around Park Guell, named after Gaudi's benefactor, will astound you. From the dragon on the main stairway to the pillars and arched paths, the mind boggles; the senses are delighted by the color, the use of materials, the whimsy. This community is now designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Throughout Barcelona one is reminded that one man's vision can change ideas forever. I visited the Casa Calvet and Casa Vicens, Gaudi's first project showing his sense of fantasy. I was awed by his dome of the riding school and other sites around the Ramblas and beyond, but I was staggered by the detail and grandeur of the Sagrada Familia. This towering monument started by Gaudi was unfinished at the time of Gaudi's early and accidental death. From drawings of the master that building is being finished as you read. It will take almost 40 more years to complete the task. There are symbols everywhere in the sculptured walls. His Nativity façade is made of three vestibules that symbolize the three theological virtues: faith, hope and charity depicting various moments in the life of Jesus. There will be 18 bell towers when the construction is completed. On each of these 98 and 112-meter tower's facades there will be representations of the apostles. The tower of Jesus rises 170 meters above the city. There is no complete tour of Barcelona without a visit to Gaudi's masterpieces, especially the Sagrada Familia. Add to all of this a city of the old and new, a city with architecture from every corner of Spain. Add a mountain view of this special city on Montjuic and a wonderful Picasso Museum in the Bari or old quarter. Picasso studied in Barcelona and hung out at the ornate restaurant El Quatre Gats, The Four Cats, with his painter and poet friends. Casa Marti, Where Picasso Held His First Exhibit It
is a Picasso drawing one sees on the restaurant's menu at the stylistic Casa Marti.
This is where he held his first exhibit and near the spot where he painted his
'break-through' Les Demoiselles d'Avinyo. Here, in a setting that reminds us of
old Barcelona, one can enjoy the traditional foods of the region in a setting
of art and a dedication to a glorious past. Some of the most celebrated and sophisticated
gourmands and literati have eaten here including, Queen Silvia of Sweden, and
Princess Gabriella of Savoy. The paintings of Picasso's youth show a different quality of the man's lifetime outpouring. No wonder he was called "Le Petit Goya." One of the most impressive buildings I visited was the Palau de la Musica. There is no concert hall that even comes close to this hall. It takes your breath away with its statuary, stained-glass dome, stunning mosaics and wonderful acoustics. Even if you go there for a tour only, it's worth the effort. Barcelona
itself is filled with art and history and hard-working, proud people. It has its
old sections, but it is also a standard for Spanish modernism, culture and that
certain grace that is only found in Catalonia. Els
Quatre Gats, Carrer de Montsio, 3 Bis, Barcelona. Palau
de la Musica is open daily 10 a.m. - 3p.m. (Click below for more travel).
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