Casual Sunday in Barcelona

I had this great plan to buy a bunch of things when I landed, so I wouldn't need to bring them with me: stuff like shampoo and sunblock, and a cheap emergency cell phone with a local number.  But my travel day (Saturday) left me frazzled, and I apparently do not know how to shop.  I eventually purchased about half of my list at the city-block-sized department store El Corte Ingles, which has an integrated supermarket.  But no sunscreen.  I was very afraid of the Spanish sun!

Most stores and many attractions are closed Sundays (like the rest of Europe) so my first full day was a good one for a casual stroll.  There was a miscommunication whereby I missed a walking tour of the old Gothic Quarter (Barri Gòtic) and then a bike tour too but it's probably for the best as I still did not have sunscreen.  Instead I explored at my own pace, ducking frequently into shade.  These tiny winding streets are so fun!  It's easy to get lost there, and I did, many times.  Lots of restaurants, bars, shops, (Italian-style) gelaterias, and Roman walls blending seamlessly into those of later eras.  Man.  It's hard for me as an American to comprehend the idea of a city founded by an ancient civilization.  Romans are basically elves or fairies as far as I'm concerned. 

Anyway, I finally solved my sunblock problem at a convenience store (supermercat) here, easily found all over.  Another reason why this is the better place to stay rather than my oh-so-fashionable local address.  I visited the cathedral (shorts JUST long enough this time, my salvation from a Vatican Too^* experience) and had a salad on a terrasse in Plaça George Orwell.  It was doubleplusgood.  I also saw lots of people with flags in Plaça Catalunya and bought tickets at the info center for Casa Batlló and Montserrat.

More walking, toward the port this time.  Turning a corner brings an immediate change: all is palm trees and modernity.  The lower sky is filled with sailboat masts, and the upper with bridges and skyscrapers.  There's a giant statue of Christopher Columbus, pointing to the sea.  Which is east here, but I suppose it would have looked silly for him to point away.  Then I head back along the popular pedestrian zone Las Ramblas and back into the Barri for free admission to the Picasso Museum.  That line turned out to be as long as you've probably already guessed, so I went back to the hostel to recharge myself and my devices.

That night (based on an excellent recommendation from Victor) I went to the Casa Batlló, conveniently near my hostel - each visible from the other's roofdeck.  I think we won out in that deal.  And what a Casa!  All was curves and natural light, including an innovative central "light well" and glass elevator.  Doors were hobbitesque and walls gave the impression of being underwater.  The façade was all scales: but dragon or fish?  And what kind of bones are these?  WHY ARE THERE BONES AT ALL?  I really dig this Gaudí fellow and I'm excited to see more of his work in town.  I took many pictures which I will eventually link to here.

A teaser from Casa Batlló

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* if you think I'm going to pass up a pun like that ... do you even know me? ^↩