In transition

Ángel Sierra

I can´t bear to say adieu to Barcelona. It always is difficult to leave behind Catalunya and Spain. My returns to the EEUU are always slow and full of leaving taking. I delay the departure as much as I can.

A couple of nights ago while in Madrid, I met up with a scholar and fellow medievalist; we decided to have some copas and dinner to catch up with our research happenings and events. We started at the Taberna Ángel Sierra, a venerable establishment on the Plaza de Chueca, on the Calle de Gravina, 11. We sipped cool vermut and talked scholarly matters.

The taberna has an old Madrid feel and lacks the clean, ultra-modern decoration that seems to characterize a lots of places in Madrid and Barcelona. Dusty bottles line the walls, and there is a small dinning room behind the bar. Not el Bulli, but appetizing. One has to crawl under the bar to get there.

We did not stay for dinner at Sierra; rather we moved down the street and visited the Bodega de la Ardosa, Calle Colón, 13. Once more, we entered into a flashback to the old Madrid. Founded in 1892, this venerable spot has seen much history and many personalities. The vermut was stellar, and the feel of the place was comfy and human, scaled to a days without cell phones and frenetic media blitz. Imagine a bar where the voices of people did not need to compete with the digital music track or the loud commentary of sports journalists on a TV monitor.

Afterward, we headed toward the Plaza del 2 de Mayo to find pizza. On Calle de San Vicente Ferrer and Plaza del 2 de Mayo, we came upon an old haunt. An inviting place full of wonderful food and excellent ambiente: Mastropiero. My friend had not been there in 6 years, and we mentioned this fact to the señora, a jovial Argentina full of humor and cheer. She received us warmly and gave us a round of cañas and free dessert, consisting of chocolate cake, cheesecake, and a chocolate mousse. So heavenly. The pizza was also out of this world! We ordered a ham and anchovy half and a mushroom and cheese. Definitely I need to return with la noruega one of these days!

Café Ruiz

And the last stop was Café Ruiz (on Calle Ruiz, 12)! As traditional as you can get, in a towny part of Madrid. According to one web, "Café de los de antes, de los de tertulia, historias, y mesas camilla en los que se conspiraba, se arreglaba el mundo y se medía el grado de niebla del universo entero". We had some beers, chips, and talked about textualities and NEH projects for the future. So relaxing to sit and chat after a long day at the Nacional reading dusty books. We enjoyed it! And they had this antique cash register made by Krups! No digital age had penetrated the walls of this wonderful bar.

Enough marcha!

Antes de irme

Panadería cerca de la Vía Laietana

Cada año antes de marcharme de Barcelona, doy un paseo nostálgico por los sitios que más me animan. Es un recorrido de sitios favoritos que tienen importancia muy especial. Casi siempre voy con amigos o estudiantes, pero este año fui solo. No sé cómo explicar mi soledad de peregrinación, pero pude disfrutar en el silencio. La vida tiene muchas rutas inesperadas.

Además saqué fotos impresionantes de varios sitios como una panadería cerca del la Vía Laietana.

Palau de la Música Catalana

Luego pasé por el Palau de Música Catalana, máximo ejemplo del modernismo catalán. Se mezclan elementos artísticos que evocan al mundo de la música, con diseños arquitectónicos y decorativos de carácter barroquizante. En el interior, el edificio conjuga magistralmente los diversos materiales de construcción con cerámica. Es un edificio realmente único y lleno de energía.

Tras caminar por el barrio de la Ribera de Barcelona, topé con La Casa dels Entremesos  un centro cultural donde tienen muchos dels Gegants de Barcelona. Es un lugar fascinante. Els Gegants son unas figuras de grandes dimensiones que representen reyes, nobles o personages con indumentaria tradicional. Es un elemento muy importante de las celebraciones de las festes majors de muchos pueblos de los Països Catalans.

Al salir, descubrí un lugar curioso. Un panadería que todavía mantiene los estantes y mobiliario de una antigua tiene. El pan es sabroso. Y desconocía este sitio. Ahora lo tengo grabado en mi geografía personal.

Finalmente me dirigí a la Plaça del Diamant, donde tomé un cafecito y repasé mi paseo. Esta Plaça muy evocadora se encuentra en el barrio de Gràcia. Me encanta este barrio y su entorno cultural. Además la Plaça protagoniza un papel importante en la novela de Rodoreda.

Regresé a Sant Jordi tranquilo, feliz y con mucho ánimo.

Parrots in Barna

There are parrots right outside the doors!

As I walked back to Sant Jordi after coffee at my usual pastellería, I came across a whole flight of parrot, frolicking in front of the gas station, near the small grassy park area adjacent to the station. Yes, the gas station near the Col·legi.

Unbelievable sights that occur in BCN. I believe that this must be the most spectacular.

Tapas in the Born

I confess. I am a tapas addict. I enjoy the tapas experience. I love to explore these small plates of food with their variety and richness. 

And Barcelona provides plentiful places where one can go to savor the variety and diversity of tapas. My favorite spot is the Golfo de Biskaia located in the Born near the Plaça de Olles. The area is always a mecca for eating out and discovering new foods.

Interior

The Golfo is small and unassuming; its decoration is modest -- bar with several stools and table. The restaurant serves pintxos donostiarras, cold and hot. Plates with tapas line the bar and lure the visitors to explore the food. The hot tapas are prepared in kitchen. The selection is varied and reflect the Basque's region's taste for tapas. Typically one sips Txakolí, a white wine from Euskadi, and enjoys the parade of foods.

Down the street and across the Born is another one of my favorites, La Taberna del Born. This location resembles a traditiona Spanish bar/café, with tables squeezed into a small space and an attentive wait staff. The Taberna has a many types of tapas and reflects the other regions of Spain. It also serves salads, sandwiches, main entrees, and other dishes. Click here to see their menu.

The food in these two places is always tantalizing and satisfying. The environment is incredible, full of energy. A great place to recharge after a long day.

 

Falles en la Alta Ribagorça

There was a full moon that night. And we watched the pageant. Women, men, children, parading through the little town of Taüll. And they waited for the flaming torches to illuminate the small  Plaça de Santa María. 

An eerie light on the mountain. The smell of smoke and burnt wood began to fill the air, and we were huddled around this ancient square, all witnessing the baixada. 

In the background the band played a march-like tune, constantly repeating, pulsating, as we cheered and viewed with amazement the approaching spectacle. A group led by the fadri ran furiously toward the narrow streets. The embers floated throughout the square, pieces of flaming wood danced through the air in an unreal ballet of light. Someone  screamed in English "Avoid the embers", and whirling fire carriers ran around the small square.

Group on the Mountain

A baixada is a traditional Catalan, Summer-time celebration. These folks run down the mountain with falles de pal, enormous torches made of pine and ash. Tall, short, fat, old, men and women carry the torches and illuminate the night! They start at the top, and with their torches lighted the group files slowly down the steep slope toward the tiny town of Taüll, famous for its twelfth-century churches. Awesome sight!

There we where, all cheering and yelling encouragement. The whirling smoke is dizzying. The flames flickered as the torches rushed through the plaça. 

Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more.

Taüll

Santa María

Sant Climent

Taüll is one of those magical places. The town sits in the Vall de Boi at an altitude of about 1,500 ms and is part of the Alta Ribagorzça, an area in the Pirineo leridano of Catalunya. With a population of almost 270, this minuscule town is the home of two iconic Romanesque churches: Sant Climent and Santa María, dedicated on the 10 and 12 of December 1123, respectively.

Pancrátor, Sant Climent, apse

The structures belong to a network of  churches that populate this valley and adjacent areas,  commissioned by Bishop Ramón de Roda during the early 12th century. The original murals, considered some of the finest examples of Romanesque art, are housed in the MNAC, Barcelona. The extant churches currently contain reproductions.

The KU group toured these churches during the excursion to the Pyrenees.

¿Iría Dalí a su propio Museo?

Me pregunto: ¿Iría Dalí a su propio Museu?

Sin duda, el museu ocupa un espacio único en el municipio de Figueres, pueblo natal de Dalí. Es un antiguo teatro municipal que Dalí convirtió en un sitio para exhibir las creaciones más surrealistas. Es un museo y algo más.

El Museu se inauguró en 1974, quince años antes de la muerte de Dalí, y contiene una variedad de obras e instalaciones realizadas por el artista. Además se muestran obras de otros artistas que Dalí admiraba: Duchamp, El Greco, Fortuny, Wostell, Pitxot y Vallès, entre otros.

El Museu reúne la mayor colección de su obra en el mundo.Cada sala del museo ofrece una muestra del arte de Dalí e incluye bizarras combinaciones de pinturas, esculturas, muebles, decoraciones y todo género de curiosidades para crear un espacio de "performance" único.

Dalí colaboró con los arquitectos y particularmente se hizo muy amigo del arquitecto Emilio Pérez Piñero, que proyectó la espectacular cúpula transparente en látex que domina el edificio.

El Museu tiene la finalidad de ofrecer al visitante una verdadera experiencia  estética y surrealista. La variedad de obras y objetos dalinianos sumergen a los visitantes en el mundo cautivador de Dalí.

El edificio también sirve como tumba para el artista. En una pequeña y oscura habitación subterránea yacen los restos mortales del famoso artista.

Desde un primer momento el Museu tuvo gran éxito y se convirtió en el segundo museo español según el número de visitantes, superado sólo por el Museo del Prado de Madrid. Las colas se forman desde temprano y no paran hasta que cierre el Museu.

Pero ¿vendría Dalí a ver todo esto? Teatro-Museo Dalí sirve como recuerdo del arte daliniano y nos permite recuperar el mundo y la vida de el artista.

Creo que Dalí se quedaría en el castillo de Púbol, comiendo pan tranquilamente, mirando el panorama mediterráneo y contando las hormigas que se acercan a su mesa.

No sé. ¿Qué les parece?

Tumba de Dalí en el Museu Teatre,  Figueres

Tossa at Sunrise

Sunday on the Costa Brava in Catalunya. A group of us met in the early morning twilight to witness sunrise at the edge. The place was Tossa de Mar, a quaint resort with spectacular beaches and lovely environment. The morning was cool, delightful, and pleasant -- a bit hazy and cloudy. But that did not stop the sun from putting on an awesome display of pyrotechnics. The piercing light coupled with the shimmering reflections on the water made it so incredible and memorable. One of those events one does not forget. The small crafts huddled as the light from the Sun made daylight come alive.

Plaça del Rei

Me fascina la Plaça del Rei. Located just off the Cathedral Square in Barcelona, this Palace complex once functioned as the residence of the Conde de Barcelona and of the Reyes de la Corona de Aragón. This Palace marks the site of Columbus´ reception by the kings after the return from the New World. In addition, the complex contains a chapel and the impressive Saló del Tinnell, a royal reception hall.

I am fascinated by the Mirador del Rey Martín, a rectangular tower consisting of five floors with seven windows looking out to the city. Originally designed to defend and provide vigilance, it seems to loom over the plaça.

 There is a neat 3-D virtual program. Take a look and enjoy.

Barcelona State of Mind

One hand in the air for the big city,

Street lights, big dreams all looking pretty,

no place in the World that can compare,

Put your lighters in the air, everybody say yeaaahh

come on, come,

yeah

Editorial Planeta Building

You probably recognize the lyrics above, made famous by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. The song is an ode to the Big Apple and its many dimensions. As I former Brooklynite, the song speaks to me in its many ways. Nostalgic maybe? Not really.

The song could easy be applied to BARNA. The city, like New York, is a great melting pot with many dimensions. It lies on the Mediterranean with similar dreams and aspirations. And like the Big Apple, BARNA has incredible art and architecture, with a definite Iberian flair. Another plus for this Catalan city. The food is also much better than New York´s, no contest. I am especially fond of the "Bikini" ("Sándwich mixto"), a toasted sandwich with cheese (manchego) and jamón dulce. The sandwich is supposedly name after the Sala Bikini, a music venue on the Diagonal de Barcelona. This location introduced the sandwich modeled on the French Croque Monsieur. Its name was linked to local, and the rest is history.

Incidentally, the Sala Bikini still exists and offers some of the best indie music acts in Barcelona. This week, for example, Zoé, Mexican alternative/psychedelic band will perform.

Qué hacer este fin de semana

Sugerencias:

• "Devorar París. Picasso 1900-1907", Museu Picasso Primer domingo de mes: entrada gratuita.
•  Casa Batlló, impresionante edificio por Gaudí, Precio: 10 euros.
• El Zoo de Barcelona, Precios: adultos, 16,50 €.; http://www.zoobarcelona.com
  
• Aquarium de Barcelona, Precios: adultos, 17,75 €.: http://www.aquariumbcn.com