Showing posts with label Barcelona. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barcelona. Show all posts
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Art Blogging - Barcelona Car Edition
Bryce drew this picture of a Citroen C1 last night at dinner. It captures a lot of the transportation scene in Barcelona.
Paco Meralgo
On our final night in Barcelona - and Spain - I wanted to make sure we left the country in style with yet another awesome meal. Of course, this needed to be balanced by the family's needs too. I was lucky enough to choose a place called Paco Meralgo for our final feast.
And what a feast it was. Everything we ordered was spectacular, and it turned out to be our best meal yet in Spain. Here's a sampling of what we had:
Aside: On our walk home, Laurel found her namesake store in Barcelona:
And what a feast it was. Everything we ordered was spectacular, and it turned out to be our best meal yet in Spain. Here's a sampling of what we had:
Baby squid with beans - best dish ever.
Octopus stew - hearty and oh so tasty
Steak Filet fried in oil with garlic (and a little bit of chili). Just perfect.
Pimientos al Padron. The kids love them, and call them "surprise peppers". There are a few different types of peppers, and one or two in the dish are super spicy. You can never tell which.
The ultimate ham and cheese sandwich. (Iberian ham and brie.)
Aside: On our walk home, Laurel found her namesake store in Barcelona:
Minecraft inspiration: Barcelona Architechture.
In our free time, me and Laurel have been addicted to a game called Minecraft (It's super fun!). Laurel has just come up with one of her new inspiration sources- nature- while I got another one: Barcelona's architecture. In Minecraft, to me, architecture is a critical thing. That includes houses, buildings, fitness centers, shopping malls (believe it or not, I built those all!), and even fountains (built that too!)! My newest building, called the Jenga building, (you guessed it), looks like a ready-to-be-played Jenga set. My plan for the Jenga building is:
-to have it six stories tall, so it nearly matches my seven story mansion (or wait.... isn't it eight?)
-to make it used as a "Chillax" building, so I might put a sign on top that says 'Chiller'.
-To have a balcony on at least one floor and to have a "Jenga" part, so it looks like the top is collapsing.
That's all. I've also come up with a building inspired by Antoni Gaudi. I saw how the roof was really complicated on a house, and I used that as a base for my building's (called the Wave building) roof.
I've also made a bell tower, and behind it is the wave building's lookout tower (in beige). Just used for a nice view. The bell tower has three areas. One is for the bell ringer, another for looking upon the city, and the third for looking out above the tallest buildings. It reaches the limit height you can build. Some people think I've got great interior design taste, so look at my video tour of what I've done.
=====video coming soon=====
Take a ciao!
Bryce
-to have it six stories tall, so it nearly matches my seven story mansion (or wait.... isn't it eight?)
-to make it used as a "Chillax" building, so I might put a sign on top that says 'Chiller'.
-To have a balcony on at least one floor and to have a "Jenga" part, so it looks like the top is collapsing.
That's all. I've also come up with a building inspired by Antoni Gaudi. I saw how the roof was really complicated on a house, and I used that as a base for my building's (called the Wave building) roof.
 | ||
| My wave building is on the far right, and my bell tower is the black-and-white tower next to it |
=====video coming soon=====
Take a ciao!
Bryce
Gaudi Craze
So, Bryce and I have been addicted to Minecraft for the past few weeks. After we visited Sagrada Familia, Dad is saying that we had to do an "architectural" drawing of something Gaudi style. And I'm like, "Why can't we make it on Minecraft?" Dad beams at the suggestion and says something about it being educational to draw something and then build it for real. I draw a picture of a bell tower with slanty chapels representing a feather, or a pine tree, or some abstract cactus. My orange Pip-squeak traces the slants and shades them in a beautiful sunset color. Bryce draws a building with foaming curls on the top. Waves. We both stay up late coloring our architecture.
In the morning, we are allowed to play Minecraft to work on our buildings. Bryce finishes in about an hour, but mine takes longer, roughly three days to create a landmark in my world. Bryce now has a bell tower, too, as well as three buildings piled together to create a pile of Jenga blocks stacked together.
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| Bryce's "Wave building" sketch |
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| My bell tower sketch |
In the morning, we are allowed to play Minecraft to work on our buildings. Bryce finishes in about an hour, but mine takes longer, roughly three days to create a landmark in my world. Bryce now has a bell tower, too, as well as three buildings piled together to create a pile of Jenga blocks stacked together.
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| The finished bell tower |
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| Completed Wave building (also called the Welcome Building) |
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| Interior of the Wave Building |
(I might as well have titled this Minecraft craze, but oh, well.)
Friday, May 25, 2012
Bryce and Bill Biking Barcelona
Over the last few days, it became apparent that Bryce needed some real exercise. The streets and metro became an urban parcour for him, yet there were too many people for him to really move his body without bumping into a passerby or a family member. Plus, since we've been together as a family 24/7 for most of the last seven weeks, a little separation isn't a bad thing. And Bryce has been bugging to ride bikes. So Friday's plan was for me to rent bikes, and take Bryce on a journey through town.
Barcelona has a bike rental service similar to Sevilla, but since this was going to be just for a day, we went to a local Dutch-style bike rental place and got two cruisers, perfectly sized, with locks. We started from the shop off of Las Ramblas - the busy pedestrian walkway in the center of town - and from there cruised for 2 1/2 hours. We visited all the city beaches, then went up into town, down to Parque de Cuitadella, then back along the waterfront. We stopped along the way at various playgrounds and other scenic spots too.
Biking is a great way to really see the town. The highlight for Bryce was discovering some cool buildings, including two from an architectural design book he bought in Madrid. Barcelona seems to be one city that truly celebrates its architects, and as such the city planners are willing to approve projects that would be deemed too risque in other parts of the world. Hopefully being here will inspire Bryce to continue pursuing his passion in design.
Barcelona has a bike rental service similar to Sevilla, but since this was going to be just for a day, we went to a local Dutch-style bike rental place and got two cruisers, perfectly sized, with locks. We started from the shop off of Las Ramblas - the busy pedestrian walkway in the center of town - and from there cruised for 2 1/2 hours. We visited all the city beaches, then went up into town, down to Parque de Cuitadella, then back along the waterfront. We stopped along the way at various playgrounds and other scenic spots too.
Bryce testing out a revolving dish at one of the playgrounds
At the fountain in Parque de Cuitadella
Cruising on the Diagonal
Biking is a great way to really see the town. The highlight for Bryce was discovering some cool buildings, including two from an architectural design book he bought in Madrid. Barcelona seems to be one city that truly celebrates its architects, and as such the city planners are willing to approve projects that would be deemed too risque in other parts of the world. Hopefully being here will inspire Bryce to continue pursuing his passion in design.
Learning about Police in Barcelona
While Bill and Bryce went biking, Sue and Laurel had an adventure of their own - totally unexpected. The plan was to go to an Invention Museum, and upon arriving there it was closed for another five minutes. So the girls went and got a bite at a nearby Pinchos bar.
A loud Texan woman was chatting up the waiters, and engaging Sue and Laurel. Sue had her purse on a hook underneath the bar, and at some point she stood up for two seconds to grab another pincho and her purse was gone! Somebody stole it. Inside was about 100 euros, some credits cards, some family photos, Sue's drivers license and other knick-knacks. Sue explained the situation to the restaurant owner, and since she now had no money, and was probably making a commotion in the restaurant, the owner let her and Laurel leave without paying to go report the theft to the police.
The girls spent the next two hours in the police station, filing a report.
Sue and Laurel met some other unlucky travelers at the police station, including a British couple on their second visit to Barcelona, with as many visits to the Police station to report a pickpocket.
Later on, someone called our landlord, telling him that they found her purse and gave it to a policeman - which is kind of weird. We assumed they got the number from a notebook in Sue's purse, yet when we went to three police stations in the area, not one had her purse.
On our unsuccessful journey to retrieve the purse, we learned that there are two types of Police in Barcelona: Guardia Civil and Mossos Esquadra. We went to both types of stations, and they each pointed to the other. Our landlord Xavier also did some calling around, and apparently Sue's purse is in a lost-and-found somewhere. But the money and cards have disappeared, and we've canceled the credit cards, so we may not even bother at this point.
It's an unfortunate episode that tarnishes an otherwise loveable city.
A loud Texan woman was chatting up the waiters, and engaging Sue and Laurel. Sue had her purse on a hook underneath the bar, and at some point she stood up for two seconds to grab another pincho and her purse was gone! Somebody stole it. Inside was about 100 euros, some credits cards, some family photos, Sue's drivers license and other knick-knacks. Sue explained the situation to the restaurant owner, and since she now had no money, and was probably making a commotion in the restaurant, the owner let her and Laurel leave without paying to go report the theft to the police.
The girls spent the next two hours in the police station, filing a report.
Sue and Laurel met some other unlucky travelers at the police station, including a British couple on their second visit to Barcelona, with as many visits to the Police station to report a pickpocket.
Later on, someone called our landlord, telling him that they found her purse and gave it to a policeman - which is kind of weird. We assumed they got the number from a notebook in Sue's purse, yet when we went to three police stations in the area, not one had her purse.
On our unsuccessful journey to retrieve the purse, we learned that there are two types of Police in Barcelona: Guardia Civil and Mossos Esquadra. We went to both types of stations, and they each pointed to the other. Our landlord Xavier also did some calling around, and apparently Sue's purse is in a lost-and-found somewhere. But the money and cards have disappeared, and we've canceled the credit cards, so we may not even bother at this point.
It's an unfortunate episode that tarnishes an otherwise loveable city.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Sagrada Familia
Day two of our Gaudi appreciation tour led us to the Sagrada Familia, the incredibly ambitious church Gaudi designed and started in the late 1800s, 25 years before his death. Every concept and technique Gaudi pioneered in his lifetime is a part of this massive project, which is still a work in progress, and is not expected to be completed for another 25 years, making the total build time approximately 130 years. For a "modern" church, this is unheard of.
The Sagrada Familia is actually functional now - the inside is complete, but some of the towers on the outside have yet to be built. The current structure already rises high over Barcelona's landscape, but when finished the main spire will be another 50% higher. Like the other Gaudi buildings, the design makes use of structures and shapes found in nature. Gaudi never liked the "flying buttress" design of Gothic churches, since he considered them a hack to make the building stand up, so the Sagrada Familia is a self-standing engineering masterpiece.
The kids were resisting going to yet another church, but once we go there and started touring they fully appreciated the amazing design. Inside the church, the pillars and ceilings form a tree-like structure: the pillars are like tree trunks with branches, and the ceiling has a geometric pattern similar to the canopy in a forest. Words don't do this place justice, so here's a few photos:
After touring we got lunch from a nearby deli, and ate in the park opposite the Sagrada Familia. Sue and the kids returned home, and I decided to do a little city hike to get some more exercise and justify my next gourmet meal. I located Sant Gervasi park, about ten blocks from our flat, and walked to it. When I arrived, the park was on a hill, and I climbed up and up until I reached the top. From there, the views of Barcelona were magnificent - you could see all the major landmarks, as well as the Mediterranean.
For dinner, we decided to explore the Milk Bar in the Gothic quarter, which we had yet to visit. Bryce in particular is finding it hard to locate anything on the menu he likes in a Spanish restaurant that isn't Patatas Bravas, and this place has a more American style menu and was well rated. My meal was an "ultimate caesar" salad, with a soft boiled egg on top, and bacon pieces underneath a tasty topping of shredded Parmesan. I'm a sucker for any non-breakfast meal with a gloppy egg on it, and this salad didn't disappoint:
Walking back home, we got to explore the Gothic Quarter, and enjoyed peering into the really old establishments with tons of character. Hopefully we'll be able to return there for one final meal. This place in particular caught our attention with the rotisserie chicken going right outside.
The Sagrada Familia is actually functional now - the inside is complete, but some of the towers on the outside have yet to be built. The current structure already rises high over Barcelona's landscape, but when finished the main spire will be another 50% higher. Like the other Gaudi buildings, the design makes use of structures and shapes found in nature. Gaudi never liked the "flying buttress" design of Gothic churches, since he considered them a hack to make the building stand up, so the Sagrada Familia is a self-standing engineering masterpiece.
The kids were resisting going to yet another church, but once we go there and started touring they fully appreciated the amazing design. Inside the church, the pillars and ceilings form a tree-like structure: the pillars are like tree trunks with branches, and the ceiling has a geometric pattern similar to the canopy in a forest. Words don't do this place justice, so here's a few photos:
After touring we got lunch from a nearby deli, and ate in the park opposite the Sagrada Familia. Sue and the kids returned home, and I decided to do a little city hike to get some more exercise and justify my next gourmet meal. I located Sant Gervasi park, about ten blocks from our flat, and walked to it. When I arrived, the park was on a hill, and I climbed up and up until I reached the top. From there, the views of Barcelona were magnificent - you could see all the major landmarks, as well as the Mediterranean.
For dinner, we decided to explore the Milk Bar in the Gothic quarter, which we had yet to visit. Bryce in particular is finding it hard to locate anything on the menu he likes in a Spanish restaurant that isn't Patatas Bravas, and this place has a more American style menu and was well rated. My meal was an "ultimate caesar" salad, with a soft boiled egg on top, and bacon pieces underneath a tasty topping of shredded Parmesan. I'm a sucker for any non-breakfast meal with a gloppy egg on it, and this salad didn't disappoint:
Walking back home, we got to explore the Gothic Quarter, and enjoyed peering into the really old establishments with tons of character. Hopefully we'll be able to return there for one final meal. This place in particular caught our attention with the rotisserie chicken going right outside.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Barcelona: Boqueria and Batllo
After doing a city bus tour the previous day to get the lay of the land in Barcelona, we decide to go deeper. Bryce loves architecture, Laurel loves to ride the metro, I love to eat, and Sue enjoys taking photos, so today's itinerary had something for everyone.
After our normal late start at noon, we metroed to Placa Catalunya, and found La Boqueria - Barcelona's famous market. When searching for places to eat online, two market restaurants surfaced, and I sought out Pinotxo. In amongst the fruit vendors, veggie stalls, meat stands and such are a few eateries. Pinotxo occupies a corner booth at the entrance to the market, and Señor Pinxoto himself greets you and helps you decide what to get. He starts by asking "carne o pescado?" (meat or seafood), and you drill down from there. Bryce wound up with a macaroni dish, Laurel got cheesy croquettes, but Sue and I had the masterpieces: Sue got an excellent Beef Bourginoine-like stew, and I thoroughly enjoyed a baby squid and bean dish which was one of the best tasting things I have had in Spain. When, Bryce and Sue went in search of a baño, Laurel and I asked about dessert, and Señor Pinxoto recommended a flan de queso (cheese flan) dessert. If you can: imagine a combination of flan and cheesecake, and the best attributes of both. The flan was sandwiched between two flaky pastry halves, and when combined into a single bite it's pure heaven. (The flan by itself was pretty awesome too.) Laurel and I finished before Sue and Bryce returned, and decide to destroy the evidence from the rest of the family.
Next on our plan was a visit to Casa Batllo, a house designed by Gaudi - the world famous architect of Barcelona. You can tour the inside of Casa Batllo, which made this an attractive stop since Bryce is especially interested in interior design. The house did not disappoint, as the whole design was unlike any building I have ever seen. The audio guide explained how Gaudi used structures found in nature as inspiration for his designs. The house has very few straight lines, instead using curvy shapes reminiscent of vertebrae, bones, leaves and water patterns for both aesthetic and functional reasons. Both kids enjoyed the tour, and afterwards were inspired to try to recreate some of the designs they saw using Minecraft, a virtual building game on the iPad.
After our normal late start at noon, we metroed to Placa Catalunya, and found La Boqueria - Barcelona's famous market. When searching for places to eat online, two market restaurants surfaced, and I sought out Pinotxo. In amongst the fruit vendors, veggie stalls, meat stands and such are a few eateries. Pinotxo occupies a corner booth at the entrance to the market, and Señor Pinxoto himself greets you and helps you decide what to get. He starts by asking "carne o pescado?" (meat or seafood), and you drill down from there. Bryce wound up with a macaroni dish, Laurel got cheesy croquettes, but Sue and I had the masterpieces: Sue got an excellent Beef Bourginoine-like stew, and I thoroughly enjoyed a baby squid and bean dish which was one of the best tasting things I have had in Spain. When, Bryce and Sue went in search of a baño, Laurel and I asked about dessert, and Señor Pinxoto recommended a flan de queso (cheese flan) dessert. If you can: imagine a combination of flan and cheesecake, and the best attributes of both. The flan was sandwiched between two flaky pastry halves, and when combined into a single bite it's pure heaven. (The flan by itself was pretty awesome too.) Laurel and I finished before Sue and Bryce returned, and decide to destroy the evidence from the rest of the family.
Overview of La Boqueria Market
Eggs anyone?
Yummm. Chocolates...
Sue and the kids picking out chocolates.
Pinxoto Bar
My amazing bean and baby squid meal from Pinotxo
Fruit juice display... lovely.
Next on our plan was a visit to Casa Batllo, a house designed by Gaudi - the world famous architect of Barcelona. You can tour the inside of Casa Batllo, which made this an attractive stop since Bryce is especially interested in interior design. The house did not disappoint, as the whole design was unlike any building I have ever seen. The audio guide explained how Gaudi used structures found in nature as inspiration for his designs. The house has very few straight lines, instead using curvy shapes reminiscent of vertebrae, bones, leaves and water patterns for both aesthetic and functional reasons. Both kids enjoyed the tour, and afterwards were inspired to try to recreate some of the designs they saw using Minecraft, a virtual building game on the iPad.
The Attic. Note the rib-cage shape of the beams.
Ceramic work on top.
The lightwell. The tiles start dark at the top and get lighter as they go
down, so the entire inside appears uniform.
down, so the entire inside appears uniform.
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