Last Two Weeks in Barcelona
We came back and stayed in an apartment just one block away from Roser’s studio. We know this neighborhood very well, since Bob has been coming to the studio since 2019. Previous “commutes” were usually a 15-20 minute walk, or last spring when there was a short metro ride involved. The apartment on Igualada was about 3 minutes walking away!
The apartment itself was smaller and darker than we’d hoped, but it worked. Click here for a video walk-through. (3 min 46 sec)
Lynn’s Visit to Casa Amettler
One morning when Bob was in the studio, I went on a tour of a beautiful Modernista home on the Passeig de Gràcia— one that is next door to the more famous Casa Battlo. Tons of tourists are always gathered outside and in line waiting to get into Battlo, but there’s never a line to go into Casa Amettler. The Amettler family made their fortune importing cacao and making chocolate— since the 1700’s. At the end of the 19th century, Antoni bought a house on the posh paseo de Gràcia and renovated it into the fashionable style of the day. It’s over-the-top adorned and decorated. He divorced his wife early on, and their daughter Teresa came to live with him when she was in her early 20’s. She remained in the house long after her father died. After she died, the house became a museum, run by the foundation Teresa created.
Walking around the City
Farmer Protest
I stumbled upon this protest parade of tractors one day. We’d heard about farmers across Europe unhappy with many things, and they are organizing to make their point. We aren’t 100% clear on all the issues. Many folks on the street were making signs of solidarity with the farmers.
Click for a video of the protest.
Calçotada Lunch
Since we ate no calçots in Valls at the festival, we made sure we had a lunch back in Barcelona. We found a traditional little restaurant in Grácia called El Disbarat. It was a great experience— food and ambiance!
Carnaval Weekend
Festa de Santa Eulalia
The second largest city festival, Sunday featured a big Castellers meet. Seven teams participated in the Plaça San Jaume, in the Gothic quarter.
The Parade of the Gegants
After the Castellers, we moved to a nearby street to catch the parade. We saw this for the first time 10 years ago for La Merce, the biggest festival every year in September. Gigantes in Spanish, Gegants in Catalan, they are amazing tall sculptural characters that individuals get inside and parade them. And all the twirling and swirling! These things must be so heavy. Lots of practice to get good at this, I’m sure. The artistry of the head sculptures and the costumes are amazing. We’ve seen gigante parades all over northeastern Spain, but the ones in Barcelona are the largest and most impressive.
After the parade, the gegants go on display in a building on Las Ramblas. We were wandering by at just the right time to see them.
Notice the screens on the dresses. That’s where the person inside can see out. It shows how tall these things are! For the small ones, you can see that children have to operate those. It’s the training for being able to do the full size Gegants when they’re older.
