So Here's Our Vacation Blog...

Barcelona beckons.  After breakfast at the hotel, we walked to the Boqueria (also known as ‘El Mercado de San José,’ ‘Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria,’ ‘La Mercado de Boqueria,’ and many other similar sounding names), the biggest and oldest market in the world, about a hundred yards from our hotel (see why we picked this place?).  Unbelievable sights, sounds, smells, and the absolute freshest food you’ve ever seen.  We spent an hour walking up and down aisles, watching them move meat, produce, and seafood in while people with their pull-behind shopping carts filled them with provisions.

Upon walking in we were greeted with a half dozen vendors selling amazingly fresh fruit in cups, so you could munch while shopping.

Other vendors sold ready-to-eat food like these oysters, clams, and mussels...

and something that looked like a corn dog dipped in rice.

I’m not a real olive lover, but these skewers with different kinds of marinated olives looked great!

They had huge fish on ice that the butchers were carving up into steaks.

Every kind of fish you could imagine, probably half of which I’d never heard of or seen before.  I did recognize the squids...

And octopus.

My favorite was one of the many the cheese counters, where you could easily tell what kind of milk each one was made from.

While walking around ding some shopping we came across some shops with really clever items, like the store that sold nothing but little rubber ducks.  Except that most of them weren’t ducks, but dozens and dozens of different kinds of animals.  Cool!

We also saw several sections of the old Roman walls, which were the foundation of Barcelona.  They stumbled across these over the years, and used to attach buildings to the, so they look a little funny because there’s modern brick interspersed with 2000 year old stone block.

It’s worth a quick read on the following website (let’s see if this link will work): https://www.barcelonas.com/roman-walls-of-barcelona.html.  Then a stop at an outdoor tapas bar for sardines and sangria.

We finished up our shopping trip with a visit to El Raval.  Up to now we’d been carousing in El Gotico, which is on the north side of Las Romblas and more upscale, touristy.  Raval has always been known as the seedier side of town, a little iffy to walk around at night, etc., but has supposedly been cleaned up and has more restaurants and shops.  Well, it’s not there yet.  We saw the greatest number of cell phone stores in one place than I ever could have imagined, and off-beat shops where you could find things to buy, but nothing your wife would ever wear, like this little number.

And so back to our hotel to regroup before going out for a nightcap.  Our balcony is the top floor corner on the front - nice view.

So we finished up at a tiny cocktail bar that has been open continuously since 1933, where there were three older gentlemen in tuxedos and bow ties serving up a wide variety of special drinks in unusual glasses.  None of them spoke any English at all, though, so it was quite a chore to tell them we wanted scotch!  In the end everything worked out and that’s why the blog didn’t get written last night.  Until tomorrow...

Sad to leave Cadaques, and I won’t bore you with another sunrise photo.  Let’s just say it was spectacular and red.  Had an easy time driving the mountainous switchbacks without the fog, but the speed limit of 90 kph is a joke - best I could do was 50 before slowing to 20 around those tight corners, while watching out for the tour busses coming the other way crossing over the line.  Whew!  Stopped in a small town named Llafranc for lunch.  Llafranc’s beach is rated one of the top 10 in Spain, and it’s easy to see why.

Not very large, it’s surrounded by large homes, hotels, and restaurants.  No gift shops, no T shirt shops, nothing.  People come here to lay in the sun and be pampered - looked like they could well-afford it, too.  There were a large number of Llauts on the beach, and how they got there was very interesting.  These boats have an additional keel on each side so there are three of them side-by-side, all at the same level on the bottom.  They stay straight up when grounded.  I saw them roll logs to pull them up in other places, but here they had a sort of boardwalk for the boats, and they could roll them from their parking place to the main wooden pathway and down to the water - I’d love to see that one day, pretty ingenious.

We made it to Barcelona in the early afternoon, checked into our hotel - the Sant Agusti, just a hundred yards off Las Ramblas, the main pedestrian walkway through the middle of town.  The hotel in on the Placa Sant Agusti, and we were lucky enough to get underground parking a hundred yards away for $59 total for four nights - try doing that in Chicago!  The church that the plaza is named for is right across the plaza, easy to see from our fourth story balcony.  The church was built between 1350 and 1700, abandoned, rebuilt, demolished, rebuilt, and along the way the left side and upper part of the front were never completed.  Imagine, hundreds of years going by and nobody ever thought to finish it.  Now that it’s a landmark it’ll never be done!

Went out immediately for a beer, since Marge was feeling a little parched...

So today is the last day of La Merce, Barcelona’s annual festival.  There are fireworks booming outside our window right now, but a few hours ago before the sun went down we were able to see the ‘Cavalcada de La Merce,’ a huge parade right down Las Ramblas - about two hours and two miles long.  We’d seen a small bit of it before and were excited it would be going on while we’re here, mainly to see the Gigantes!  They’re like parade floats, but usually with a patriotic or religious theme.  Built on a tapered wooden structure, like a large bar stool, they’re covered in clothes with a giant head on top, so like a huge person - maybe 20’ tall.  One person climbs underneath and lifts it, walking down the street between groups playing traditional music on old-fashioned instruments.  The Gigantes twirl around like they’re dancing, especially if two of them are walking together.  I don’t know how they can do it.  Here are some photos of the more traditional ones...

And here are some that we’d not seen before.  Wish I knew what they were supposed to be, but the crowd loved them, cheering wildly as they passed.

Even little children were playing a part, preparing for the day when they’d be able to carry a full-sized one.

So the fireworks just stopped and I’m beat.  Marge is asleep and we’ve got a long day of shopping tomorrow, with maybe a twist or two thrown in.  I’ll let you know tomorrow how it turns out.

Another boring day... HAH!  Not even close.  It was relaxing, since we had been exploring so much over the last few weeks we didn’t feel a need to visit every single tourist or historical attraction, and decided to chill for a while.  So we walked around town, took photos, did some shopping.  We hadn’t said anything about this before, but the streets here are very, very steep, rocky, uneven.  We saw little old (90+) ladies walking uphill with a cane in one hand and holding the wall with the other, taking forever to carefully creep up the rocky paths to get to church, one even had a walker.  I don’t know how they manage to get around like this, but have to admire their tenacity.  Here’s an example of one of these streets.

For those who drive, they do have handicap parking spots every so often, like this.  Good luck getting out of the car without rolling downhill!

For those of us who love cars, get this.  I’ve always loved Citroen Meharis, since I was a little boy in the 50s and 60s (when they made them), but never saw one in real life.  If you don’t know the name, think of a Citroen 2CV (Deaux Chevaux), which you’d recognize from James Bond driving (rolling over, actually) in ‘For Your Eyes Only,’ or Inspector Clouseau driving into the swimming pool in ‘Return of the Pink Panther.’ Take off the body and replace it with one molded out of one giant piece of plastic with corrugated sides.  Fantastic!  Farmers in France used to use them to haul their goods to the market, but wealthy people used them as ‘estate cars,’ maybe to drive from the mansion to the pool, or in this case, to pop into town to pick up some provisions.  We saw grandma, momma, and two little boys hop out with their straw bags going shopping.  The women wearing expensive yachting clothes, the little boys in matching grey shorts and sweaters with pink shirts underneath, their collars strategically peeking out for full effect.  My guess would be they were vacationing in their summer home (mansion) halfway up the hillside, and this was their version of a golf cart.  Yes, I got all that from a quick look at this little gem - it’s that unique.

So we walked around the corner and thought we took a wrong turn when I saw the shoes hanging overhead - like the gangs do in the inner city of Chicago, LA, NY.

Marge was not afraid.  Credit card in hand, she figured out it was a boutique up ahead and they were advertising their shoes!

Around a corner was Cadaques’ version of Times Square, only a bit more attractive.

Then down a hill when we saw something interesting, some sort of scenic restaurant.

Looking closer, it was definitely scenic, but just a little seedy.  A haggard-looking man rolling some questionable cigarettes, across from a couple speaking an Eastern European language in hushed tones.  We didn’t stop.

Back to the apartment, and saw that somebody replaced the little boat that washed away in the storm Saturday night.  I guess the Chamber of Commerce figured tourists expect to have a little fishing boat in the harbor and felt obliged to provide it!

We walked a hundred yards over to a sidewalk cafe to have some tapas and watch the sun go down.  Very different when there’s a mountain (hill?) in the way.  The sun dropped behind the hillside about 45 minutes before the actual sunset, so we got to see one of the boats peacefully floating in the glistening harbor...

another of the actual sunset, red sky and all...

and finally, the serenity of the bay at night.

So good night Cadaques, and tomorrow we say hello to Barrrthelona!  With a little luck we’ll make it in time for the last night’s festivities of their huge Le Merce festival, and you’ll get to see photos of the dragon parade.  Until then...

So today we actually had a very relaxing day, but there’s lots to tell so grab yourself a beverage and start reading...it’ll take a while to get through this one!

Woke up to a sea that was little more calm than yesterday, but one of the historic wooden rowboats moored just outside our window was gone, so the Policia were outside taking pictures of the bay with no rowboat - evidence, I guess.  The sunlight was just coming over the tiled roofs brightening the boats in the harbor.

Went to Mass at Santa Maria de Cadaques as I said we would, and it was really enjoyable.  Marge said even though she didn’t understand a word the priest said she enjoyed listening to him.  I followed along in the missalette and said the prayers in my best Catalan accent (sorry to those natives around me!).  Afterward we got to take a few photos before the lights went off.  The altar is probably 60 - 80 feet wide and 80 - 100 feet tall.  Unbelievable!

In addition, there were many side altars, of course, and oil paintings of the Madonna to equal the Old Masters of the Renaissance.

Plus an homage to Mary in the choir loft.  They do love the Blessed Virgin in this part of the world!

Stopped in at a bistro on the sea for breakfast.  Marge asked for a croissant with honey but they were out of croissants!  She settled for a toasted baguette, which was equally delicious, especially since she eats like a bird.  I opted for a tostada patatas, which said Spanish Omelet on the English menu, and found out it was a frittata on a baguette!  Eggs, potatoes, peppers, cheese, fluffy and hot - deelish!

Next we walked to the Cadaques Museum for a quick tour of artists with a link to Cadaques, and found they had a special exhibition for Joan Josep Tharrats, which were...unusual, in the most part.  A few were comfortable to look at, but he was pushing the envelope from the 1950s  - 1990s, and had ties to many famous painters including Dali.  Here’s a tame one, which at least was pleasing to the eye..

There was one that we thought Elizabeth might like, named “Figurins par a un ballet,” but we thought the figures looked a little scary.  Bad hair day?

There were a few photos of Salvador Dali and his wife, Gala, who of course had a huge presence in Cadaques.  The following photo is of them in the mid-1900s just below our apartment.  We tried to recreate it by asking a passer-by to snap a photo.  I now call Marge my Dolly and she calls me Sal.

Then off to the real deal, the Salvador Dali Exhibition, where we saw a huge number of his original works.  He obviously had multi[le obsessions, with naked women, chicken beaks, toothbrushes, body orifices, as more than half of the paintings carried these themes.  Very scary.

Don Quixote was cool.

The original of Dali’s most famous work, La Persistencia de la Memoria (The Persistence of Memory) is in MOMA in NYC, but this was a small-run tapestry he commissioned of the original.

Next a stop at the market to pick up a few items for our patio time.  Wished we were here longer, because they had really fresh fish I never heard of for less than half of what we’d pay at home.

Then there are the Iberian hams.  Wish I could sneak one in my luggage.

On the sidewalk on the way back to the apartment we spotted this little item, wondered if we could get Anastacia to try Flamenco dancing, but figured momma would have none of it.

One last attraction before we made it home, the Casa Blau, which has an interesting history.  Evidently in the 1800s it was quite depressed in Catalonia, and a lot of people moved to Cuba.  When they returned decades later, they brought some of the architecture with them, and this house, which is privately owned (!) is said to be the best surviving example of this Indiano style.

So now comfortably back in our perch overlooking the bay, watching all the ‘tourists’ walking about feasting on gelato, I saw a couple trying to moor their boat in the rough water.  Cool boat, a Rio 750 Open, which is kind of like a Pachanga or Scorpion with a large sun deck.  He had a windlass, dropped anchor, and was backing the boat against a solid rock seawall.  His mate was trying to step off to tie off the stern.  That was not going to happen, so being a good boy scout I trotted down and had her toss me the line.  No way was this boat going to stay put with the stern so close to the 300 year old sea wall - I had to push him off a couple times and knew who was going to win.  I told him to pull up the anchor and move it over 25 meters to get a better angle, which he did.  We finally got it stabilized and they were grateful.

So a couple items about the place we’re staying in.  It’s probably the most prime apartment in Cadaques, from the standpoint of the view as well as being very opulent, and having so much space - about 1000 square feet plus a private 30 x 18 patio.  That just doesn’t exist here.  As we look out the window people look up at us and point because they think Marge is Princess Grace reincarnated.

The living room has ceramic tile half way up, all custom hand-painted - very pretty.

Even the bedroom is unusual, with a stone wall that is part of the building’s structure combined with an all glass bathroom.  Very modern and chic.

The patio is the coup de grace.  So large that we could invite two dozen friends, with nice furniture and a place for our Catalonian lunch.

Marge was enjoying herself immensely.

And just for you, she wandered over to the sitting room so I could photograph her toasting all our friends and family back home.  Cheers!

Woke up to the crashing of thunder, and I mean crashing!  I don’t think I’ve ever heard or felt such rumbling - each roar lasted 30 seconds or more, and shook the ground.  The rain was coming down sideways, and for the first time all week, the beach was empty!  By 9:00 we were packed and the rain let up so we could move everything to the car.  Sad to leave Collioure, but it was a little easier in the gloomy weather.  I think we’ll be back...

As soon as we started driving the rain returned, then came and went all day along with heavy fog and violent wind.  We drove along the coast anyway, because we really wanted to see the surf pound the rocky shore, and weren’t disappointed.  At one point we were right next to the shore and the waves were a good six feet tall as they crashed on the beach - very cool.  We ducked inland a bit to try to go to the Salvador Dali museum in Figueres, but couldn’t find parking - every lot in the city was full, and since we didn’t feel like walking a mile in the rain to see paintings of melted clocks and psychedelic monsters, we kept on.  Almost to Cadaques we were surprised by the remains of a very old castle or fort near Vilajuiga (huh?).  Called the Quermançó Castle, it was built in the 11th century, played a part in the Catalan civil war in the 15th century, Napoleon’s troops captured it in the early 1800s, and was almost purchased by none other than Salvador Dali!  Check out the history on Wikipedia.

So as we made our way up the winding mountainous road to Cadaques we entered the clouds.  I've driven on some thick fog before, but never where there was a flimsy guard rail (or none, at times) and a several hundred foot drop.  Causes you to be a little more judicious with the accelerator.  I tucked up behind a Maserati Quattroporte and just tailed him for a half hour - figured he wouldn’t risk going over the side in such an expensive toy!

Finally reached our destination, picked up the keys, lucked out once more in having a reserved spot in a parking garage where everybody else had to trek across town dragging their wheeled luggage behind.  Since it was still a little gloomy when we arrived I didn’t go overboard with photos, but you’ll see them tomorrow.  Here’s a hint...

The town is beautiful, built on a hillside surrounding a rocky bay.  The weather died down just a bit, no rain, but the wind is still whipping up good sized waves at 9:30 pm.  Check out how they’re crashing on the rocks a half mile across the bay when it looks so calm near the moored boats. 

We did get to shop a little, had crepes with whipped cream for dinner (why not?) and are getting ready to watch qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix while listening to the surf.  Tomorrow we’ll go to Mass at Santa Maria de Cadaques, the tallest structure in town, which is also supposed to have the most magnificent altar in all of Cataluña.  So that's all for now, but come back in 24 hours for a photo fest!