Day 2 in Barcelona

Well, today my weather good luck charm status was officially revoked. We had dreary, rainy weather all day. Still, I got to see some of the top sites in Barcelona, and all in all it was a very good day.

Person:

Today's person was actually five people. At dinner (more on that to come) the restaurant we went to sat family-style, so we shared a long bench with another party. It was five women out for a night of wine and conversation with one another. We talked to them a bit, and they were very friendly. They called them selves "chicas de oro," or "golden girls."

Place:

There were two really fantastic places I visited today. The first was Antoni Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia. The church was really mind-boggling. Gaudi was a modernist, and designed very unorthodox buildings. This one incorporates biblical symbolism extensively in hundreds and hundreds of sculptures built into the walls. Gaudi also identifies with nature in his architecture, from the turtle and tortoise supporting columns in the Nativity Facade (the only one Gaudi actually got to build himself) to the soaring tree-like arches that support the interior spaces. The cathedral is still being built (construction began in 1882 and will continue until at least 2026).

I also went to the Picasso Museum here in Barcelona. Picasso was born in Malaga, but raised in Barcelona, and spent much of his early career here. The museum included many of his early pre-cubist works, as well as a few specimens from later in life. I was amazed by the genius with which he approached various styles (there are realistic portraits similar to Rembrandt's, impressionist landscapes, bold and bright Fauvist people that smack of Matisse, and even a selection of ceramics). The art was fantastic, but the museum itself was cramped and crouded, and I got yelled at for leaning on a wall (not a painting, just an ordinary wall).
Food:

We ate dinner at a place called Cuines de Santa Caterina last night. It was a mixed bag of food, divided into vegetarian, Mediterranean, Oriental, and Italian. Despite this strange combination, the execution was fantastic, and most things were Spanish-influenced as well. We had a few tapas at the bar while waiting for our table (including a delicious patatas bravas, which is fried potatoes with a red sauce), and had a three-course dinner. I had a selection of tomatoes with tuna belly for an appetizer (this was alright, but nothing to write home about). My entree, however, was spectacular. I got a monkfish Bouillabaisse with Romesco sauce. We were going to have Crema Catalan for dessert (which is basically creme brulee; they claim to have invented it), but they were out, so we got mascarpone maki, which was a chocolate crepe filled with mascarpone cheese. Yummy.