The light of someone’s life

You can choose your friends but you can't choose your family. (anon.)

Neither can you select the people that ride the elevator with you.

Now take this man.

His look was harmless enough. He came into the elevator with a great big smile, dancing eyes and a warm greeting.

Someone's beloved
Barcelona, 2007

He proudly pulled from his pocket a flashlight and spoke about it as if it was the love of his life.

He described in detail the qualities and the benefits of his new purchase.

He was happy and we smiled.

Before we knew it, he took his new purchase and shoved it into the interior of his nose almost to the sinus cavity.

Wow!! What a jam I thought we were in.

What to do?

Take his picture of course, wouldn’t you?

Enjoy!!

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Monumento de Colón

For those traveling from the states, a holiday in Europe today can be a costly proposition.

But there are innovative ways the non-European can have a memorable time in Barcelona.

You can sight-see by foot and at fantastically AFFORDABLE prices ride the metro or bus.

You can also enjoy seeing Picasso’s original paintings at the Picasso Museum (apropos, eh?) where the entrance fee is waived on the first Sunday of every month.

monumento de colón,
Barcelona, 2006

Or, before you dare to shop at the Mare Magnum you can take photos of the famous monumento de Colón that stands as a tribute to Christopher Columbus. The base of the monument is flanked by 4 lions, 2 on each side.

It is here your children are free to bravely climb these huge statues like the big grown-up shown in the photo.

And while the kiddies are enjoying themselves you can sit on the steps, enjoy the view, the locals and other tourists.


Enjoy!!

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Early Learning

They were like many couples I’ve seen in Barcelona, taking a stroll with their beloved pets and enjoying the late afternoon sun at la plaça de Sol.

Ah! Young love, yootht (as a person from Brooklyn might say for “youth”) and toned skin. Remember?

And like many who saunter they looked for a place to sit, relax and soak up the sun with their 2 yellow furred dogs whose coats gleamed in the interment light.

A beautiful, big bench, unclaimed was where they sat.

But they hardly looked or talked with one another.

She yawned and he looked away most of the time.

la plaça del Sol
Barcelona, 2006

Odd. Even the dogs sniffed their separate ways.

I thought how sad a picture this was.

These 2 beautiful people maybe had learned early how not to communicate far sooner than those who have been together a long time.

Now, if so and aware, had they remedied the situation?

Or, maybe, they were 2 young souls who have learned to be comfortable with one another.

Just my guess.

Enjoy!!

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Available seating for your viewing pleasure

La plaça de Catalunya is the biggest plaça in the heart of downtown Barcelona.

Locals and pesky tourists are everywhere and there is much to see and do about the perimeter of the park.

Because of the quantity of people, seating around the plaça is limited especially on a sunny day in Spain where empty benches under full grown trees are a rare commodity.

La plaça de Catalunya
Barcelona, 2007

So, if your tired, run down and listless, and you don’t care which way your body lays, I guarantee you this seat just about any time of the day or night.

That is, of course, if the bench is not fixed by the time you come to Barcelona.

Enjoy!!

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The impossible tried?

Did someone simply park and walk?

Or,

Did someone of questionable dementia try to ride their bike through these gates?

And if so,

Bicycle
Barcelona, 2005

Were they trying to prove Newton’s law of motion that for every action there is a reaction?

Who knows and really, who minds?

It’s a bike, a gate and the dreamy light that pleased me.

Enjoy!!

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Wet ideas spark new innovations

Now we all know that umbrellas come in handy from time to time to protect us from inclement weather.

At the turn of the 21st century it was even fashionable to carry the umbrella as part of the wardrobe.

But what do we see here.

Someone had a novel idea to show off his wares and you could to.

Parque Quell
Barcelona, 2006

Imagine carrying with you all your bling-blings wherever you went. Your friends and every stranger you met could admire your entire jewelry collection all at one time.

And, on the plus side, you wouldn’t have to needlessly worry about your jewelry’s safety when you weren’t home! What a relief that would be.

No?

So it is true that from old ideas new ones are born.

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Feast of Sant Jordi celebrated in 2007

Today Barcelona celebrates Sant Jordi. It is a day where flowers are given from the man to the woman and the man receives books from her.

I would liken this day to Valentine’s Day in the United States.

Just about every corner of a simple street has stalls to buy these items. The tables are dressed with yellow and red cloths that are the colors of the Catalan flag.

Flower stall
Barcelona, 2007

An urban legend surrounds the BANNER and if you're interested you might want to search its history.

Today we walked down la Rambla Catalunya. At the tip of la Rambla and the Avenida de Diagonal there is a famous statue and today he was dressed to the nines for the festa.

Giraffe
Barcelona, 2007

As we began to stroll down la Rambla there was a band playing the traditional Catalan music called the Sardanas.

Sardanas band
Barcelona, 2007

To understand the unusual instruments you see in the photo and the Sardanas music you obviously cannot hear, click on the highlighted word in this sentence.

The sounds of the music are very different from what I’ve ever heard and I feel very bad that I had not taken my video cam so that you could hear. Next time.

In the center of a little area, I saw 2 couples talking and when the music began they held each others hands and formed a circle.

Sardanas Dance #1
Barcelona, 2007

They began to dance and as time went on the circle got bigger

Sardanas Dance #2
Barcelona, 2007

and bigger.

Sardanas Dance #3
Barcelona, 2007

In the center of the circle, they put their pocketbooks, strollers, jackets and whatever.

How wonderful they looked.

Adjacent to where the people were dancing, flowers were arranged.

Flower arranger
Barcelona, 2007

I particularly was interested in the men purchasing these beautiful arrangements and the patience they showed waiting for their beautiful gift to be made. So dapper they looked, too.

Rose for a lucky lady
Barcelona, 2007

Everywhere we went we saw women walking proud and happy with a beautiful flower in their hand.

Rose
Barcelona, 2007

Flowers and books are nice and the tradition sentimental and the colors and smells of the florals indescribable.

But the fascinating part of any festivity is the people.

Preciosa
Barcelona, 2007

Young and old, female, male all seemed to be having a good time.

Well, this post was a long one and I'm done.

The end!
Barcelona, 2007

Enjoy!!

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Synchronized surprise

I’m struggling to find the words to write about this photo and for the life of me I can’t figure out why.

So I will tell you that I took this picture from inside the famous el autobus 92.

I liked the look of the man with the blue hat and shirt and that PIPE!!

They were chit-chatting when in unison their heads turned in one direction.

Synchronized surprise
Barcelona, 2007

I was intrigued but there was no way I could see what was attracting their attention.

Shoot! I wanted to know.

Nosey! Who me?

The bus began to move and the sun shined casting shadows and lights everywhere.

I was pleased then to take the picture.

I was more pleased when I looked later to see the eyes of the man seated and of the handsome gent with the blue hat and shirt and that PIPE with a look that might have said: now I’ve seen it all.

And I wondered. Is there a time in our lives when surprises don’t surprise us anymore?

Probably, I guess, when we stop looking.

No?

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Me? No!

As I’ve mentioned before, a great way to see any city is by public transportation and the bus system in Barcelona is fabuloso.

El autobus 92 is my very favorite so far because the route it takes is quite scenic. Better than any tourist bus and cheaper too. Parque Quell is one of its many, MANY stops.

Well, to make a SHORT story LONG, I was sitting at the back of the bus, next to a window seat and a clean window at that, when my bus stopped for a red light.

I was taking photos, in that pitchy potchy way, when to my right another bus pulled up and through my camera viewer I saw a lady smiling and waving like a mad woman.

I smiled back and she laughed and laughed.

Lady on the bus
Barcelona, 2007

She was not upset that her photo was being taken and I was ecstatic.

How I thought if the world could be carefree and gay like her.

She began pointing and I pointed at myself to her and she nodded her head in that way that if spoken said NO.

It was the passenger in front of me that she was signaling.

Oh. Wow. Embarrassed? Me?

You betcha.

I was STUCK with embarrassment.

When you’re on a bus there’s no way of getting out of a predicament easy or fast enough when you’ve made a fool of yourself.

I hope you

Enjoyed!!

P.S. The quality of the photo is not up to my standards but the story I thought worthwhile telling. .”

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Thursday is hair day at la playa Bogatell

She’s not curvaceous in that Marilyn Monroe way.

She’s not nude like most of the non-male genders you see on the sandy beach.

Neither is she dressed in any fancy attire that would make you run to the nearest store to buy. But she was comfy.

She’s a girl, just a plain girl that I knew if we met we could be friends.

She walked straight to the water, bent down and wet her hair.

la playa Bogatell
Barcelona, 2007

She got up, squeezed it and did the same twice more.

At first I couldn’t believe my luck. While my companion was looking for the GIRL with the global top (you know what I mean) I was searching for the EVERYDAY girl.

And there she was bending, smiling and just having a great time.

Enjoy!!

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No fences make for poor neighbors

A wise old friend named Walter, now dead, once told me that in life kids and dogs made for poor neighbors.

For these snails, or for the uppity-up, escargot, Walter’s wisdom appears to hold true.

This poor snail had enough of the bumping, over-crowding and shoving his neighbors had subjected to.

plaça de Llibertat
Barcelona, 2006

So, what would you do in his place?

Move, I suspect and move he DID.

As you look at the picture, you see he’s coming out of his shell (pun intended).

Whether he’s happy now, I can only hope so.

Enjoy!!

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A Tranquil Corner

No need to take a pill (unless you really, REALLY need it) to feel calmness and tranquility as you turn a corner in this little part of Barcelona.

Barcelona, 2007

Enjoy!!

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The answer is on the tip of his tongue

I first saw him at la plaça de Catalunya and I found his face interesting in a fun way.

But the shot didn’t come out very good. He and his party continued walking and we moved on to la Puerta del Angel on our way with no clear destination in mind.

While at la Puerta del Angel I saw a man whose posture and deliberation caught my curiosity. His concentration had such intensity.

The answer is on the tip of his tongue
Barcelona, 2007

It was HIM! The man I first saw at la plaça de Catalunya.

What luck, I thought to myself.

He and his companions were taking photos of one another on their mobile phones. And photo taking was obviously a serious business for him.

His concentration took on an art form all of its own.

What a face! What a tongue!

And the rest is history.

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A Stiff Solution to a Rubbery Idea

In my post, A Rubbery Idea, I mentioned my love and want of the rubber plant.

A member of FLICKR, digitalramble, made this remark to about my photo:

This brought a smile to my face...

When I was growing up we had a rubber tree in our backyard and we hated it!

It looked gorgeous, but it always would drip this milky sticky sap if it got cut anywhere, so it made a mess!

I think much better to enjoy a rubber tree like this...in someone else's backyard

Love the picture...You really evoke a sense of Barcelona in your pictures, and it brings back so many nice memories. I'll return there someday!

Digitalramble’s comment provided me a stiff solution to my rubbery idea.

Pérgolas de la Avenida Icaria
Barcelona, 2006

Along la avenida Icaria are the Pérgolas de la Avenida Icaria, designed by architects Carme Pinós and Enric Miralles for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

These trees are sculptured from wood and metal, thereby, eliminating the “sticky sap” mentioned by digital.

Pérgolas de la Avenida Icaria
Barcelona, 2006

What a novel idea and a great excuse for me to upload these photos.

Don’t you think?

Along la avenida Icaria are the Pérgolas de la Avenida Icaria, designed by architects Carme Pinós and Enric Miralles for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

These trees are sculptured from wood and metal, thereby, eliminating the “sticky sap” mentioned by digital in the photo marked " A Slipper Idea".

For your information, the Yelmo Icaria, a movie theater is located on this street. It’s great feature is that you can see selected movies in English.

Oh! And by the way, to view my FLICKR contact’s photos, just click on her highlighted name, digitalramble.

Enjoy!!

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A Rubbery Idea

I think that I shall never own,
This rubber tree that stands alone.

I know my want may not be right,
But it would make my day quite bright.

My pathetic attempt to rhyme the Ogden Nash way may have failed, so to you I apologize.

However, simply said, I would love to have had this fantastic, huge rubber tree in or around any part of my habitat, but, alas, my present plant is growing about an inch a year.

Barcelona,2005

So, if you're that fortunate one to be enjoying this plant,

Barcelona,2005

Enjoy!!

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