La Plaça NARCIS OLLER

A Place You Might Like to Know!

It’s a day, any day and you feel like reading and relaxing. I hate telling YOU and everyone else about Plaça NARCIS OLLER, one of my many hide-a-ways.

This plaça was named after “Narcís Oller (Valls, 1846 - Barcelona, 1930) who was the first great Catalan novelist of the modern cultural renaissance …”). To read more, click HERE. It's just a paragraph and might be interesting.

Just off Via Augusta and between the Traveserra de Gràcia and the Diagonal, this small plaça with its warmth and charm, is a little secluded from the bustle of the city. I like that!

I mustn’t forget to tell you that this wonderful fountain actually works, soothes the nerves and horror of horrors, OH, NO!, you begin to feel serene.

Plaça NARCIS OLLER, Barcelona, 2006

You got a glimpse of it in my post “The UNHOT Dog”, where the main entertainer knew just how to relax. Click HERE to view video.

Oh, Oh, I should tell you this. There are several café's for coffee, beer and tapas.

Enjoy!!

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War brings Peace

Farmácia Guerra is certainly a head turner, not for what it is, a pharmacy of course, but its name.

Guerra means war and the farmácia sells medicines to bring customers peace.

Ironic.

Gran de Gràcia, Barcelona, 2006

Click HERE to resize.

Enough said.

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A Tourist’s Trap

It was any Sunday and we were doing our usual, talking, walking and taking photos.

After shooting some pics I decided to lay my weary bones on a park bench.

I sat where three sat. We greeted one another.

Anyway, before I knew it we were taking photos and videos of each other, chatting, laughing and joking around.

Plaça de la Virreina, Barcelona, 2006

Click HERE to resize.

They are from Chile visiting their son who has been here for many, many years.

Yes, drat, I was entrapped by Orlando, Silvia and Guillermo’s friendliness, warmth and interest.

I hope we meet again.

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Warm encounters over a cold drink

Somewhere on a corner in the barrio San Gervasi and carrer Balmes, is a cozy, corner café.

The café is very small where the stools hug the bar and there’s just enough room for only YOU to pass by.

I shot this photo at night, without thought and very fast before anyone could ask me what and why I was taking pictures. You can see a customer’s bewilderment.

Barcelona, 2006

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The quality of the photo is not very good but I like its lighting, the small space and how cozy and inviting the café appears to look.

It seems to me that the customers have no choice but to be close, sociable and, Oh NO, meet new friends.

Enjoy!!

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Me, watching THEM, watching YOU!

Ever feel like your being watched?

Well, sometimes, it isn’t me.

IT’S THEM!!

Who? You might ask.

Those pesky tourists, that’s who.

Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona, 2006

Click HERE to resize.

These vacationers are taking a time out after being watched. Now they're doing the watching!

But I say this to the locals.

Don’t worry, I’ll bewachen* them, for ya!!

*bewachen … german word for: to watch.

I don’t speak German but I thought it would be fun to use this word.

Enjoy!!

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The Diada Nacional de Catalunya, 2006

Catalunya is the only place I know that celebrates its own defeat: on September 11, 1714, Barcelona surrendered to Spain in the nine- year- long War of Succession.

Today, Catalunya commemorates this with memorials, speeches and gatherings.

You truly feel the pride of the Catalonian and their wish to be independent from Spain, even today. This pride is shown by displaying the flag everywhere, and I mean everywhere.

carrer Verdi, Barcelona, 2006

The flag of Catalunya is called the senyera, meaning sign and is treasured by many Catalans.

I have been told the senyera’s stripes represent four bloodied fingers smeared on a shield. In my research for this blog I found inconsistencies in how the flag’s design originated. Click HERE to read one of its colorful stories.

Anyway, while taking a walk we found ourselves at the Plaça de la Revolució, in the barrio Gràcia, where there was a wonderful crowd mostly of young persons, listening to Catalan music.

Plaça de la Revolució, Barcelona, 2006

I shot a video where you will hear the music, a speech in Catalan, (even if you don’t understand it, hearing the language is a treat), see a little of the plaça and the attentive crowd.

So click HERE for the QuickTime video.

Enjoy!!

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Tooting My Own Horn

On August 29, 2006, there were two pages devoted to blogs on Barcelona and the bloggers personal viewpoints of this great city. Barçalunacy was mentioned.

The article is written in Castellan and below is a photo that appeared on La Vanguardia’s subscription online service as well as their printed media.

Barçalunacy, LaVanguardia Online Article, 8/29/2006

Toca AQUI para leerlo bien.

Bloginmedia, an online weblog providing information on blogs, also mentioned the LaVanguardia article and provides an English translation.

Barçalunacy, Blogin Media Online Article, August 31, 2006

Click HERE to resize for better viewing.

Blogin Media is no longer alive. To bad.

I congratulate all who were mentioned.

Wrapture

Barcelona is an old city, appreciative of its architecture, and so, it is quite common to see many old buildings either getting a face-lift on the outside or fixed-up in the inside.

While the renovation is being done, it is not unusual to see entire buildings covered with a huge poster made in decorative and loud designs on material made of cloth.

As I turned a corner heading towards Plaça Sant Jaume this one late afternoon, I saw such a renovated building appearing like a majestic queen dressed to the nines.

Plaça Sant Jaume, Barcelona, 2006

The cloth wasn’t loud or flashy but certainly made such an impression I had to take a photo.

Even simplicity gets noticed.

Sort of reminds me of a curved “flat iron building” that is well known in New York City but curviers.

What do you think?

Enjoy!!

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Souly Alone

She lives inside herself.

Barcelona, 2006

She sits beside herself.

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Minimal Acoustic Band

In my travels through cities, I think the best part is its street artists.

Downtown Barcelona is where we found Minimal Acoustic Band that drew quite a crowd.

Barcelona, 2006

Click HERE to view in Quicktime.

I had a dickens of a time trying to get close to this group and was lucky enough to get a video and shoot some photos.

Later I had a chance to speak with Artur, a Catalan, who was kind enough to give me their web site address.

I was sort of disappointed that their site didn’t have more information on the musicians. Hopefully they will update their page with more stuff.

For anyone interested here it is:

http://mab.com.es/

Sometimes, the crowd is more entertaining than the entertainer.

Barcelona, 2006

What do you think?

Enjoy!!

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A Night at the Movies

Holy Cow!!

Looking for a movie you can enjoy in the language of your choice and in their original versions?

Look no further.

Cines Verdi might just be that place for YOU! It is for ME ... a small and comfortable theatre, located in the barrio Gràcia.

Cines Verdi, Barcelona, 2006

So, go buy that popcorn, pop the pop, sit back and enjoy a movie at the Cines Verdi.

If you want more information click HERE and there will be more theatres with movies in their original version including ENGLISH.

After writing this post, I realized it sounds like a 2 minute commercial spot.

Oh well. Enjoy!!

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Fabricating Aluminum Ashtrays

Wow!!

Never thought that I would write about aluminum can ashtrays again, but, these two in the photo were serious about their business as you can see.

Barcelona, 2006

They were busy as little beavers, cutting, shaping and selling their wares.

But, they were not Isabel. Isabel was affable, amiable, and agreeable to me and to the others surrounding her.

Barcelona, 2005

See what I mean and click HERE to view Isabel in QuickTime.

And this is her finished product that I bought!

Barcelona, 2005

Note: I am so proud that over 300 others have seen this video.

Tips for vendors in general: a little smile goes a long, long way.

Enjoy!!

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The Piercing Sound of Hope

Spain is, according to people I have spoken to, the loudest country in the Europe.

When one this vehicle passes by me, the sound it emits pierces right through me.

Barcelona, 2006

Click HERE to view Quicktime video.

It is then I have sympathy for anyone or anything with sensitivity to high pitch sounds.

Since the barçalunacy blog is about my experiences and everyday living of Barcelona I thought this short video would be interesting.

To hear what I mean, be sure to “up” the volume!

Enjoy!!

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Finalizing the Middle East Situation or ...

Are they discussing when those pesky tourists might be going home?

Plaça de Santa Maria, Barcelona, 2006

Many times during my walks in Barcelona, I see little worlds of people deep in conversation who are serious when they speak and who are serious when they listen.

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Catalunya’s carrer de Verdi y Robí, 2006

THE WINNER!!!!

Verdi Rocks!

Last in a series of the Festa Major de Gràcia, 2006!!

Placed 1st in the Best Decorated Street entry category and 1st for Creativity and Best Decorated Ceiling at the Festa Major de Gràcia, 2006.

What a night it was the night I went to see the displays at carrer de Verdi/Robí.

The night before the very last night, my camera, my partner and I barreled over to Verdi: How exhilarating, invigorating, enlivening, exciting and electrifying the evening was! It was also a turn-on.

So different was this street when the neighbors (vecinos) were setting everything up for the festa. We saw the workers slaving away on their displays and putting together the ghooly Star-Trekky-type-space-aliens.

There were jillions of folks of all ages, sizes, shapes and genders holding hands, dancing, and singing.

You could feel the music, thunderous, pulsating, fresh-from-the-jungle music that made it a veritable moral obligation to shimmy, sway and swing.

If you don’t believe me, think I’ve gone berserk with my verbs, check out my video proof.



Click HERE!

Did I forget to mention the gigantic hullabaloos of balloons, gargantuan portions of eats and oceans of drink everywhere the eye could hear, the ears to sing to?

If I don’t mention the lights, you’ll send a firing squad up before me. And what would happen then?? Lights lit up the Aliens, (definitely not of this or any other world), breathtaking lights that made these Un-humans appear to be aflame with fun and fun-loving.

Ah … check out the video, click HERE for the cine.

I invite you to click the link below for additional photos on FLICKR.

View barcalunacy's Catalunya’s carre de Verdi y Robi, 2006 FLCKR photoset.