Tapa i àpat

Folks! If you're looking for tapa meals and you happen to be in the barrio of gràcia walking on carrer Gran de Gràcia passing building #44 then YOU have to stop at the Tapa i àpat restaurant.

Let me tell you why!

Locals frequently dine there.

They know how to fry foods which can be a bit tricky.

The service is above par.

Menus are in different languages for the Catalan challenged.

You are special, even if you are a pesky tourist.

So ... all you have to do is order, smell the delicious aromas, eat and pay for the food.

I remember this cafe fondly.

But I warn you. I haven't been there in over a year and this is what I knew, for we were frequent customers. After all, I did shoot this photo to remember the place.

Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Real Magic

The little girl with the banana sees herself riding the dangerous dragon, happy and fearless.

Little did she know that 10 months later her time would come.

And, her mom would survive.


An aside note: In case you're wondering, the picture was manipulated with photoshop.

It was soooo easy and fun to do.

I thought I needed to say something in case any of you thought this picture was real.

And, I personally know some folks who might think so.

Hmmm ... what does that say about them?

More importantly, what does that say about ME knowing them?

Gotta go. I hear voices.

Treasure

About 20 years ago I was given this baby photo.

As far as I know, it's the only infant picture of this child who, at the very least, was 9 months old decades and pre-decades ago.

barçalunacy as a child

I treasure and protect this photo and today I finally scanned it.

So, I delight in it's existence and share with the world this picture of

Me!!

Attention to Detail

Is a quality every good waiter should strive for giving good servicing.

View barcalunacy's A Candid View of Everyday People FLCKR photoset.

The Year of the Tiger

On behalf of the entire family, Nisha wishes everyone a Happy Chinese New Year.

Now, some of you may wonder why her photo was chosen ... hmmm?

Well, I was trying my darndest to get GOOD solo pictures of the other girls but I failed.

Her photo was the simplest and I was able to do a photoshop treatment I was dying to try.

I hope you like it!

Personality Counts

I first saw him walking on the street a few blocks from where this photo was taken.

I saw only his back but he had a strut that would've put John Travolta to shame and I was interested.

So ... to my surprise and a smile on my face I found him, "singing" into a tin cup and oh, how I wished he would walk that walk.

You would have liked him. He had an exuberant and electrifying personality that would make any street performer proud.

I love the street artists and got to know some of them pretty well in Barcelona.

A street-performers life is very hard and a little kindness (like a coin or two) in their direction wouldn't be a bad idea for either you or them.

I invite you to view my flickr photo gallery of the these special people who made my life a little bit richer.

View barcalunacy's Barcelona’s Street Artists FLCKR photoset.

Window Dressing

She obviously looks confident, surefooted and projects an air of self-assurance.

But, to some, she may appear to be cocky, blunt and full of hot air.

Would you vote for her?

I would!!.

She certainly can't be any worse than the blunder-heads presently elected who represent their best interests.

Lip Service

World! This is Safia, my grand-daughter, at exactly 3 months.

Yes, I know what you're thinking! I am tooo young to have children of children.

Anyway, I want to think that she was looking at me with keen interest but I fear she was giving me the slip of her tongue.

Ah ... they start so early, don't they?

Aside Note: I have a great tip for you that I've learned the past many months since I've been back to the USA. If you want to improve your street photography, just photograph children.

They are quick, suffer from attention deficit disorder and unpredictable.

Your shoots will dramatically improve.

Something They Ate?

Or, something they saw.

It's a mystery to me.

Wild!!

Want to make a little girl happy?!

Just buy her a new outfit.

Works ALMOST all the time.

Double Take

Oh ... so, it's another booth in a Barcelona market.

But, wait! Can you guess what makes these booths unique?

The lady on the left is the same lady on the right and they aren't even twins!

The image on the right is a silk screen shade.

Imagine that!

As Good As I'll Ever Get

Truly, I like everything about this photo.

The way her body fits snugly on the bench curved like the letter 'y'.

As Good As I'll Ever Get

Her big greenish bag and clunky but terribly comfortable shoes.

The shadows and light drape her body like a comforting hug.

She reminds most of all of Helen Hunt's scene when Greg Kinnear began drawing again.

Ah, you know ... one of Jack Nicholson's famous movie!

Can you guess?

But, I am curious.

What do you think, overall?

I think they like me!

Well, it was early morning here, something that usually arrives on a daily basis every 24 hours.

Anyway, as I opened the French doors to greet the world, the world greeted me back in the form of 2 big green yellow eyes glaring at me.

Yes, it was another neighbor probably a friend of the same species I wrote in "The Cat Who Mistakes Me for a Rat".

It will be interesting to see what the morning brings.

'Twas the Morning of Christmas

It's now 7:45 am, and Santa, I think, just left.

As you see, he's eaten some of the homemade cookies and when I touch the glass, I can feel the warmth of his hands.

Around me I see the stockings hung in the windows with care,

And oops, gotta go, I think I hear the little ones!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

The Cat Who Mistakes Me for a Rat

With well-timed precision, just as the cock crows, perched on the top of a wooden fence,

s(he) is ...

The Cat Who Mistakes Me for a Rat

Waiting, and watching,

For no one other, than me.