back to barcelona

I promised some of you that I would post more of my cruise photographs.

That promise will be kept.  But in a rather condensed way.

Once I finish a trip, I have little interest in going through my photographs.  When the moment has passed -- it is past.  I am now looking forward to my next two trips.  To Oregon in about a week.  Then to England, France, and Spain in August and September.

I spent the last four hours trying to edit some of my Barcelona photographs for you.  I started there because that is where the cruise began.  But it is also one of my favorite cities.  This recent visit has got me thinking about spending a year there.

Why?  The first obvious answer is the architecture.  Everywhere you look there is an interesting church.  Often, with styling you can see nowhere else in the world.

Or an entryway.

Or a plaza -- unlike anything I can find in Melaque -- where life flows at a leisurely pace.

Can you imagine how nice it would be to live in one of these art nouveau apartments?

Or to have a building detail like this in your neighborhood?

And there is something cozy about these alleys where cars are not even an afterthought.  And colors seem to seek their own levels.

Where else could you find a bank tarted up to look like a Chinese restaurant?

Speaking of food, that is another reason to live here.  Barcelona offers up several large markets selling fresh produce and meats.

The caviar may be a little expensive -- especially, when it is from Iran.  On the other hand, is Russian caviar any more acceptable?

If you do not feel feel comfortable buying Iranian, try Iberian.  Han, that is.  It is without peer.  With cheese, of course.

I have tried all three of these.  I would eat two, again.

This had me stumped.  I had no idea how I would prepare a cow nose.  Now, I do.  Recipe.  Who says you can't learn new things at Mexpatriate?

And then there are those sights you will only see in a city.

Remember that plaza with all the people?  Well, this is it getting spruced up in the morning.  And, for those seeking hair of the dog, there he is.

No city would be complete without its silly moment.  Who turns a famous statue of Jesus' suffering into just another tourist snap of herself?  I guess we now know the answer.

Moving to Barcelona for a year may remain a personal dream.  But this visit certainly re-stoked the urge.