My Accidental European Month

October - November 2021: Zurich, Paris, Barcelona, Granada & Madrid

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Spanish Cities 3.1

After I left Paris I used an old Ryanair voucher to fly to Barcelona where I stayed for a week. Then I used an old Iberian Airlines voucher to fly to Granada. After Granada, I took the AVE train (Alto Veocidad España, basically just like the French TGV - Trés Grande Vitesse) to Madrid, and then spent my last week in Barcelona. But I'm going to group the pictures together so first Granada 3.1, then Madrid 3.2, and finally Barcelona 3.3.

Granada 3.1.1 - Andalucia, Albaicin, and Alhambra

Granada is one of the cities of Andalucia, the Spanish South, along with Sevilla, Cordoba, Målaga, and Cádiz. (BTW the folks who live there call it Andalusia. If you hear someone call it Andaluthia, you know they are from Northern Spain where they speak Castilian. Remember, that 'th' is NOT for the s, but only for z before a and o and u, and c before e and i. SO: zapatos [shoes] becomes 'thapatos' and you count like this: uno, dos, tres, thinko, seis, etc.)

The Puerta de Elvira was a gate in the walled city. It marks the border between the old flat part of the city, and the large old Albaicin district on a large hill. I used it as a landmark in my wandering. It leads to the Calle Elvira, which is an old meandering street of small shops ending at the Plaza Nueva and the Calle de Los Reyes Católicos.

Albaicin - Placeta Cruz D'Arqueros, right by where I had the incredible good luck to find a spot to stay. It's on a large hill with very winding streets paved with rough stones.

Albaicin stretches up a huge hill, so there are terrific views from many places. That's the cathedral in the distance.

It felt odd to see grafitti in the Albaicin, but it's a residential neighborhood, and the residents have kids, and the kids have spray paint cans, and dig hip-hop culture, so on some out-of-the-way walls there's graffiti.

From San Ildefonso near the top of the hill you could see quite far. At the bottom of the hill, that's the University, and the Centro Sagrario, and the Bib-Rambla neighborhood where the Granada Cathedral was located.

Calle San Juan de los Reyes is a typical narrow street. When a car passes you have to flatten yourself against the wall. Really, they need to prohibit autos from many of those streets, but the residents have built large underground parking lots so they can have cars.

Calle Cruz d'Arqueros is the street where I stayed. So excellent.

Looking down toward Granada Cathedral and the roofs of the Albaicin houses.

Looking up towards Alhambra palace, which sits on a hill above the Albaicin, and is lit up at night. They have established spots called Miradores where one can go and enjoy the vista above or below

Calle Zenete - You can find Moorish gates all over the Albaicin.

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Spanish Cities 3.1.2

Granada 3.1.2 - Albaicin, Capilla Real & Cathedral

Albaicin on a rainy evening. Such a beautiful romantic neighborhood. I could wander around exploring there forever.

More Albaicin at night

Grafitte & view of cathedral from Albaicin

Looking down at the River Darro. It goes underground near this spot and doesn't reappear until the other side of downtown. Pity. The hill with the palace of Alhambra and the other monuments up there is on the right.

Bells of the Basilica San Juan de Dios

Outside the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel) of Granada

Inside Royal Chapel - Religion is so obviously important to Spanish history. The inside of churches are elaborately decorated, and the best artists were hired to create religious works for the monarchs and nobles.

Granada Cathedral - large and beautiful. There's an El Greco in there, but not a particularly impressive one.

Granada Cathedral

Granada Cathedral of the Incarnation, or the Catedral de Granada, Santa Iglesia Catedral Metropolitana de la Encarnación de Granada is the seat of the Archdiocese of Granada. Like many other cathedrals in Andalusia, it was built on top of the city's main mosque after the reconquest of Granada. It's beautiful, yes, but so much beauty was destroyed needlessly, to make some religious point.

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Spanish Cities 3.1.3

Granada 3.1.3 - Plaza Nueva, Cuesta Gomerez & Alhambra

On the Plaza Nueva, at the end of the Calle de Los Reyes Católicos, this building is the Superior Court of Justice of Andalucia in the very Spanish-looking Palacio de la Real Chancillaría.

Just beyond the Plaza Nueva, and farther uphill is the Carrer del Darro, next to the river. Albaicin is on the left and the Alhambra hill on the right.

Puerta de las Granadas (gate of the pomegranates) on the Cuesta de Gomerez on the way up the hill to the Alhambra. Up there is actually a complex of monuments, including the Alcazaba fortress, the Palace of Carlos V, the Palace of the Nasrids, the Convento de San Francisco, the Generalife gardens, and the Carmen de los Martires.

Puerta de la Justicia, Alhambra complex entrance. You need a ticket with a timed entrance to the palace of the Nasrids. Some other places you can just go up and explore freely, like the Palace of Carlos V and he Alcazaba.

Puerta del Vino in the Alcazaba fortress.

View overlooking Albaicin from the Plaza de los Aljibes between the Alcazaba and the Palace of Carlos V.

The Parador de San Francisco was formerly the Convento de San Francisco on the Calle Real de la Alhambra. (A parador, in Spain, is a kind of luxury hotel, usually located in a converted historic building such as a monastery or castle.)

Alcazaba fortress on the Alhambra hill.

Alcazaba -- ruins of village in the old fortress, seen from the Torre de la Vela (Tower of the Candle)

View of Albaicin from Torre de la Vela in the Alcazaba fortress. So much to look at up here. I could spend days...

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Spanish Cities 3.1.4

Granada 3.1.4 - Palace of Carlos V, Alhambra of the Nasrids & the Harem

Palace of Carlos V - built after the last Moorish rulers were expelled from Spain. Stylistically, it totally does not belong with the Alhambra palace of the Nasrid Moors. But he wanted to commemorate his parent's victories and the re-establishment of Christian rule. One of the first new rules? Bathing is forbidden.

Palace of Carlos V interior court - not horrible, but rather bland... and kinda gross when you know that bullfights were held in the circular space.

Palace of Carlos V interior balcony

Palace of Carlos V interior - traveling exhibition of Islamic decorative arts from Qatar

Carlos V Palace interior court -- He moved out and away from Granada 4 years after this was built, never to return.

Nasrid Palace complex... so elaborately decorated... every square inch has some carving... but no figures... just calligraphy.

More Nasrid palace - this is part of the Harem, where only the royal family and most trusted servants were permitted. While many people praise the endless carving of verses from the Qu'ran in Arabic script, I was not wild about it. it made me think of artists freaks I knew who would stay up all night on speed and draw, and doodle, with pens and markers and paper. In the morning what they created looked rather like this.

The Court of the Lions in the harem. Those small fountains made nice sounds and helped cool the air. I could imagine the royal children playing in the water channels. The ropes kept visitors from the center of the courtyard. There were actually a lot of those ropes keeping us out of interesting spaces. Very annoying.

Court of the Lions in the harem, named after the stone lions who supported the basin in the middle of the court. To observe the charming small fountains at work, use the video.

Another view of the Court of the Lions in the harem. That was the only part of the palace that I was truly impressed with. But despite the control of crowding by the timed entry tickets, there was still too many people, and it was hard to let your imagination wander while clumps of humans muddled about like herds of cows.

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Spanish Cities 3.1.5

Granada 3.1.5 -- The Alhambra palace fountains and the Generalife gardens.... the brilliance and joy of water.

Everywhere in Granada you find fountains, but especially and spectacularly in the Alhambra complex. This was thanks to the Moorish Arab and Amazigh (the correct term for the Berbers) influence. These desert peoples dreamed of entering an oasis of cool, clear water. In the Quran, heaven is described as a place of beautiful gardens with flowing streams, and they re-created this whenever they could.

This is a short video montage of water streaming in various locations: the Patio of the Sultana in the Generalife Palace, the drain by the Cuesta del Rey Chico under the Nasrid Palace and the Court of the Lions in the Harem. Be sure to turn on the audio. It's the Recuerdos de Viaje, Op. 71, No. 8: Rumores de la Caleta by Isaac Albeniz (Arr. For Guitar)

I believe this is looking down from a gallery outside of the harem in the palace of the Nasrids. There are so many courtyards and fountains, it's easy to lose track. But all of them, and including the many in the Generalife gardens, both for decoration and irrigation, are fed from the Acequia Real, or Royal Water Source, an astonishing hydraulic feat of engineering that brought water from higher up and six kilometers away.

Yet another courtyard with a fountain on the way from the harem to the Generalife.

In the palace of the Generalife. That's the Alhambra complex, Palace of the Nasrids in the back distance. There's a deep ravine between the 2 palaces.

The Court of the Sultana. I think this is the spot that was infamous because Sultan Boabdil's favorite wife was having an affair with another nobleman here. It's not a good spot for secret activities because the noise of the water prevents you from hearing the approach of spies. Still... love makes you careless...

Generalife - These are the sculpted hedges in the Jardines Nuevos. I was very disappointed to learn that most of the Generalife was not original to the Moors, but was re-built and planted in the 1900's. They know a lot about how it once looked from excavations done in 1958 after a disastrous fire. However they chose not to restore the original plantings and designs.

Just for some orientation - here is the Alhambra complex on the hill. There are steep drips on either side, which made it easily defensible and why it was first chosen as the location for the fortress. The water comes from the Acequia which starts at the right edge and goes for 6 kilometers to the River Darro before it falls to the level of the rest of the city. The Generalife palace and gardens are above just past the upper edge of the map. The Moorish Albayzin district where I lived is to the left. The Nasrid Palaces are the main attraction and are at the upper center. Just below is the less spectacular palace of Carlos V. The fascinating fortress of Alcazaba is on the left.

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Spanish Cities 3.1.6

Granada 3.1.6 -- random spots before I go: Carmen de los Martires, (yet more) fabulous gardens, a map, my room and my excellent host Ibán.

Carmen de los Martires - The villa was closed on the day I went, but the gardens were open. The complex is a popular spot for weddings in Granada.

All around the villa were truly spectacular gardens with yet more splendid fountains and courtyards.

This water channel was one of many that brought water from the same source as the Alhambra - the Acequia Real.

This amazing garden contained a huge pond, with an island in the center that had a three-story tower that one can climb to get terrific views. (... and... it had DUCKS.)

Here's a short video of fountains and the island . The music is Mille Regretz by Josquin DesPres, said to be the favorite of Carlos V. (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Castile and Aragon) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy from 1506 to 1555. (I wonder if you're in charge of so much shit, if it's hard to keep track of it all...)

Here's a map of the medieval center of Granada . On the upper right is the Alhambra hill, and to the right of that is the Carmen de Los Martires. At the opposite corner, the lower left, is the Puerto de Elvira and right above that is the Calle Cruz d'Arqueros, where I stayed. The blue line down the middle is the River Darro. The area to the left of that is the Moorish Albaicín District. The lower quarter is flat and the elevation increases as you travel upwards and/or to the right on the map. Everything in this area is amazing, and pretty much all of it is a United Nations UNESCO Heritage Preservation area.

Here's my room on the Calle Cruz D'Arqueros.

This is Ibán, my host, an awesome guy, excellent host, super-friendly. (Also, he's a fireman-- no joke, runs into burning buildings to rescue people and animals. He showed me pictures... wow! He's a real life superhero...) Impossible not to love this guy, and I hope I can come again to this beautiful city and this terrific host.

AVE = Alta Velocidad España, the high-speed Spanish train network. I got on in Granada and 3 hours later I was in Madrid. Fast, comfortable, reasonable, excellent.

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Spanish Cities 3.2.1

Madrid 3.2.1 -- Gran Via, Puerta del Sol, Castellanos

While not as dramatic as Granada, and not as lively as Barcelona, Madrid definitely is busy and serious and muscular and feels like every bit like the capitol city that it is. Also the museums are off-the-hook amazing... but that's because the art was collected by the Spanish royalty and church.

Built between 1910 and 1929, Gran Vía is Madrid’s most famous street, connecting the neighborhoods of Salamanca and Argüelles containing some of the capital's most iconic buildings. Ahead to the right is the Calle de Hortaleza, with lots of great restaurants and shops. Behind me is the Calle de Montera which takes you to Puerta Del Sol.

They call Gran Via the "Broadway of Madrid" because it has many theaters, and lots of nightlife (and they mean LATE night... It never sleeps...)

The project of the Gran Vía boulevard took several decades to complete. The first blueprints of the street date back to 1862, when part of the city centre was renovated. However, the final project was not designed finally until 1899, and the Gran Via was finally completed in 1929.

The Gran Vía was one of the most challenging urban constructions in Spain as it was necessary to demolish over 300 buildings and 50 streets.

Puerto del Sol is probably the liveliest plaza in Madrid. The plaza was built in different stages. During the fifteenth century, La Puerta del Sol was originally one of the gates of the city wall and three centuries later, mid-eighteenth century, the Casa de Correos (Post Office Headquarters) was established. That's that red and white building. Today it is the headquarters of the Presidencia de la Comunidad.

Sol (as everyone calls it) is considered the center of the city, and distances are measured from a 'zero kilometer' mark on the pavement. The road to the left is the Calle de Alcalá which leads to the Gran Via.

Several important historical events have taken place in Puerta del Sol such as the proclamation of the Second Republic in 1931 and recently, in 2011, the 15-M Movement, a vast demonstration for Spanish democracy. Here's yet another statue of a guy on a horse. Everywhere you go seems like the important guys are sculpted on horses. I don't know.. maybe the horse is important...

The neighborhood where I stayed is called Castellanos (and sometimes Salamanca). It's quite upscale, with folks in furs and sunglasses at night. This is the Italian Embassy, on Calle Juan Bravo, 2 blocks from my house. (multiple cameras on every corner)

Another view of my neighborhood and my block on the Calle Lagasca. The US Embassy was 2 blocks away. (Lots of guys in short haircuts with devices in their ears hanging around.)

OK, some basic orientation. Castellanos neighborhood is upper right. My place is just off the top right edge. Gran Via cuts across the middle where it contains the Foundation Telefonica building (in red). Below that slightly to the left is the Puerta del Sol. The Royal palace is to the left and the working class neighborhoods of El Rastro (the flea market) and Embajadores are at bottom. On the right is the museum triangle, the Prado, the Reina Sofia, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza. The far right is the Retiro Park. It's all walkable, and I walked everywhere here often.

Here's the Alcalá gate at the southern end of Castellanos and north of the museum triangle. The Retiro park is beyond on the right. This is just a triumphal arch, like the Arc de Triumph in Paris or Brandenburg gate in Berlin. There was never a wall here or a gate in the wall, just built for decoration/inspiration.

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Spanish Cities 3.2.2

Madrid 3.2.2 -- Palacio, Calle Mayor, Plaza Mayor

The Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although it's now used only for state ceremonies and tourism. The Zarzuela Palace, on the outskirts of Madrid was the home of former king Juan Carlos I from May 1962 until his departure (in August 2020) to live abroad in Abu Dhabi, capitol of the United Arab Emirates (UAR), following allegations of financial impropriety.

It's not as yet been announced whether the Zarzuela will remain the home of his wife, Queen Sofía, who did not accompany Juan Carlos abroad. Although Juan Carlos' son, King Felipe VI, has his office in the palace, he and his family live in the Pabellón del Príncipe on the grounds just east of the Zarzuela.

It's a good thing they have so many palaces, to accommodate awkward circumstances like this.

It's the largest royal palace in Europe, and is visited by thousands of people, although I was not one of them. I spent a lot of time in the museums -- mostly the Prado (to see the El Grecos, and the Goyas), but also the Reina Sofia, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza -- so I had enough of wandering through elaborate rooms and looking at stuff. That day I liked better being outside and looking at streets and buildings.

On the Calle Mayor, this is the Iglesia Catedral Castrense, which means the military cathedral church. I liked the relatively austere exterior. (The inside is quite elaborate, I'm told. I didn't go in, not being in the mood to go into buildings that day.)

Farther down the Calle Mayor is the Casa de La Villa. This was the old Town Hall of Madrid, situated in the Plaza de la Villa, between Plaza del Sol and Plaza de Oriente. The Plaza was one of the focal points of activity in medieval Madrid (when it was first known as the Plaza de San Salvador, because of a nearby church bearing that name.)

Continuing down Calle Mayor you find the charming Mercado San Miguel. Opened in May 1916 as a local food market, it's one of the city's finest examples of cast-iron architecture. In 2009 it became Madrid's first gourmet market.

Widely regarded as the city’s culinary temple, the Mercado San Miguel boasts over 20 stands whose offerings go from the finest Iberian ham and freshest fish and shellfish brought in daily from the northern coastal region of Galicia, to Mediterranean rice dishes and the most exquisite cheeses from Castile, Asturias and the Basque Country. I later heard it features the best homemade ice cream. If I had known that I surely would not have passed it by...

The Plaza Mayor is a major public space in the heart of old Madrid (the area also known as Madrid de las Austrias). It's a terrific space for the people of Madrid and tourists alike to shop, walk around, eat, and enjoy being outdoors. There are cafes and shops under the arcades all around the edges.

El Rastro market along the Calle de la Ribera de Curtidores. Going to El Rastro on Sunday mornings is a Madrid tradition. Many Madrileños and visitors go there to buy jewelry, clothes, hippy skirts, t-shirts, plants, lamps, purses, recordable CDs and even hardware supplies.

El Rastro means "the trail" and they say that's because there were butchers nearby and you could follow the trail of blood up the path. Ribera de Curtidores means 'bank (as in riverbank) of the tanners". So maybe the trails were going from the butchers who removed the edible parts and then the hides were dragged to the tanners leaving a trail of blood and offal... innards, etc...

On Sundays and ever other Saturday, the El Rastro market spills out over the surrounding streets into a triangle formed by Calle de Toledo, Calle de Embajadores and Ronda de Toledo. There are over 1000 merchants who start selling at around 9am and close down at 3pm.

Besides the street vendors, there are many antique dealers and junk shops -- and shops between those two ends of the second-hand spectrum.

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Spanish Cities 3.2.3

Madrid 3.2.3 -- South-Central: Embajadores, Santa Ana, Reina Sofia

Embajadores, is a working class neighborhood in the south central part of downtown Madrid. On Sundays the El Rastro flea market spreads out into this neighborhood.

Northern Embajadores - just off the Calle de Magdalena. Most Madrid streets are fairly clean like this... although Zurich was cleaner. (Paris was not especially tidy, I thought.)

Here's a musical collage of the southern central district, and the Caixa Forum, a venue for concerts and other events near the Reina Sofia, and a fountain in the Retiro. Nowhere near as many fountains as Granada... but there wasn't anywhere near as much Moorish influence here. (The tune is Clandestino a fairly big hit by Manu Chao. Be sure to turn up the volume via the icon on lower right.)

Lavapies in another working class district that's become trendy in recent years, first with artists, then with students, then with ordinary folks looking for low rents. (And there, ladies & gents, is gentrification in a nutshell...)

Another street in Embajdores, the one more to the east, near the Plazuela de Antón Martín and the Calle de Atocha, which leads to the Atocha train station.

Here's the Plaza de Santa Ana in the Huertas neighborhood. It's father to the north of where I've been walking, almost to the Puerta del Sol, and the Calle Mayor. On the east side of the plaza is found the Teatro Español whose origins go back to 1583, a though it was rebuilt in 1807 due to a fire. In this theatre Spain's most important writers have seen their works acted out on stage. I think all theaters were closed due to the pandemic. **sigh** depressing...

Here's the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, which is Spain's national museum of 20th-century art. The museum was officially inaugurated on September 10, 1990, and is named for Queen Sofía.

The building is very interesting with lots of unusual, attractive spaces, and it's located on the western side of central Madrid, near the Prado and the Thyssen-Bornemisza, forming part of the 'museum triangle' as people call it.

This is a stairwell in the Reina Sofia that caught me eye. The museum has Impressionists, Post-impressionists, modern and postmodern art. (What will they call the next phase? PostPostPost...?)

Near the Reina Sofia is the Caixa Forum, which features this living wall of plants. It's quite enormous (note the size of the man at the bottom.)

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Spanish Cities 3.2.4

Madrid 3.2.4 -- Cibeles, Retiro Park, Atocha Station

The Palacio de Cibeles is one of Madrid's most emblematic palaces. Completed in 1919, it was formerly called the Palace of Communications and was used as headquarters of the Spanish postal service. However, since 2007, it has been the seat of the Madrid City Council. Located on the Plaza de Cibeles, on the Calle de Alcalá (runs east-west) and north of the Paseo del Prado.

The Palacio de Velasquez is located in the center of the Parque de Buen Retiro (means something like 'a nice retreat') The Palacio is currently operated by the Ministry of Culture, and is dedicated to temporary exhibitions of Spain's national museum of modern art, the Reina Sofía.

Palacio de Cristal is another building in the Retiro Park used for exhibitions by the Reina Sofia museum. It was built as a conservatory for growing tropical plants. Situated next to a lake (with lots of DUCKS), it's really a lovely spot.

It's built in the shape of a Greek cross and made almost entirely of glass set in an iron framework on a brick base, which is decorated with ceramics. Its cupola makes the structure over 66 feet (like 6 stories) high.

This Annunciation by El Greco is here more to remind me of where I didn't go --> namely, Toledo, to see the El Greco museum. I had planned to go on a Monday, and didn't check, stupidly... but before I got on the train, I found out it's closed on Mondays. God knows why. Anyway, the place to see El Greco's pictures, besides Toledo, is the Prado. They have over a dozen large terrific works by him. I spent like an hour one afternoon in the room with 6 enormous altar pieces and 7 portraits.

Now this particular one is at the Thyssen-Bornemisza, and what's super-interesting about this, for me, is that the angels at the top are celebrating the Annunciation with an entire band. Take a closer look: they all have instruments of different kinds. I think I've never seen that in any other Annunciation, certainly not by El Greco, and I think it's awesome. I can just imagine the scene. Gabriel arrives and says "Mary! I have some amazing news for you!" Mary shouts, "What? I can't hear you! This music is really loud. You brought a band with you?" Gabriel shouts back, "Well yeah, because it's super-amazing news! You're going to have a baby!" Mary laughs, "Wait till they finish this song. I can't make out what you're saying! It sounded like I was going to have a baby!? Jeez, can you imagine?" Gabriel..."um... well...."

The train in Spain goes mainly on the plain. Again... the train in Spain is faster than the plane... By George, she's got it! Now once αgain, where is this train? On the plain! On the plain!

Sorry about that, I couldn't help it. This is the old Atocha building that was converted into a tropical garden to enhance the station when it was reopened to house the high-speed train (AVE for Alta Velocidad España).

The metal structure and glazed roof covering the platforms of the station made it ideal for use as a greenhouse with ponds. The 4000 square metre garden contains over 7000 plants of 400 different species from the Americas, Asia, and Australia. It looks beautiful.

Unfortunately, the whole freaking garden was roped off and you could only look at it from outside the cordon. They said it was for Covid, but I can't see why. Just lazy bureaucrats making it easier to manage by keeping people away. I experienced the same wretched thing elsewhere in Spain (like all over the Alhambra) and in Greece.

The Atocha station was the location of the Madrid train bombings of 2004. This horrible incomprehensible event consisted of coordinated near-simultaneous attacks targeting commuter trains on the morning of March 11, 2004. Beginning at 7:37 AM and continuing for several minutes, 10 bombs exploded on four trains in and around Atocha Station in the city’s centre, leaving 191 dead and more than 1,800 injured. In October 2007, 18 Islamic fundamentalists of mainly North African origin and three Spanish accomplices were convicted of the bombings (seven others were acquitted).

Map of important locations in Madrid's center. The royal palace is just off the left edge. On the right is the Retiro Park. I stayed about a half-mile above the Puerta de Alcala on the upper right, and walked pretty much everywhere within this square.

Zoom out to greater Madrid to compare the busy and dense center, with the enormous rest of the capital city. Note the Retiro Park dark green square in the center, and the palace park (dark green square) on the left of that. The entire previous map (which is sometimes called Madrid de Las Asturias or "Madrid of the Hapsburgs" or medieval Madrid) includes only that area between the Park and the Palace. That's the oldest area, with the museums, historical monuments, cultural institutions, and fancy shops. Several business districts are NOT in this area. I had no reason to go to these, but that's where the skyscrapers are. (Rather like La Defense in Paris, outside the peripherique.)

Next and final stop on this journey -- the astonishing and wonderful Barcelona.

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Spanish Cities 3.3.1

Barcelona 3.3.1 -- Eixample, Bari Gotic, Ciutat Vela, Las Ramblas

OK, so Madrid has the best museums by far, and Granada has the best palaces, gardens & fountains for sure. But for just for liveliness, and variety and wonderful long walks and groovy people, Barcelona can't be beat.

I was actually twice in Barcelona -- once right after Paris, and again after Madrid and before I left. (My flight home was from Barcelona.)

The first time I stayed in a hostel for 'digital nomads'. It was a beautiful space with high ceilings and lots of room and a big well-equipped kitchen and lovely balconies.

(Odd thing -> but only the visitors use the balconies. The Barcelonians never sit out there. Not sure why... I guess because they're kinda small? But then why have them at all? In Athens the balconies are huge, filled with plants and everyone uses them. Athenians generally have their dinners out there.)

This neighborhood is called the Eixample, which means "the extension" because it was laid out after the Ciutat Vella (Old City) became far too crowded, and there was no longer need for defensive walls. The layout is very distinctive -- every intersection has the corners cut off, which makes them large and light-filled. The architecture is also wild and inventive. This block has buildings by 3 famous architects. Gaudi (who designed the famous Sagrada Familia church) did the blue/green front one.

This is my new friend Alice & me at Las Ramblas. She moved to Barcelona like 40 years ago, married there and had a daughter. A mutual friend in SF introduced us, and Alice loves to give tours to visitors. (She is a teacher, of course!). We had quite a lot of fun, as you may see in this photo.

Here's another building by Gaudi. He loved organic curves of stone and wild wrought iron shapes. (Look at the balconies. They look at first like lots of bicycles chained up there, but it's just his crazy shapes.)

Also, notice that the building front is on a diagonal facing into the intersection. All of the intersections in the Eixample are like that. It's slightly disorienting when you're walking around. At every intersection instead of the usual four corners, there are eight. When you go around the block, you have to turn twice at every corner.

We are here in in the Barri Gotic neighborhood of Ciutat Vella district. It's the medieval Barcelona with narrow streets, and few cars. This man was singing a Spanish song that was familiar sorta... then I realized it was the tune of 'La Foule' a French song made classic by Edith Piaf. He explained that it originally had Spanish lyrics written by a Latin American composer.

Still in the Barri Gotic, this is the Palacio de Lloctinent. Flanking the Plaça del Rei, this 1550s palace was built as the residence of the Spanish lloctinent (viceroy) of Catalonia and later converted into a convent. From 1853 till today it has housed the Arxiu de la Corona d’Aragón, (the Archive of the Crown) with documents detailing the history of the Crown of Aragón and Catalonia, spanning the 12th to 20th centuries.

Around the corner is this narrow street the Baixada de Santa Clara, as the sign used to say. This is the back of the Palacio de Lloctinent (or Palace of the Viceroy).

Farther north in the Ciutat Vella, in the neighborhood of Sant Pere, this is the Carrer dels Assaonadors, which means the Street of the Assailants. This has to do with a medieval office called the Gremi d'Assaonadors, in which the skin was scratched to detect something... couldn't make out the rest...

Back in the Eixample off the Passeig de Gràcia.... such nice wide sidewalks... trees everywhere... a walkers paradise...

We're on Las Ramblas just east of Plaa de Catalunya. Las Ramblas is a long pedestrian street that runs from the Placa towards the port, through the middle of the Ciutat Vela (Old City). It attracts vendors and street artists, but also tourists, of which there are so many that it gives the whole thing a slightly cheesy feel. I suspect this was once a charming local promenade, that people would come down to walk and see friends and meet people. Now it's rather overwhelmed, and I'm told that the locals sadly tend to avoid it.

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Spanish Cities 3.3.2

Barcelona 3.3.2 -- Port Vell, Barceloneta, Nova Icária, Poblenou, Beaches

Barcelona stretches out along it's seacoast, rather like LA. In fact, my Parisian friends tell me they call Barcelona the LA of Europe because it's modern, warm & sunny, and has lots of beaches. (Of course, they've never been to LA, so it's their imagined version... and it has no freeways, so it can't really be like LA... but I see the comparison...). Much of the coast was completely revamped for the 1992 Summer Olympics. The beaches were extended and enhanced with more sand (repeated annually), and palm trees (from Hawaii!!) and small boat harbors (Port Olimpic marina).

Port Vell (Old Port) is the central port area. That statue on the column is of Christopher Colombus (called Cristobal Colon in Spanish) and is the western (seaside) end of the Ramblas.

The Maritime Museum of Barcelona (MMB) is located in the magnificent Barcelona Royal Shipyards building, which since its establishment in the 13th century by King Peter the Great, Count of Barcelona, continued to expand until the 18th century in line with the ship-building needs of the time. It's in the Port Vell area.

Here's the Customs House in Port Vell. The hill behind is the beginning of Montjuic.

This is Sant Sebastiá, the first in a long line of beaches that stretch northeast from the port. That building at the end of the point shaped like a sail is the W Barcelona Hotel.

Next, going northeast, is the Barceloneta beach. This used to be quite small and lined with cheap but good fish restaurants. Now it's the most popular beach, getting quite crowded on warm summer days (and nights).

And this is the Barceloneta neighborhood next to the beach. It was a working class residential area with narrow streets and small units, but it's become fashionable and a lively party scene in summer. The neighborhood was constructed during the 18th century for the residents of the Ribera neighborhood who had been displaced by the construction of the Ciutadella of Barcelona.

Platja de la Nova Icária is a beach farther along the coast, next to the neighborhood of Poblenou (new town). It's large, and family-friendly. There's a story behind the name, which means Beach of New Icaria. Icaria is an island in the Aegean belonging to Greece. The name was used by French philosopher and utopian socialist Etienne Cabet. He published Voyage en Icarie in French in 1839 (and in English in 1840 as Travels in Icaria), in which he proposed replacing capitalist production with workers' cooperatives. He used the name Icaria to refer to a imagined human utopia. He actually went to the USA where he established 2 utopian colonies, that lasted for a few years. Here in Barcelona, a group of his followers set up a socialistic community nearby which they called New Icaria.

La Vila Olimpica de Poblenou is right by the beach and a small marina. That sculpture on the left is called the Golden Fish. It was designed by Frank Gehry, known for his many iconic structures, in particular the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Spain.

Poblenou is in an 'innovation zone' called 22@, where wild architecture is invited, and so a good deal of strange experimental buildings are located here. This is a bus station.

Here's a map of the central area for a bit of orientation. Ciutat Vella (Old Town in the center) has village streets with no grid pattern. The area above is the Eixample with a perfect grid, except for a few major diagonal thoroughfares. This is the design of Ildefons Cerda in the 1800's. Hard to see, but note that each intersection in this area is slightly expanded by slicing off the corners of each block. This was to bring in light and improve traffic flow. The Barceloneta neighborhood and beach are just below the Ciutat Vella. To the right of that is the Ciutadella Park, and to the right of that is the Poblenou (new town) neighborhood where I stayed.

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Spanish Cities 3.3.3

Barcelona 3.3.3 -- Basílica de la Sagrada Família

Definitely the most iconic building in Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia was designed by the city's most iconic architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Work began in 1883 and is still not complete. This is a night view of the Passion Façade -- austere and plain, with ample bare stone, carved with harsh straight lines to resemble the bones of a skeleton. Dedicated to the Passion of Christ, the suffering of Jesus during his crucifixion. Construction began in 1954, following the drawings and instructions left by Gaudí for future architects and sculptors.

A night view of the Nativity Facade. Gaudi died in 1926 when he was run over by a streetcar. He left detailed models and plans, but much of that was burnt or destroyed by a group of anarchists who broke into the construction site during the Civil War of 1936. Fortunately much was able to be recovered, and enhanced by use of computer modeling and drawing techniques.

Despite his creativity and seemingly playful designs, Gaudi was far from playful about his work here. He was a very devout Roman Catholic, and wanted his cathedral to be taken seriously. He moved onto the construction site several years before his death, living in a shed and working days and nights. In his view, his client was God.

The church in Spain has been very powerful, supporting the aristocracy, and predatory capitalism (and not to mention Francisco Franco's fascist dictatorship). To many Spaniards the church is a seriously oppressive institution, much hated. There is strong anti-clerical feeling among many people in Spain, and so through Spanish history, a good deal of church property -- convents, monasteries and churches -- were destroyed or appropriated for secular uses.

A view of the nave with columns and stained glass. The stonework is carved with curves and natural shapes.

Here's a view of the nave looking toward the altar and apse. Gaudi wanted it to resemble a forest, with trees and leaves.

A stoup - a receptacle for holy water - designed like a large seashell supported by wrought iron. Gaudi designed these and many other small details around the cathedral. Wrought iron was one of his favorite materials.

Here's a view of the ceiling of the nave. Note how the columns break into smaller columns as they go up, and the stonework which resembles the jagged edges of leaves. It produces an astonishing effect.

Another view of the nave and windows, showing the level where the choir sat, and above that a cloister walk which passed through both sides of the interior and through to the outside. Note also the trees branches and leaves effects.

For the stained glass windows, Gaudí sought out maximum contrast. The most transparent stained-glass windows are those highest up, so that the light can stream in and illuminate the mosaics and golden vaults that characterise the nave. However, the illustrations and texts are in the lower windows, where visitors can see and read them better.

This is the baldachin -- a structure having the form of a canopy, usually built of stone or bronze, over the altar of a church. The structure of this baldachin is heptagonal, representing the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord. Topped with translucent parchment, it can hide a lighting system to highlight the inscriptions.

A detail from the Passion facade. Each facade is quite different in style and depiction.

Chief architect Jordi Fauli announced in October 2015 that construction is 70 percent complete and has entered its final phase of raising six immense steeples. The steeples and most of the church's structure are to be completed by 2026, the centennial of Gaudí's death. As of a 2017 estimate, decorative elements should be complete by 2030 or 2032. Visitor entrance fees of €15 to €20 finance the annual construction budget of €25 million. Computer-aided design technology has been used to accelerate construction of the building. --wikipedia

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Spanish Cities 3.3.4

Barcelona 3.3.4 -- random walks through the city: Ciutadella, Sants, Montjuic, Poble Sec, Plaza de España

A lot of the most interesting buildings in Barcelona were built as part of international expositions, and most recently, the 1992 Summer Olympics. In 1888 Barcelona hosted the Universal Exhibition and this Arc de Triomf was built as the gateway to the fair which was held in the Parc de la Ciutadella, just beyond.

This enormous glorious fountain (with many DUCKS) -- called the Cascada Monumental -- is in the Parc de la Ciutadella. This park has a long and dramatic history. The area was once a crowded residential district called La Ribera. After the complicated War of the Spanish Succession in 1714 (a sort of practice world war of Europe) the Spanish government wanted to punish the rebellious Catalans, and so razed most of La Ribera, evicting the residents to the new neighborhood of Barceloneta (on a sandy spit by the shore used by fishermen) and building a huge fortress (citadel = ciutadella) to keep an eye on the angry locals. Over 100 years later, the hated citadel was finally razed and in 1869 the area was turned over to the city and the large green park was created. The fountain was designed by Josep Fontsére and to a small extent by Antoni Gaudí, who at that time was still an unknown student of architecture.

It is next to the park's bandstand, Glorieta de la Transsexual Sònia, dedicated to a transsexual woman, Sonia Rescalvo Zafra, who was murdered there on 6 October 1991 by right-wing extremists.

Back up in the Eixample, here's a view of the steeples of La Sagrada Familia from a few blocks away. When they are finished, according to Gaudi's intended design, there will be 18 steeples.

Here is Las Arenas, on the Plaza d'España near the Sant neighborhood. This former bullfight stadium is now a mall. Note the Moorish arches.

The Venetian Towers (in Catalan: Torres Venecianes) is the popular name for a pair of towers on Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina at its junction with Plaça d'Espanya. Built for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition they served an ornamental function, to mark the entrance to the exhibition district, now known as Fira de Barcelona, and the start of the grand avenue leading up to the Palau Nacional on Montjuïc, which houses the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC). Like the Palace of Fine Art in San Francisco, they were built of cheap materials with the understanding that they would be destroyed after the exposition. But they public liked them so they were renovated and preserved, but still generally not open to the public.

The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc (Catalan: Font màgica de Montjuïc) is a located at the head of Avinguda Maria Cristina in Montjuïc below the Palau Nacional on the Montjuïc mountain and near the Plaça d'Espanya. The fountain, like most of the surrounding developments, was constructed for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition. At night it has colored lights and dancing waters set to music.

The Four Columns ("Les Quatre Columnes" in Catalan) are four Ionic columns originally created by Josep Puig i Cadafalch in Barcelona, Spain. They were erected in 1919, where the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc now stands.

They symbolized the four stripes of the Catalan flag, and they were intended to become one of the main icons of Catalanism. Because of this, they were demolished in 1928 during Primo de Rivera's dictatorship, when all public Catalanist symbols were systematically removed in order to avoid their being noticed during the 1929 Universal Exposition, which was to take place on Montjuïc.

After eight years of campaigning by Catalanist civic bodies and the pro-independence political party Esquerra Republicana, a replica of the columns was erected in 2010 very close to the original site and following Puig i Cadafalch's original plans.

--wikipedia

The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, abbreviated as MNAC, is the national museum of Catalan visual art. Situated on Montjuïc hill at the end of Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina, the museum is notable for its outstanding collection of romanesque church paintings, and for Catalan art and design from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Excellent view from the front of the MNAC of the Firs de Barcelona, the 4 columns, the Venetian Towers, the Las Arenas mall and the city beyond up the the Collserola mountain range.

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Spanish Cities 3.3.5

Barcelona 3.3.5 -- Amazing Poblenou

After arriving in Barcelona, I stayed first in the Eixample at the hostel for digital nomads, not far from Sagrada Familia. Then I left to go to Granada for several days, and then Madrid, before returning to Barcelona. During this second visit I had the good fortune to find a cool place in the neighborhood called Poblenou (new town). Formerly an industrial area, it's now a wild mix of old and new residences, warehouses for artists, and actually for storing wares (!), arty new shops and restaurants, AND it's near the beaches of Nova Icária and Bogatell. IMO PERFECT.

Here's a view from the main commercial street, La Rambla del Poblenou, down the Carrer del Pere IV. On the Rambla cars must use a slow single lane on either side of a wide pedestrian walkway inn the center with benches and vendors and art. It's a really pleasant walk, and unlike the famous Ramblas in the Old City, this one has almost no tourists.

This is a view of the corner of Carrer Pere IV and the Rambla del Poblenou. Note the extra-wide pedestrian crossing lines.

All through Poblenou you find these beautiful old residences which were once tucked between factories, but now are preserved. This is the intersection of the Carrer de Roc Boronat and Carrer dels Almogavers. It's also inside one of the first Superillas (superblocks) which is Barcelona's new plan to improve traffic flow and create more space for people to walk or play or sell stuff of do whatever inn the safety of reduced vehicle speed and numbers. Through traffic is diverted to the edges of the nine-block superblock. Inside the superilla only cars with local destinations are permitted, and they must obey reduced speed limits.

Here's another beautiful old residence in the same superilla, on the corner of the Carrer de Badajoz and the Carrer de Pere IV. More info on superillas? https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/superilles/en

This is corner of the Carrer de Pamplona and the Carrer de Pere IV. The wild mix of old and new is what makes walking though Poblenou especially fascinating. Nearby is the Placa de les Glories Catalans, the intersection of three of central Barcelona's largest boulevards. It's also the center of 22@ Barcelona, (vint-i-dos arrova) which is a project to create a technological and innovation district in Poblenou, as well as to increase leisure and residential spaces. It's one of Europe's biggest urban regeneration schemes. More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/22@

This is what Poblenou used to look like before the renovation of the later 1970's and 80's and especially the Summer Olympics of 1992. Hosted by Barcelona, most of the venues were in and around Poblenou. Of course, the artists and craftspeople moved in first to the not-yet-fashionable, and still-without-services neighborhood, willing to put up with inconveniences in order to have space and low rent. Today the rents are skyrocketing, and artists will have to look elsewhere. Does this sound familiar?

Off the Carrer de Roc Boronat, this is a walkway in the first Poblenou superilla, also in the 22@ project area.

More in the same block -- lots of very strange architecture around that part of Poblenou. Barcelona in general is very bold when it comes to architecture. They have loved innovation since the modernista period around 1880 - 1930. But Poblenou in particular has a lot of really unusual buildings with strange surfaces and spaces.

Well, the Sala Beckett certainly caught my eye. The theater company I've been fortunate enough to be a part of since 2006 (PUS or Performers Under Stress) specializes in the work of Samual Beckett. This lovely old building contains a cafe, small theater and rehearsal spaces. In other words, it's what art spaces can look like when supported by a civilized government.

This is at the opposite corner of Poblenou, near the Avinguda Diagonal, almost to the Forum. I have no idea what that tower is for. It looks like it was preserved from some old industrial use, and left as a sculpture to adorn this new apartment building.

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Spanish Cities 3.3.6

Barcelona 3.3.6 -- last looks: Santa Caterina, Port Vell, Montjuic, Poble Sec, Sants

This area seems to have several names. It's just outside the Ciutadella, on the southeastern edge, and so it's in what's left of La Ribera (which was demolished to build La Ciutadella). It's also called Santa Caterina, and El Born. The road is called Avinguda del Marqués de L'Argentera, next to the Passeig de la Circumval•lació. (pronounced 'pas-ACH' de la sir-cum-val-ya-SYO). That dot between the 2 l's you see a lot in Barcelona. It means you pronounce the 2 l's as 'l' and not as 'y' which is normal in Spanish (e.g. llamar - to call is 'yamar') and in Catalan (because Spanish doesn't use that dot.)

Port Vell, Torre Jaume I - the midpoint of the Port Vell Aerial Tramway which goes from Barceloneta to Montjuic. (Note the cables that support the tram cars.)

a view from Montjuic over Port Vell, down the Passeig Josep Carner toward the Columbus monument - (the statue on the column). The sea and port are on the right just out of frame.

Another view of Port Vell showing the Torre de Jaume I from the Miramar Gardens on Montjuic and the tram cables. (I didn't do that ride, but def next time...) That tall building on the left background is in Port Olympic in Poblenou.

Farther up the Montjuic hill, this view is from Mirador del Poble Sec. (Poblenou Sec is the name of the neighborhood below and to the left.)

Also from the Mirador del Poble Sec, but farther to the left. This large building is off the Avinguda del Parral•lel. (note that dot again!) I don't know anything about it, except that the name Ikarus in Barcelona probably refers to the Socialist utopian experiment of Nova Icária in Poblenou.

This series of towers has no purpose that I can see. I don't even think you can go into them. (They were locked when I was there.) They are next to the Sant Estació (bus and train station in Sants neighborhood) and the Parque de la Espanya Industrial.

Next to those towers in the Parque Industrial D'Espanya was this pond that I liked. Again and again, Barcelona surprises with unusual architecture and monuments that have no purpose but to be interesting.

Back in the Eixample, this is the corner of the Carrer Córsega and the Carrer D'enric Granados. Almost everywhere in the Eixample, in particular, and central Barcelona, in general, is beautiful and wonderful to explore. I will surely go back, both for the beauty and because I now have 2 friends there.

Alas! Farewell to this multi-city adventure! One month only, but it seemed much longer, probably because I saw so much that was new... but without pushing myself at all! I was just drawn out and into the urban fabric of each of the fabulous cities I visited. Every morning I couldn't wait to go out and explore... and when I came back too early, I'd go out again. But also, it has changed the way I look at my own fabulous city of San Francisco. I see there are walks and sights that are amazing, everywhere, and in my own neighborhood, that I'll re-visit with new eyes.

With the drawing of this Love and the voice of this Calling

We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. Through the unknown, unremembered gate When the last of earth left to discover Is that which was the beginning; At the source of the longest river The voice of the hidden waterfall And the children in the apple-tree.

--T.S. Eliot, Little Gidding (from Four Quartets)

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Intro + Zurich 1.1

This is where every trip begins – at my house on Potrero Hill in San Francisco. This is looking west from my bedroom toward Mission district, Noe Valley and Twin Peaks in the distance. I am only carrying a backpack for a month trip to Zurich, Paris, Barcelona, Granada and Madrid.

We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.

-- T. S. Eliot (Little Gidding)

This was an ever-present issue on this trip. Traveling during the pandemic was a risk, of course and there was a never-ending series of requests for tests, documents, apps and questions AND masks (which I truly hate) but looking back now, it actually wasn’t so bad. I had only a test to get in to Switzerland and one to get back in to the US.

Thanks Doc! Other countries had elaborate vaccine docs, with QR codes or apps to download and stuff to scan, but in the end, my plain old (easily-faked, it’s true!) USA CDC card was accepted everywhere. But I think they're going to get stricter and ask for online documentation.

Zurich 1.1

And so I found myself here -- on the lovely, tidy, friendly streets of Zurich, Switzerland.

This is about 2 blocks from where I stayed on the Badenerstrasse in Aussersihl district, outside the center but a short tram ride away (lines 2 or 3 to the Lockergut stop).

AND WHY was I in Zurich? OK, so I bought these tickets back in April when air fares were very low & TAP Portuguese airlines offered a round trip fare from SFO to either Munich or Zurich for $390. That was so cheap I just had to jump on it, so I did. Booked the return from Barcelona, and then entirely forgot I’d done it. A few weeks later I found a cheap round trip to Athens, which was where I really wanted to go, and where I did in fact go. (You probably saw my blog for that trip like 2 months ago. ) Then a month after I got home I to an email from TAP, 'You still going...?' And so...

This is the view from the top of the funicular railway from the Old Town (Altstadt) up to an area with several campuses of local universities. Zurich is a lovely city with beautiful old and new buildings, many transit options, an excellent bike network and friendly people. I could live there... I think... depends on the winter, of course... (the ice cream is very good...)

It's on a lake - Lake Zurich… or actually it’s where Lake Zurich flows out into the Limmat River. It’s interesting seeing a river flow OUT of a lake. Also flowing out of the lake is the Schanzengraben Canal, which flows into the Sihl River, which joins the Limmat after flowing UNDER the Hauptbahnhof, or main train station. All these waterways make for some lovely walks.

Lake Zurich is at the bottom, flowing north into the Limmat River. On either side of that is the center or the Old Town (Altstadt). On the left side is the Schanzengraben Canal (which was built as a defensive moat) and left of that is the Sihl River flowing north under the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) before joining the Limmat. I stayed at the red dot on the farther left (Badenerstrasse 251).

Here's a picture of the Badenerstrasse where I stayed, near the Lockergut tram station. Note the tram tracks, with grass growing among the paving. They use permeable paving stones quite often to prevent flooding. Also, it's all flat, so a car or bike can drive across easily.