Two of Barcelona’s finest. I wonder if the city planned on law enforcement uniforms matching the taxi cabs?
I think this needs more water.
I didn’t have a chance to study these, but I wonder if they are motorized? The ones on the right definitely are not.
A favorite pastime – people watching. I will stop at one of the outdoor cafes not just to take a load off my feet, but to take in all of humanity. The women attract the most attention mainly by what they wear. I have seen many women wearing hijabs and a couple of full burkas. I have seen many thongs. The long flowing gauze dresses are very popular – I am sure they must know that the material is tissue thin and you can see exactly what is worn underneath.
When I travel to a foreign country I wear very subdued clothes so I don’t bring attention to myself. Well, that isn’t always the case now. I wish I was able to get a picture of the full back and one of the full front on this chick. . . my, my
There used to be all kinds of entertainment and performers on Las Ramblas. I remember the flamenco dancers and the many human statues. Last night I saw my first street performer and I have yet to see any statues.
It took me two days to recover from jet lag and the same amount of time to adjust my eating program to that of Spain.
Breakfast is here at the apartment at about 10:00a and is a light meal such as a bowl of cereal or a couple of pieces of toast.
The midday meal, or la comida as it is called in Spain, is the largest meal of the day. It is eaten between 1:30 and 3:30p and usually has multiple courses.
Traditionally, Spaniards have a 2-3 hour break from work or school in order to enjoy la comida and take a short nap or siesta, and the entire country closes up shop from about 2:00p to 4:30p.
Dinner, la cena, is smaller than lunch; is light fare, such as an omelet or fish with a green salad and is eaten between 9:00p and Midnight. With the mixture of humanity some eating places have conceded to tourism and will open at 8:00p.
They will also eat mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks of tapas – there are many tapas bars. I have not had to incorporate tapas in my regime – I have my own snacks. It is called bananas; current inventory is down to four.
You will find this being served in just about every restaurant.
Jamón- Fresh hams are trimmed and cleaned, then stacked and covered with salt for about two weeks in order to draw off excess moisture and preserve the meat from spoiling. The salt is then washed off and the hams are hung to dry for about six months. Finally, the hams are hung in a cool, dry place for six to eighteen months, depending on the climate, as well as the size and type of ham being cured. The drying sheds (secaderos) are usually built at higher elevations, which is why the ham is called "mountain ham".
L'Església de Betlem, the Church of Bethlehem, is a rare example of a baroque church in Barcelona and is located at La Rambla. Our Lady of Bethlehem was built on the site of an older church that dated from 1553 and was originally the main Jesuit school in the city. The school and chapel burnt down and the current building was constructed between 1680 and 1732 and at the time it was considered the most important church in Barcelona.
In 1936 at the start of the Spanish Civil War, Betlem was burned by anarchists, causing the vaulting to collapse and all of the interior decoration to be destroyed.
This is considered by most architectural historians to be among the greatest of the city’s losses during the Civil War as the Església de Betlem was possibly Barcelona's most ornately decorated church.
