Las Estrellas de Barcelona

FC Barcelona Street Team

There are a group of boys that play outside of our window every free moment of the day.  This series of pictures was taken as Barça was winding up their season and had some important matches to play.  These boys took to the streets to support their team, but there was a problem.  Big brother wanted his ball back.

Big Brother States His Case

Big brother walks away while Muha pleads with his mom for a new ball.

Mom comes through

Watching the ball drop

Game Time!

Our friend Bobbi took these pictures with my camera before a dinner party while we were awaiting the arrival of more guests.  I found them on the camera and loved them.  Thanks Bobbi!  Come back to Barcelona soon!

Good Morning Born

To Tracy

This is the last Friday before your birthday and I won't be posting on your birthday because we're in Andorra without computers.  I'm so excited to be in Barcelona with you.  It is an amazing adventure learning a new language and culture and meeting so many new people.  I'm so incredibly thankful for your life.  You are a beautiful person and you completely inspire me.  I love you so much.  Happy Birthday!

We found this wall on a walk with Tracy's parents and Tracy jumped in as I was taking the shot!

My Beautiful Wife

The Wall by Itself

The Open Window

There is a hotel directly across the street from our flat.  The bathroom windows are obscured but see-through nonetheless.  We had this couple staying with us for several days and he would sit in a chair next to her while she did whatever it was she did.  I found it sweet and endearing (you must know my affinity for the grotesque), although I do wish they had closed the windows more often.  To their defense, it was arguably the hottest week this summer.

La Diada Nacional de Catalunya

Today is the national day of Catalunya, La Diada.  It is the day when, in 1714, the Spanish troops defeated the Catalan army.  Today, the Catalans gather for their right to become independent of Spain.  Over 1 million people are expected and there are buses shuttling people into Barcelona from the other parts of Catalunya.  The Mercat del Born has been decorated with the Catalan stripes to signify the day.    This is a fantastic documentary outlining the conflict.

Passeig Del Born

We walked out through the neighborhood in the waning hours of the day and caught a beautiful view of Passeig Del Born.  It was a place of execution during the inquisition and now is home to many trendy shops and bars.

Kitty

It has been a busy and heartbreaking month.  We lost Sadie, and I can't imagine how hard it would have been without having another warm fuzzy buddy at home waiting for us.  I'm not sure how he is adjusting, but we basically expect continuous cuddles from him.  We arrived home a couple nights ago from Portugal and could hear him crying for us as we climbed the stairwell.  Last night, we stood downstairs chatting with a friend and kitty poked his head out of railing on the balcony and let us know it was time for us to come upstairs.  Thanks, Kitty, for being a good friend...now stop attacking my legs when I walk.

Making Movies

This group of students took me back to my film school days.  One of my favorite things about making films is the complete collaboration it takes.  It can be incredibly difficult and extremely rewarding.  This was just up the street from our flat.  I talked with the owner of the shop you can see on the left and he said that he was hoping for some money, but they gave him none.  He'll just get a copy of the film when they're finished.  I told him I'd like to see it as well.  There's no shortage of people practicing their art in Barcelona.

11

So much of the old architecture has been preserved in our neighborhood.  It's amazing to see where people have tried to cover over the original foundation, but it somehow remains.  Every door in our neighborhood is covered in graffiti like this one.  The doors are considered private space, thus the responsibility of the owners.  The walls are public space, so the city will clean them.  

A Familiar Walk

As I walked through the neighborhood in the morning before everything opened up, I watched this man walking slowly in front of me.  I wondered how many times he had walked these streets and how much change he had seen over his years.  What does he think of the inundation of tourists?  And the modernization of everything?  If I could only spend a couple of hours hearing his stories.

Flying Kicks

These shoes have been hanging from this line as long as I can remember.  Apparently Lacoste shoes can stand up to all kinds of weather.

The Faceless

I noticed this head up on a pillar a few days ago.  It was surprising that I hadn't noticed it before, because I'm usually looking for this kind of stuff.  We walk past this corner at least 5 times a day, it's on my normal potty route with Sadie.

At first glance, I thought it was something that was worn and had been sitting there for ages, but as I look at it more, it looks like someone was sculpting a face/head and climbed up in the night to take advantage of an open ledge.  Regardless, I love it.

I actually have spent more time speaking, in my limited Spanish, with the folks who don't have homes in our neighborhood.  This reminds me of them, we often pass by without noticing them.  They almost become fixtures of the architecture when in reality, we should pay attention to their beauty.  Happy Monday.

Sunset Down the Alley

A brilliant sunset sky while the lights come on in the alley.

A Wall

This is a very common sight in our neighborhood.  It's just a wall, but there's something so beautiful about it to me.

Number 40

The colorful tiles in the entry and the blue door beckon one to enter the dark stairwell.  What fantastic adventures await me in this mysterious corridor?  In actuality, a person emerged carrying garbage shortly after I took this.  Tracy really wanted me to take a picture of this because of the tiles.  This one is for her.

Night in BCN

Sometimes it's fun to look out from our terrace and just observe the world around us.  There are so many people living within throwing distance, some of which I will never know or meet.  And how many of them have I passed in the street and not known that they are my neighbors?  It's a city that is constantly moving.  Barcelona is equally beautiful by night as it is by day.  

If you look closely in the very bottom middle, you can see Tracy and Sadie walking.

Capella d'en Marcús

At the corner of Placeta d'en Marcús and Asahonadors is this beautiful statue built into the corner.  It was part of the Capella d'en Marcús which is on the corner of Placeta d'en Marcús and Carders.  This statue of St. John the Evangelist was built in 1628, destroyed in 1936, and rebuilt in 1958.  Found Here.

I found this history of Capella d'en Marcús: Well worth a peek is this diminutive 12th-century chapel nestling in the tiny Placeta d'en Marcus, near the junction of calles Montcada and Carders (the latter means "Woolcomber's Street"). Originally conceived by one Bernat Marcus as a sanctuary for luckless travelers who reached the city after the gates had been closed, the chapel may have been headquarters of the country's very first postal service.

I walk by this every day and it recently caught my eye, it's so beautiful.

If the Walls Could Speak

I wonder what stories are contained in the walls of Barcelona.  I've read Zafon's "Shadow of the Wind" and "The Angel's Game" and am further intrigued.  Barcelona is a beautiful and mysterious city.  This little section of wall typifies that for me.  Who knows what has taken place here?  If the walls could speak.

Paco Plaza

We were asked recently about things that define daily life in Barcelona.  I think this shot embodies 

it.  Life is lived outside.  This is a square near our flat that we walk through several times a day with Sadie.  We call it plaza Paco because there is a restaurant called Pizza Paco in it and one called Casa Paco.  It is a wonderful place to meet up with friends and chat for hours. 

Sadie has been a bit sick of late and as we walk through this square, people will get up to ask how she's doing and give her love, even if their food is left sitting on the table. 

How could you not want to pet this face.