Pipo says Merry Christmas!

Christmas from Portal de l'Àngel

The Portal de l'Àngel is the 2nd richest shopping area in Spain.  It is always packed with people, and Christmas time is no exception.  At least the decorations are beautiful.  Merry Christmas!

I Dream of Dogs

We were taking a walk on the waterfront a few days ago and watched as this dog sprinted along the walkway while its owner ran behind.  I wanted to grab a picture, but the settings on my camera were still set for very low light.  I snapped a photo anyway.  When Tracy saw it, she said it looked like a dream.  We still miss our dog, Sadie, and this is our first Christmas without her.  This reminded us of those fun days with our boo bear.

Merry Christmas from the Mossos d'Esquadra

Nothing says Merry Christmas like the Mossos waiting around the corner to squash an unruly demonstration.  Here is the history of this police force in Catalunya.

Tourists in Barcelona

Tourists are funny.  One of the biggest industries in Barcelona, if not the biggest, is tourism.  We have plenty of tourists.  I try not to make too much fun of them as I often look like one myself.  These are special cases.  For many, I think, Barcelona is a place to let your inner self come out and do things you wouldn't do at home.

This woman found a very creative and inexpensive way to bring her cat on the trip.  Who knows, maybe the cat is actually in the bag.

Props to these guys for figuring out a way to hitch a ride with very little to hold onto.  The actual bus stop was only about 20 feet past where they hopped on.  Still a very funny diversion while waiting for OK to cross the street.

Galeón Andalucía

In the Barcelona port, this beautiful ship is docked at the moment.  It is a reproduction of a 17th century Spanish Galeón.  The only thing missing is a pirate!

I certainly hope someone knows what all of these ropes belong to.

The Birds

This is likely one of my worst nightmares.  I've seen The Birds... it didn't really work out well for anyone.  I'd never willingly submit myself to entering into the middle of them.  Here they are, though, in Plaça Catalunya patiently awaiting their prey.

A Mountain Retreat

We found this little lodge near a ski lift in the cold of the evening.  It's easy to imagine it to be a warm place to sit on a cold winter's day in the Pyrenees. 

We could see the lights come on in the small village of Pal in Andorra.  Several hours later, we enjoyed an amazing dinner at a quaint restaurant in the village.

A Breath of Fresh Air

We spent another weekend in Andorra with good friends to recharge a bit.  On Saturday, Ben and I drove up as high as we could before it got dark to find some views of the Pyrenees mountain peaks.  It was right around freezing, so it didn't take long before we had to pack up and thaw our fingers.

A Pigeon In the Works

I sometimes wonder if the Pigeon isn't the official bird of Catalunya.  There are a lot here.  We saw this guy on the outer wall of the zoo trying to get food or something.  Hopefully he doesn't peck the wires too much...he might be in for a surprise.

Doors to Nowhere

When building fall into ruin or get abandoned, they usually end up getting squatted for a time.  Once the neighborhood complains enough, the city gets involved and blocks off the physical entries to the buildings. In some cases, for historical reasons, the facade of the building stands while the building is gutted and hauled away.  Here are some doors from Poblenou where the true entrance has been blocked, but the door still stands.

Street Art: Creative Parking Lot

In Poblenou, we encountered a dirt parking lot with this graffiti.  A free and creative space.

La Cascada

While we were in Huesca, we walked out to this waterfall.  This was actually the smaller of the two, but with all the greenery and the water running down the rocks, it is incredibly beautiful.

El Gato y La Rata

During a walk through Barceloneta, we encountered an odd picture.  A cat, sleeping on a ledge, while a rat scavenges down below.  In Darwinian terms, both of these animals are not fit for survival.

The rat is in the bottom left...I've cropped the photo (below) so you can see the rat better.

Obviously someone cares for this cat and leaves fresh water and food on the ledge so he doesn't have to attack the rat for survival.

Jánovas

On our way home from Asín de Broto, we stopped in Jánovas which is also in Huesca.  It is a ghost town of sorts that was largely abandoned in the 50's.  The government was trying to build a damn in the area and forced the inhabitants out, then never ended up building the damn.  This article is very interesting regarding the history of Jánovas.  The people are still fighting to regain their property and rebuild the town.  

The bridge into town

The Church

Three Arches

This is the very top magic fountain with a view of the MNAC: Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya on Montjuic.

Facing the other direction, you can see Plaza Espanya and Las Arenas.

Flight of Stairs

Tracy and I took off for a long walk to Montjuic and back, in search of a tunnel with free rock climbing.  We'd been to Montjuic many times before, but had never encountered this stairway.  In the end, we found the climbing tunnel and a few other new areas of the park.  It began raining as we started walking home, so we were quite wet by the end of the day.

Gates

As we hiked through Asín de Broto, we came across property used for cattle that was guarded by these gates.  They looked like old box springs repurposed.  

The Evening Sky

When we arrived in Asín de Broto, it was after a rain storm.  The evening sky was inspirational.

Trees of Huesca

The trees in Huesca were beginning to change for Autumn.  

Ermita de San Mames (Asin de Broto)

We took a hike up from the village of Asin de Broto, in the Pyrenees mountains, to a distant peak.  Edgar explained to us that, as history goes, many years ago, people were bringing a statue of Christ through the mountains and the donkey carrying the statue stopped at this point and would not go further.  The people built this small church here.  Now, the Christ statue inside is under lock and key.  The government wants to remove it to restore it because it is one of the few where Jesus' feet aren't crossed, but the people of Asin de Broto want the restoration done on the spot for fear of the government never returning the statue.  Here is a picture of it, although we were not able to enter.

The Approach from a Distance

Walking Up To It

A View From the Top