Side Trip to Barcelona

Here's a few pics from a recent sojourn to Barcelona. It is still an amazingly vibrant and photogenic city despite an endless stream of visitors. Even in the middle of winter there are picture takers from all corners of the globe. This is a marked difference from Toulouse where tourists are mainly French and not so very many at this time of year. It is rare to hear English on the street here, whereas on the Ramblas in Barca it is the predominant language followed by German and Japanese. OK fair to say that is a slight exaggeration but the point is taken.

I took some shots of a few places we often went and some of you who were there with us will remember: the Placa Real and the Glaciar bar, the Cafe de l'Opera, and also a shot of Placa del Pi, with one lonely pine tree. I couldn't find the El Romesco a slightly seedy diner, where the staff were always friendly to the ex-pats and the food is plain and honest fare-- according to a friend it's still there being staffed by the same servers . I also wanted a shot of the Zurich Cafe-- also still in existence-- at the Placa Catalunya, but the building has been torn down and replaced with an awful office complex . An all too common situation these days I am told.

The last shot shows Carme eating a Calcot the traditional way during our own mini Calcotada-- usually a large gathering. The calzots are spring onions, mild and and somewhat sweet and shaped like a slender leek. The calcots are grilled until tender and the skins can be easily peeled. The participant must slide the outer peel away-- it's rather hot-- and dip the steaming tender onion into a kind of nutty, tomato paste/sauce. More info on Calcots