The tap
You all have taps in our house, I suppose… This one, in the cloister of the cathedral, is better!
Sagrada Familia, the latest update
The Cathedral, as seen from my wife’s office. Well, what can I say…
It still isn’t finished.
Blue eyes
Should anyone have lost a blue eyed alien, he was in front of the cathedral a few hours ago, looking lost
Welcome to Monte Carlo!
Well, not quite… Barcelona is one of the concentration legs of the 16th Historical Monte Carlo Rally. Historical meaning in this case that the cars are from between the 50es and the 80es. Here are some of them.
Some more info about the Rally here. And you might be able to see them arriving in Monte Carlo, 684.5 km away, on Jilly’s Monte Carlo Daily Photo Blog, if she can make it of course.
The golden ant
La Formiga d’ or, or golden ant, is one of the nicer bookshops in town. We just love the place, being giant bookworms. There are 2 of them in town, one in the cathedral’s cloister, and one nearby. Both have a very medieval feel. What’s your favorite bookshop like?
Taking the sun
Some tourist… taking the sun, so to say. It is finally raining all over Spain, and God we needed it! Very dry spell so far this year. We had a massive thunderstorm here last night.
Message to all tourists in town: we have well over 80 museums! Enjoy!
 
Santa Eulalia: the cloister and the powder room
A last look at the magnificent 13th century cloister in Barcelona’s Saint Eulalia cathedral, and the garden within…
…and the 13th century urinal (yes, you read it right), which has now a section for the lady in need as well.
Golden Fleece
Back to the cathedral. Some of the sumptuous stalls in the choir, with the emblems of the Knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The order held it’s 19th chapter in the cathedral in 1519. More about this order here.
Paella with a twist!
You don’t see this everyday… Well, in Barcelona, you do, right outside the cathedral! The guy is having a head-start with his paella…
Anyway, here is one of the many many real paella recipes.
Ingredients
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170g/6oz chorizo, cut into thin slices
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110g/4oz pancetta, cut into small dice
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2 cloves garlic finely chopped
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1 large Spanish onion, finely diced
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1 red pepper, diced
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1 tsp soft thyme leaves
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¼ tsp dried red chilli flakes
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570ml/1pint calasparra (Spanish short-grain) rice
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1 tsp paprika
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125ml/4fl oz dry white wine
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1.2 litres/2 pints chicken stock, heated with ¼ tsp saffron strands
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8 chicken thighs, each chopped in half and browned
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18 small clams, cleaned
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110g/4oz fresh or frozen peas
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4 large tomatoes, de-seeded and diced
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125ml/4fl oz good olive oil
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1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
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12 jumbo raw prawns, in shells
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450g/1lb squid, cleaned and chopped into bite-sized pieces
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5 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation method
- Heat half the olive oil in a paella dish or heavy-based saucepan. Add the chorizo and pancetta and fry until crisp. Add the garlic, onion and pepper and heat until softened. Add the thyme, chilli flakes and calasparra rice, and stir until all the grains of rice are nicely coated and glossy. Now add the paprika and dry white wine and when it is bubbling, pour in the hot chicken stock, add the chicken thighs and cook for 5-10 minutes.
- Now place the clams into the dish with the join facing down so that the edges open outwards. Sprinkle in the peas and chopped tomatoes and continue to cook gently for another 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil with the garlic cloves in a separate pan and add the prawns. Fry quickly for a minute or two then add them to the paella. Now do the same with the squid and add them to the paella too.
- Scatter the chopped parsley over the paella and serve immediately.
13
It has been a while I hadn’t been back inside our cathedral, and I ad almost forgotten how beautiful she is. Above, some of the 13 geese living in the Gothic cloister. 13, because Santa Eulalia was 13 when she was martyred by the Romans under Emperor Diocletian, and they subjected her to 13 different tortures. That’s European history for you.
Why geese? She was a geese shepherdess.
 Many more interesting things in the cloister, even a 13th century urinal… Will show you much more during the coming week!
Candles
A very nice candle shop, just behind the cathedral shown yesterday. I will come back to the cathedral and it’s inside in a few days.
Our World Tuesday, right here.
Santa Eulalia, aka Laia
The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (Catalan: Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulà lia, Spanish: Catedral de la Santa Cruz y Santa Eulalia), also known as Barcelona Cathedral, is the Gothic cathedral and seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona, Spain. The cathedral was constructed throughout the 13th to 15th centuries, with the principal work done in the 14th century. The cloister, which encloses the Well of the Geese (Font de les Oques) was completed about 1450. The neo-Gothic façade was constructed over the nondescript exterior that was common to Catalan churches in the 19th century. The roof is notable for its gargoyles, featuring a wide range of animals, both domestic and mythical.
The cathedral was constructed over the crypt of a former Visigothic chapel, dedicated to Saint James, which was the proprietary church of the Viscounts of Barcelona, one of whom, Mir Geribert, sold the site to Bishop Guislebert in 1058. Its site faced the Roman forum of Barcelona.
It is a hall church, vaulted over five aisles, the outer two divided into chapels. The transept is truncated. The east end is a chevet of nine radiating chapels connected by an ambulatory. The high altar is raised, allowing a clear view into the crypt.
 The cathedral is dedicated to Eulalia of Barcelona, co-patron saint of Barcelona, a young virgin who, according to Catholic tradition, suffered martyrdom during Roman times in the city. One story says that she was exposed naked in the public square and a miraculous snowfall in mid-spring covered her nudity. The enraged Romans put her into a barrel with knives stuck into it and rolled it down a street (according to tradition, the one now called Baixada de Santa Eulà lia). The body of Saint Eulalia is entombed in the cathedral’s crypt.
Santa Eulalia’s geese
Barcelona’s holy patron is Saint Eulalia, also called Laia. She was a geese shepherdess in the village of Sarria, now a part of Barcelona. She was a martyr, was killed for her faith by the Romans, says her hagiography.
Nowadays, the cathedral in the old town is named after her. And in the cloister are living 13 geese. Why 13? Eulalia was 13 when she became a martyr.
Our World Tuesday. Please click here.
Due to some spam comments lately, I had to change the settings a bit. No anonymous comments allowed for the time being, just as a protective measure. And because it’s really annoying.
Happy anniversary!
Our yearly Christmas market, the Fira de Santa Lucia, is 225 years old! Congratulations!
Our World Tuesday, right here.
Theme of the month: fences
Fences. Here is a medieval one, complete with gargoyles. Happy belated Halloween, everybody!
Market scene, aka post 900
This is a mediterranean photo. Although the photo was taken in Barcelona, the food depicted can be found all around the Med, Turkey, Italy, Israel, Algeria, and further away. I read years ago in the National Geographic that people living on a mediterranean diet (they mentioned olive oil, lots of garlic and some red wine) live longer. It is probably true, and what is even better: the food is delicious!
900 posts! Who would have thought…
Pintxu d’embotit catala
This weekend, we’re having here the mercat dels mercats, the market’s market, the best of all markets around. I love what they did to these sausages!
Private message to the All Blacks: very well done, mates!!!
The clown
Down Under
Now… Why is this guy upside down, you might ask… Well, several reasons. 1- he is an artist, an acrobat. 2 – he is Australian, he probably thinks we’re upside down, not him. Therefore the strange pose. 3- that’s the way he makes a living.
And a big HELLO!!!!! to all our friends, family, followers and supporters in Oz and NZ!
Watery Wednesday
 One of our favorite oasis in town is the inner courtyard of the municipal archive, facing the Cathedral. A quiet and peaceful place, shady, watery…
Watery Wednesday, definitely another favorite place! You can go as well, just click here!
Bun Bo
Slowly but steadily, we’re working our way through Barcelona’s Vietnamese restaurants. This one is called Bun Bo, situated 2 streets away from the cathedral. Nice place, good food, excellent decoration. Judge for yourselves…
A stone tree…
 
Oasis
An oasis in the big city… If you know how to find them, many places offer an escape from the crowds, the heat. This is my secret place, the city archive.
10 PM
10 PM, Cathedral Square, on a hot summer night…
We’re having officially the hottest days in over 30 years, so we envy all of you living in cold and rainy places… Just kidding! But we’d love a bit of rain, really!
Vietnam in Barcelona
Nice decoration in a small vietnamese restaurant near the Cathedral, in the Barri Gotic.
Skywatch Friday
The Sagrada Familia cathedral seems to harbor a photo shoot for every opportunity, be it Eric Tenin, a normal post, Skywatch Friday… Let’s see what I can think of tomorrow.
Anyway, this is what you get when you bend backwards.
This is part of Skywatch Friday, as mentioned before. Please visit the other participants here
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Heureux anniversaire, Paris Daily Photo!
5 years ago today, Eric started the whole thing called City Daily Photo Blogs. We, for our part, are happy to have joined much later, 307 days ago. Here is to you, Eric, even the Sagrada Familia Cathedral seems to be celebrating this special day!
Bon anniversaire!
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants
223rd Fira de Santa Llucia
It’s getting really christmassy here as well, with just 16 days left before the big day. As every year since 1786, there is the Fira de Santa Llucia in front of the Cathedral, 270 stalls selling all kinds of weird and wonderful stuff. Check out their website if you want to know more. Just click here.
Holy Family
A very small part (compared to the rest, anyway) of the nave in the Cathedral of the Holy Family, better known as the Sagrada Familia.
Window
Baby dolls
Now and then, there is an antiques market on the square in front of the Cathedral, in the old town. I really liked the dolls!
About the structure on the beach in yesterday’s post, I do agree with many of your comments. It’s called modern art and, in this case, it is quite awful in my opinion. It symbolizes the former heavy industry in the area, before the 92 Olympics. They were building trains and carriages.
Window shopping: THE POODLE!
You might remember this picture on the side, taken in what might well be my favorite shop in town.
Well, I went back. Same shop, same window.
Ladies and gentleman, I have the Honor and Pride of introducing: THE POODLE AND HIS COURT!
No much visiting your blogs lately, having a busy time, looking for a new flat, stuff like this. Sorry, will be back soon, hopefully!
Window shopping
Right. This is one of a kind. I explain: if there is something I very rarely do, it is taking pictures of shop windows. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe I should do it more. Who knows.
Anyway, this is one I really liked. All kind of weird creatures roaming a shop window in the old town, near the Cathedral. Looks almost like some kind of strange rockabilly/funk/punk/glitterati music band. One of them might actually be Gary Glitter… Or is it Saint Saens’s Carnival of the animals? Questions, questions, so many questions…
Good night, or good day all.
Message to VP: yes, Grimaldi Lines go from here to Livorno, Sardegna and Civitavecchia.
And also: I’m having a few very busy and very exhausting days, and I can’t roam your blogs as much as I would love to. Should be back to normal in a short while.
The Holy Grail
Short trip to another big Catalan-speaking town: the beautiful Valencia. This is the Seu, or Saint Mary Cathedral. According to the Catholic Church, and Pope Benedict XVI, this silver box contains the Holy Grail. The real one. More info here. And here.
I didn’t see it, I think they show it on Easter Sunday only.
Lamp angel
I will be away for a couple of days, leaving Spain, but not leaving Catalunya. Going to Catalogne, which is the french part of Catalunya. Same as the Basque country, a bit of it in Spain, the rest in France. Holidays!!!!! Seaside and mountains!
Anyway, not sure if I will be able to post “live”, and not sure I will be able to visit all your wonderful blogs either, but I should be back on wednesday or thursday.
This is one of the nicer lamps I’ve seen here so far. Is it an angel, is it a butterfly? One thing is sure: he is a painter. Enjoy!
Santa Eulalia
Shady place in the cloister, Santa Eulalia Cathedral
Graffiti
Well, I’m sure everybody always wanted to know what the aliens from the Simpsons are doing during their time off stage.
I am now able to reveal theirwell guarded secret, as a world premiere, beating Reuters, AP, AFP, CNN and all the other acronyms!
They are making keys near the Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona!
Barcelona Daily Photo 
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