Viva la revolución!
May 1st. This month’s theme day is revolution, la revolución! This is what happened in Barcelona, Madrid, London, and so on, a while back, youth fed up with politicians and bankers, of course all of them corrupt. A political party came out of it, Podemos, we can, the second strongest party in Spain. Many good things to say about them, many bad things as well (their ideal seems to be Chavez, in Venezuela………)
Click here to see what my friends from the City Daily Photo family did.
Evening on Plaza de Catalunya
I have been around a fair bit… But Barcelona, which I left 1 year ago, is and will always stay for me the best ever place for a leisurely evening stroll. Winter or summer, rain, snow (not very often!), there is always something to see, something to do… A photographer’s paradise!!! I took some 110.000 photos there in about 6 years… And you?
Queuing…
Queuing… The 3rd national sport in Spain, just after bullfighting (not in Catalunya anymore, yeah!) and football (aka soccer in some countries).
This is the queue at the Hard Rock Cafe on Plaza Catalunya. I never managed to enter the place. And I don’t really bother, it is really overpriced. And I mean: really overpriced!
The faun?
Another busker on Plaza Catalunya, near the fountains? Or an escapee of Greek mythology? Pan means bread in Spanish, by the way… 😉
More watery photos here, if Kim has time enough to activate the meme on her holidays home, in the Philippines.
And happy spring everybody, the astronomical spring starts today in the northern hemisphere, at 12AM Spanish time!
Skating with penguins
It is winter, but, with 18 degrees, it doesn’t feel wintery at all to us. So, there is always the possibility to feel the cold at the ice rink on Plaza de Catalunya. If you’re of the smaller persuasion, you can even skate with penguins!
Oh: do NOT feel obliged to buy the things they advertise…
Water World Wednesday
Made a little collage from close-ups of the fountains on Plaza de Catalunya, for Kim’s Water World Wednesday meme. Click here to see more!
Naughty girls!
The Naughty Girls (and one guy) from Barceloneta, live concert yesterday afternoon on Plaza de Catalunya. Singing naughty things.
It is the Merce again, the festivities of Our Lady of Mercy, patron of Barcelona. Won’t see much of it this year, too busy, not enough energy.
Rainy Sunday
Oh rain, oh rain
Oh rain, oh rain, beautiful rain
Don’t disturb me, beautiful rain
Oh come, never come, oh come, never come
Oh come to me beautiful rain
Rain.
Rain, rain, rain, rain
Beautiful rain
rain, rain, rain, rain
Beautiful rain
Oh come, never come, oh come, never come
Oh come to me beautiful rain
When the sun says good night to the mountain
I am dreaming of the sun
Say good night
When the sun says good night to the mountain
I am dreaming of the sun
Say good night
When the sun goes down, the birds on the trees
Are singing sweet for the night
When the sun says good night to the mountain
I am dreaming of the sun
Say good night.
When the sun goes down, the birds on the trees
Are singing sweet for the night
When the sun says good night to the mountain
I am dreaming of the sun
Say good night
Rain.
Rain, rain, rain, rain
Beautiful rain
Rain, rain, rain, rain
Beautiful rain
Oh come, never come, oh come, never come
Oh come to me beautiful rain.
Early morning
One very early morning, several weeks ago, on my way to work. The streets are so nice and empty at 7 AM! The quality is not very good, as I took this with my phone.
Here is for Skywatch Friday, a bit late…
Skywatch Friday
One of the joys of HDR is that it can transform a boring grey sky into something rather dramatic. Did this one of Plaza Catalunya for Skywatch Friday.
Nice day for a revolution
One year later, the indignados, or indignants, are back on Plaza de Catalunya. Protesting against a lot of things:
-banks and bankers,
-cuts in the health and education systems,
-over 25% unemployment in Spain, 50 % amongst the under 25
and so on. 45.00 people (according to the police, 130.000 according to the organizers) demonstrated their rage on Saturday night. Many more in Madrid on the Plaza del Sol.
Spain-istan, 100% corruption, 0% ethics, chorizo.
Holidays, the end
I’ve been on holidays (a very busy time!) for the last week and a half. Today, back to the grind. And I will have to use this again: the metro. Oh well, it will be a short week. My world, on Tuesday.
Weekend reflections
Not much time at the moment, so here is one I made before, as they say in cooking shows… Plaza de Catalunya, one sad and grey spring day.
James’s Weekend Reflections, right here.
Pigeons
Been learning a lot lately about High Definition Range photography, aka HDR and ARW. Just playing around really for the moment. Anyway, pigeons on Plaza de Catalunya.
Partner look
This seems to be the common decoration for the Corte Ingles superstores in Spain. Well, at least here and in Sevilla (thanks, Ashleigh!). How is it in Lisboa, JM?
This is the last of this series of Christmas lights night shots. Tomorrow, we’ll be getting… seedy…
Controversy
Ice-skating on Plaza Catalunya…. Very controversial, as many many Barceloneses think that the 700.000 euros cost to operate it is a slap in the face of the 4.4 Mio unemployed in Spain. And the rising poverty and misery which goes with it, as unemployment benefits are very low in Spain, and hundreds of thousands don’t even get them anymore.
But it brings a smile to this little girl’s face.
Our World on Tuesday, and until Christmas.
Christmas lights
Many tourists (and photographers) in town, all of them admiring the Christmas decorations on Plaza Catalunya
Lights in the darkness
Crisis or not crisis, the Christmas lights are on, and the city center looks totally gorgeous! More night shot full of light to come.
One strange thing about this photo though, for us anyway… Outside temperature 19 degrees, high sixties. Not too christmassy! No need for a sweater yet.
Action shots 2
Some more acrobatics/antics from those guys.
Something else… I discovered this GREAT foody blog. Have a look!
Politics
A legislative election for the Cortes Generales in Spain is scheduled to be held this coming sunday. The elections will be for 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies, which will determine who becomes the Prime Minister of Spain. Elections will also be held for the 208 directly elected seats in the upper house, the Senate.
The Spanish government is currently led by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, member of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). Zapatero announced that he won’t run for a third term in the next election; the current deputy prime minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba will be the candidate, as he is the only candidate to the primary election in his party. The other major national party, People’s Party, under the leadership of Mariano Rajoy will battle against PSOE in this next general election.
There are some smaller parties involved as well. We even have a fascist party, and a Pirate Party here in Catalunya. But they have no chance to have a Prime Minister (actually called Presidente in Spain) elected from their ranks.
Right, whatever your political inclination might be. But the Occupy people are back, although only a small number of them. They want a government of people, for the people, not career politicians.
An Asian TV crew obviously anxious to interview somebody. Good luck!
An improvised table…
And welcome to our 140.000th visitor, whoever you might be!
Post 844: real life
It is one of those strange times in the year when summer is more or less over, when people are leaving in droves, filling planes and ships to go back to their real lives. But still, the beaches are still so incredibly packed, the crowds are still so numerous. Sometimes we wish we’d not be living in a 3 Mio people town.
Anyway, if you’re just back from holidays, or if you’re about to going back, have a safe return to real life.
School started again today. And we had a little rain for an hour to celebrate, woey-hey! Been a while!
This is for the second avatar of My World Tuesday, renamed Our World Tuesday, after the passing of it’s founder.
Weekend Reflections
One of the many noble buildings in the city center, reflecting…Theme of the month: perspective
Callin’ out around the world, are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer’s here and the time is right for dancin’ in the street.
Dancin’ in Chicago (dancin’ in the street)
Down in New Orleans (dancin’ in the street)
In New York City
All we need is music, sweet music,
There’ll be music everywhere
There’ll be swingin’ swayin’, and records playin,
Dancin’ in the street
Oh it doesn’t matter what you wear, just as long as you are there.
So come on every guy, grab a girl,
Everywhere, around the world
There’ll be dancin’, they’re dancin’ in the street.
This is an invitation, across the nation,
A chance for folks to meet.
There’ll be laughin’ singin’, and music swingin’
Dancin’ in the street
Barcelona, Baltimore and D.C now,
Can’t forget the motor city,
All we need is music, sweet music
There’ll be music everywhere
There’ll be swingin’ swayin’, and records playin,
Dancin’ in the street
Oh it doesn’t matter what you wear, just as long as you are there.
So come on every guy, grab a girl,
Everywhere, around the world
They’re dancin’, dancin’ in the street
Way down in L.A., every day they’re dancin’ in the street
Lets form a big strong line, and get in time,
We’re dancin’ in the street.
Across the ocean blue, me and you
We’re dancin n the street
Being young? Just a matter of perspective! Perspective: this month’s theme day!
… and now over to the weather report…
Facing the Corte Ingles, on the Portal del Angel, there is probably, according to several of our guidebooks, the tallest thermometer in Europe.
It comes complete with a small weather station underneath.
Watery temptation
August in Barcelona… Many many people spend hundreds (or thousands) of euros to be here now. As for us, the people actually living here, we’re just going to work, trying to escape the intense heat (over 41 degrees in the sun yesterday at 3 PM) as much as possible… Going to the beach? Sure, in the evening!
Meanwhile, passing through Plaza de Catalunya, there are those temptingly cool looking fountains… Access forbidden, obviously. But if you go close enough,you can always enjoy a bit of the spray. Nice.
Watery Wednesday. Here.
With our longing thoughts to our friends and family in NZ, stuck in the snow. Guys, let’s swap for a day!
Monday doorway
The noble entrance to one of the many luxury hotels in the area around Plaza de Catalunya.
Please have a look at what other participants to Louis La Vache’s Doorways on Monday meme did!
Watery Wednesday
It is HOT!!! We’re having some hot air coming straight from the Sahara, and it’s been over 45 degrees in many parts of Spain. As we’re on the coast, we are getting a breeze from the sea. But still, yesterday Tuesday, we really got this feeling… You know, when you open the oven door, and the very hot air comes out. Basically, it is too hot to sweat.
So, the fountain on Plaza Catalunya nearby is extremely tempting!!!
Watery Wednesday! Check it out, and have a cool drink! We will!
Acampada Barcelona: If they wont let us dream, we wont let them sleep
The revolution on Plaza Catalunya. A few photos from the village on the square. The same is happening in 56 more cities in Spain. For more background info, see Friday’s special post.
Gorilla in a twist
Poor little guy, she’s ignoring you!
On the poster, it says: you still think animals don’t love?
My World (full of gorillas in love) Tuesday. Here.
Watery Wednesday
Detail of one of the fountains on Plaza Catalunya. They seem to celebrate the almost summery weather forecast for the next 10 days here (at least). Friends from colder countries, now is the time to come!
Watery Wednesday, one of our top 10 weekly memes! Do yourself a favor, and click here!
Weekend Reflections
A glimpse of Plaza de Catalunya reflected on the windows of the bus I was in the other day.
Click here to see some more Weekend Reflections!
Surrounded
Small shop selling pipas, sunflower seeds, to tourists on Plaza Catalunya. The pigeons know, and wait.
The english cut
Night shot of the main building of the gigantic Corte Ingles, on Plaza de Catalunya.
El Corte Inglés (English: The English Cut as in tailor’s cut) is Spain’s only remaining department store chain, as well as owner of several associated businesses, such as supermarket chains Hipercor, Supercor; Opencor, fashion chain Sfera as well as a travel agency (Viajes El Corte Ingles) and telephone provider (Telecor).
It has a nice food corner, where you can find such delicacies as Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, black pasta, selected rare cheeses, very fine wines and cigars, and so on. Expensive for Spain, but worth a treat now and then. A must. And of course, all the clothes, IT stuff, photo stuff one can dream off. A dangerous place for our wallets.
The handy man
Many of my better pictures (in my opinion anyway) are crops. Cropped from bigger, but less interesting pictures. It helps to have a good resolution, of course.
This guy is selling hand puppets near Plaza Catalunya. And I just like the photo, which is the best reason for me to post it.
Theme day: open air market
It is theme day again, the theme for this month of september is open air markets. Which was a problem for me, as most markets here are indoor. Until I remembered this small and open air handicraft market at the Angel’s Gateway, el Portal de l’Angel, near Plaza Catalunya. Here is the lamp shop, one evening.
Window shopping
It is still too hot for me to go out a lot during the day, so we went for some window shopping the other night, at a safe hour, after most of the shops closed. They usually close at 10 PM. The windows actually look nicer at night.
Why do they put handbags behind bars? To protect them from bag snatchers? If they knew me, they would rather put the candies behind bars!!! 🙂
The bar
Classic photo of a hotel bar, the lonely customer and the barman. Will they talk to each other? What will they say? Will they talk about the weather (tropical), or the meaning of life, problems at home? You know all the cliches.
Watery Wednesday
The water seems to jump of joy!
This is for Watery Wednesday 101. Please click right here to see more photos from the participants to this meme.
Feeding time
We are now living less than 5 minutes away from what most people describe as being the center of the city, the Plaza de Catalunya. Posh hotels, Hard Rock Cafe, couple of big fountains and weird sculptures. And lots and lots of pigeons, expecting to being fed by the occasional tourist. And they’re lucky, as the tourists come here in their millions.
This said, as in most big european towns, pigeons are considered a nuisance or a plague. The municipality of Barcelona does not kill them, but chemically neuters 20.00 of them every year. Does it work? Not really, not on Plaza Cataluny anyway.
Barcelona Daily Photo 
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