I bring you all, health, prosperity and good luck from this little fellow called Caganer.
Caganer
I know it's an odd and probably distateful way to start a travel post showing a person doing his business, but trust me, according to Catalonia traditions, this is by no means rude. Caganer is a local figure and forms part of the traditional Christmas navity scene along with Mary and Baby Jesus. Pooh pooh or “Excrement equals fertilisation equals money equals luck and prosperity." says anthropologists Source.
This was the first interesting shop I saw when I arrived in Barcelona and of course I went inside to have a nose around. Apart from the normal Caganer above, they also did a lot of celebrities, political figures, sports people, professionals etc. Apparently, it's a honour to have a Caganer made after you, but I'm sure there are some snowflakes who can't see the fun side of things and get all upset. Apologies for the lack of photos inside, I got the feeling it was not permitted.
The World Begins With Every Kiss
My next stop is the kiss mural. It's hidden down a little alley a stones throw away from the Cathedral. The mural is made up of thousands of photos sent in by people about their moments of freedom, as the mural is to commemorate Catalonia losing The War of The Spanish Succession in 1714. It was quite busy here and it took me ages to get this photo with not so many people in it. I had a quick look at some of the individual photos. Many were normal daily photos spent (I assume) with loved ones, and it was very comforting to see people so happy and free. I would have loved to spend more time looking at them, but I figured it would be a bit selfish as lots of people were hanging around to take photos and I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want me to photo bomb them.
Lunch with a view
This is the El Corte Inglés department store and it's located at the Plaza Cataluña, one of the main squares in the centre of Barcelona. The department store itself is so so, I mean it's a good reputable good store, but what makes it special is the cafeteria on the top floor. If you notice the bank of windows on the left side, that's where the cafeteria is located, and it gives you stunning views of the city. And the best thing, the cafeteria is quite affordable, they didn't make it into a fancy posh restaurant just because it has gorgeous views. I think it's great that they made it so accessible to people, and I had a very nice lunch there.
Gaudi
I think Barcelona wouldn't be so Barcelona without Gaudi and his unique wacky architectural designs, and one cannot come to Barcelona without seeing at least one of his famous buildings. I've been to Barcelona once many years ago, and that time I also went to Park Güell, so this time I skipped that. That said, I still went to see a few of his other famous buildings.
| Casa Batlló | Casa Milà |
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Of course, I could not not go to Gaudi's most famous work, the Sagrada Familia. Even if you didn't know this was designed by Gaudi, you would probably still know of the building, and that it still has not finished building for centuries. Last time I was here, I went inside to see the amazing interior. Memories are a bit fuzzy as it must have been about 10 years ago, and I can't find my hard disk which holds the photos. However, I remember there was a lot more scaffolding back then, so maybe if I come back in another 10 years time, it might be completed?
Barcelona Football Club
Across the road from the Sagrada Familia is Barcelona FC shop. Unless you are a football fan, or a fan of the Spanish league, or a Barcelona fan, then the club won't be as famous as the Sagrada Familia. I'm none of the three, but figured since I'm in Barcelona, I should wander in for visit. It actually turned out a bit more interesting than I thought. The shop area was downstairs, selling the normal club merchandise on one side, and a table football on the other. Hubby was quite impressed with the whole build of the table football, especially the players that were dressed in the Barcelona kit. I was particularly interested in the exhibition upstairs where you could learn about the history of the club through the posters on display.
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Walkaround
In the afternoon, I did more walkaround in the city. From the Sagrada Familia, I stopped by a rather unusual laundry cafe which I blogged about here. Then I venture towards the marina, passing by the Arc de Triomf towards the Parc de la Ciutadella, a lush urban park that dates back to the mid 19th century. It was a lovely walk.
La Plata
My last port of call for the day, was for some food. We found a really good tapas bar from the internet that had some very good reviews. And it certainly did not disappoint. It was a very small place with 10 - 15 seats, but standing by the counter was much better. They did a small selection of food, and we just pointed to what other people were eating to order ours. La Plata had a lovely vibe and was a great way to round off our day in Barcelona.
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