June 7, 2015 - We're really beginning to feel comfortable here

Last night (Saturday) we strolled over to the plaza in front of the cathedral, hoping for a castell, which is sometimes performed on Saturday evenings in the summer. Basically it's a human pyramid, with extra points earned for quick construction and quick tear-down. No luck; no castell. Then we remembered: the European championship of futbol was to be played - Barcelona vs. Whoever - and it was due to begin any moment and would be broadcast from Berlin. Since we've already been told and have agreed that Barca is the best futbol team in the universe, we could understand what was happening: everyone was glued to a TV somewhere. (We're Seminoles, remember?)

SO - we strolled to what's become a favorite little restaurant - not long on ambience, but great food and a most congenial waiter. The five of us were seated, had ordered, were having a small adult beverage, and the whole place exploded into cheers - Barca goooaaaallll! Seriously. We could have been at the Ale House on a fall Saturday night in Tallahassee.

We strolled back to the hotel, only to find almost our entire group in the lobby around the TV. Sure enough, everyone was watching Barca futbol! We went to our room and tuned it in. We are gratified to report that Barca won, 3-1, and is the official European soccer champion. The celebration continued into the night.

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This morning we were back at our studies promptly at 9:00 a.m. To conclude the medieval portion, we visited the Church of Santa Maria del Mar. This has become our favorite church so far. The residents of the neighborhood (our El Born from yesterday) long ago decided they must have a church. They hauled blocks of stone all the way from Montjuic, the women provided food for the workers, and they built a truly remarkable space. Arleen assured us that this church is as wide as is possible using medieval materials and architectural knowledge. While most of the medieval churches are quite narrow, concentrating the focus on the altar and above, this church is wide inside. There is great space and light (relatively speaking), and much less ornamentation and splendor. It has the feel of the common man. We loved it.

We then ventured a short way down the Passeig El Born towards the cultural center, then made our way back via Las Ramblas. We did take a brief break, during which time Mike and I treated ourselves to the first baked goods of the trip - two enormous chocolate cookies.

After a light lunch at Pans (which is definitely European fast food), we set out for a free afternoon. We opted for the Barcelona City History Museum, and it did not disappoint.

Beneath the royal palace and the courtyard where Ferdinand and Isabella welcomed Christopher Columbus is the excavation of Barcelona as it existed from the time of the Romans. These ruins were preserved from the 9th century, even as new layers of city were being constructed on top of them. The world benefits from Barcelona's thousand-year tradition of historic preservation. Today's visitors can go down in an elevator to the Roman level, and move slowly through the decades while ascending back to the year 2015. This museum is beautifully curated, with exceptional labeling in many languages, including English, so one can truly understand the history from Barcino to Barcinona to Barcelona. The artifacts are stunning: there are Roman spoons that could easily be used at today's breakfast table. There are frescoes that glow, even when viewed from many feet away. There are fish macerating vats and wine vats and dye vats and laundry vats that contain residue from the 4th century A.D. There are funerary busts that, as the narration notes, completely accomplish their original intent: people are still talking about these folks long after their deaths. 

This was an amazing experience, and we were there for at least two hours. Bonus: museums are free to the public on first Sundays, so we didn't even need a ticket!

We then found a lovely, cool sidewalk bar and refreshed ourselves with a beer (Mike) and a glass of wine (me). Those who know me will be surprised to hear that I quite enjoy the local white wine - it's a Catalan grape that is very refreshing and light. And have I mentioned the weather? It's been perfect. Low 80s in the daytime with a lovely sea breeze, high 60s in the evening. We can stroll the streets and sit in the cafes and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

Now we're having a bit of toes-up. Today is the celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi at the cathedral, and we can hear the music through our open window. In a half hour or so, we'll go out in search of dinner. But for the moment, we rest and decide that this is pretty fabulous.