May Day in Barcelona

Computer issues still at large. No one really wants to hear about someone else’s computer frustrations, though, so I will only say that it’s precluding my uploading photos.

Headed to gym to work off a little early morning grumpiness.

It’s May Day in Europe so we don’t know what is going to be open today, thus headed down La Rambla for breakfast. Turns out much was closed, including La Boqueria, but, fortunately, not L’escriba. Afterwards, we went to Museum of Contemporary Art, www.macba.cat, a beautiful, Richard Meier-designed building with a permanent collection and, lucky for us, a show by the sensationally-diverse and eclectic, Canadian Rodney Graham.

Walked up through the University of Barcelona buildings for lunch and a restful afternoon, it’s Saturday after all and May Day, no less.

Interestingly, much like francophone and anglophone Canada, the language divide between Catalan and Castillian Spanish seems much alive. For instance, Apple compote,raisins and macadamia nuts in Catalan is Compota de poma, panses i nous de macadàmia while in Castillian, it’s Compota de manzana, pasas y nueces de macadamia. No matter. I can’t understand either of them.

We typically avoid hotel restaurants but Jeff Koehler said the one in our hotel,”MOments” (a completely cheesy name but the first two letters are the initials of our hotel; it kept reminding me of that dopey song, “Feelings”) was some of the best food he’s had in Barcelona recently. The chef is the son of a famour chef who runs a place on the seashore in Sant Pau, about an hour from Barcelona.

It was nicely prepared, pretty to look at in a pretty room but too much, too late. We finished dinner at 1:30 in the morning! We certainly didn’t need that Cotes du Layon an hour earlier.