Everything’s Better with a Bit of Butter

Today marked a new level of understanding between Ignasi and me.  He assigns me a bunch of tasks, understands that I work quickly, and then gives me more things to practice.  I’m getting pretty good at the squiggle line corrections, if I do say so myself.  At the end of the day, when I had set up a sample to run for the weekend (Ignasi likes to joke that the machine works while we take our leisure), Ignasi stopped by my desk and told me that I could leave whenever I liked.  A perfect end to the week.

After work, I went on (of course) a foodie adventure.  There had been comments from the peanut gallery that I hadn’t been having enough food adventures this week, and my sweet tooth agreed.  I headed down to Barceloneta and meandered amongst the various sites of interest on a winding path to my bakery of choice (part of my continuing Quest for the Greatest Bakery in Barcelona).  My first stop was the Gas Natural Tower, one of the most unusual buildings in Barcelona.

 The Gas Natural Tower was built in 2006 and has an asymmetrical design, with a 5-floor horizontal “aircraft carrier” extension protruding parallel to the ground.  The design, by architect Enric Miralles, was designed to “create an urban landmark in the skyline of Barcelona, to set up a dialogue with the low-rise houses of the neighborhood, and to generate quality public spaces.”  Translation: Miralles was sort of a narcissist who desperately wanted his work noticed, he thought buildings could talk, and he included one of the public squares that are present throughout the city next to the building.  Actually, that last bit may have already been there.  Anyway, the complex apparently has an opening that lets you see the old tower Gas originally had.

After that, I wandered through the streets, noticing signs advertising the Coques for the Nit de Sant Joan (Night of St. John) festival tomorrow.  This party is part of a celebration of the Summer Solstice, and they make the most of the shortest night of the year by partying all the way through it.  As a part of the ritual, however, people also eat these special cakes, which can be topped with fruit (of the neon variety) or crisscrosses of cream.  They can also have other toppings, including crema catalana, but I haven’t spotted any of those.  More on this tomorrow.  Or probably Sunday.

 Some other gems from my wander:

This beauty parlor attracts only the best clientele.

I swear to god I watched a fluffy dog's long gray and white hair get a blow out here today.  The dog and the blowdryer were having a serious standoff at one point.

I finally made my way to the Baluard bakery, one of the other members of the Top 5 list of bakeries that I’ve been working through.  Baluard is on an unassuming street, several blocks back from the waterfront, and yet it was filled with people.  Overflowing.

At first I thought it was tourists grabbing a bite to eat, then I noticed it was locals and figured they were stocking up on coques.  But no, these people were stocking up on delicious Baluard goodies.   The bakery has a big board detailing all of their special breads, glass cases full of crumbly crusts, and an open bakery where you can see the bread paddles, worktops, and ovens.  Since I’d already had dinner, I settled on… three desserts.  The croissants are highly recommended (I believe that the advice online was “buy a bag”), and then I just had to try their strawberry rhubarb cake once I saw it (ah, the tastes of summer and home).  And then, just for good measure, I decided to give cream-filled Napolitanas another chance.  I forked over the euros and they handed me a crinkly wax paper bag with a smile.  I couldn’t wait.  I dug in.  First the croissant, with the perfect amount of crunch in the flaky, buttery crust and then a melting mass of fluffy density (I swear those words belong together).  I’m usually wary of croissants, but this was So.  Good.

After the first bite

The Napolitana was the next casualty.  OMNOMNOM.  Much, much better than the one I had in Madrid at that “famous” bakery.  It was just famous for being old, and it’s Napolitanas tasted old, too.  This one was wonderful.

Note the new sunglasses.  The trip to Montserrat did in my other ones, but change is good!  This should throw off all my Spanish stalkers.

I saved the strawberry rhubarb cake for later, but it was quite yummy.  I prefer more strawberry and rhubarb and less cake, but I’m spoiled by my dad’s summer pies.

If you can't tell by my foodgasmic response, Baluard Bakery is officially my favorite bakery in the city.  It wins, hands down, and I can't wait to go back and try more.  Possibly tomorrow, if I can drag/coerce/bribe Naaman to come with me.

My next stop was the Barceloneta coastline, a place that I frequent at dawn.  This time, however, my goal was artistic: I’m hoping to find all eight Olympic statues, which were erected around the city prior to the games in the summer of 1992.  These Urban Configurations pieces include the statue that I had previously seen referred to as “Los Cubos.”  You might remember it from the modeling shoot that I included in one of my previous blog entries.  Anyway, the true name of the statue is The Wounded Star (but it’s also known as Homage to Barceloneta), made by Rebecca Horn in 1992.

 It is a reference to the rundown houses and shops that lined the Barceloneta shore before being razed when the city started to get glitzed up.  It’s also seen by some as an abandoned lighthouse, a reference to the former incarnation of Barceloneta as a working port.

Next was A Room/Place Where It Always Rains by Juan Munoz.  

 Inside of a dome-ceilinged cage, five figures rest.  Their bodies morph into large spheres, which indicates their inability to escape this prison.  Look closer at the figures and their facial features are slightly blurred, as if they are melting.  The cage surrounding the figures was designed not to protect them from the elements, to let in the rain.  Initially, I believe Munoz wanted there to be a source of water raining down on them, but currently it is the leaves of an overhanging tree that drift down into the cage each day.

 This other piece, while not one of the Urban Configurations pieces, pays tribute to the Olympics with brass resprentations of different athletes in their characteristic poses.

 And since I mentioned him before, in reference to his Diagonal Metro stop sculpture, I thought I'd point out this other discovery: another Subirach sculpture dazzling the public.

 And finally, to end the night right, I watched part of the Greece v. Germany game.  Since it was hot and I wanted to relax at my apartment, I decided to watch a live stream of the game.  A poor decision; I couldn't see very much.  But I watched it in spirit, right?

Spotted: Possibly the most hilarious sunburn I have seen in Barcelona so far.

The yellow line runs from downtown to the beach, but the entrance to the tracks is down a very, very long tunnel that Naaman and I affectionately refer to as The Tunnel of Death.  At least, it is in heels when you're tired or in a hurry.  Anyway, I walk through it while changing lines to get home, and had the pleasure of walking behind this young lady who had debatable skills wielding sunscreen.  See, all the bits that are normally burned were pasty white, while the parts normally covered by a shirt were BROILED.  Apparently, she put on a shirt in the morning, lathered up like a good girl, and then stripped down and redressed herself.  Or something even more ridiculous happened.  I'm not sure, but here's another PSA courtesy of me: WEAR YOUR SUNSCREEN.  Or everyone in The Tunnel of Death will be laughing at (or commiserating with) you.