Humble Beginnings and Ghillie Suits

First, a few points of breaking news:

1. Madonna was in Barcelona last week on a leg of her World Tour.  While she slipped a nip in Turkey and mooned audiences in other countries, nothing like that fazes Spaniards.  Two of my labmates (Ellie and Maria Angeles) attended the show and were simply disgusted at how thin her legs looked in leather pants.  THAT was what got to them.
2. Lonesome George, the 100-year old turtle of the Galapagos Islands that was the only known specimen of his species, has died.  Read more here.
3. My movement to bring lunch to the lab - which isn’t really a movement at all but a way for my OCD self to know what I’m eating for lunch and my stingy self to be able to splurge on afternoon treats – is growing.  This grassroots movement has spread from a following of one (me) to about five lab members.  We never speak of it, but the number of people toting bags to the lunch room increases slowly but surely.
4. I have been working with human samples this week (at last!) and have managed to get some serious signal from samples of 0.8 mg.  0.8 mg!!! Do you have any idea how tiny that is?  Take a pencil and scribble a period.  It looks like that, but 3-D.
5. Apparently the government (not sure if it's the Catalan government or the Spanish one) regulates when stores can have major sales, and limits them to twice a year: midsummer and Christmas time.  So... the doors open on Sunday at 9 AM and the rebajas begin.  The lab was joking that my next Spanish adventure should involve the stampede at the door to El Corte Ingles (a major mall with many sites in Barcelona) this Sunday.  Then they decided that the stores put out the ugly stuff first for the overeager sale shoppers, so I should go Wednesday when they put out the good wares.  We shall see.

My adventures today started with a brief stop in the Gothic Quarter at an ancient synagogue, Synagoga Mayor.  

 This synagogue is nestled in the middle of El Call, or the Jewish Quarter, a bustling district that was home to most of the region's Jewish population until they were kicked out in 1492.    Then the synagogue was forgotten and became a dry cleaner and then an electrical supplies warehouse.  It wasn't until the end of the 20th century that the synagogue was rediscovered as a Jewish temple.  After excavations revealed Roman walls beneath the synagogue floor, people got really intrigued and realized that the ruins dated back to the 2nd century.  The synagogue dates back to at least the 13th century, making it not only the oldest in Spain but quite possibly the oldest in all of Europe.  

The 2nd century Roman ruins are now covered by a glass floor, so you can walk on top of them!

 The main entrance faces southeast toward Jerusalem, and the inside contains a menorah and a beautiful Torah.

 And they got a shoutout in the Jerusalem Post!

 One word to potential visitors: it's 2.50 euros just to enter the two tiny rooms, and the lady who was at the desk when I entered was super cranky to anyone who (1) wasn't blatantly Jewish or (2) didn't speak Hebrew.  Or maybe she just seriously disliked me, and happened to like all the people fitting those criteria who wandered through.  There are no explanations, just things set out in two tiny rooms.  A cool piece of history, but not very well laid out for visitors.

My next stop was Fortmageria La Seu, a cheese shop run by Scottish-born proprietress Katherine McLaughlin (great name, right?).  It's on a tiny little side street where the shops only open when they please. I arrived to find it closed, but she ambled back when she noticed me standing at the door, then closed after we had a wonderful hour-long chat and I left.  She even joked about how the people on her street put up a range of hours when people can try and show up, but the shop owners don't really take the hours too seriously themselves.

 This wonderful little cheese shop was established in 2000 on the site of one of Barcelona's first butter-making factories.  It sticks to the principle that Cheese is Sacred; the cheese is from all over Spain, is handpicked by Ms. McLaughlin after she visits the rural farms and gets to know the cheese makers, and all cheeses are kept in a special room to control temperature and humidity.

Me in front of the sacred keep-your-cheese-happy room.

Ms. McLaughlin hand picks all her cheeses, and tries to have a large variety of flavors.  I just wanted to eat them all.

 (This next one is a shoutout to you and your love of stinky cheeses, Daddy)

 Contrary to some recent publicity (I've got my eye on you, "36 Hours in Barcelona"), Formatgeria La Seu does not have a 5-cheese tasting menu for 8.50 euros.  Instead, it has a three-cheese menu with wine for 2.80 euros during the week and a more comprehensive sit-down menu on weekends.  Along with two other misled American travelers who stopped by, I tried the tasting menu.  I told Katherine (I think we made it to first name friendship) that I didn't drink wine, but she said that she didn't do substitutions, so I might as well try it.  (It was bitter)  The tasting menu was worth it just for the cool plate, which had a thumb hole for stability while stuffing your face (key) and a little hole for your wine glass.

 The cheeses, clockwise from the Spanish wine, were a Galician cow's milk cheese (tasted a bit like cheddar), a goat cheese, and a sheep's milk cheese topped with a strip of candied quince.  Little tart slices of granny smith apple cut the richness of the cheese.  If you can't tell already, I was in heaven.  I think cheese with quince should be a food group.

 Since I was already in the Gothic District, I checked out a few nearby sights.  The first was the Temple of Augustus, a roman temple from the Imperial Period in the colony of Barcino... or as you now know it, Barcelona.

Sadly, the building was demolished and hidden (another forgotten ruin!) until the end of the 19th century, when three of its columns were excavated; a fourth column was later found and added.  the architect Josep Puig i Cadafelch (the same names keep coming up, don't they?) was commissioned to build a home for the temples; in the course of his work he also confirmed the earlier hypothesis that the temple would have been dedicated to Augustus (it's believed to have been built as a place of worship for him).  The original temple had 11 columns on each wing was was BIG.

 While walking to my next destination, I came across this strange statue.

 After a bit of Googling, I discovered that it is the sculpture Homenatge als castellers [A Homage to "Human Towers"] by Catalan artist Antoni Llena.  It's supposed to recognize the accomplishments of the amazing human pyramid builders that I saw the other weekend.

My real destination, which was a plaza or two over (so many plazas!) was Gaudi's first public work for the city of Barcelona: a series of lampposts.

He received the commission in the late 1870s, presented his plan in 1878, and began to unleash his creativity upon the unsuspecting citizens soon after.  When he submitted his plans for two different types of "candelabras", Gaudi stated that the perople of Mediterranean cities MUST spend time on the streets.  He also wrote an essay explaining and justifying all of his choices.  Overkill? Maybe.  Student after my own heart? Definitely.

Another berief stop was on Las Ramblas to see a mosaic by Juan Miro.  This was the second of three "sculptures" commissioned to welcome tourists to the popular street, which Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca once said was "the only street in the world which I wish would never end."  I might have agreed back in the day before the tourists were welcomed, mostly because the street was devoid of the annoying men with the squeakers in their mouths.

 While on Las Ramblas, I stopped to admire one of my favorite buildings: Casa Bruno Cuadros.  

 The beautiful, Asian-inspired designs (a common Moderniste architectural twist) include a chinese dragon on the corner of the facade.  

 The house was built in 1858 and then remodeled in 1883 (earlier than most of the Moderniste structures I've featured) by Josep Vilaseca Casanovas.  At that time, the current facade was added and umbrella designs were added to house the new umbrella shop.  This explains the local name of the building: Casa dels Paraigues, or House of Umbrellas.

Nearby on Las Ramblas is another Moderniste house, Casa Doctor Genove.

 Commissioned by Dr. Genove, architect Enric Sagnier i Villavecchia designed the building in 1911 to house a pharmacy and laboratory on the lower floors.  The building is beautiful and striking, despite the narrow, narrow facade.  The buliding used to have stained glass and a wrought iron sign stating that it was a pharmacy, but now it has only clear glass and a first floor tourist trap restaurant.

Again, while wandering to my next destination, I was distracted by my discovery of... the anatomy amphitheater of the 18th century Royal School of Medicine!

 I just wish I could go inside...

And then I arrived at my next stop, the tongue-in-cheek Betty Ford Bar.  I can't do the bar justice, so I have copied my favorite description below (note that it apparently has the best burgers in town; I was too full to try them):

"Named after the Gerald Ford's one-time alcoholic missus, Betty Ford bar enjoys something of a cult status in these neck of the woods. A small space in a less than salubrious location allows patrons to enjoy a cocktail or beer free from troublesome tourists, and aside from kitsch surfing murals, retro film projections and erotic cartoons there's always a sexy soundtrack to facilitate the mood. If you're peckish Betty's has some of the best burgers in the city, whilst thanks to the Australian owner you can also enjoy a Cooper's sparkling ale - one of the planet's finest brews."  (Credit where credit is due)

And then another unexpected taste of America: a GI Joe Surplus store! Yippee.

 Good thing I found this place so I can stock up on my camoflauge gear and ghillie suits before venturing into the wilderness of Barcelona to wage guerilla warfare.

Oh wait, the Spanish Civil War ended over 70 years ago. 

At last! I had arrived at my last planned destination: Forn Mistral.

 This is the last stop on my Top 5 Bakery tour, and I was very excited.

 So excited that, despite my bursting stomach, I ordered a wide variety of things, including a spinach-filled pastry (Surprise! It also had golden raisins and other goodies under the thick crunchy crust), a baguette, a mini brioche, and an assortment of teeny tiny croissants filled with nothing (regular), chocolate, cheese, sausage, or a bunch of other things I didn't understand in Spanish.  We'll see what's inside when I sample them tomorrow.

And then, since the afternoon was young, I explored the offerings of El Raval, a neighborhood that has been oddly absent from my wanderings.  This might be because it's the "sketchier" area of Barcelona, but it seems like a wonderful place to walk during the day.  Upon leaving Forn Mistral, I spotted this beautiful dome, 

but none of the passersby knew what it was.  They said it was just another building, and if I wanted to see real famous buildings, then [insert directions here to nearby plaza/museum/building].  But I was curious.  It turned out to be the Parroquial Church Sant Pere Nolasc.  It was beautiful inside.

  In a hilarious twist, this corsette shop was just down the street.

  It had such a vast range of designs, from kinky to costume-y, that I had to stop and look at them.

  This monarch butterfly one, in the window, was probably my favorite.  Isn't it just... pretty?

Spotted: The wackiness of streets in Barcelona.  Whoever designed the streets in Barcelona had a sense of humor.  Intersections are octagons (the corners of the blocks are cut off), which gives them their own very Barcelona feel but makes it awkward to walk, since you're constantly weaving over and back while crossing streets.  The only street signs are (occasional) plaques bearing the name on the wall of the street.  This often makes it impossible to see the street name without turning onto the street first... you may have to walk several blocks to a major intersection to find a plaque.  And then there's the numbering.  While odds are usually on one side and evens are on the other, they are absolutely NOT expected to keep pace with each other.  You could be in the 50s on one side and the 90s on another.  But patience.  It's a wonderful city, and worth the hassle.  Invest in a good (preferably laminated) map.