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Barcelona, Morning and Night

One of the best times to visit Barcelona is just around the corner. When the temperatures in the city heat, the prices decrease. The city is filled with many beautiful options to choose from as far as the five star Barcelona hotels, the various museums and plazas, and the plethora of seafood restaurants and charming bars and cafes. The people of the city have a spirit and and exuberance towards the joy of living. When the sun sets, the tourists will find many of the outdoor cafes a buzz with activity, with street performers and vendors lining the street. Many people in the city begin their evenings later than many travelers are accustomed to back at home. Dinner is served beginning at nine o’clock and often times right up until Midnight. Now bear in mind that the way people eat in Spain is different from say those in the United States. A typical late night dinner in Spain consists of smaller portions of healthy food, olives and tomatoes and such, bread and wine. Many soups and seafood dishes are on the menus as well as salads and rice.

Once dinner is over, the locals will then head to the bars and cafes. There are literally hundreds to choose from in the city, ranging from quiet and romantic to the discos and clubs with DJs pumping music until the wee hours of the morning. Many of the bars serve tapas throughout the night, small plates of ‘tastes’ of food to nibble on. Of the many locations around the city, a few of the hot spots are the Barri Gotic and Mercat del Born. Both of these areas are well known for their selection of taverns. And once the fun is over for the evening, many pastry shops and located throughout these same areas offering espressos and cappuccinos, as well as an array of delicious morning sweets. The markets open up, with fresh fruit and vegetables available at the hawker stands. In the markets on can also find fresh flowers, cheeses and art galleries. Barcelona is one of the best spots in the world for those who enjoy walking and becoming totally immersed in the culture and the people.

Tags: Barcelona, five star hotels, Markets, Morning, Night, seafood

Shimmering Copper Fish

The redeveloped seafront from the Moll de la Fusta to the Olympic Port area has many top Barcelona hotels and has become one of Barcelona s’ most popular spaces for recreation and leisure. At the base of two landmark towers marking the beginning of the Olympic Port, lies the Frank O Gehry copper lattice fish. This installation which he designed for the 1992 Summer Olympics, is an example of the public art that he has become so well known for.

The scale of the fish is enormous 35m x54m, and as its copper color shines in the bright sunlight or and even on an overcast day. As tempting as it may be to find out what’s going on inside the fish, there’s no interior access, just a shimmering copper skin.

An award winning architect based in Los Angeles, Gehry is very much inspired by fish. In an effort to distance himself from the pervasive “postmodern” architecture during the 1980’s, Gehry became fixated on finding ways to incorporate a sense of movement and emotion in his work. As part of that search, he began to sketch various kinds of fish and then over time to add fish shapes to his buildings. Adding the fish to his formal repertoire also marked the beginning of his exploration of curved surfaces. Figuring out how to construct the fish in three dimensions made it easier, later on, to develop the high spirited organic style he and his firm are now known for.

The copper fish in Barcelona is just one of many that Gehry has created. Standing Glass Fish, in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, is a gigantic glass structure with the internal supporting structure of wood and steel clearly visible. It soars above a reflecting pool in a glass building built especially for it. Another huge Gehry fish sculpture dominates a public garden in front of the Fishdance Restaurant in Kobe, Japan.

It’s quite possible to say that the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain and the Walt Disney Concert Hall are direct descendants of the l fish sculptures Gehry designed many years ago.

Tags: Barcelona, hotels, top