Current (as in energetic) Barcelona

By modern, I mean current. While in Barca, we did the full tourist and delved into the ancient Roman ruins of Barcino and the 19th-and-early-20th century Modernista (Art Nouveau) masterpieces. We absolutely loved contemporary Barcelona but snapped fewer examples of today's city (such as the banners announcing Barcelona's 11 Sept demonstrations, the Barcino sculpture, and city-wide graphics).

Banners flying for the 11 September National Day of Catalonia. 1714–2014.

Clean street graphics, which seem to be designed by Clase BCN.


Typographical tidbits from Tapas 24; the food has texture and dynamism and so do the graphics (also by Clase BCN).

I'm looking forward to returning to sample more of Barca's sleek restaurants (with equally-sleek graphics), see the design centers—and maybe even meet some designers. In the meantime, thanks to colleague Mark Kingsley's Instagram posts, I learned about Mario Eskenazi, an astounding Barcelona-based designer whose work is clean, strong, functional, and intelligent.

Eskenazi's typography at first glance seems to be the antithesis of Barcelona's sinuous Art Nouveau typefaces. But his work, while not pandering to the past, nods to the pattern, texture and richness that, to me, defines Barcelona. In his work for TMB (translated more or less to Metropolitan Transport of Barcelona), Eskenazi alludes to Patron Saint Jordi (George, who slayed the dragon) by eliminating areas from street map of Barcelona into the shape of a dragon. Eskenazi's restaurant identities are bold, clean, colorful and fun—like the city itself and some of the contemporary cuisine we tasted. Have a look at Mario Eskenazi's site for fabulous images of his office's bold work.

Barcelona. Stained glass and Spray Paint

Barcelona has gorgeous storefronts, fabulous details, Art Nouveau typography—called Modernista—and more. The city also hosts a mashup of luminous  windows, slightly more workaday store signage and spray-painted illustrations (or in some cases, what may well be graffiti). Here are just a few of many gorgeous and/or fascinating facades. From top to bottom, are: Bolos and Canals in the Eixample neighborhood (first two photos) and Krispy Cuts, La Keka, and Meskita Ali (?help!) in the El Born neighborhood(the third through fifth photos).

Toureography

Like everyone else at Parc Guell, one of Antoni Gaudi's many masterpieces* in Barcelona, I was waiting to snare a photo of the trencadis dragon (trencadis is tiled mosaic) at the entrance. It struck me—as it had for days throughout our happy pilgrimage through Barcelona's highlights—that we all have the same so-called unique experiences, which we all jockey to photograph.

The other thing that hit me was that the more interesting image was not the tourist-magnet of the dragon but instead the way everyone's poses were almost choreographed. Whether as singletons or in groups, once holiday-makers bagged their shots, they moved out of the frame to make way for the next wave. At Parc Guell, the best moment for me was the dance of the Gaudi-watchers instead of the Gaudi work.


*The park started life as a housing project for the wealthy and was converted into a park by the city of Barcelona.

11.09.14

It's a known fact that a vacation is an education as well as an escape. A recent trip to Barcelona underscored the realization that nobody has sole rights over anything—including an historical day.

For some of us in New York, September 11 is still raw. For others, it's so over. But for other citizens of the world, especially in Barcelona, Spain, 9/11 is National Day of Catalonia, commemorating September 11, 1714, when the Bourbons defeated the Catalans in the Siege of Barcelona. Three centuries later on 9/11 (11/9 in European parlance), Catalonians came out in full force, wearing tee shirts in the national colors and sporting flags as if they were capes.

As Catalonia's push for independence continues, we in the US continue to try to sift through the effects of our September 11. I wonder if it will take us 300 years.



The symbol of Catalonia appeared everywhere, including in pastry shops, this one in the Bari Gotik (Gothic Quarter).

Fashionable demonstrator (Bill Cunningham would have had a field day).

Buildings draped in Catalonia's arresting (and chic; see above) flag.

Crowds at Placa Sant Jaume, at the Palace of the Generalitat (the government of the Autonomous Community of Catalunya).