Barcelona

Together with Giovanni and Alessio, I made a quick (2 day, 1 night) visit to Barcelona for a project meeting. Although we went straight from the airport to meetings, and spent most of the time indoors, we did get a chance for a walk around before our flight out on Friday.







Barcelona is in Spain, but don't assume they speak Spanish. In fact, by local reckoning, “Spanish” is a language spoken in Latin America. In Spain, the main languages are Castillian, Catalan, and Basque. People in Barcelona can speak Castillian, the language of Madrid, but their language is Catalan. This airport sign is bilingual. One sees both languages on signs around town, but signs by and for the locals are mainly in Catalan.



We stopped at a market so Giovanni could buy some jambon to bring back to friends. The good Spanish jambon is eaten thinly sliced, like prosciutto crudo. The flavor is a bit more robust and maybe a bit saltier. Both are wonderful, but distinct.



Then we walked up to Parque Güell, which features several sculptures/buildings/whims by Gaudi. Although rain threatened and then briefly made good on the threat, we managed to get back to the hotel without getting soaked.