October 6, Barcelona worlds fair site

Happy Birthday Mark!!!  Make it wonderful!

We woke to the loud crash of thunder outside our window this morning.   When it rains in Barcelona, it really gets with the program.   I looked down the plaza to see the sight of hundreds of umbrella's and people rushing to wherever they were headed.   It must be a good day to visit the 1929 World's fair site now a Catalan Museum.  

We were able to get to the buildings from the subway between downpours.  We were then treated to a day without museum fees because seniors get free passes to Catalonian museums.   If you look at this building you can see it is designed for fountains ( called Magic fountain) but it is only on periodically during the dry season.  Obviously the rains just started, we didn't see them running.

The view of the city from here is really great.  (Mom if you click on the picture above it will expand and you can see the huge Cathedral we wrote about a couple days ago - on the right)

Food -

These people like their meat and fish.   We have had dried meat and sausage for every breakfast.    The markets are full of fresh fruit so they much be popular as well.  The one thing I was surprised to see is fast food dried meat for sale everywhere.  It generally is pork, but this morning at breakfast it must of been ewe.    I know I should probably have said lamb, but that sheep had been around for awhile.

Another thing that surprises me is that this is the flag of Catalonia, not Spain.   It is flying everywhere.  The people from this region consider themselves more Mediterranean than Spanish and the Catalonian language here sounds heavily influenced by both French and Italian.  They dress more European and are still mad about Franco. 

By the time you read this Fred and I will on the fast train to Madrid.  Goodbye Barcelona

The 1929 Barcelona International Exposition (also 1929 Barcelona Universal Exposition, or Expo 1929, in Catalan: Exposició Internacional de Barcelona de 1929) was the second World Fair to be held in Barcelona, the first one being in 1888. It took place from 20 May 1929 to 15 January 1930 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.^[1] It was held on Montjuïc, the hill overlooking the harbor, southwest of the city center, and covered an area of 118 hectares (291.58 acres)