We arrived at the cooking school to discover that we were the only clients for the English class that morning. Chef Stefano walked us across to the huge food market, La Boqueria. We learned a lot, tasted the famous local ham, jamon iberico, and headed back to cook. We were given sharp knives and careful instructions and put to work. The menu was strawberry gazpacho, Spanish omelet, tomato bread, paella and crema Catalana. We weren’t allowed any wine until the chopping and slicing were done. Then we ate!
We were happy but weary as we weaved across the Barri Gotic. Along the way I found Pont del Bisbe.
Then I looked for a small square called Plaça de Sant Felip Neri. Barcelona was fiercely Republican in the Spanish Civil War and heavily bombed by the fascists. In this little square alone, 42 people were killed, most of them children from the local school. You can see the burn marks and shrapnel pitted walls still. Delightfully, we arrived to discover that it was being used as a playground by the still operating school.
Our final appointment for the day was a tour of the Palau de la Musica Catalana. This amazing place was built by public subscription at the beginning of the 20th Century at the height of a craze for community choirs. It is yet another triumph of the Modernisme style and Catalan identity. At first Lyn was drooping with fatigue and slept through the introductory film.
However, once we started walking she soon woke up. The whole place is dominated by stained glass and the local mosaic technique, trencadis. The decoration was a statement that all forms of music, from all over the world, were welcomed there. It was also a statement about Catalonia. The red cross of St George and the Catalonian coat of arms are prominent. This Art Nouveau masterpiece is a World Heritage site.
That was enough cooking and culture. We bused it home and look forward to a quiet night in.
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