May 31: beach

Our next expedition as the afternoon wore on was to the beach, one of the few times I ended up getting there.

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Our apartment block and a bit of the adjacent Parròquia.

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This is the Rambla del Raval, an elongated square — much shorter than the primary Ramblas, but still the largest open space in El Raval. All such spaces offer welcome relief from the old city's very narrow streets.

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I'm curious about the cage/screen lining the center of this building. It seems to just be an extra layer of protection for the windows/wall behind it. Am I missing something?

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A goofily foam-insulated wall along Av. Drassanes on the way to the beach.

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At the lower end of Las Ramblas, at the edge of the Ciutat Vella, is the monument to Christopher Columbus, who met Ferdinand and Isabella in Barcelona upon return from his first voyage to the New World. I like how people climbing up along the base augment the statues above.

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A pair of quite proud lions next to the monument.

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A rather Constructivist footbridge heading north along Passeig de Colom.

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The imposing Palau de Mar at the vertex of the Port Vell (Old Port).

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Summery times along the Passeig de Joan de Borbó after rounding the corner and turning southeast toward the beach. To the right is Barceloneta, a distinctive old fishing district projecting into the sea, with extra-narrow orthogonal city blocks.

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Gehryfish! (It's the Peix d'Or, heralding a restaurant.) What's that way to the right?

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Why, l'Estel Ferit, of course! (and a half-pigeon.)

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No camera during swim time. Too sand. Too water. Here, upon starting the retreat from the beach: sun and masts.

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Quick, spot the band!

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An infinitude of pavers, along the pedestrian mall paralleling the Passeig de Colom on the seaward side. I think.

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You're pointing in the wrong direction, Chris!

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At Plaça Drassanes, the iconic poly-arch, with the seaward cliff of Montjuïc beyond.

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Back on Av. Drassanes, I think, a jagged overhang.

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Back at the apartment, a late afternoon view out the back window.

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Sunset cloud spotlight.

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Quality crepusculars.

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Down to the terrace below the back window, looking through the clotheslines that we used to dry off our clothes after washing them. The whole block is solidly built, but with radically variable building heights. I forget whether we had a washer or had to hand-wash clothes (I'm thinking we did have a washer), and I also forget whether clothes were possible to retrieve if they fell from these lines!