Barcelona, Spain (1998, 2002, 2009)

Carmel’s family met up in Barcelona for Passover. I popped down for a few days. Because we had already done most of the touristy stuff before, having been there in 2002 and 1998, we had a more relaxed time in Barcelona with a focus on visiting a bunch of Spanish friends who were in Barcelona—Jorge (did his post-doc at Berkeley when I was there same lab as me; we did our field work together), Rosa Maria (did her post-doc at Oxford same lab as me), Anna (met her on a small island off the south coast of France—at a conference, gosh!), and Jordi (did his post-doc with Carmel same lab). Some of these photos were taken by Anna and Talia.


Alon and Carmel at Montjuic.

 


Las ramblas de Raval, where we were staying.

 


Here kitty kitty kitty!

 



These were the daytime characters. The nighttime characters were guys who sold cans of beer for a Euro. They were everywhere.

 


Double-act.

 


Carmel spots her bus.

 


First we went to the Miró museum with Anna and Rosa Maria. Here is a typical sculpture of a man and woman. Rosa Maria was not into his sculptures.

 


Anna and I discuss art and science.

 


White swirls.

 


This could easily be an urban t-shirt design.

 


Miró did rugs.

 


What does the egg symbolize for Passover?

 


I spy with my eye.

 


Not actually tall enough to do by herself.


Such gorgeous art!

 


Sexy legs time!

 


As seen from the museum.

 


Anna, Rosa Maria, me, and Carmel met Jordi for lunch by the beach.

 


Mmmmmmm, paella. Sooooo good. We also tried the noodle paella, which was very good too.

 


Rosa Maria has been living in Germany recently and has picked up some biceps along the way.

 


Life is an irregularly stacked column of spaces…

 


…held in place by people who may not know their importance.

 


Passover time with the Levitans! The seder was led by Danny, who holds up the afikoman soon to be hid.

 


Safta and Barak from Israel.

 


Eran also from Israel.

 


More of the Levitan family.

 


Tzafy displays the traditional Passover freaky transvestite-with-a-lollipop painting that came with the house we rented.

 


Tzafy’s “Mary-Kate and Ashley” backpack.

 


Lovely ladies Anna, Rosa Maria and Rebecca.

 


Mary, who is a grad student in Carmel’s lab in Oxford, popped down with her cousin for the dinner to give me a high five.

 


Mary brought yummy strawberries.

 


Carmel and I eagerly await food.

 


Jordi takes care of his second cup of wine.

 


Yay food!

 


Matzo ball soup!

 


Good times!

 


And the winner of the afikoman find-and-seek was Jorge! Congratulations!

 


A great day and night in Barcelona!

 


And in the end, Eran slept while sitting.