Surreal life!

We've had some rather surreal experiences in the past couple days.

First, we were at MACBA (Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona) looking at a collection of conceptual art. Most of it was pretty darn conceptual, though we couldn't get enough of a piece called "Good Boy Bad Boy" by Bruce Nauman and John Baldessari's video where he sings (badly, we might add) Sol Lewitt's "Sentences on Conceptual Art." (Thanks to our pal Rachel Elson, who saw the show while visiting and highly recommended it!)

As we're making our way through the exhibition, I notice that we are being closely watched/shadowed even by some rather rough-looking body-guard types. We figure out they're protecting a very nicely dressed group of what looks to be politicians or dignitaries, but we don't recognize any of the faces. The body guards, the anonymous-yet-famous group: this strikes us as better conceptual art than some of the pieces we're seeing! It was as though the exhibition were manifesting its concepts in reality.

Upon further investigation, we learned we were viewing art in the company of former International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch! If he needed guarding it was probably because the guy was all wrapped up in the fascist regime of former dictator Franco. Suffice to say, people don't like Franco around here.

The following day we decide to dine at Origins 99.9%, an establishment that celebrates pure Catalan cuisine. (The .01% is for the beverages.) When we get there, however, a film crew has set up in the narrow street where the restaurant is located. We manage to squeeze past them and enter the restaurant. Rather than the ordinary view of people walking by, we were treated to the same exact scene over and over again. Two actors walk down the alleyway. Cue to shoppers, all very attractive, to start walking. Cue to guy who walks over to look at the menu next to where we were sitting. It was like the movie Groundhog's Day only for lunch, which was delicious incidentally.


While not exactly surreal, Spring has finally arrived in Barcelona. After so many days of rain and cold, it's been glorious to feel the sun! We celebrated by taking a train to nearby Sitges for lunch and a stroll on the beach.