BARCELONA OR BUST ...!

It snowed last night in Amsterdam -- just enough to create a glittering, white layer on the streets -- and ice was starting to form on the canals, again. You know what that means: It was time for me to make tracks! I left my hotel at dawn and by 9:30 was on my way to Barcelona, where I'll be at an event for the next few days. Barcelona is a lively, creative city. I spent some time this afternoon walking around, starting at the Plaça de Catalunya (pictured above), which is considered the Times Square of Barcelona (only instead of neon signs and skyscrapers it features graceful fountains and statues). Catalunya is where the "old" part of Barcelona, the Gotic quarter dating back to Roman times, meets the "new," which was developed in the 19th Century. I walked down La Rambla, one of the main pedestrian streets, famous for its an array of kooky characters who will do just about anything for a few Euros. The line-up today included:

A pair of Derangels, Deranged Angels who flapped their wings in the breeze;

The Invisible Man, a quiet character who wore a pair of sunglasses and a hat that seemed to be floating in mid-air;

A disembodied head on a plate, who stared up at me from a pile of Paella and shouted "Welcome to Barcelona!;" and last but not least ...

A "Living Statue" who sat on a toilet, reading a newspaper and watching passersby. Judging from the pile of Plaster of Paris by his side, I think he had the runs.

La Rambla culminates in a monument to Christopher Columbus which stands atop the very place where Columbus returned to Spain to report to Isabella and Ferdinand after his first voyage to the Americas. The statue of Columbus (pictured above, on a 130-foot column) is supposed to be pointing to the New World but, in reality, it points East, towards Columbus' home city.

I walked along the banks of the Mediterranean for a while, before turning inland to check out a few more sites, including:

La Seu Cathedral, a church which dates back to the 13th Century but incorporates elements from earlier Roman ruins in the area; and

The Arc de Triomf, built in 1888 to commemorate a "Universal Exhibition" in Barcelona, welcoming other nations to the city.

Speaking of Triumph, I enjoyed a Victory of sorts at the Starbucks near Via Laietana. The Poor Barista on duty was thoroughly confused when I ordered a "Grande Half Caff." "You want what?!?,' she screeched. "You know," I said, smiling, "A Half Caff." She squinted at me and perched her head on the pastry counter -- striking a pose not unlike the "disembodied head" I saw on La Rambla -- and then she began rambling away in Spanish. "Let me help you," I said, "I just want a Half Caff ... nothing else. No pastry!" I thought her head was going to explode. She asked her colleague for advice -- speaking so quickly all I could understand was "Ay, Ay, Ay ...!" and finally she handed me a Grande Americano. It was bliss. The coffee wasn't bad, either ...!