Good Friday & Eugene Atget

At the urging of my friend Jane, during a skype conversation that took place at 4am (her time), I bundled up to walk the deserted streets of this wet, cold, dreary Good Friday.

One of my favorite photographers is Eugene Atget - who's work I was introduced to by one of my favorite Art History professors, Maria Buszek.  There was an exhibit of Atget's photography at the Getty in Los Angeles years ago, and the beauty, yet haunting loneliness captured by his lens has stuck with me all these years.  I was hoping I could capture some of the empty Barcelona picture windows as he did of Paris.

The view up from Calle Pau Casals to Parc Turo (in La Zona Alta)

 

An elegant building off Pau Casals - usually packed with pedestrians

La Iglesia Redonda (the round church) just up the street from my mum's... this is one of my "landmarks" to know where I am (la Zona Alta)

Not so easy taking pictures when all you have is an iPhone, and most of the closed stores have roll down shades or metal grates that obscure everything.  But the streets sure were deserted.  Here's a little of what I did get here in La Zona Alta

a Futbol vignette made of chocolate... and the people in the stands are wearing blue & red for Barcelona's team - this was probably created in honor of el Classico - in which the King's Cup went to Real Madrid this past Wednesday.

 

 

 But seeing as it is Easter, there were some chocolate eggs & bunnies to be sold.  These were from a Patisserie called Farga.  There are multiple locations of this store - but this is on Beethoven St.

Oriol Balaguer is another confectionery paradise in the area... there is no shortage of xocolaterias (chocolate stores) in La Zona Alta.  This one is probably the most inventive in terms of the flavors, design, packaging... and their prices reflect it.  I've never seen any place like it... If you remember Boule on La Cienega - that still wouldn't even come close to Oriol Balaguer.

Next trip out, I'll use the hipstamatic lens to get some b&w shots...or antique looking images. It was just too unpleasant and windy to stand around taking digital shots from a phone.