Comedian loves Ireland, good food
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Life in Barcelona is a distinctive mix of Madridstyle love of life and Parisian elegance and taste. Spain’s second-biggest city is one of the hottest tourist destinations in Europe these days, with more than 7.5 million visitors a year, so its popular pedestrian boulevards can become human traffic jams.
In spite of what can be horrible crowds, there’s plenty to enjoy. Everywhere you go you’ll find the city’s architecture to be colorful, playful and unique. Rows of symmetrical ironwork balconies are punctuated with fanciful details: bay windows, turrets, painted tiles, hanging lanterns, flower boxes and carved reliefs.
In its day, this proud city has been a Roman retirement colony, a maritime power, a dynamo of the Industrial Age and an urban poster child for modernism. Today it cobbles together all these elements into a one-ofa-kind culture.
Barcelona is the capital of the Catalonia region of Spain (“Catalunya” in Catalan). The locals pride themselves on their different language and push for independence. And with each visit, I hear more Catalan and less Spanish. Talking to my friends in Barcelona about the practicality of having their children learn Catalan — leaving them with a native tongue that less than 10 million people speak in an aggressive and global world — none of them questioned the notion. Of course they speak Catalan; they are Catalonians. And they speak Spanish
Actor, writer and comedian Marc Maron loves to travel, which is fortunate since he is on the road so much for work. “I don’t get to clubs to hear music as much as I’d like,” says Maron, 52. “But if I have time, I go, because I really do enjoy it. I once got to Ireland a day early, and Richard Thompson was playing. I had just had him on my podcast, so it was a fun coincidence. It was pretty exciting to watch him perform, even though I was just getting through my jet lag.”
Based in Los Angeles, Maron’s resume includes the IFC series “Maron,” the EPIX original comedy special “Marc Maron: More Later” and films such as “Get a Job,” “D2: The Mighty Ducks” and “Almost Famous.” He is a writer and host of the “WTF With Marc Maron” podcast. An edited version of our conversation follows. What is your favorite vacation destination?
I was just in Ireland, and I always love it there. I’ve gotten to work there a few times too. When I spent some time in Dublin, I loved hearing music there. Every time I’m in Ireland, I love the way it feels and looks. It’s green, and the people are warm and interesting, and the food seems really honest. Where have you eaten some really great food?
I haven’t spent a ton of time there, but I went to London recently and had some of the best Indian and English as well; they’re well-educated Europeans.
The iconic main square, Placa de Catalunya, sits at Barcelona’s center, dividing the older and newer parts of town. Below the square is the Old City, with the boulevard called the Ramblas running down to the harbor. This Catalonian ChampsElysees has long been a quintessential Barcelona experience. But with modern affluence and the rise of tourism, the charm of the Ramblas is all but dead. The old men reading their newspapers, the bird and flower markets and the local shops are now replaced by tacky, low-end tourist shops.
Barcelona’s most historic neighborhood is Barri Gotic, with a 14th-century cathedral as its navel. Today, the area is a tangled-yetinviting grab bag of grand squares, schoolyards, art nouveau storefronts, musty
Qfood in my life. I’ve really developed a love for Chicago. I’ve been going back there more and more and really love it. If there’s food that’s unique to a city, I will go there. Chicago generally has nice big breakfasts and good coffee. I make excuses to eat food, even if it’s not good for me. There’s such a choice — pizza, Italian, Ukrainian, pierogis, sausages. When I’m someplace new, I like going to neighborhoods and finding great food. What is on your travel bucket list?
There are so many places I’d like to revisit. But for places that I haven’t been to yet, I’d say Scandinavia and Russia are way up there. I’d also like to spend some time in Germany. What are your five favorite cities?
If I had to pick one area of the U.S., I’d probably junk shops, classy antique shops and street musicians strumming Catalan folk songs. While the recent lifting of rent control has caused many of the old-time shops to fold, thankfully the character of this quarter survives.
For an edgier slice of the city, step just beyond the Barri Gotic into the neighborhood called El Born (aka “La Ribera”). This bohemian-chic district features funky shops, upscale cafes and wine bars serving artfully crafted tapas, a colorful market hall, unique boutiques and one of Barcelona’s top museums, Museu Picasso.
Above the Old City, beyond the bustling Placa de Catalunya hub, is the elegant Eixample district. Much of Barcelona’s Modernista architecture is found here, especially three colorful facades built at the end of the 19th century that compete pick the Pacific Northwest, Seattle specifically. I love it there. I’m a big fan of rain and grayness, which a lot of people seem to dislike. San Francisco is a close second because it’s a weird, trippy place and I love it. I love-love New York, Chicago and Nashville. What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?
I don’t have a lot of bad memories. Going to Italy and visiting Florence and Rome was really spectacular. It was also the worst, because my then wife and I pretty much fought the whole time. The beauty and the horror! We had good times in Hawaii too. I go to Kauai a lot. I would say that the last trip to Hawaii with my girlfriend has been the best vacation. For more from the reporter, visit www.jaehakim.com. for attention: Casa Batllo, Casa Amatller and Casa Lleo. Because the mansions look as though they are trying to outdo each other in creative twists, locals have dubbed them the “Block of Discord.”
The Eixample is also home to famed Catalonian architect Antoni Gaudi’s La Pedrera (aka Casa Mila), with its much-photographed roller coaster of melting-icecream eaves. This is Barcelona’s quintessential Modernista building and Gaudi’s last major work before he dedicated his final years to the Sagrada Familia.
Sagrada Familia (Holy Family Church) is Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece. It boasts bold, organic architecture and decor inside and out, from its melting Glory Facade to its skull-like Passion Facade to its rainforestesque interior. Gaudi labored on the Sagrada Familia for 43 years, from 1883 until his death in 1926. Since then, construction has moved forward in fits and starts. In 2010, the main nave was finished enough to host a consecration Mass by the pope. As I stepped inside on my last visit, the brilliance of Gaudi’s vision made for lofty worship in the nearly completed nave.
Today’s main challenges for this epic work-in-progress: construct the tallest church spire ever built, ensure that construction can withstand the vibrations from speedy trains rumbling underfoot and find a way to buy out condo owners to fulfill Gaudi’s vision of a grand esplanade approaching the church. The goal to finish the church by the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death, in 2026, may seem overly optimistic. But, with money from millions of visitors pouring in each year (the admission is pricey, but you know it’s for an exciting Tourist information: www.barcelonaturisme .cat cause), it appears more obtainable as time goes by. I’ve long said, “If there’s one building I’d like to see in Europe, it’s Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona … finished.”
With attitude in its art, culture, and politics, Barcelona, in spite of its tourist crowds, is a place where you’re likely to wave the local flag and declare, along with its residents, “Visca Catalunya!” Rick Steves (ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at
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