Living in Gràcia, May 2026

Jun 1

Part One

Once again, a month in Barcelona. Still in the Gràcia neighborhood, in a slightly different corner than before. We knew this area well from walking through it many times over the years. By a stroke of luck, the apartment is located a short 7 minute walk to Roser’s new studio. This made Bob’s “commute” to the studio very easy, and conducive to getting there more often. Added to the convenience, the Aldi Market was exactly on the ground floor of our building. 2 minutes to the grocery store by foot! Next door to that was a nail salon where I got a pedicure. And the Metro entrance was a just aquick walk around the corner.

These photo essays chronicle everyday life for us, which included a visit with our dear friend Kris. For the week he was here we did a lot more tourist activities than we’d usually do. That tracks exactly how it is with most people in their home places: how often do you visit big sites of interest in your own backyard unless you have visitors?!

Views In, Around and From our Apartment

What sold this apartment— the view from terrace!

About 5 am on one of the first mornings here. I was stunned for a moment with the clouds!

Another very early morning, beautiful glow.

Evening apero on the little terrace.

9 stories down— a plaza in surrounding buildings.

Kids playing Twister!

Looks like he's addressing an audience!

The last gerberas from a bouquet.

Kris and Bob preparing dinner.

They made a traditional Catalan dish—Fricandó.

Another day, another home-cooked meal.

A private pool 8 floors up!

The teenagers use the pool alot!

I might have been going a little too "Rear Window" spying!

The little work area I used. Window through to kitchen, view outside!

I bought this plant to brighten up our sparsely decorated apartment.

The cozy dining/living area, laundry hanging outside.

Looking at our building from across the street.

Directly across the street. Plaça Joannic, with playground, meeting places, and new planting all around.

Bar in Plaça Joannic, just across the street.

Great wine shop, also in Plaça Joannic. 3 minutes from home to wine shop!

Neighborhood Boxte Players

Bocce in Italian, Petanque in French, in Catalan, you have Botxes, or Petanca. No matter the name or country, this game is a passion for a lot of people. Mostly (older) men, but I’ve been seeing a handful of women and even a few younger people. Every day from about 10am to noon, it seems, these guys are out competing and socializing! The photos say it all; no need for captions, but click on the thumbnails to get the whole picture.