The train situation is still up in the air and out of my control despite a reasonable request I sent to France via tweet. So, today, I got back on the tour bus and went to MNAC (Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya). I went through the modernist halls first and was greatly disturbed by a painting of a cherub Cupid gambling. This explains so, so much. I didn’t take a picture because I want to forget it. The rest of the museum has a lot of religious art–frescos, paintings, sculptures. There were a lot of somewhat strange looking Jesuses, my favorite of which is this–
This Jesus seems super chill, even though in the upper left panel a ghost is riding a horse, in the upper right, people are arguing with laundry, in the lower left, auditions for the Haunted Mansion, and, look, on the lower right, a demon is trying to give sleepy Jesus a snake gift. All this and the center Jesus looks like he’s fresh off the Santa Cruz beach. Chill.
Outside the museum is a great panoramic view of the city. My face is blocking it in this picture.
There were ESCALATORS down the hill to a fountain. I escalated down and waited for the fountain to turn on, but it never did. This is called the Magic Fountain. It magically did not feel like performing this afternoon, so I got back on the bus. I’d been on the whole tour before and was able to look around more thoroughly. It was then that I started to notice some weird things. A pizza place called “WHY?” and a clothing store called Vague, for example, caught my eye. Then I saw this spicy meatball.
What. The. Hell. The tour guide didn’t mention this HUGE stone sphere sitting precariously on top of a mall by the sea. This thing is one hurricane away from pin balling its way through the city. How is this not in every disaster movie.
And finally, a block from my Airbnb, I spotted a message.
That’s right, the mark of the Devil, in the flesh, in an ally off La Rambla. You heard it here first.
Also, the Devil speaks English. The more you know.
paralyzedbynotcaring 