Casa de la Moneda

There are two Casa de la Moneda [mint] museums in Spain and I have been to both of them. They are about Spanish currency through the ages--sounds kind of boring, but if you factor in all the printing of lottery tickets, bills, etc. things get more interesting. 

One of the museums is in Madrid, and it's full of antique printing machinery. I am a sucker for outdated printing technology so I was basically in heaven when I visited. I learned what a pantograph was. And saw old industrial litho presses. 

The other one is in Segovia, where I took these photos. The permanent exhibit was not as print-focused. But unlike in Madrid, the water wheels are still running. Of course, there is a bar there, too. ('What museum doesn't need a bar?' would be the Spanish response to your raised eyebrows). 

This is BCN: public transportation

It is super great. Did you know that they do yearly surveys, and all the regular riders of the metro look out for the surveyors?

This year the metro received a rating of 8/10 (really, really good) by people who rode it regularly.

It's also easy for tourists to use the metro. But it's not the only transport in BCN. This city also has: city busses, neighborhood busses (teeny and adorable), three funiculars, trams, and these commuter trains called ferrocarriles (both below and above ground).

But the cutest public transportation? This old-fashioned trolley. I snapped a few photos of it in the maintenance shed the other day.

This is BCN: man toilets

Or more accurate, bad English translation.

This is why I have a job, guys.

Found this gem in Sants Estación. It made me laugh really hard.

Consolation photos

I spent a wonderful weekend in Segovia with these people. It was great, and when I returned to a rainy Tuesday morning and work in Barcelona, I was feeling a little bit down.

So when the clouds cleared off a bit, I treated myself to a hike up in the mountains. You see the whole city from up there, this glittery thing cradled in the verdant green of Montjuic and Tibidabo.

Agave in the foreground, with the Sagrada Familia and a slice of the Mediterranean in the distance.

It's hard to be so far away from family, and there's nothing that can replace them in your life. But a bit of time outdoors always puts things in perspective for me.

This is BCN

Getting dropped off at school on dad's motorcycle.

photos of letters

Whenever I travel my camera slowly fills up with photos of ... not people ... but words!

Even in Barcelona (world's most touristy city ever), I'm pretty sure everybody thinks I'm crazy when they see me taking pictures of their mail boxes.

Thank god there's a whole world of type nerds out there on the internet! This is for you:

Love the 'A'

Makes me want a moto:

Art deco and art nouveau letterforms are easy to spot here.

digging the two 's' in 'sellos'

The word 'Barcelona' looks really good in a typeface with large counters; I think it's because the 'C' and 'O' balance each other out. 

This is BCN: metro tickets

From 1926. Some things never change.

This is BCN: independence

A Catalan independence flag and a sign that reads "language is culture; language is a right."