Oh Barcelona ... Part 1

Sorry for the tardiness as this was written about a month ago while sitting on a plane heading for Lyon, France after an 18 day tour of duty in Spain.

The trip to Barcelona aboard an early 7.5 hour bus ride from Madrid proved to be quite facile once one was distracted by the magnificent landscape flowing by in the window. From graffiti interlaced with concrete to jagged mountains to stark deserts, it was hard to believe that just hours prior one was sitting in a veritable forest amid a bustling city of cobble stones and buzzing scooters.

For the second time on this excursion, the services of a hostel were to be utilized for the first few days of the trip as a host could not be secured in time. Despite the stress this caused in Madrid, one was quite excited about the prospect of meeting some fellow travelers and possibly fellow city explorers. Upon arrival one located the hostel and settled into a cheap smelly room. Iit was time to head out and seek sustenance.

On a tip from some polite Canadians (truly the best nationality to encounter whilst traveling) it turned out I was staying within walking distance of the Sagrada Familia, a gothic cathedral on acid. For those not familiar with it, it is a surrealist Cathedral designed by famous Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi.



It was started in the early 1900’s and still hasn’t been completed. Despite it’s unfinished state it is truly a marvel and I would be spending more time with it later. Regardless, being in a weary dumbfounded state, the gargantuan spires and cubist Jeebus on a steel beam crucifix was something to behold.

Further exploring led to La Rambla, the main touristy strip of shops, restaurants, bars and other fare such as human statues, illegal street beer vendors and the omnipresent working girls. Mind you during the day this is a far different place where families stroll around carelessly while being seduced by well dressed waiters pedaling paella.

Wandering brought one to the beach where there happened to be a big Soca concert featuring some famous Puerto Rican singers right by the water. When in Rome, etc. etc…do. Nothing left to do but buy a can of Estrella, sit on the sand listening to music and hope some stars would shine through the light pollution.

After a morning trip to the beach and a dip in the warm water (perhaps Global Warming is nice sometimes? I kid.) I’d decided to return to the hostel to regroup and plan. It was here that one met what would become the gang for the next couple of days. Among them were a Brazilian vagrant, a Ukrainian Aussie and true Italian Paesano of Milanese extraction (being from Brooklyn that makes us 3rd cousins, twice removed, no?).

Upon heading out to buy produce for our Carbonara (ok his, we just ate it.) We discovered yet another strange fact about Spain, the wine is dirt cheap! God bless Southern Europe. Debauchery ensued. *Further details would discredit their author resulting in one being dubbed with names of bad conscience*

A slow start the next day resulted in a fine march up a hill to Park Guell. Yet another brainchild of Gaudi, the vantage point was meant to be a retreat for the city’s aristocracy. Nowadays it provides a marvelous view of all of Barcelona as well as some amazing mosaics which cover the park, buildings and the textured
ceilings.

Walking through Park Guell it was easy to get lost in what appeared to be the realization of one man’s astonishing dreams, a manifestation that occurs rather infrequently as such thoughts tend to be relegated to ones own mind or to the sphere of the two dimensional medium.

The evening was concluded with a trip to the Champagneria, a famous traditional Catalan Cava bar. With no sign out front, it is denoted by a giant open door in the middle of street. Inside is a bustling bar which only serves various forms of Cava (Spanish sparkling wine) by the glass along with hot sandwiches and the ever-present tapas.

Amid the dark smoky interior, lined with hanging legs of pork, one mostly hears Catalan. A language which to these ears sounds like a speedy mixture of Spanish, French and Italian. Indeed they say “merci” for thank you. The glasses are small and run an average of 75 cents each. They add up! By the time you are kicked out at 10pm the effect is noted.

The next day brought a more intimate interaction with the Sagrada Familia. After a breakfast of some Spanish coffee (con leche) and croissants the gang decided to actually enter the mammoth structure. At this point I would suggest that people actually look up proper photography of the Cathedral as mine would never do it justice.

It is simply impossible to convey the sheer amount of detail put into the structure. In every nook and cranny is another surprise, another sculpture or twist to bend the mind. Gaudi was supposedly obsessed with nature (and a virulent drug addict) so these elements were woven into the design. It is said he used many of the flowers and fauna of the Mediterranean city in his concepts. Apart from palm trees and vines one can also see a plethora of lizards which is both natural and yet awkward considering Christianity’s use of reptilian and serpentine imagery to denote evil.

As much as I avoid the touristy stuff in my travels, there was one temptation we could not avoid and that was taking the elevator to ascend to the top of one of the spires. From here you can descend on a spiraling staircase with small windows allowing for a close up view of some of the ornate detail work and mosaics done at the top. It is also possible to enter onto a veritable catwalk connecting two spires which takes you out into the open air with yet another view of the city and the monstrous spires themselves.

The rest of the day could only be spent conversation about the surreal structure. To us the Sagrada Familia showed us why we loved Barcelona. The clash of the old world with the world that is often reduced to ones mind, fantasy. Its intention was to be a functional cathedral but the result is an everlasting work in progress in the true Southern European sense of the term. It doesn’t seem like they are in the biggest hurry to complete it and that’s ok.

Part 2 will come soon. As usual photos are at http://public.fotki.com/Dimakay/travel/barcelona