Barcelona

Rooftop view from Casa Battlo

Port landmark

Although I'd been to Barcelona before, it was not a deep disappointment to go again when it was added to our itinerary. There is something about the Catalunyan independent spirit, and the beauty and whimsy of this city that speaks to me. It is a city where anything goes if it's fun and harmless, and bullfighting is outlawed. The Catalan language is a mix of mysterious and familiar, similar enough to Spanish and French for me to decipher some words and let others softly roll on by my ears.



Everywhere you turn, you spot a building where you can recognize Antoni Gaudi touches. According to our guide, the Catholic church is going to canonize Gaudi, who became a mystic in his later years. I realize that I have been adoring his architecture for its creativity and fantasy, but he had a serious religious purpose as well. The natural elements of his buildings were 'prayers to the architect of nature' e.g. God. Gaudi intended Sagrada Familia to be an expiatory chapel, where people atoned for their sins and gave offerings to support it. His vision was that there would be positive energy in each stone paid for in this way. It is sad that now the ongoing construction is supported by Asian companies (according to our guide) and tourists.

 I want to live in this sea-like house.

Sagrada Familia and ubiquitous crane

In contrast to Gaudi, the port is dominated by a landmark statue of 'Colon' aka Christopher Columbus, who returned to Barcelona after his first voyage to America. The base of the statue is full of other figures looking heroic. We also toured a 14th century cathedral with later layers of architectural styles, including neogothic. (I can see where Duke got its influences in a lot of the cities we've visited.) Another contrast is an obviously phallic monument by Miro that is called 'Woman and Bird.' Our guide shrugged with a wry smile.

Other experiences in Barcelona, the bullet point version:

• A gorgeous hike in Montserrat, after being disgusted by the ugly tourists taking flash selfies with the black Madonna statue during the boys choir service
• Tapas lessons: chorizo del diablo is not only caliente, it is literally set on fire. And pulpitos are tasty with olive oil, parsley, and lemon, if you don't think about how cute they are.
• A visit to the gift shop of the Catalunya history museum near the beach, where the sales woman helped me to identify local music and gave me a free CD of the most important Catalunyan musicians

  

Mont Serrat

  

The Saldana, national Catalunyan dance