I once spent a glorious day and a half in Barcelona. I knew then that it wasn’t nearly enough. Twenty-two years is a long time to yearn for a return.
Where Madrid still holds onto a lot of its old-world charm, Barca is a truly cosmopolitan city, steeped in the heritage of Catalunya. The locals get very testy when you refer to them as Spaniards. Catalan is the predominant language spoken and its place of prominence above the Spanish cannot be ignored. The locals will speak to me en español, but I get the distinct feeling that they would prefer I address them in English. The separation movement, which is coming up to a hundred years, is still very vocal and active.
We spent our first evening here at a Flamenco show. The history of Flamenco is fascinating. The acapella chants have their roots in Romani folklore and tell the stories of love; sometimes unrequited, sometimes fulfilled. The costumes date back centuries and it takes years to master the pounding footwork of the solos and pasa dobles. The shows are traditionally performed in a tabloa. It reminded me of clubs in which the Beatles used to perform in Hamburg. Flamenco is so popular it even has its own emoji. 💃 I honestly thought it would be hokey, but once again I was proven wrong. I loved it. The Spanish guitars were unbelievably great and the performers dazzling. The food was mediocre but, who cared? We were captivated.
The high art of Gaudi dominates Barcelona and the pride the locals feel for their native son is pure. The centenary of his death is fast approaching in 2026, and the planning is well underway. Contrary to popular opinion, Sagrada Familia will not be fully completed by then. The Jesus tower and the front entrance will finally be done, but there will still be ongoing work on four more towers. When The Husband and I first visited back in 2002, we weren’t permitted to enter Sagrada Familia. The inside was worth the wait. It is truly a masterpiece, with sensations of the natural world overwhelming the senses in every corner. Ascending the tower and then walking down the four-hundred steps of his own personal Fibonacci sequence was remarkable. And the light? Oh, my! The light permeates every inch of his designs, whether at the church or his buildings. Truly something needed to be seen to be fully understood.
Some random thoughts.
- Sra. Lee (z"l), my high school Spanish teacher would be proud of me, but she left out Catalan from the syllabus. It is a weird language.
- Did I say four-hundred steps down? My quads are barking four-thousand or maybe four-hundred-thousand. I’m sore today.
- We have been pretty good at planning ahead on this trip, but we blew it with Park Güell, a Gaudi sculpture garden. We didn’t realize we needed to pre-purchase tickets until we hiked for forty minutes up the mountain, only to discover that tickets were sold out. We will try again before we leave,
- Las Ramblas is a happening place. Music, street performers, art, and lots of touristy shit.
- "Nothing is art if it doesn't come from nature."~Antonio Gaudi
- "The straight line belongs to man, the curved one to God."~Antonio Gaudi
- "Those who look for the laws of Nature as a support for their new works collaborate with The Creator."~Antonio Gaudi
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