Leaving the Real World Behind

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My first three days traveling made for an interesting time, to say the least. It is amazing that one can so totally detach himself or herself completely from the real world that has been left behind to go traveling. Except, of course, when someone really wants to talk politics in an election year. Barcelona is a wonderfully active, vibrant city constantly flowing with people, and full of tremendous architecture. It is the city of Picaso, the city of Gaudi. However, my memory of my time here will forever be dominated by my Omi's passing yesterday, the 5th of May 2008. I know in my head how lucky I was that I went home for Passover this year, giving me one last chance to see her, and I know that never will see her again, yet, somehow, it doesn't seem real. It may be because I have disconnected in a way from the rest of the world, maybe it is because of the disctance and not being with my family, but it doesn't yet feel that anything is different.

Sunday, May 4th:
Didn't sleep at all last night. Really a combination of excitement, Indian food and he fact that the tube decided to take an extra 30 min from Old Street to Hampstead, and then stop there - leaving me one stop short of home. So Melissa and I caught a bus from that station to home and I called it a night. But with the flight leaving from Stanstead at 7:00am, I had to be up at 3:30 to make sure I was showered and had not forgotten anything and catch the bus from Golders Green to the airport. Fortnately, I had no trouble getting through security (very fortunate, in fact, as the curry from last night was making its presence felt) and was able to collect myself, do a bit of reading and relax before boading the plane. Flight was easy and I even managed to get an hour's sleep on the 90min flight (I love how close everything is in Europe).
Landed and made my way to the hostel pretty quickly, in fact, I was all checked into the room at the Sant Jordi Arago before noon. First reaction is a great location, freindly staff and free internet - always a plus. The guy who checked in right before me, Chad, another American, had the same room and we decided to head out and do a bit of sight-seeing together. Saw some procession for something or other, with horses and men and women in costume and uniform. We got ourselves a nice little lunch and made it to the Picasso Museum. Travel note: All museums are free in Spain the first Sunday of every month. So we got in for free. The place has a great collection arraged chronicologically of the artist's development through the years. To be fair, it is a small collection, that doesn't have what we think of as his great works, and no explanation of the pieces. So, for a better understanding of his life and work and path, it is an essential destination...if you think cubism can be cool sometimes, you'll get bored.
Chad had a few more days in town than I, so we parted ways as he went down to the park to read a bit, and I hoofed it around down to the waterfront and along the main road there past the statue of Columbus and to the castle hill on the southern end of town. Took a very cool funicular and goldola ride to the top, where I had specatcular views of the city and checked out the cool old fortification up there. Bumped into 3 Canadians who were very excited to hear another English-speaker, and gave them a few tips on Berlin, which was to be the end of their journey. From there I walked down the hill past the old olympic stadiums and the FC Barcelona field. Cool to look at and go by, but otherwise, notthing special. I did meet an Aussie in front of a curch-looking building that was now the Catalan pantheon of sorts, who was traveling for 2 more months after letting his wife and 2-yo kid go home for the duration. Amazing that she let him keep on going. From there I hoofed it on home and relaxed a bit before heading out to dinner.
I grabbed tapas with two American girls who had been studying for the semester in Malaga, and had just come back from about a week and a half of travel to Paris and Rome. The food was good, but not spectacular. I guess a lot of it had to do with the fact that we were on the edge of the touristy area, so it wasn't great, but still pricey. After dinner we wandered around the city a bit, getting a glimpse of the Gothic Quarter, and eventually headed home.

Monday, May 5th:
Cinco de Mayo!!! Ok, I guess that really isn't such a big deal here in Spain, but still... Today was my Gaudi day. After sleeping in, something I desperately needed after the total lack of sleep Saturday night, and a quick shower, I was off to see the sights of Barcelona's favorite son.
First off was Casa Batllo. Great location - right on the Passeg de Gracia and just around the corner from my hostel - and a spectacular first in-person impression of Gaudi's work. The home has almost no straight lines and is a testament to what a great mind can do if put to architecture and general contracting all in one go. It is dominated by natural, specifically maritime, motifs with spirals and waves to match shells and the raging sea. It also looks out right over the street, still a major thoroughfare, but at the time the main avenue for the Catalan bourgeoisie of the late 19th Century.
From there I hoofed it to La Segrada Familia, hitting a small little church that offered a cloistered, protected respite from the city. La Segrada Familia may be the most spectacular structure that I have ever seen. Begun 120 years ago, it is still almost 20 years from the expected completion date (and that is only so soon because of modern construction techniques - Gaudi expected it to take a few hundred years) due to the incredible size and detail of the structure. This did not concern Gaudi, who said "My client has no deadlines." While the structural elements are somewhat gothic, the feel is very modern and natural, providing a wonderful sense of openness. Waiting in line for the elevator to the top of one of the eight towers completed (there will be 16 in all) I ended up chatting with the girl next to me and the couple next to her. She was a Brazilian living in Australia (maybe the coolest accent ever) taking a year-long round-the-world trip, and they were a German couple from Hannover, and the husband was Kurdish. I was very excited that I got to use my German here, as well as my Spanish. The top of the tower gave a commanding view of the city and a new perspective (to me at least) on the construction process from above.
The next stop was up to the north end of town to see Park Guell. Designed by Gaudi under the patronage of a fabric maker named Guell for the suburb he intended to build for his employees. While the workers' colony never materialized, the city eventually grew to surround the park, making it full of both locals and tourists at all times. I started up at the top (north) end of the park and worked my way down to through the crowds and past the ornamented walks to the Gaudi Museum. The building used to be his house, and while there is not a whole lot there to see, it is fun to see the strange, oddly formed furniture, he used and designed. The park is primarily famous, however, for the grand patio with an undulating, curving bench that runs along its southern edge providing the great vistas of the city. I exited directly below this via the grand double-staircase adorned with mosaics and sculptures.
My final Gaudi stop of the day was the Casa Mila, which is also along Passeg de Graci, just a few blocks up from my hostel. It is much like the Casa Batllo, but it's main attraction is the crazy ups and downs of the roof terrace. While it is significantly larger than the Batllo house, I don't really believe that the inside has the whimsy or fanciful beauty of its smaller neighbor. The roof, however, is a different story. It provided excellent views of the city, shade and very ,very fun curves, both horizontally and vertically.
After Casa Mila, I went back to the hostel to relax for a bit. I ended up meeting some of my fellow roommates, and three of us decided to head out for dinner. As soon as Matt, Lindsay and I set foot out of the door, I spoke with dad and got the bad news about Omi. After talking to him and mom for a minute, and making sure to tell them that I loved them, I decided to continue out for dinner with my roomies. After a good little dinner of paella, some random conversations and me being corrected on my 'll' by a very fabulous bartender after about my 3rd round, the topic went on to politics. All three of us are liberal, but I could not compete with these two. They had both been tear-gassed in the WTO riots in Seattle (they did not know each other before tonight) - which should tell you enough about where they stood on things. The night got more interesting. Right after I made a quick call to Bethany, Matt kicked the ashtray over, spilling cigarette-water all over my jeans, so between their chain-smoking and the water, I completely reeked of smoke. After a few more beers and some tequila shots, we called it a night.

Wednesday, May 6th:
Last day in Barcelona and a very relaxing one. Slept in relatively late again, packed and headed out into the town. Swung by the very lovely, if a bit understated compared to the Segrada Familia, Barcelona Cathedral. A very pretty gothic structure that was also undergoing some repairs, which meant not spire-climbing for me. It certainly should be considered a beautiful building in its own right, but compared to the Gaudi structures in the city, it gets moved down my list. My next stop was the Arc D'Triomf - I'm not sure what they were celebrating victory over, but it too is a beautiful, understated structure that certainly holds its place in the city well. Just down the wide, pedestrian boulevard from the Arc is the Catalan Parliament building and the surrounding park, one of Barcelona's most popular. After lunch and some reading here, I made my way down to the beach to get a bit of sun - and so that I wouldn't have to say that I had been to Barcelona but not the beach.
After a bit on the beach, I headed back to the hostel to get myself together, relax, work on the blog and schmooze some of my fellow hostelers. Eventually, Penny and I ran down to the market and grabbed some pasta for the group for dinner. After dinner, it was off to the airport for Tel Aviv.

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