Barcelona: City of Gaudí

 This weekend trip was a whirlwind of emotion for me. First off this was my first time being back in the Granada airport since I arrived in Spain almost 3 months ago, the small building that looked so foreign and cold the night I flew in felt like a comforting reminder of where I started and how far I’ve come.

Secondly, I knew I was on my way to see the Fliss family which has had me through the roof excited since the original plan of meeting up was secured!

The flight to Barcelona was relatively short and I sat next to a couple from England. They were confused on my nationality, which I always enjoy. The wife began by speaking with me in Spanish and when her husband sat down a few minutes later he started by speaking with me in English. When I responded easily to both languages it led to a great conversation about where in the world I was from and how the three of us ended up in Spain. They have been living in a small pueblo outside of Granada for the past 8 years and were heading to Barcelona to get on a cruise in celebration of their 40^th anniversary. The variety of people I meet on airplanes or in airports never ceases to amaze me.

When I landed in Barcelona I anxiously picked up my baggage and stood like a little puppy dog by the exit door hoping to see Tanner, Dana, and Kristen walking through it at any moment. Instead of finding them, I ended up running into the woman who was transporting us to the bed& breakfast so it was nice talking with her in Spanish (because she didn’t speak any English) and learning about the different accent and cultural feel to Barcelona.

FINALLY I HEARD SOMEONE CALL MY NAME and I ran to hug the three of them. It was the greatest experience. I was so thankful to see all of them, since my parents aren’t able to visit me it felt nice to have that family air around me again. I love my Spanish parents, but there’s a completely different feeling when you’re around people who care about you who grew up in the same city with and who share years of memories with.

It all fell right into place as we began catching up on the past few months. The bed and breakfast was beautiful and in the center of town, the windows were stained class and the ceiling was curving and tiled. We unpacked our belongings and after a quick make shift siesta headed out to explore the new city.

We ended up walking all the way to Park Güell, which is one of the most famous works by Gaudi and one of the top tourist attractions in Granada besides the Sagrada familia. The architecture of Gaudi is what MAKES the city of Barcelona. His technique and style allow his creations to easily stand out and stop passerbys in their tracks. I almost got hit in a crosswalk for taking to long staring and attempting to get a camera phone quality photo to capture the essence and designs that infuse an air of modernism into every single one of his unique buildings. That was definitely a run on, but I’m having trouble separating my thoughts! When I see structures he designed its easy to see why he was nicknamed “God’s architect”. The creations seem like they belong outside of the realm of man. I hope when I get the chance I can head to the bookstore down the street from my apartment in Granada and pick up a biography about his life. After visiting Barcelona I’ve changed my answer to the typical interview question “If you could have lunch with anyone alive or dead who would it be?” without hesitancy it would be Antoni Gaudí because he creates the feeling of nature using manmade materials which is a seemingly impossible feat, but as for taking credit Gaudí himself says, “Nothing is invented, for it’s written in nature first.” The way he is able to translate nature into a material form is truly a gift. I’ll leave it at that.

As far as describing Sagrada Familia, Park Güell or any of the Gaudí houses I’m at a loss of words. Even with the Sagrada Familia under construction (as it has been for over 100 years), it is still one of the most extraordinary and beautiful churches I have ever seen or dream of seeing. I hate using the word beautiful to describe it because beautiful is what I would use to describe a flower or a view, but this building goes far beyond that. Construction is estimated to be completed in 2028 and I surely plan on spending my 40^th birthday exploring what should be the 8^th wonder of the world. Any of you are more than welcome to join me!

Anyways a quick run down of the weekend:

Friday

·      Arrive in BCN

·      Explore the city and walk an hour and a half to Park Güell!!

·      Drinks, tapas, and seafood Paella at restaurant close to our B&B

Saturday

·      Explore more of the city

·      Gothic Quarter

·      Church of Barcelona

·      Ramblas

·      Market of St. Josep (The most wonderful and colorful market in existence!)

Sunday

·      Sagrada Familia

·      The Mediterranean sea

·      Parc de la Ciutadella

·      Christopher Columbus Statue

·      Back to Granada around 6

·      CLASICO!!! (Real Madrid vs BCN) Barcelona won!

Thank you again to Kristen, Dana, and Tanner for letting me stay with you and join you during your first few days in Spain. I’d also like to point out that Tanner Fliss is the most incredible map-reader in all of Europe and the US and we did not get lost once on his watch, and he doesn’t snore or use up all of the hot water.

Love you guys J