Barcelona Notes

My second day in Barcelona was delightful. I had countered some of my jetlag by napping and sleeping through some of the night – emphasis on some. My hostel has a “youthful vibrancy” rooted in the large numbers of teenage backpackers – many of them Australian. Lord knows I love Australians, and their friendly familiar ways. But once they get to drinking, the charm is replaced by volume control issues, and general bad judgement. (See my post from last year on Camping Roma re Australians peeing on our tent). Obviously this is an unabashed generalization that cannot be applied to every Australian (ie my lovely friend Jade), however more often than not my prejudices are rewarded with like behaviour.

My hostel is supposed to enforce quiet after 11 pm. I’m not sure who was supposed to be maintaining this rule. Perhaps they were sleeping with earplugs like I wished I had been. For my part I was awakened many times by screaming, singing, and door slamming.

But on to more pleasant topics. I started my day with a tour of Gothic Barcelona, led by a hilarious tour guide with an eccentric grasp of English. Instead of look up, we got “turn your noses towards the sky.” Through the tour much of the beauty of Barcelona was opened up to me. I saw in its aesthetics a hybrid of Paris and Rome – not bad! So many of the buildings were wonderfully ornamented with beautiful colours, stonework, and frescos. After the tour was over I continued to walk on my own, rapidly leaving St. James Square where the tour ended as it was filled with protestors and policemen.

I wandered to check out the much talked up church Santa Maria del Mar. Truth be told I was a little disappointed. I knew that some time ago all of the original Gothic decorations had been removed, and all that remained was the stone walls. Beautiful though it was, I have seen so many churches now that it seemed very plain, even structurally boring in comparison to other structures. After a nap in the afternoon I went to visit Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. I was not disappointed! I cannot possibly do it justice here, but it was truly a visual feast for the eyes.

Challenges:
- After tripping and laughing at myself, having a group of teenagers make fun of me. Get me out of this hostel!

Perks:
- seeing workers taking a smoke break inside the church.