Sarahenity: On The Road: Barcelona

This blog post about Barcelona unfolded much of the way our trip to Barcelona did -- not exactly as planned. I had finished writing about Sevilla last weekend and was excited to carry on with the final Spanish city of our trip... and then work went crazy and so did life so here I am, a week behind schedule, finally composing this post.

Our trip to Barcelona started out with a pre-dawn cab ride to the airport, this time for an experience with easyjet. Their slogan should be "easyjet: the airline where you can buy lotto tickets and maps on board." I've never seen so many thinks for sale on a flight before. There was a lot of waiting in line (easyjet, like Southwest, has open seating on the planes...) and a surprise here and there (there were no seat pockets, for example), but it was a relatively quick flight from Sevilla to Barcelona. From the moment we landed, our flight path taking us in over the Mediterranean, I knew I would like Barcelona. This was mostly correct.

Enjoying 4 Cats!

Our hotel was a quirky little place off of a small alley and we had the pleasure of overlooking people's balconies fifteen feet behind us. But after we dropped our bags off, we wandered off for lunch at one of my favorite places of the trip, a little restaurant called 4 Cats. After almost a week of tapas, I was in love with their phenomenal salad and an eggplant parmesan I assumed one could only experience in Italy. Besides, anything named after the best animal in the world was destined to be excellent.

Barcelona was such a nice break because it had much more of an international feel compared to our previous stops. If Madrid was Washington D.C., Barcelona was New York City, complete with global food, fashion, and a hip, young atmosphere that made us feel much more at home. We had a long list of ideas for Barcelona, the home of Gaudi, but the weather -- and the city -- had other plans for us.

After our 4 Cats lunch, we headed to the zoo. I have a huge love of animals and try to visit zoos whenever I travel to gain new knowledge and understanding about the creatures we share our planet with. But first, we had an interesting subway incident. Our trip started with us getting separated on the subway. Sergio and I were running to make a train, and he ended up on the train and I ended up standing on the platform. He said I had the saddest face he had ever seen, though what I remember is the guy behind him laughing at me. We hadn't come up with a plan if we got separated, so I decided to get on the next train and get off at the next stop, which seemed logical (the other option, of course, was staying put). As I waited for the next train, I realized that we were going the wrong direction, but decided to stick with my plan. When I got off at the next stop, Sergio was there, waiting. He too had realized that we were going the wrong direction, so he hoped I would come anyway. We re-enacted the drama for posterity's sake in this photo:

Abandonment issues.

I must say that the zoo in Barcelona was a very unique experience for me. The animals were very accessible, but the zoo was older and run-down, with many of the enclosures smaller than what I would imagine is best for the animals. We particularly enjoyed all of the birds and the seal and monkey exhibits. Right as we were leaving, though, we came upon a monkey exhibit that was very accessible to guests. The monkeys, some type of baboons, had a large enclosure that was 15-20 feet below where visitors stood, and the entire area was open. We hadn't been standing for very long before I noticed a man and a woman to our left -- the man was feeding the monkeys. I felt sick to my stomach. There had been many people throughout our visit who had not been kind to the animals -- whether pounding on glass or trying to scare them, I was just very sad.

Chatty, curious birds.

Our little wallaby friend. I can't escape Australia.

"He's feeding them," I told Sergio. We had noticed that there were a ton of signs all around the zoo about not bothering, harassing, or feeding the animals, and now we knew why. I felt a little powerless because were I either at home or able to speak Spanish, I would have gone straight up to him and given him the what-for. I was just starting to explain that to Sergio when I turned and he was gone. He walked over to the man and proceeded to tell him off in Spanish, asking him why he was unable to read the signs about not feeding animals. I wasn't sure what would happen -- Sergio is very strong, so even though it seemed like an exaggeration that there would be a fight by the monkey pit, I knew he would be able to handle himself. The exchange was brief, and he was beside me again. We started walking away and I was overcome with a whole host of emotions. You can tell a lot about someone by the way they treat those who disrespect the helpless, whether human or animal.

We had planned to spend our second day focused on Gaudi, the famous architect whose buildings are a main attraction in Barcelona. We had planned to visit Sagrada Familia, his unfinished masterpiece, as well as some of his houses and Park Guell (pronounced "gway") on the outskirts of town. The morning dawned rainy and wet -- thwarting all of our walking plans -- and we learned that September 11th is Catalan Day, where the whole region marches for independence from Spain and celebrates their heritage. This meant that most things would be closed. #epic fail.

We decided to visit Sagrada Familia anyway -- and boy, was I glad that we did. I've seen so many cathedrals and churches when I've traveled, yet this one might have been the most impressive yet. If you've never visited, add it to your next European trip. Only a quarter completed when Gaudi died in 1926, they hope to finish the project in 2026 -- though, by all accounts, there will need to be a miracle to make it happen.

You start the tour outside at the Passion facade, one of three main facades of the church, and the one completed most recently. It is stark, modern, and harsh. Then you step through the doors of the church, look up and...

Looking up in Sagrada Familia

The scale was awe-inspiring.

... nothing but beauty awaits you. The cathedral was brighter, lighter, and more modern than any I had ever visited. It felt earthy and alive -- after all, Gaudi was inspired by the beauty in nature and had hoped that the columns would feel like trees. The tour finished outside at the Nativity facade, which was completed during Gaudi's lifetime. The third facade, the Glory facade, is just now being constructed. The church also included a museum, part of the workshop used by the current builders, and a set of windows overlooking Gaudi's tomb. It was absolutely stunning, and as we walked away we promised one another to come back after the church was finished to marvel all over again. Yes, that is how impressive it was!

The Nativity Facade through the rain.

After we finished at the cathedral, we wandered around the center of town, taking in all of the people as we went. There wasn't much to do other than to walk and to watch and absorb, so while it was disappointing to miss some of the sites or markets, we had a different sort of experience. We also broke down and had dinner at KFC -- to be honest, I cannot remember the last time I ate KFC in the States. I would guess it has been fifteen years! I'm convinced that they lace the chicken with crack because it tasted so damn good. I guess that's what a week of tapas does to you -- all you want is American fried chicken!

Our time in Spain was coming to an end. As I reflect back on our time there, it was not at all what I had expected it to be. Neither a compliment nor a critique, I found that there were many unexpected things in Spain that made me think more about the world and the beauty of the unique cultures it contains. As we packed our bags, though, I became very excited. Our journey continued in France, a country that stole my heart from the beginning. I was excited for pain au chocolate, crepes, and a language I could semi-understand. Vive la France!

xo
Sarah