It wouldn't have been much of a vacation if I spent hours every day blogging every step we made in and around Barcelona. Therefore, here's just a brief recap of things that left the impression.
Running uphill, getting lost downhill
Montjuic is a park on the hill on slopes of which was our hotel. It offers beautiful view of Barcelona in addition to the Olympic stadium, fortress, museums, etc. Every other day I tried to keep in shape by running up the hill. Strangely, I always managed to come up the same way every, then got lost on the way back. Monjuic's numerous paths and roads wind and intersect, and one time I emerged a couple kilometers to the west, next time I overcompensated and ended up about a couple kms to the east. It was no third charm, as I missed the path again. Finally, the day before we left, on the very last run I made it right, retraced my steps and came down the same way I climbed the hill.
A town that reeks of urine
It seems that bar-hoppers in downtown Barcelona don't bother searching for the washroom--they relieve themselves literally on every corner. The downtown being a maze of narrow, paved streets baked by the sun during the day, it's perpetually enveloped in the vapor and stench of urine. There are cafes and restaurants with tables spread on the squares and sidewalks, for those who don't mind sipping a beer or having a dinner amidst the unpleasant aroma.
At night shady, dirty characters crawl out to sit or crouch on the street and eye the passers-by. Each time we passed by a group of them, I half-expected to be robbed.
Gaudi, Dali - geniuses or lunatics?
You can't make a move around Barcelona without hearing or reading about Gaudi. He is so revered that you'd think he constructed half of the town, not "only" a handful of houses, including the Sagrada Familia cathedral which is still under construction and won't be finished at least until 2026. I must admit, there was so much overwhelming advertising about Gaudi's designs, that I had developed a dislike without seeing them. It all changed in Casa Batllo, house designed and inspired by the theme of water, a contemporary of Jules Verne's book "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea." Walking its rooms and stairways makes one feels like submerging in a captain Nemo's luxurious submarine. Seen from the inside, Gaudi's "melting wax" designs started making sense and even revealed a weird kind of beauty.
Another famous case of unconventional designs and art is Salvador Dali, who purchased a theatre in his birth town of Figueres and turned it into a museum. While his eccentricism lurks in every bit of it, so does his genius--from experiments to present his art in 3D, to the manipulation of space and colors. He turned one whole room into a portrait of the actress Mae West, painted a portrait of a nude woman which, when looked at from afar, turns into a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and so on... His jewelry designs are equally eccentric and breathtaking, the most fascinating piece being the beating heart made of gold and jewels. It truly is beating!
Tarragona
Finally, tired of looking over our shoulders for pickpockets, we went searching for friendlier and cleaner air. And, we found it in Tarragona. The town an hour southwest by train is so unlike Barcelona: laid back, clean, friendly and beautiful. With occasional dog-poop on the sidewalk. It's built on the remains of the Roman settlement of Tarraco. The emperor Augustus spent some time there and left many marks on the town, some of them still visible today. Roman ruins are fascinating, from the amphitheatre to the circus, forum and old walls.
We just happened to be there at the start of Santa Tecla celebration. St. Tecla is the saint matron of the town and in her honor there's an annual 2-weeks long festival. The most impressive part of the festival is the building of "castelli" or human castles where scores of people climb on each others' shoulders and build a tower several stories high. We were lucky enough to witness it. The real thing, however, happens every 2 years in October, when Tarragona hosts the world championship in "castelli" competition.
Air Transat
Worth mentioning for this vacation was fantastic service we had on board the "Club Class" on our Air Transat flights. Especially flying back to Toronto, when we scored sits 1A and B with legroom more than needed and even the passable food.
No comments:
Post a Comment