I know I said that I could live in Italy, then I said I could live in Istanbul, but ignore all that because Barcelona is where it is at. It is nestled between mountains and the sea, a perfect combo, and it is the cleanest city we have visited. The streets are broad with bike lanes in the center and are well laid out. The buildings are well maintained and architecturally interesting. There are green spaces everywhere, with sculptures, and even the lampposts are works of art.
Our apartment for 5 nights was a block from Antoni Gaudi’s bizarre cathedral, the Sagrada Familia, which has been under construction since 1882. Gaudi left his mark all over Barcelona designing parks, lampposts, and apartments. Barcelona was home to Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso, and modern art mixed with history is everywhere. We went to the Picasso Museum where we saw work from when he was 9 until his death. He was a genius and I must say a real horn dogger. He had produced many naughty ink drawings, which were..er…well..my favorite part. O.K., whatever, think what you want of me.
Barcelona also has a very good zoo and an aquarium. Tired of Roman ruins and dead guy stuff, we all headed to the latter for a fun afternoon. It is a very good aquarium. It is well thought out which seems to be par for the course for Barcelona. The cherry on the Barcelona sundae is the endless tapas bars. I love love love tapas. Whoever decided that closing shop at 2:00 pm and then going to a bar for drinks and savory little snacks for a few hours deserves a medal. And if that same person also invented sangria, then quite frankly they deserve a sainthood.
After 5 nights in Barcelona, we headed to Girona. The trains in Spain are in better shape than Italy, and seem to keep to a timetable as well. Girona is about 1.5 hr by the train and is bigger than Lucca. It is known as the place where many cycling pros come to train. Lance Armstrong even owns a house here. So it is Dwayne’s turn to be as happy as a pig in shit. There is plenty a good biking in them there hills! So far he has been on 2 big glorious rides, one of which was 7 hours and took him to the coast of Costa Brava.
Our apartment has no Internet or TV, so there is always a card game or several noses in novels. The community centre next door offers free wifi and Internet, we merely had to sign up with our passports. It has a little bar/cafe and I sit here sipping a beer and typing my blog. It is beyond civilised. As this is a working class neighbourhood, many do not own a computer and I observe many new immigrants and families using the computers.
Across the street is a gym owned by a couple who were a former Mr World and Miss Universe. For a really low fee Luc and I got one month unlimited, a personal trainer, and access to all the classes, like boxing and spinning. We have been there everyday. Reaching the keyboard is about as high as my arms go right now.
As Dwayne rides off to find Lance Armstrong, the rest of us are planning our next few weeks here. We plan on a few more trips to Barcelona, a trip to Cadaques to see Salvador Dali’s villa, and a bike trip to the Costa Brava to see the beaches. We took the train up to Figueres, where we spent an afternoon in the Dali Museum. It is almost unexplainable, except to say that if anyone is ever near the area, they must go. Genius? Yes. Nuts? Oh, yes! It is like one huge theatre of art and installations, a funhouse for all, a running commentary on the absurdness of life according to Dali. It is brilliant for those willing to open their minds. We all loved it. We can just imagine what his house will look like.
It is surprising how I find we all can settle into a routine so quickly and turn our current abodes into a home. I enjoy futzing around the apartment while Nic concocts yummy dishes in the teeny tiny kitchen, Dwayne plays with his bike and plans his routes, and Luc is back to being a voracious reader (to her credit, Nic is also a huge bookworm as well now). It is a cozy nest and I wonder if at the end of the month if we will be ready to be pushed out of it for the next adventure.
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