Barcelona

Well it is Thurs 16th and we are back at Pissos, after getting back from Barcelona late yesterday afternoon, and what an adventure it has been! It is hard to put into words the effect that the city had on us, but it has been profound. Barcelona, thrilled us, scared us, overwhelmed us, robbed us and in the end, after we began to get used to her ways, wooed us. It began (as usual) with a car crisis. We knew that parking in the city itself is next to impossible, so we planned to drop our gear at our accomodation, (which was in the gothic quarter, in the heart of the "old" city) and then park the car out of the center. Problem was, Barcelona is a 2000 year old city, and the "old" city is a labrinth of narrow alley-ways. I had programmed our GPS to take us to the front door. It dutifully directed us through a series of narrow lanes teeming with pedestrians, until we emerged into a wide plaza called Plaza Sant Jerome. What we didnt realise was that our accomodation was right next door to the presidential palace, and the plaza is closed to traffic until 9pm. The police stopped us and there was some confusion, until our host, who was expecting us, came to our rescue, and arranged for us to unload our gear. He then hopped in our car and directed me to a street in a (relatively) safe neigbourhood about 5k away, where we left the car for the next 3 days, and caught the subway back. It was quite late by the time I returned, and the girls were a little worried. It took us a while to get our bearings the next morning and we ended staying in the city centre the whole day, strolling along La Rambla. La Rambla is basicaly the mall that runs for about 1.5 kilometres and is packed with stalls, buskers, street artists, restaraunts, cafes, pickpockets, sprukers & hustlers and tens of thousands of people, seemingly 24 hours a day. Next day we went to see the the Temple Sagrada Familia (Temple Holy Family), Gaudi's magnificent obsession; something I have always wanted to see, since reading about it in the 70's. I could have spent a day there, it is truly a incredible place. Don't be put off by the rather bizzare exterior, the inside is completly magnificent. I want to be there when it is finished in 2030. (They began it in 1879!) Gaudi was a genius, and I was moved to tears, by his devotion and passion. I understand the theoligical and historical reasons, why the reformation rejected such grandious expressions, but I cant help thinking we are the poorer for it, when our tradition looses such genius to the secular. Then we went to Gaudi Park, in the hills behind the city and saw more of his work. After that it was getting late, so we went back to La Rambla and organised for a street artist to do some portraits of the girls. After a bite to eat, we hopped on a double decker "Touriste" bus and took in the sites. 2 hours later we returned, totally flabergasted by this wondourous city. Barcelona is the capital of a "nation within a nation" called Catalania. The Catalan's are proud of their city, and value art and archicture highly. It seems no one is allowed to build a major building unless it is a work of art. The result is an incredible city the scope of which almost overwhelms the senses. It was now 10pm, so we went back to collect the portraits, bought some gelati, and wondered around the little alleyways and side streets until 11.30 then went home to try to sleep with the sounds of the city all around us, and the incredible images we had seen still running through our minds. Next morning Barcelona had one more suprise in store for us. I had decided to catch the underground back to the car. We found the right line, and worked out which was our stop. Loaded with luggage we were a little slow to hop on, the end result being that Kirsty was left behind, as the door closed in her face! I franticaly signalled for her to follow us on the next train. Somehow it didnt quite work out that way, and she had a little tour around the subway system, before getting herself back to us. I was one relieved father! The trip back to Pissos was magical. I programed the GPS to avoid the motorways, so we returned through the backroads of Southern France. Vineyards, picturesque villages every few k's, green rolling hills patchworked with crops as far as the eye can see in all directions for 560 kilometres. There is no unused country. No wonder there have been so many wars faught over this productive land for thousands of years.

See ya,

love youse all...