The late Freddie Mercury had a song called “Barcelona,” which included these lyrics:
Barcelona! It
was the first time that we met
Barcelona! How can I forget
The moment that you stepped into the room
You took my breath away
Barcelona! How can I forget
The moment that you stepped into the room
You took my breath away
While
Barcelona has not necessarily taken my breath away, some of the sights that
Tony and I have experienced the past few days have definitely blown me
away. Our first full day here, we toured
the Basilica of the Sacrada Familia (the Basilica of the Holy Family). The fantastical building has been under
construction since 1882, and it is not expected to be completed until
2026. The Basilica was designed by
Antoni Gaudi, and there are no words to adequately describe it. When it is completed, it will have 18 towers –
12 for the apostles, 4 for the evangelists, 1 for the Virgin Mary and 1 for
Jesus. Currently, there are only 8
towers.
Tony
and I spent much of yesterday in the Las Ramblas area. Despite its reputation for being full of
pickpockets and gypsies trying to scam tourists, we never saw even a hint of
trouble. We visited the Cathedral of
Barcelona, which is an amazing Gothic church.
After the Cathedral, we spent several hours in the Museu de Frederic Mares. Frederic Mares was a wealthy Catalan sculptor who lived to be almost 100 years old. He once claimed that he created sculptures so that he would have the money to collect sculptures. That said, however, he collected far more. He collected sculptures, paintings, pipes, bed warmers, armor, guns, eyewear, binoculars, photography equipment, time pieces, table silver, tobacco jars, boxes, books, life-sized Crucifixes, and more! Even after hours in the museum of his collections, we never saw everything. It was fascinating.
After the Cathedral, we spent several hours in the Museu de Frederic Mares. Frederic Mares was a wealthy Catalan sculptor who lived to be almost 100 years old. He once claimed that he created sculptures so that he would have the money to collect sculptures. That said, however, he collected far more. He collected sculptures, paintings, pipes, bed warmers, armor, guns, eyewear, binoculars, photography equipment, time pieces, table silver, tobacco jars, boxes, books, life-sized Crucifixes, and more! Even after hours in the museum of his collections, we never saw everything. It was fascinating.
We also visited the section of Las Ramblas where George Orwell once lived. We found it ironic that the the area where Orwell (the author of 1984, among other books) once lived is now monitored 24/7 by a security camera. Very rich, indeed.
Then we finally broke down and went to lunch at a place where I could eat an American hamburger. I will confess that I am normally pretty culinarily adventurous (something I learned from my friend, Ginny Love), but I was seriously craving a good old American hamburger yesterday. I was able to get one (with excellent onion rings!), and I was one happy girl! We also found a Metro stop with my name on it!!!
Then we finally broke down and went to lunch at a place where I could eat an American hamburger. I will confess that I am normally pretty culinarily adventurous (something I learned from my friend, Ginny Love), but I was seriously craving a good old American hamburger yesterday. I was able to get one (with excellent onion rings!), and I was one happy girl! We also found a Metro stop with my name on it!!!
Today,
we started the day with a visit to the Museu de le Xocolata (Museum of
Chocolate). This place tells about the
history of chocolate. Chocolate came to
be revered in Mesoamerican culture. According to ancient Aztec legend, the
cacao tree was brought to Earth by the god Quetzalcoatl, who descended from
heaven on the beam of a morning star after stealing the precious plant from
paradise. It’s no wonder that the spicy beverage made from its beans was called
the ‘Drink of the Emperor.’ It is said that this xocoatl or chocolatl was so
revered that it was served in golden goblets that were thrown away after one
use.
Chocolate was served during religious rites and celebrations. It was often mixed with flavorings such as vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, chilis, hueinacaztli—a spicy flower from the custard apple tree—and anchiote, which turns the mouth bright red. The Aztec also believed that cacao possessed strong medicinal properties—indeed, warriors were issued solid cacao wafers to fortify their strength and endurance for long marches and the rigors of battle.
Chocolate was served during religious rites and celebrations. It was often mixed with flavorings such as vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, chilis, hueinacaztli—a spicy flower from the custard apple tree—and anchiote, which turns the mouth bright red. The Aztec also believed that cacao possessed strong medicinal properties—indeed, warriors were issued solid cacao wafers to fortify their strength and endurance for long marches and the rigors of battle.
There
were lots of amazing things in the museum built out of chocolate. The museum is pretty effective, though,
because one walks through and looks at all of these things built out of
chocolate, then one craves chocolate, and the exit pours into a store filled
with CHOCOLATES!!! Tony and I played right into their hands. It was delightful.
After we made our selections of chocolates (which was no easy task!), we ambled back to Las Ramblas. We stopped for a quick bite, and I had a tapas dish of Iberian ham while Tony had apple pie and wine. During our lunch we watched a group (perhaps a labor group?) engage in some sort of very loud protest right outside of our restaurant. We are seeing a lot of protests pretty much everywhere we go.
Once
we finished eating, we headed down to Museu de l’Erotica (Museum of
Erotica). Tony had more desire to sit
out in the sun than to go into the Museum, so I went alone. It was interesting, and actually humorous at
moments. They showed a vintage porn film
from about 90 years ago. I am NOT into
porn and never have been, but I admit I was curious about porn from 90 years
ago. I watched a few minutes of it, and
it was hilarious. Everything that
happened occurred with clothes on, and would probably be considered PG-13 by
today’s standards. But, it was porn 90
years ago. Priceless. Many of the rooms in the museum illustrated
the history of erotica in other cultures – China, Japan, Egypt, India, Europe,
Russia – and included artwork and manuscripts of historic value.
Tony
and I have not managed to do as much “touristy” stuff as many of the others on
the trip because we have had to come back to the room most days and do some
work. For us, this is sort of working
trip, and we are both having to keep in touch with work. So be it. We are terribly excited that we
will see our babies -- Ella and Red – in
less than 36 hours. We miss them so
much.
As
for a short summary of our impressions of Spain, I will try and share them
here.
What
we like about Spain:
1.
I
love that so many public spaces (esp. subway stations) have random people
playing music.
2.
The
people here are generally very friendly.
Even my Italian husband says the people here are very nice and “not
jerks like the people in Italy and Greece.” So, there you go.
3.
Tony
likes the cheap wine and the tapas.
4.
I
think the subway in Barcelona is one of the best I have seen.
5.
I
love that there is so much Catholic culture in Spain, and especially Barcelona.
What
I don’t love so much about Spain:
1.
While
Tony likes the tapas, I do not care too much for the food.
2.
The
Madrid Airport is dreadful. This trip
involved my third experience with the Madrid Airport, and I have hated it every
time.
3.
Tony
has found it virtually impossible to find American-style coffee unless he goes
to a Starbucks. Even at breakfast, he is
stuck with espresso or cappuccino.
4.
Heaven
forbid a Western tourist should want to eat dinner at any time before 9pm
because many places won’t open for dinner until freakin’ 9pm! What the hell??? I mean, I totally get that
Spaniards don’t eat dinner until 9pm, but in areas where there are loads of
tourists, why don’t places bother to open a little earlier? I am flummoxed as to why this is.
5.
As
a wife, it blows my mind that so many Spanish women don’t wear underpants. They get on the subway in their tiny little
dresses, and when trains BLOW into the stations, their dresses blow up, and
they flash their naked butts to my husband.
I wish you could have seen Tony’s face the first time it happened. I almost fell over laughing, but it doesn’t
mean I like it.
6.
When
you go to restaurants, you often have to choose between sitting inside where the
temperature is equivalent to one of my hot flashes, or sit outside where
everyone is smoking. Either choice
sucks, IMHO.
So,
in summary, I am glad we have had the chance to see Spain, but having made two
trips to Spain in my lifetime, I am not sure I would ever want to return. If Brittain, Alex, Melody, Kayla and all my
other friends who LOVE Spain read this and hate me for not loving Spain, I
sincerely apologize. I swear I came with an open mind, but I guess Spain’s
charms are lost on me.
Joanie