Barcelona, Spain

You know that thing that happens after "Red punch buggy no punch back!", how suddenly you see red bugs everywhere? I wonder if this is what's going with me and Barcelona. It seems like everyone I meet: old, new, or virtual is visiting Catalonia for this city. And of course they are. Because when I finally went with my family, friend, and cousin, it made sense why I was there with everyone else's family, friend, and cousin.

Barcelona is pretty hot and sexy.

Meat market

Meat market

But you're probably thinking, "Like Miami??" No, definitely not like Miami. Unlike that city, when you run into some girls and the delineation of a boy here and there (Europe, your love of Speedos fascinates me), it never feels premeditated. And even if it is, "Quins pendents quan em poso topless, amor meu?" I wonder if there's something in the air that seeps into their perfect pores* for them to pull off unadorned sex (little silicone here) with nonchalant creative flair, as if they created a work of art. I mean, there has to be something in the air. The city gave birth to one my favourite artists (shout out Miró!), an architect who built surrealism on earth (never forget you Gaudí!), and the "best chef in the world" (Adrià). (Yeah, the world. Too stupefied to sound stupid. The man hasn't even retired yet.)

So when I see some tourists barely acknowledging Barcelona's creativity, I kind of understand the local angst. There's so much art — amazing art — here,  even in the narrowest of alleys and incisive corners. The kind that makes you stop unconsciously and think out loud, "I'm wasting too much time on the internet! Argh!**" That said, most tourists come here because of that creativity. So that, that said, how many of us (myself included) know Catalonia's history beyond what's in the news? Does art turn into entertainment without its history? Is this the source of Barcelona's unrest? How many are attracted to her, but few come to know her?

Speeding over a Miró

Hopefully not a sad desk lunch affair...

* All that hype about olive oil is legit. No leathery skin here.

** I swear I don't sound like a pirate in real life.

Length of Stay

About five days

Docking Index

    

Five anchors. As much as I can't live without art, apparently I can't live in it that is Barcelona. No, really. I was < > <-- that close to moving there until some grumpy immigration officer decided to deny my work visa. Who knows what my shadow has been wheeling and dealing in behind my back. Joke aside, was my denial a manifestation of Catalonia's secession/isolationist principals? Was it due to Spain's high unemployment rate? Or did Brexit, and our current executive tomfoolery, start a trend... now the rest of the world is locking down their borders too :/

They say things happen for the best 😐 So while I was scouring for apartments with no heat, I found myself chanting: Please don't let the winters be damp. Please don't let the winters be damp. Give me a dry winter over a damp one any day. And yes, there is a difference!