What an amazing couple of days this has been! Yesterday, I finally walked over to the Sagrada Familia. To be honest I was a little let down, and found more scaffolds than anything, but I guess I’ll just have to wait another 30 years until they finish it. I then decided to walk all the way down Diagonal to the Barcelona Forum. There is a building there by Herzog that I didn’t even remember was in Barcelona. I passed the Torre Agbar and Habitat Sky (which I later found out was designed by Dominic Perrault – one of the architecture precedents I briefly researched last year), and found a very cool architecture park nearby.
Closer to the forum area, the cityscape became very modern. Beautiful new glass towers of all sorts of shapes and sizes, and parks upon parks with sculptures and greenery. For a moment it felt very much like Vancouver; until I found the Hilton and adjacent shopping centre. But soon after, the Herzog building was mine. Unfortunately my camera battery died pretty quickly, however I did manage to get a few good shots (though not many of the outside, because a big concert was happening past the building, so there were fences and security all around)
Satisfied with my visit, I walked back along the beach to the Villa Olympica and into the park before visiting the Arc de Triomf again and heading home. I was home early this day, because David, who will host me on his couch on my last couple days here, invited me for dinner with his current surfers – A man from Turkey, one from France, and another from Thailand. They each made a dish from their home countries, except for the Turk because he could not find the ingredients here. I explained that because a ‘traditional’ Canadian dish is really just an assortment from other cultures, and designated myself the official dish-washer. It was a good plan, and it was great food, great company, and a very late night.
That was yesterday. Today I went to explore Gaudi’s Parc Güell north of the city center. I debated taking the metro, but decided to walk because by walking I can still see the city (even if it was a 3km walk uphill). The park itself was much larger than I had anticipated. It felt sort of like a Gaudi Disneyland, with interesting monuments and architectural details around every corner. It was an incredibly beautiful park, and a lookout at the top provided my first full view of most of barcelona. When I was ready to go, I shot my last photos, bought some water, and walked back down a different street towards the Arc. It was a great walk, and I returned ready to pack up and move on to my next destination.
Which is where I am currently – finally in the Gothic Quarter! Needing an extra place to sleep for a night, I found Jordi on the internet, of all places, and soon discovered that he was also couchsurfing supporter. A fellow artist and architecture enthusiast, he toured me through the gothic downtown, and showed me his favorite spots and piazzas, including the Santa Maria del Pino – my first Spanish church visit. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t walked through this part of town yet, and I now have a much different sense of Barcelona.. The narrow streets were very familiar and comfortable after my time in Italy, and there was such a different level of activity. People everywhere, doing whatever it is people do, but at a more relatable level… they’re real people here, not just tourists coming to shop, or posh Barcelonians going to/from the beach.
We then picked up a few groceries and headed back to his place, still in the old downtown, and prepared my first Spanish omelet, which we enjoyed on the small porch over the alley below. It was a great way to end my best day in Barcelona yet, and I’m sure I’ve found a new friend for years to come.
