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SilverLiningSeeker

Jun 11, 2013

¡Besties in Barcelona!

During my stay in Barcelona, my bestie Michelle joined me for 10 lovely days, and we surely made every moment count. We ambled along La Rambla, drank cervezas and enjoyed tapas at many tapas bars, and giggled endlessly as we "learned to navigate" the Barcelona Metro (that's my nice way of saying we got on the wrong train more than once!).

But we took that Metro all over and saw some amazing sights. Our first big adventure was La Sagrada Familia. This is an absolutely, must-see, no question about it. As I think about all the different personalities of people I know, I can't imagine any of them not fully enjoying what might be considered Gaudi's most significant work. As with everything Gaudi, it's over-the-top, beyond strangely weird, brilliant, and this one includes the whole religious bent. The detail of the carvings, and the amount of work it took just to get people in place to carve them, is staggering.

We also visited Casa Batlló, which is considered one of Gaudí's masterpieces.

Cathedrals and churches played a big role in this trip. I was, for reasons unknown, continually, consistently drawn to them. I think part of the reason is that Catholicism is as much a part of the culture, and way of life in Spain, as it is a religion. It is, by far, the predominant religion in Spain, and it seeps gracefully and beautifully into everything. Mother Mary, Christ, crosses, are everywhere - delicately adorning every building, fountain, bench, street sign… Rather than feeling oppressive, it somehow feels natural. Perhaps because it's such an ingrained way of life. The Spanish people are devoted, not only to the religion, but also the historical, long standing traditions. Whenever I wandered into a church, on any given day of the week, there were always at least a handful of people there praying, paying respects, or simply seeking some peace and solace. I paid attention and noticed that most every man wears a necklace or rosary with a crucifix or cross. They tuck them under their business suits throughout the week, and let them fly freely on the weekends.

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