Adventures of a Wandering Thirtysomething

There comes a time in every trip, no matter how amazing, that home starts to sound nice. For us, that time came as we sought out moments of peace in Madrid.

As we made our way to Barcelona, we worried that it, too, would be just another big city. Upon arrival, a particularly difficult Airbnb rental that required several hours of waiting and activating my cell phone to make five international roaming phone calls just to get checked in, sent us over the edge.

But just when it seemed we were about to sabotage our last few days in Spain with our own bad attitudes, it was Mom to the rescue.  While airing my grievances over Skype, she reminded me of her neighbor and good friend dying of cancer who had declined a walk with her earlier that day as he was not even feeling up to being pushed around the block in a wheel chair. It was the snap back to reality we needed. We are truly blessed to be traveling the world on an annual basis and, while I know that we don’t take that opportunity for granted, well, we all have our moments.

After our first challenging hours in Barcelona, what emerged was a city that offers a perfect slice of Spain. Beautiful architecture, great arts and culture, incredible food, and plenty of nooks and crannies to hide in when we needed to escape the crowds.

We kicked off our first full day with a visit to the Picasso museum. Picasso’s father treated him like a regular millennial, keeping every drawing and painting he ever produced, so we got to enjoy a wide range of his works from his earliest paintings to some of his more famed later pieces.

For lunch, we finally got our first taste of paella. Christina had been tempted all over Spain to try it, but since we're both disciplined to wait to experience something where we’re supposed to experience it, we had managed to hold off until we could get the best the country had to offer. Needless to say, by the time we got to Barcelona, both of us were ready for a nice big plate. So, we went to the place that invented rich man’s paella (called rich man’s paella because the shellfish are already shelled, just dig right in) and savored every amazing bite.

With full bellies we headed on to the beach for some good people watching. After our amazing beach experience in Portugal, neither of us felt much pull to navigate the dirty city beach packed with humanity, so we just grabbed some ice cream and walked the promenade. We capped the day with a flamenco concert at the renowned Palau de la Musica Catalana, considered one of the most spectacular examples of modernista architecture in the world.

The next day was my birthday! After spending my 30^th birthday on a plane home from Slovenia in 2013, my 32^nd was far more memorable with a day that will forever be the birthday of Gaudi. We spent the day covering all of Gaudi’s major sights: La Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, Casa La Pedrera, and Casa Batlló.

Sagrada Familia was the final of our long list of churches to visit on this trip, and by this point Christina and I had seen enough. But with open minds and a positive birthday attitude we set out in the morning to make the most of it. Both of us were pleasantly surprised. Gaudi, while extremely religious, broke from tradition and created a church inspired by nature. One of his well-known quotes essentially states that anything designed by man is not original as it’s already found in nature. This was a church that Christina and I could really connect with. Columns made to look like tree trunks rose to the ceiling where small windows created the illusion of sunlight peeking through the forest canopy. It all felt very organic.

Since the English word 'gaudy' is derived from architect Antonio Gaudi’s name, we expected his extravagant, over-the-top style would remind us more of the Vatican. Instead Sagrada Familia lacked all the golden treasures, immaculate alter pieces, and magnificently carved choirs of other great cathedrals. It was almost seemed humble in comparison, ignoring of course the fact that it's been in construction since 1882 and will not be finished until 2026, thus amassing unimaginable construction costs.

In between all the fabulous Gaudi architecture and Picasso art, we spent a lot of our time just getting lost in the streets of old town, escaping the tourist groups by heading to off-the-beaten-path spots like Citadel Park, and eating terrific food.

In the end, Barcelona was a real treat. Though a big city, it offered much of the charm of smaller towns, but with all of the big sights and tons of great food. Despite our unfortunate entrance into the city, we left on a high note. It was the perfect way to end our time in Spain.