Barcelona

We didn’t come to Barcelona with any specific expectations, which ended up working out well. It’s a city where you could spend the entire five days we had in galleries, or out sightseeing in the public parks, or exploring markets, or trying out all the delicious things the city has to offer. We did some of each with our friends Ainsley and Gustaf, while also recovering from jet lag and getting our bikes set up.

La Sagrada Familia was absolutely incredible. Architecture like nothing I’ve ever seen. Jaw-dropping stained glass. An astounding amount of work still going on as it’s only half-finished, nearly 100 years after the architect Gaudi passed away. Below the cathedral itself is a separate, fascinating exhibit of the cathedral design’s evolution.

The Picasso museum was even more interesting than I expected. I only knew him as the guy who painted people like their faces were Rubik’s cubes, so it was very neat to see the progression from his earlier, more traditional work, through the various styles and processes he explored.

The Joan Mirò museum was informative, but I felt like I didn’t understand enough of the context he was painting in and couldn’t deeply appreciate why he was doing what he was doing… but I sure tried!

The city itself is just gorgeous. The old city is majestic, the parks are verdant and well-used, and the public art and monuments are fascinating. And so much of the city (the parts we were in, at least) had a great pedestrian-friendly and people-friendly vibe. A lot of that feels like it comes from the five-storey walkups lining every boulevard, with many tiny balconies looking out over the streets. Everywhere we went we saw people out and enjoying the public spaces. It felt very different than the shape and space of public life in Toronto.

Food of note:

• The many different flavours of tapas. Gustaf found us a great place and we ate until we could eat no more.
• Seafood prepared in a way that I actually like! Octopus, squid, anchovies, cod and potato millefeuilles, tuna tataki, cod cooked in vermouth by Gustaf, seafood mix at tapas. This has definitely expanded the variety of things we look forward to eating on this trip.
• An amazing artichoke velouté, which might be the most delicious thing I have ever eaten.
• A variety of red vermouth, which is Barcelona’s drink of choice.

​Onwards to Rome!