In packing for my 5 week trip, I was extremely careful regarding what to include and what to leave home. I wanted my luggage to be portable and “ready to go”, so I only took a carry-on and a day bag. Limiting my luggage to such a small amount also meant sacrificing shoe choices. These are my most comfortable shoes, so I decided they would be the only shoes I’d take. On Sunday evening and Monday morning before I left, we received a nice 6-8” snowfall. I made Walter drive the car around from the back of our driveway to the front, so I wouldn’t have to step in the snow. However, at the airport, I stepped right out into a slush puddle full of melty snow and salt. I felt it soak into my shoes and socks immediately. By the time I got to the terminal gate, I could already feel the skin on my feet wrinkling and the salt stains appearing, regretting my footwear choice before the adventure had even begun. Blessings be, however! As I had chosen to take only a carry-on, I had a change of socks at the ready and in the Men’s Room scrubbed the salt stains out of the shoes. I spent the rest of the day’s travel in my stocking feet, though, so that my shoes would dry.
I arrived in Barcelona at 9:30am local time, which meant it was 3:30am back home in Pittsburgh. I’m not a good airplane sleeper, so slept only periodically in a half-reclined, not very well padded airplane seat. Thankfully, the plane was only half full or less and I had the entire row to myself, so I’m not really complaining. As we landed and were about to deplane, I started a conversation with an older woman behind me who was visiting Spain for the first time, as well. It had always been on her bucket list and she was finally taking the time to travel. We grabbed our bags and headed off the plane, chatting as we walked. It wasn’t until I’d gotten out of the jetway that I realized I’d left my cell phone in the pocket of my seat on the plane. Rushing back to retrieve it, I wasn’t allowed back on the plane and needed to wait for an airline attendant to locate it. Thankfully, they did! However, at this point, there were no more passengers anywhere to be seen and I found myself navigating hallways and doors without the benefit of herd mentality to simply usher me in the right direction. It was a bit disconcerting. At one point, I came to a door in the center of a glass wall that would not open as there were no door knobs to push against or pull open. After several attempts, I tried waving at it, like a lunatic, thinking that it might be motion sensor activated. Someone suddenly appeared on the other side of the glass wall and pointed at the wall, which made no sense. I just stood there like an idiot and shrugged my shoulders. You know, the universal sign of “I don’t understand”! They walked up to the wall on the other side and the entire wall slid sideways. Who would have guessed that the door stays shut, but the wall moves instead. They said something in Spanish and laughed. I laughed with them, perhaps even at myself.
Once through customs, I grabbed a coffee with milk (cafe con leche) and a baguette with ham and cheese to wake the brain, acclimate myself and figure out where I needed to go. After buying a 4 day rail pass, I ventured out of the airport to grab public transportation for where my AirBnB was located. Got on a bus that was supposedly headed into Barcelona, then to transfer to the rail line for the correct stop. At one point, a man with a wife and two children got on the bus as well. He sat next to me, allowing his wife and children to sit together. After about 20-30 minutes, we were still stopping and starting at various terminals in the airport, I was beginning to wonder if I’d gotten on an airport bus loop instead. I think I was beginning to look around anxiously, because he began talking to me in Spanish. Of course, I only understood only very little of what he said. When he realized I wasn’t truly following, he said in English, “Is this your first time in Barcelona?” He introduced himself and said that he was originally from Morocco, but had also lived in London for about 10 years. He and his wife and children now lived in Barcelona. He was extremely helpful and told me exactly how to get where I needed to go. Bless him! I seriously would have gotten lost without his help.
My first real meal in Barcelona at 1pm a block away from my AirBnB. It is a round of fried goat cheese on a bed of mixed greens, tomatoes, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, pecans, currants, and topped with raspberry jam. It was delicious!
Final pictures for today - with more of it to come tomorrow. This is Basilica de la Sagrada Familia - Church of the Holy Family. It is the architectural wonder of Antoni Gaudi - more about him tomorrow, as well. Begun in 1912 and scheduled to be finished in 2026, it is perhaps the most awesome and strange Cathedral I’ve ever seen. I have tickets for a tour tomorrow, but couldn’t resist going to it today. There are so many symbols, icons and added accoutrements, it is like the entire Bible and the last 4,000 years of history in sculpture have been added to the facade, along with some colorful vegetables as spire toppers, just for the fun of it. It is a mix of styles and shapes that seem to make no sense whatsoever. And yet, at the same time, it is inspiring. One commentator said that the west portal, the Facade of the Passion (the first picture above) looks “like it was carved out of volcanic stone, cobwebs, and bat droppings.” That’s not far from the truth. I’m looking forward to the tour tomorrow.
2 comments:
You left your phone behind?? What a nightmare.
Th goat cheese salad looks amazing! I can’t wait until the next installment. I’ve never been to Spain so I’m taking notes!
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