Barca! Barca! Barca!

After days of exploring Gaudi and parts of the Gothic old city, it came time to have a much rather non-religious, but equally cathedral-like experience, especially for millions of international fans alike.

Welcome to Camp Nou.

Too bad I had to settle for the next best thing. The epical moment would have been to nail tickets for la Classico, the referred name for the ultimate sports rivalry game, Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona. Ironically, la Classico is actually to take place a few days after I leave. Had I planned this better, I would likely be there cheering, singing their anthem via lyrics on Google, and soaking it all in. But no, there are no home games during this stretch. So I had to settle for the so call "Camp Nou Experience", a 25 Euro ticket designed for hungry fans like us to experience the next best thing. I was lucky enough to take in this experience with my new Moroccan friend Amjad (who happened to be a dedicated Real Madrid fan, and happily did numerous frowny and thumbs-down faces in front of every Barca logo he saw). But we both felt that this was 25 Euros well spent. Perhaps better than many of the tourist attractions we paid for here. Laura, still in love with her Gaudi, of course rolled her eyes at us.

But to be honest it was well worth a visit. I'm not a dedicated soccer fan. I know very little of the legacy behind Camp Nou or even the legendary FC Barcelona. My earliest exposure to such a historic stadium actually came from my much loved Anime comic "Captain Tsubasa". You see, Captain Tsubasa was a comical childhood soccer prodigy in Japan. In the later stages of the comic, he grew up, and like many of his contemporaries, went to Europe in search of his soccer dreams. When he arrived and visited Camp Nou, he looked around the gigantic stadium, and felt he was always destined to play there. Of course, in comic book fashion, he made the team. I had wanted to visit the real stadium ever since. Of course, the hero of the modern day is a little man known as Messi. He is probably a little over-celebrated here, to be honest, for throughout Camp Nou we actually saw very little reference of other prominent players who had dedicated their crafts here as well, such as Ronaldo (the less pretty one), Ronaldinho, Neymar (who many would said did nothing here), the biter Suarez (I might have spelled his name wrong but I don't care about him enough to check), and other pillars of their team like Xavi, Iniesta, and of course Pique. It's pretty much all Messi all the time. I didn't mind it. I love the little man. I only wish he had the chance to win the World Cup once (I don't give Argentina a chance this year to be honest).

But about the visit, yes it was worth it. You have plenty of time to soak it all in at your own pace. Looking around the empty seats with the iconic colour from pretty much all angle of the stadium (although all from one side, of course, as not the entire stadium was open to the public). It actually felt smaller than we both thought. It felt rather intimate. There seems to be good sight lines everywhere. The best are probably the blue middle tier seats. Being above the field, you take in all the action and the formation, while feeling the ever presence of the crazy crowds. In the lower bowl, sure you are closer, but in certain areas you actually miss the audience, which is part of the experience in a live match. We utilized a lot of imagination that day. We sat at various seats. Looked around. Imagine the crazy, singing crowds. Imagined a goal. Imagined a victory (for Amjad, he imagined a defeat). We visited the press box, the visitors lockers where iconic players would change, shower, and pee at. We roamed around the numerous trophies on display in the museum, we posed in front of the 5 gigantic Champions Cups that they won (Amjad would repeatedly remind me that Real Madrid had 11...). We looked at old sneakers and jerseys, all in the state of mid-decay. We were real fan-boys for the morning.

No I never got to experience the thunderous crowd. But it's alright. When I see Barca games on TV now, I would remember being right there at the stadium, having touched some of the very chairs my idols sat at, and pretend I had witnessed a match just the same.

Yes, Laura, it was 25 Euro very well spent. :P

(A note on travelling around Barcelona. It is rather easy. Barcelona has a pretty fantastic metro network. Stations are relatively close together and well connected. Lines are easily labelled in colours and letters, such as L1, L2, etc. I would definitely consider getting a multi day pass. My 3-day one costed just a little over 20 Euros. But it freed me from having to ration my rides selectively. If you stay shorter, there's a 10-strip ticket that I think cost just a little over 10 Euros. Laura used that, and when she left after her 3 days she handed me her ticket with 5 rides left. The metro also serves the airport, but you'll need a dedicated airport ticket, at 4.60 Euro. The Metros are generally in good operational state. Trains are clean and stations bright and well marked. Barcelona is also a pretty easy city to walk in. Mostly flat with wide streets and many dedicated bike lanes and clear traffic and pedestrian signals. I took the bus once. It seemed pretty easily. Of course, nowadays with Google map and a data SIM card, you can pretty much go anywhere unresearched. So, I would definitely consider having data here).

Gaudi Gaudi everywhere...

It is pretty much impossible to be in Barcelona and be not even a little bit remotely inspired, for Barcelona, at least on the part of the tourism industry, is pretty much built on the backbone of its favourite mad genius of an architect Gaudi. You might not necessarily be fan, or even like any of his stuff, but you can't help but appreciate his efforts. And, if you happen to actually LIKE his stuff, then it is very easy to simply fall in love with him here. Gaudi is everywhere. Well, not his buildings, but the imageries of his buildings, and his name. Millions flock here simply to whiteness his masterpieces in person. Many goes home with sore necks from having to look up so much in awe, but usually full of appreciation of what this man had though of. No, I cannot say that his work is all that applicable or functional in today's world. But like many astonishing artists in the past. It is the very fact that their work do not fit the mould, that their ideas pushed the envelope of what we could accept, that they become great. Had he not tried, man would not know what a building made to reflect the flow of water would look like (Casa Batllo), or what simply could become of with a cathedral over a hundred years in the making and every little piece inside well thought out.

The one thing that really stuck with me about Gaudi was that not only was his ideas unconventional and creative, they were almost always made with function as a core criteria. In his beautifully crafted Casa Batllo, curvy wooden air vents were intended for warm or cool air to flow effortlessly from room to room. Window panels were made with various shaped glass such that natural light directs more towards the needed areas of the room and not wasted. The dual inner courtyards, intended to provide bright areas for the rooms not blessed with an outside view, had blue tiles that goes lighter in tone as you go down because light is expected to be dimmer further down. Each beautifully golden brass door or window handle were crafted in such a way that fits your hand perfectly when you grab it. That is, if you are right handed and with hands somewhat as small as mine. Gaudi's work seems to be a perfect example of trying to merry art with function. Whether he succeed or not is a topic of discussion, but you cannot deny his creativity in trying.

Perhaps his legacy is always going to be tied to the yet-to-be finished, over a hundred years in the making, Cathedral La Sagrada Familiar (took me forever to remember this name) (they are set to finish it finally by 2026, to mark the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death; and for those who wonder why we still credit him for this unfinished business, it is because the work is continuously done based on his drawings and designs, for he knew long before that he wouldn't live to see it completed). Indeed, it's a legacy well-deserved. I've been lucky to have seen may iconic places in the world, and more often than not I've felt somewhat disappointed when I actually get there (the Effel tower wasn't that romantic in person; the leaning tower of Pisa looked way smaller than I thought it should; and the Towel Bridge in London simply looked like a toy bridge...). But at the Sagrada, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes the outside is exquisite. But we know that already from the millions of photos that populate the Internet and Instagram. But the inside is really where his genius shines. (As an aside, go for the fast track ticket online with a set entry time and get the Audio Guide, but you can save the 7 Euros and skip the "Towers", for they weren't really anything exceptional, unless you feel you MUST see it). The inside of the Sagrada was simply magical. Looking like the inside of a spaceship (I've never actually seen a real spaceship...), it looks nothing like any Cathedral you have ever seen. Gaudi's use of natural sunlight with thoughtfully tainted windows brought an array of beautifully coloured lightrays inside depending of the time of day of your visit. The giant columns, surprisingly bare compared to the usual churches, were meant to look like giant trees of the forest. One of my favourite features was that the windows carried a blue tint on the East side, while the ones on the West side were bright in yellow, orange, and some red. It gave the inside of the Cathedral a rainbow of colours that were consistent, pleasing, and dynamic. Sore neck and all, it would be hard not to walk away being at least a little bit impressed.

A word on being a tourist in Barcelona. Don't try to go see things on a whim as most backpackers plan to. Despite being in the so-called SHOULDER SEASON in late April, Barcelona is incredibly busy! Most major attractions (such as the above mentioned Sagrada Familiar and Casa Batllo, or other popular sites such as Park Guell and Casa Mila) are usually "full" by the time mid-morning hits, which means even if you "line up" you wouldn't get in. Reluctantly, I had to go online the night before to get e-tickets (conveniently sent to my iPhone and scanned at the entrances). The tickets are usually VERY time specific (ie. 17:15 entry and they are VERY strict about it). But getting tickets online usually saves you a few Euros anyway. While it does make you feel less spontaneous about your day, if you do this you might actually get to see the places u wanted to see in Barcelona, especially if you only have a limited time here. (For those who are interested, I would definitely say yes to Sagrada Familiar and Casa Batllo, while Casa Mila was interesting but less impressive, and honestly don't pay anything for Park Guell. Skip the mosaic lizard that you've seen already in pictures and just spend your time exploring the beautiful garden that is free to all outside the "paid zone", and, at the time of writing, most of the paid area is under renovation anyway, which would completely defeat the purpose.) (On another side note, Barcelona ISN'T really accessible. Park Guell, for example, requires quite a bit of uphill walking to get there, although parts of it aided by an outdoor escalator if you go to the Vallarca metro stop instead. And many of the sights, such as the towers of the Sagrada, required LOTS of narrow downwards spiral stairs to get down). And of course, you can most definitely count on getting a sore neck after.

No hablo Español, International Friends, and blowing my mind with Picasso

It is impossible to practice Spanish here in Spain. Everyone speaks English perfectly. After trying to buy a SIM card in Spanish for about 30 seconds, the sales got tired of watching me struggle and asked me what I want in my language. I would have insisted on struggling through, if I didn't feel that I was being impolite by wasting his time. I couldn't even try much Spanish on my new friend at the hostel, Laura, an Ophthalmologist from Argentina. Her so-called broken English was far far superior than my terrible Spanish which I 'learned' from travel phase books. So, in order to not reduce our conversations to grade 1 level talk, I simply insisted on speaking English with her so that we could both actually enjoy each other's company.

Today was catch-up day. It's actually my 4th day here in Barcelona already. But it has been a blur, although in a good way. As usual, I started my time in the new city but joining one of these "free" walking tours I spoke of so often last year (I "donated" 10 Euros after for my guide's efforts). As usual, these are more about meeting new people than seeing new places. I honestly did not hear a single word of his tour, nor did I take in any of the important destinations he attempted to show us. But I did mention to meet a bunch of fun people. There's the above mentioned Laura. Then there's my tall goofy Moroccan friend Amjad, an ex-financial planner from Miami called Raman who quit his disenchanted work life to travel the world and refocus his life,  a sales from UK named Viraj who also happen to love his pet snake, and two Norwegian doctors (an OBGYN and a paediatrician) Eva and Sunniva. We quickly bonded over Cavas (the region's favourite bubbly wine, which is basically Brut) and Sangria (who we were told should never be drunk here in this part of Spain). The next several days we would proceed to do our own things, but would meet up occasionally for this or that, or simply show each other what we've been up to on group chat. Last two nights, we also had the lovely added company of two nice German dudes, Markus and Max, who dined and beered with us.  Today, pretty much everybody went on either home or to their next destination, and I had a day to roam around myself and reflect upon what Barcelona had meant to me.

I spent the morning going up the steps leading to the magnificent Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (I didn't actually go in, for I felt I burned all my travel funds on Gaudi, tapas and wine already...). But staying outside the building was pretty much where the reward is, as I was treated with a stunning panoramic view of the entire city, over the soft romantic tones of the Spanish guitar by a street performer that really set the stage for the moment. In the afternoon, I found myself a little place that served delicious bite size baguette slices topped with a variety of Spanish tapas, called Pinxos (or Pinchos). The etiquette is that you take the ones that appeal to you (about 2 Euros a piece), consume them at your leisure then afterwards, they simply count how many toothpicks you have on your plate and bill you accordingly (nobody cared to consider the ease of which you can simply toss the toothpicks away or hide them in your pockets, but being the honest Canadian that I am, I showed them my 8 pieces of sticks, gave them a 20 Euro bill (I also had wine), and walked away satisfied.) After my delicious gluttony, I served up my post-prandial coma with a dose of Picasso at the nearby Picasso Museum (this, I had reserved some funds for, since I was a big fan boy of his). This unique museum was largely focused on the earlier works of this creative genius, where you can witness the purity of his skills in his earlier days, before he took upon himself to deconstruct everything it is we knew about art and made something that looked like children's drawings marketable and sexy and actually thoughtful. Hoping to use his influence to help spice up my new digs in Vancouver, I brought 2 postcards that I intent to frame in the guest washroom or somewhere around there. Tonight, I honestly have no plans, and I'm rather excited about that. I might even dive further into the Spanish textbook that I took with me. Who knows, maybe the next time I need to buy a SIM card in Spain, I can actually use their language, without embarrassing myself too much.

(For those who care, get a SIM from one of the bigger phone carriers such as Vodafone or Orange. Mine cost 10 Euro, included 1.5 G of LTE and 15 minutes of talk time. More than enough to last me all of Spain for my 10 days. And simply get it from one of the many Vodafone or Orange store in town. Preferably in English.)

Tomorrow, I'm off to a little town on the Northern Coast of Spain called Bilbao. I could have gone to Madrid. But I've already been there almost a decade ago, and had $200 stolen from my wallet somehow while it was still in my hand. Yes I was a dumb kid back then. Maybe still is. So I did not intent on going back. :)