¡Viva, Barcelona!

I had this perfect dream...

In the immortal words of Freddie Mercury's 1992 Olympic Games theme tune, I too had a perfect dream. I had a dream of one day visiting Spain, and it was a dream that finally came true last week. The immigration stamps of Barcelona appeared as quickly on our passport pages as the idea entered our heads while Adrian and I were on holiday in Norway. We had another 4 days off together, and not one to let that chance go to waste, we began brainstorming where we would like to go that was new. SPAIN.

This dream was me and you...

Adri arriving back from a Newcastle flight, and me having facilitated all day at Emirates Training College, we gathered our sturdy Samsonites together and rolled up for the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight to Amsterdam and onwards to Barcelona, and flew through the night until our Spanish destination, to begin an adventure of language, culture and food. Having studied Spanish for a year at High School, and since beginning a Berlitz Self-Help Language Course, I was a bit worried about exactly how well I was going to get by in this completely foreign land. After landing in Barthelona (as the locals call it) it was apparent that my attempts at learning their language weren't going to be the most useful of my lifetime endeavours, as it turned out the Barcelonites have their own sub-language, Catalan, which is nothing like Spanish at all. Thankfully, they could understand my humble skills to an extent, and I actually surprised myself at how much I was able to communicate along the way.

A miracle sensation, My guide and inspiration...

Sensory overload upon arrival, we checked into our accommodation. We had booked ourselves (via a Travel Industry, discounted hotel website) into this lovely modern beachfront hotel on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Just a stones throw away from the golden sands of the ocean, we took ourselves on a late morning walk along the beach to enjoy the beautiful sunshine that Barcelona had provided us with. Happily strolling along, after successfully ordering "dos cafe con leche, por favor", (TRANSLATION FOR MUM: "two coffees with milk, please") we looked out along the beach to see people enjoying a game of beach tennis, families with their kids ambling about in the water, frisbee's being thrown along for long legged poodles to catch. It wasnt until we looked a little closer, and we realised the truth. We had in fact booked our hotel on... BARCELONA'S NUDIST BEACH. We can both honestly admit (despite Adrian trying to pass the blame onto me) that we had NO idea at the time, that we were booking into a hotel overlooking the Naturist's Beach for the over-80's of BCN!

Now my dream is slowly coming true...

After our inital clothing-optional shock, we exited, swiftly, stage right, into the depths of Selva del Mar underground Metro station and travelled by subway to the base of the hill on which we were to discover Parc Grüel, a Gaudi designed park for the regions rich and famous of yesteryear. Now a public recreational haven overlooking the entire city, with musical trio's playing the Spanish Guitar and Maracca's on every path corner, we lived the local dream and soaked up the culture and ambience of late summer bliss. Armed with our Lonely Planet: SPAIN, we guided ourselves about town to the Sagrada Familia, the unfinished Cathedral, which is still not completed after 100 years of construction. A fascinating structure, that is so oppulent and grand, with the most impressive Nativity Façade that made even me, the most disinterested church-goer, want to take a closer look.

The moment that you stepped into my room you took my breath away...

A walk along Las Ramblas, the world famous Pedestrian Boulevard of central Barcelona, took us, block after block, into so many different districts of urban España. The flower district, the busker district, the I-need-a-new-pet-iguana (et al) district... Every district you could imagine. Right next to the historic Gothic Quarter, we meandered amongst everyone selling their wares, things you possibly would never need, in amongst things you possibly could never do without. We took a side street off Las Ramblas into an open air Fresh Food Market, to discover where the locals do their grocery shopping of an afternoon. Fresher than fresh fruit and veges, seafood, and poultry requirements, in amongst feathered dead chickens, haired dead hares, and skinned lambs heads... Taking my breath away, literally, it was time to depart and head for food. Tapas (the typically Spanish way of ordering small, but plentiful and varied plates of different food) and Sangria was essential, as was at least one Paella while the Kiwi boys were in town.

And if God willing, we will meet again someday...

Having now had a taste of Spain, albeit a snapshot of the potential that this wonderful country has to offer, we have now booked our Annual Leave to discover more of what they have to offer. We are heading back at the end of May/beginning of June, this time to Madrid, the Costa del Sol (the Coast of the Sun in the South), and for a snippet of Portugal on the side, we have unleashed the Iberian dragon, and can't wait to see more of this Mediterranean sanctuary.

Friends until the end, ¡Viva: Barcelona!