On Sunday June 19th, we set foot in Barcelona for our third and last time of our trip. Our arrivals were twice by plane & once by ferry. Arrival by plane was definitely much preferred. Our ferry trips were creepy at best with the deserted eleven-story Grimaldi Lines ferry being the highlight. It's 50 truck drivers starring at our every move and it's 50 high school kids making out to loud dance music on the chair-less top deck did not disappoint. Mario, myself & the 10 other awe struck tourists looked at our watches frequently over the 23 hour trip and noticeably stayed out in the open on the upper deck drinking caffeinated beverages so as not to require sleep. Long stretches below amid long empty corridors reminiscent of The Shining and cabins aromatically scented with diesel fuel and starched sheets were not a welcome comfort. We opted for 5-year old hot dogs, rum & coke, and our own game of ipad Yatzee on the top deck to keep the dream alive. I’m an excellent Yatzee player now.
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Scuba Donkey on The Grimaldi Line
Barcelona was our home base and our break between ferries. We witnessed the beautiful city shift gently from Spring to Summer. Dark colored jackets and scarves gave way to floral prints and brighter wisps of blues and pinks. The H&M stores were packed, those 80's style Original Wayfarer Ray-Ban sunglasses that Madonna loved are back with a vengeance in white, and everyone had on a pair of Birkenstocks. Men and women alike wore the Gizeh style ones with impeccable flair. The political protests in Plaça de Catalunya grew to a full-blown tent city of thousands noticeably affecting the overall mood of the Catalan paradise & a few tourists began to show signs of sunburn.
I was awake. I wasn’t tired one bit and for my 34th day straight without the comforts of “home”, I felt more rested than ever. When I looked in the mirror of our beautiful little hotel room at The Hotel Gaudi, I had no dark circles under my eyes and my forehead was void of those ever increasing lines. My breath was calm and deep and every pore of my skin seemed to be fully open as if they were soaking up every last bit of oxygen available. The relaxed safety one is known to feel at home and I always find myself searching for, I felt while traveling. I was satisfied, fulfilled & unbelievably awake.
A beach walk to Barceloneta was the choice for our last day. A naked & tattooed 70 year old man with a penis to his knees strolling the boardwalk, Frank Gehry’s waterfront fish sculpture, amazing sushi & sangria, drumming protesters & coconut gelato all fulfilled our remaining Spanish wishes. We stopped for a few more tapas whenever the fragrances called us in. We wandered dim rainy side streets until our feet were too sore to walk any further, we slept then returned to the place we now call home.
