Tuesday, March 3, 2009

I love Barcelona






I love 
Barcelona 
because
of ergonomic cement beach chairs
and painted chips of tile mixed with sea glass on the shore.

I love 
Barcelona
because
in one walk eight bakeries leave calling cards in your nostrils,
inviting you in for light and fluffy everything and anything you could want.

I love
Barcelona 
because
of the candles burning faithfully on each dedicated altar inside the cathedral,
carrying prayers to Sant Antoni y Santa Lucia. 

I love
Barcelona
because
the old town has no rhyme or rhythm except it's own beauty,
and I'd rather be lost in its charms than found in the straight grids of modern streets.

I love
Barcelona 
because
of the colors and tastes of La Boqueria
where a freshly squeezed strawberry-coconut smoothie costs a Euro 
and the dates are swollen with Mediterranean sunshine. 

I love
Barcelona
because
the details of Gaudi's Parque Guell, La Sagrada Familia, and Casa Mila
tout the power of creativity in the face of slashed art budgets.
Who will the next Gaudi be? 
How will she know what's inside her? 
Will he die as anonymously as the first?

I love
Barcelona 
because 
when I woke up at 3 a.m.,
instead of rolling over and falling back asleep 
I wanted to go outside and be in the Barcelona night. 

I love
Barcelona
because
it gave Brett his first sushi in 9 months 
and 
it gave me new and better memories
of life in Spain.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm so happy you were able to redeem that earlier experience. Those Gaudi creations are just marvelous--even just in photos. Bruce