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.