Spanish Reunion

Getting back to a European country was a bit of a relief. Morocco had been fantastic, but there is nothing like being able to drink the water from a tap to tell you that you have returned to a more comfortable level. I think that will be a benchmark for me moving forward. I can travel anywhere, but can only live in a country where you can drink tap water.

After a quick overnight trip in Girona, Celia and I made our way down to Sitges to meet up with the boys, Stuart and Manish. This was the first reunion of the 6th floor neighbours in over 8 months. We found them lazying on the beach enjoying the Meditarrean sunshine and surf. Stiges was exactly what we all needed. A place to recharge and transition into our Spanish tour.

We were treated to several good days of sun. There was also a wine festival on so Stuart was in heaven. Generally we chilled on the beach.

Moving up to Barcelona we got back into the touring mode. The good old Hop On / Hop Off bus took us to all the groovy Gaudi sites and gave us a good sense of the city. Got to love a good hop on / hop off.

I had been to Barcelona in 1994 and was eager to get back to it. I love the style of the city and am fascinated by Gaudi´s imagination. He was either on some crazy drugs or had a vision few people have the talent to harness. The scale of his work is also incredible. His Apartment project is probably my favourite piece. It is a great example of his fascination with organic shape and texture. But the really remarkable aspect is that he started with an existing building and simply clad it with his only ideas. I wish I had the vision to see creative solutions like that from basic building blocks. That is a skill I have also been envious of, and Gaudi is obviously a master.

During our time in Barcelona there was also a large music festival on. We were lucky enough to see a few free concerts all in outdoor venues. There was a great variety of options to appeal to every taste.

Spain is shaping up to be a great segment of this adventure. the pace of life is great, the food (and tap water) is wonderful, being in warm temperate climate is perfect; and I have my closest friends with me to enjoy it all.