Sagrada Familia, Kaitlin & Larry come to Canet

On Friday, September 30th (happy birthday Kristina!) Kaitlin and Larry got in to town via overnight bus (flixbus) from Genoa. We met near Arc d’Triomf which is also where I was dropped off by the airport bus my first day in Barcelona, so I felt relatively familiar with the area. We grabbed coffees near the Arc and jumped right in to planning the day around visiting Sagrada Familia.

Sagrada:

Sagrada deserves its own chapter. Fortunately there are books, Wikipedia pages and museums that describe its history in detail but I’ll do my best to relay my own experience.

People often talk about the architecture in Europe being inspiring generally, and I have definitely felt that since being here in Barcelona. Not only has Barcelona done a great job of creating density through constructing a variety of low, mid and high rise housing and mixed used buildings in close proximity to public transit (key for making mixed income, walkable communities possible), it seems like every building is thoughtfully designed and built to last. The combination of density + design give an impression of the built environment of fortitude and permanence. Sagrada though is an exceptional and almost otherworldly departure from any architectural convention I've seen since being here. The church looks like something inspired by a mix of Miyazaki films and Dr. Seuss books, which boggles the mind given that Gaudi began designing + building in 1882. What stood out to me as the most outlandish facing the North side of the building is the smooth ornamental curves carved in to the facade which remind me of sand castles built using drips of wet sand, and replica fruits (grapes, apricots, strawberries etc) topping the spires of the church's many towers (here's an article on the symbolism of nature elements). Then there are intricate carvings over the entire face of the building detailed to a level that is almost dizzying. Just looking at the outside of the building is like going to a museum such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art where I could go five times and still not soak in everything. Larry and I were initially thinking that most of the carvings and facade moulding must have been done from plaster which is easier to shape, but we learned at the museum that everything is carved from stone.

Walking inside the building itself is just ridiculous. I don't think I've ever felt so moved by a piece of art or architecture. It's difficult to describe the effect of being in a space like the main hall of Sagrada so I will just put some pictures below and encourage you all to read about it, and maybe go some day.

After a couple of hours touring Sagrada we made our way to the park across the street to have a sit and listen to a busker play nothing but the chorus from George Michael's Careless Whisper on repeat. From Sagrada we ambled down to La Rambla which is like a pedestrian hub of shops, restaurants, arts and culture. After a couple of espressos, some beer, a piece of cake and a sandwich for dinner we made our way back to the train for the commute back to Canet.

Being in Canet the last few days has been a perfect beach vacation and I'm glad to have the company of Kaitlin and Larry who are seasoned world travelers and have been my inspiration for how to live a fulfilling life for years now. I've had the privilege of visiting them four times in their home in Hawaii and its nice to be in a new place together exploring and finding fun things to do. 

Highlights from the week so far:

Markets: On Sunday we stopped by the "farmers market" in Canet which takes over most of the main plaza all day and in to the evening on Sunday. We picked up some locally produced sheep and goat cheese, liqueur made from walnuts and some roasted and flavored seed varieties. On Monday we walked through Canet to visit another local but permanent market (Mercat Municipal), which is set up kind of like a food hall -- roughly 2 dozen stalls of vendors selling everything from books to fish, to produce to coffee & pastries. We walked away with fixings for dinner which included vegan meatballs, local "secret mushrooms" which are hand foraged from nearby mountains and brought to market in the next town up the coast (St. Pol) and fresh figs. These and the cheese from our prior outing were the base for spaghetti dinner that night.

Meals:

We had some great eats, both cooking at home and trying some of the other restaurants in town -- namely La Nona (pizza) and Sake Tasca Japonesa (Japanese).

Hiking: Last night (Tuesday) we took an evening hike up to Pedracastell o Creu de Canet which is a point overlooking Canet, St. Pol and some more of the country to the North. Amazing sunset and a nice change of scenery.

Beach Chilling: The last four days we've spent a few hours every afternoon at the beach. We've spent the time eating falafel kebabs, playing paddle ball, reading and swimming.

Today (10/5) we'll take a slow morning, and then grab the train to Campdevànol and Ribes de Freser where we will hike and camp for a few days before heading back down in to Barcelona for the weekend.

Side notes:

- I’ve been particularly taken with doors and entry ways here. I haven't been fast enough with the camera to capture everything I've seen but I'd love to do a photo series just on doors at some point.

- I’m sure I have an oversimplified impression of housing in Barcelona, having not spent much time in lower income areas. 

- Saw this really interesting summary of the idea of the "Death of the Third Place" in America, which speaks to the impact of design and land use choices on culture and society. Link here. There are so many plazas, churches, cafes, bakeries, libraries and transit options here that seem to afford opportunities for chance interactions, creating art, pondering etc.

- I've been working through having a cold the last few days and drinking lots of thyme tea which was recommended by the person at the health foods store. Apparently thyme is great for congestion which I didn't know before now.