Barcelona, Spain
During the end of May and beginning of June, I went to Spain, then to Copenhagen, then back to Spain. I primarily went to attend a music festival, Primavera Sound in Barcelona, and I decided to make a vacation out of it and take in what both of those cities had to offer.
When I arrived in Barcelona, the first thing I did after getting through the airport was finding a cell phone provider to get a 4G data plan. So I used my broken, stutter-filled Spanish to ask the cab driver to take me to the nearest Vodafone or equivalent. He got me to this mall in the middle of this hella touristy area and I managed to get a data plan. After that I got a cab to the hostel and began my activities.
After doing so, I got a two-day ticket to this tourist bus near my hostel that takes you all across Barcelona. Walked to a nearby cafe and got a sandwich of jamón ibérico.
Architecture
Palau de la Música Catalana — Barcelona, Spain
This is the Palau de la Música Catalana, designed by Lluís Montaner, built between 1905 and 1908 for a choir society known as the Orfeó Català. Titans of music like Strauss, Bernstein, Stravinsky, Ravel, and de Falla have performed there just to name a few. The ceiling of the concert hall has this beautiful stained glass skylight that is out of this world.
I felt like a kid while staring at the skylight, trying to discern the patterns and shades of colors of the stained glass. Truly one of the highlights of my trip. The Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau, which was also designed by Montaner, was another Catalonian modernist marvel that I visited. The building was originally designed as a hospital for the poor, which was still in use until 2009, which is bonkers.
It was then restored to be used as a museum and opened back up in 2014. The buildings are separated by courtyard filled with gardens and other beautiful views. I got there early when they opened and spent about 3 hours reading all the information and taking in as much as I can. Some of the photographs that I took of the museum do not do the place justice.
Basílica de la Sagrada Família — Barcelona, Spain
Immediately after this, I spent the rest of my time in Barcelona in completely dumbfounded by another architect, Gaudí. There’s so much that’s already been said about Gaudí. All my friends who recommended things to do Barcelona just recommended that I see Gaudí’s work. As I was on the tour bus, we passed by the Basílica de la Sagrada Familia, and just passing it is insane.
It draws your attention and you find yourself staring at it trying to make out the sculptures on the building, and gazing up at the towers. Near the front of the entrance, there’re tons of tourists taking pictures of themselves with the towers, and people selling little self-sticks, and Gaudí related knick knacks that are normally twice as expensive in gift shops. The inside of the Basícila is unreal. The columns inside branch out into smaller columns, resembling a tree.
There’s a flood of light and color coming inside due to the stained glass windows. The beauty is overwhelming, and humbling. There’s an elevator that takes you to the top of the tower of your choice, I chose the Nativity Tower, and to get down you climb down a set of stairs. In addition to the Basícila, I also visited Casa Batlló, and Casa Milà, both of them also designed by Gaudí.
Primavera Sound 2018
Unknown Mortal Orchestra at Primavera Sound
Earlier in the year, I was hyped by all the musicians that were attending Primavera Sound. This ignited my desire to travel to Barcelona and Copenhagen, and well the festival was honestly a great experience. I ended up getting a VIP pass to be closer to the main stages. Some of the highlights included DJ Koze, Four Tet, Björk, Superorganism, Mount Kimbie, Kero Kero Bonito, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and Tyler the Creator.
Also by pure chance, I shared a cab with a musician that performed there named Gaika and talk to him a bit about music. There was also an espresso station that was running all night which was clutch to staying awake and having the energy to stay up during those 4 AM DJ sets. Much of it was a blur when I think back on it, but it was so much fun. It was such a blast and I really want to attend next year.
When I wasn’t spending my time at landmarks and at the festival, I was eatin’. I had so so much Iberican ham, and a myriad of different tapas and red wines.
I think one of the main things this trip taught me was that I need to become more serious about addressing my mental health. There was a day where I shut myself in my room. Part of me, told myself that I needed to recharge, but in reality, I was letting my anxieties overcome my spirit to explore Barcelona. That really hit me, to realize how I had lost control of my fears and agoraphobia. It pushed me to see a psychiatrist when I got back to the States and I started taking medication for anxiety.
If something is debilitating you from living your life, you should see someone that can help, if it’s within your means.
Barcelona was such a beautiful city, and it was my first time traveling internationally. It’s sparked a desire to explore other countries, and to hopefully one day live outside of the states. After arriving back home, I was overfilled with an immense feeling of gratitude and appreciation of what I experienced there.
View atop the Basilica Sagrada Familia