Barcelona on Business

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Barcelona, Spain – Monday, April 14, 2008

I left on Sunday for a few days in Barcelona. For the first time, I flew business class overseas…posh! First though, it was O’Hare to JFK on Delta, then business class from JFK to Barcelona on Air France (operated by Delta…which means it really was a Delta plane…why do they do that??)

So, business class…is it worth the extra cash? Going east–maybe! The seats on the Delta plane let out almost all the way. They provided a comforter and a hearty pillow. Plus the meal was tasty and filling, there was champagne and all kinds of little goodies in a bag at your seat (headphones, lotion, lip balm, socks, blinders, etc). The TV screen was a separate little pull out thing. And there were a hundred buttons to move your seat in various directions for your perfect comfort. The biggest benefit was a few hours of real, good sleep during the little stub of night time that you get going east in the evening.

Business class legroom and bedding
Business class legroom and bedding

I arrived somewhat rested at 8 a.m. Shortly after checking in, Sarah (my co-worker) and I headed out for coffee and to see some sites. We rambled down La Ramblas, stopping for cafe con leche y croissants at an outdoor cafe in the sun. Beautiful temperature compared to Chicago! 🙂

On La Ramblas, we saw the flower market, the pet bird-hamster-guinea pig market (or was it also the chickens-for-dinner market?), street performers painted into various animals or superheros frozen until a coin is dropped in their waiting tins, and artists drawing from pictures, and giggling tourists. We turned right into one of the narrow alleys of Barrio Gothic with its gorgeous 3-globe street lights dangle down over the street (Calle de Ferran) and it’s cute little cafes. We twisted and turned down the alleys–purposely getting lost.

We eventually found our way to Casa Batllo and Casa Mila for a look from the outside. We were getting tired, the lines were long, and we wanted to see Sagrada Familia this day. Every 2 hours, we stopped for a caffeine boost and kept going.

sagrada familia spires & crane
Sagrada Familia spires & crane
Spires and cranes of Sagrada Familia
Spires and cranes of Sagrada Familia
Unfinished Sagrada Familia
Unfinished Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia…holy cow. What can you say about a place so big, so fantastically ornate with 4 massive spires on each side and stained glass like you’ve never seen before…and that is OPEN to the SKY, the rain/snow and pigeons? Inside, there is construction–piles of stone, iron and wrapped pallets of building materials everywhere. There are construction workers pointing and talking and working, and driving construction vehicles that beep and make the usual noises. There is construction dust. The wind blows inside–whipping the plastic pallet covers around. Pigeons sit on the pallets and coo. And all the while, the clouds pass over the gaping hole in the ceiling…just above a statue of Jesus. ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SIX YEARS this has been under construction. They are hopeful they’ll have it done by 2026. Hmmm. Good luck with that!

We waited in line for over an hour to go up into the spires. Inside the spires, opened slots on the side are designed to let the wind ring the bells inside. The view is fantastic. The Mediterranean and Barcelona laid out before you. There are workmen on the roof…and more pallets. And cranes vie for your attention among the spires and crosses.

Aside from being fascinated by the unfinishedness…I was amused by the vegetables atop some of the roof ornaments, and by the Judas kiss statue beside the magic square of 16 numbers. 4 across and 4 down….1, 14, 14, 4…11, 7, 6, 9…8, 10, 10, 5…13, 2, 3, 15. It was only after coming home that I found out the significance of the square…each row and each column add to 33–the age of Jesus at his crucifixion. Also, each of the 4 quadrants equals 33, as do the 4 squares in the middle and the diagonal line. Magic squares they’re called.

Judas Kiss and Magic Square at Sagrada Familia
Judas Kiss and Magic Square at Sagrada Familia

We sat at an outside cafe in the sun across the street from the Sagrada Familia for wine and a sandwich of ham/cheese. Took a few photos and headed back via taxi to meet up with other folks from our company.

Carol at Sagrada Familia
Carol at Sagrada Familia
Home sweet hotel
Home sweet hotel
Sarah and Lisa check emails at dinner
Sarah and Lisa check emails at dinner

Dinner that night would be tapas in a great little place. I loved watching the locals at the “bar”–the bar being a buffet-like counter of snacks and olives. One man sat there reading a newspaper, eating from a little bowl of olives with a tiny fork and drinking a coke with lemon. He savored each olive, eventually spitting the perfectly cleaned pit into his hand and into a little dish. We ordered some of the olives like he was having. They were a beautiful light olive green, the size of cherry tomatoes and were sweet–I could have eaten a hundred of them. The sangrias were delightful…I had about 4 of them :). Serrano jamon, cheeses, seafood, potato treats…what a lovely meal. Seven of us…and 7 Blackberrys–periodically checking e:mails….Kind of funny really.

Spain Flag
Spain Flag