Thoughts on Barcelona

We just spent a long weekend in Barcelona. As you may know, Antoni Gaudi is the famous architect who designed the most visited and world-renowned art nouveau/modernist structures in the city. There is little doubt that these buildings are entirely unique, imaginative, and impressive. As such, they are definitely worth seeing. Moreover, they seem to set the tone for the city itself; fun and wild yet emanating from a traditional and solid base. Gaudi's works are also creations that do not necessarily appeal to me on a basic level. That is to say, if I had to live within or near one of these structures, I think I would have a perpetual headache. Thus, the architecture exactly sums up my feelings on Barcelona. Very fun place to visit and experience. However, I imagine I would become an inadvertent PR rep for Exedrin if I ever stayed there for an extended period of time. It is a place that feels, to me, like it thrives on its own very chaotic energy. Admittedly, I am not one who particularly enjoys a lot of rules and structure, but nor do I fare particularly well amidst chaos. Basically, and just to cut to the chase here: Barcelona is not the city for me. I can truly appreciate that it is a place beloved by others, and I can cognitively understand why. But for me, not so much. I sort of felt there how I feel in the presence of cat lovers, or when dining at an Indian resturant with a curry enthusiast. Like I get that there is something that I am clearly not getting. But that understanding does not make me get it anymore. You know what I mean? So, let's go over some of the weekend's highlights: on Saturday night, our third night in the city, we went to bed around midnight. We had our window open because the weather was just about perfect for doing so, and also because our hotel room was quite hot and stuffy when the window was closed. While I love fresh air, I do not love raging parties below my window sill that last until 5 am. And yet, for three nights, such was exactly the "bonus" to our Barcelona experience.These people were tireless ragers. They would seriously put American college kids to shame. On Saturday night, around 4 am, I was unceremoniously roused from my half-sleeping state (full sleep was not really a possibility with the amount of revelry occuring within such close proximity), and was instantly quite awake because what sounded like a harmonica, tambourine, and bongo drum ensemble started jamming with full gusto. Of course--don't all bands start playing at 4 am? I share this little story not to elicit sympathy at the sleep-robbery that transpired, but rather because I think the situation exemplifies my impression of Barcelona in general. There are no discernible "rules," people seem to abide by an utterly different time schedule, and at any given moment there is a strong possibilty that a mariachi band will materialize from nowhere and play with everlasting tenacity. Maybe even below your bedroom window. We went to check out of our hotel around 8 am on Sunday. At a hotel in the U.S., 8 am would be an hour where hotel personnel would be fully ensconced in the workday. Breakfast would be buzzing, the lobby would be pristine, and there would probably be a short line of slightly harassed-looking people, texting furiously on their blackberries as they wait to be checked out in an efficient and expeditious manner. In Barcelona, the bar/restaurant area was still in disarray from the night/morning's festivities, the cleaning crew was just starting to tidy the the reception area, and one bleary-eyed "night" receptionist checked us out in a haze that suggested we had just woken her from a deep slumber. I was actually envious of that look--did the trio of musicians not keep her awake too? Or did she go to sleep post-percussion jam? People eat lunch around 3 in Barcelona and dinner around 10 or 11. We eat late typically too (or so I thought)--around 9ish. Yet, we went to a restaurant at 9 on Friday night without a reservation, and easily and immediately were given a nice table. The place was really just starting to boom with diners when we left a couple of hours later. I seriously felt like an elderly lady who just enjoyed the early bird special. I fully realize, by the way, that it is not Barcelona's fault that I felt like a geriatric, but it nonetheless did not help my overall impression. Around-the-clock partying aside, Barcelona is a lovely city. Much like Gaudi's work, it is original and impressive. And it also possesses apparently deep traditional customs and culture. There were aspects I really loved, in fact. For example: it is surprisingly clean, and the harbor is gorgeous. The gothic quarter was an amazing place to lose yourself with all its narrow passageways, tucked away shops, restaurants, and churches. On the other hand, La Rambla is all hyped up as "the place" in the city center to see, but I found it to be a tourist nightmare rife with men hocking crap-tastic junk and an inexplicably large number of mobile pet stores housing various types of squaking parakeets. This road alone was was utter chaos comprised primarily of not very talented street performers, children buzzing around on wheeled apparati, and tourists white-knuckling their belongings in an attempt to stave off the much advertised thieves. La Rambla=not awesome. Other areas where breathtaking though. The Picasso museum is housed in a series of interconnected mansions, and there is a lot of fabulous green space in the city center. One day, we walked up the hill "Montjuic" and saw an incredible castle, enjoyed the vast and gorgeous parks up there, and walked back down through the art museum to the Plaza Espanya. It was a beautiful way to spend an afternoon. But, for whatever reason, I was just not sold on this place. Some people are likely outraged and I understand that sentiment. When people say they don't love Paris, I often simply nod and smile and say something (insincerely) sympathetic like, "Well, there is a lid for every pot." But really, I am assuming they must have some sort of mild brain damage or are just utterly moronic. So anyway, I am not sure Barcelona is the city for me. However, if I am ever in need of an all night party, I now know of no better place to find one. And that definitely counts for something.