Return to Barcelona
This journey through Europe is a semi-reunion trip for me. Ten years ago, in the summer of 1996, I spent five weeks on a whirlwind tour of Western Europe with two great friends, Tawn and Eilish. We visited eight countries and countless tourist attractions with breathtaking speed and the youthful energy of recent college grads. It was a trip of a lifetime, but besides the photos and journal entries I still have from that adventure, many of the details of what I experienced have disappeared.
Ten years later, I´m fortunate enough to have been able to undertake this return visit to Europe, this time, for five months. I now have precious extra weeks and hours to savor and cherish the details in a different way, and as a different person — older, slower, simpler — I get to linger with people and wander through places, taking in the atmosphere and culture at a more relaxed and less structured pace.
As I travel through both Western and Eastern Europe this time around, I will occasionally return to cities I visited on that first post-college trip. And yesterday I arrived in my first return visit city, the wonderful seaside metropolis of Barcelona, a bustling diverse and sprawling center of art, fabulous food, fashion and sandy beaches. As we emerged from the Metro to La Rambla, we instantly came upon the ubiquitous street performers, and for the first time since I began traveling 33 days ago, I was in a place I had been ten years ago. It was a fun feeling, to sense a familiar vibe right away, but then I though, jeez I feel old 🙂
It is great fun to be here again, to try new foods that I would not have dared try ten years ago, and to visit sites I did not get to see on our quick 48 hour visit back in 1996. Tomorrow we will go to the Cathedral, the Picasso Museum and Gaudi´s famous Sagrada Familia. They are predicting sun and 64 degrees tomorrow, so CJ and are hoping for another open-toe shoe day. We have had some fantastic affordable food here, and are looking forward to another two days to try even more.
I´m way behind in catching up on the blogs of my travel buddies and friends, but I hope to make some time this week before we head to France. Sorry for being out of touch, hope all is well in your world, wherever you are! I miss reading about the travels of others…hope to be able to check in very soon with travelers and those back home in B-more, NY and elsewhere. Hello to any of my new pals from Madrid and the Pueblo Ingles gang, say hi in the comments if you stop by for a visit!
Tags: barcelona, Europe 2006, Spain, Tag Index
Kel
March 23rd, 2006 at 3:11 pm
Kelly — I am enjoying traveling vicariously through your blog. Don’t fret too much about getting older or you’ll wind up like the old man in Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.”
Safe travels,
Brian
March 25th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
Hi Kelly,
It sounds like you are having a wonderful time and savoring every minute. I can’t wait to read more. I emailed you a link to some pictures from Pueblo Ingles…I hope you like them.
Take care.
Love,
Anika