Madrid to Barcelona. It is a pleasant four hour journey and if I amnot mistaken, the same train journey that Manuela takes after the death of her son Estaban in Almodovar´s acclaimed film ¨ All about my mother.¨ Almodovar amongst many others, was a film maker from la movida period following the death of Fascist dictator General Franco in 1975. During his reign public displays of affection were prohibited and the story goes that shortly after his death a young couple entertained a crowd with a strip tease in the Plaza Mayor. This behaviour captured the rebellious spirit of the movida movement which was adventurous and hedonistic. Almodovar´s movies engender this spirit through his outrageous characters and unconventional settings, but meanwhile in Barcelona....
When changing cities there is always a brief ( though at times not so brief) period of disorientation and the hostel hunt that goes with it. What struck me immediately about Barcelona is the contrast of its city streets from regal appearance of Madrid. The streets are wide and the building strongly remsemble the downtown streets of London. It is a bustling city with on the coast and the atmosphere is imedaitely more relaxed and casual. People walk around in slippy slops and jeans and tend to have a more inviting manner.
Hugo, Hostel Life in Barcelona
This time I would be staying in an apartment converted to a hostel with the ultra friendly Chilean host - Hugo. Hugo takes a genuine interest in his guests and on that day I am told in is Salsa and Tequila night. Soon after dancing and a few drinks myself and a bunch of girls headed out to catch some of the SPanish night life. The bars however, are mostly dodgy, filled with unappealing Spanish men, until we reach a more traditional Salsa bar. Armed with about two Salsa classes I tried to pick up what I could but ended up having a pretty awesome time. The metro was closed by the time we made it back to the station which mean´t wainting for an hour in the cold for it to start up again at five. It sounds dismal but infact the streets were full of party goers waiting for the trains to start again.
Inside the Segrada Familla
I spen the next few days exploring the streets of Barcelona with a few friends from Paris that I would later be staying with once I made my way up there. There were really charming, easy going and nice to be around. We walked for hours to see Gaudi´s Segrada Familla which is a Cathedral that he designed whic has a peculiar phallic beauty. It will take another ten years to finish and despite Gaudi´s death there are still constructions under way. Gaudi´s architecture can be seen throughout Barcelona. It has an enchanting, mysterious and modern gothic feel.
After that I found myself at the Museu de Picasso which is an impressive collection of most of his earlier works. It has always amazed me that even the most impressive Avant Garde artists go through a period in which their focus is classical. As if they need to master the conventions of the visual elements before they can break them. The gallery is divided chronologically which makes it easy to see how he was influenced by his fellow contemporaries. Time spent in Paris with Lautrec involves numerous sketches of naked Parisian women in a similar style to Lautrec and similiarly time spent with Matisse reveals the same.
Barcelona is a comforting place to explore on your own as their is nothing about the city which implies loneliness. I draw the Jo´burg Cape Town comparison between Madrid and Barcelona in that Madrid appears to bustling with industry and work whereas Barcelona is bustling with anything but such activity. From here I retire from the big cities a bit and head to the Costa del Sol, to sunbathe a while.
