cutting great neck

Here I am, after a day and a half in the city of Barcelona...

It had been very enjoyable--Spain, as always, has been a wonderful town--I live two blocks from the beautiful, marvelous, detailed, astounding, chilling Gaudi's Sangrada Familia, one of the most amazing buildings I have ever laid my eyes on or entered. It really is Barcelona in itself--it's an extrovert, open and accessible, stylish; what everyone seeks for in a European city.

But Barcelona is...it isn't Madrid. It isn't the red, flaring city. It isn't the royal beauty that I know. It isn't the blue skies over black houses, the orange skycrapers, the Return to Europa I've dreamt of years, years before Madrid. Barcelona is pretty, yes, but I can't link with it. It's beautiful...but we haven't seen much.

However, it is Europe. So I do feel like the luckiest person in the world.

Yesterday was a waste of time. We went up to Montjuic, which was nice but I would have rather stayed down in the city, maybe reconsider my point of view. We went to the beautiful fountain, where I had a speck of dust enter my right eye, and could not properly witness the spectacule.

"I heard my mama cried
I heard her pray the night Chicago died."

We also went to the Miro mueseum, which was fascinating, and before that we went up to the Castille-the top of the mountain, the castle--and after Miro, we went to the Spanish Village, which was a touristy beauty, but still a beauty, a marvel. It was so realistic, and yet it seemed too Disney-like.

It was a waste of a day. And my parents couldn't see how wasteful it really, truly was.

Two days ago we went to the Sangrade Familia, a truly amazing cathedral, and to Las Ramblas, which was a slight bore and a tease, with no charm as everybody else said. Maybe today we'll go there in daylight and it might be as spectacular as everybody says it is.

Today, I decided, will be a Gaudi day.

I am EXCITED.

Next time I'm on will probably be in a couple days, and I'll have pictures on; I'll try to, at least.