The Tune of the Traveller...Barcelona

I am a nomad by nature. I have been spread over two continents, and my friends are spread between a few more. The upshot is that there are pieces of my heart all over the globe. This is a modern condition. The more we travel, the more we learn, the more we have to leave behind. I am a puppy - I become unconditionally attached to people, and I ache when I leave them. Because of this sensitivity, I sometimes query what I am doing so far away from these people of my heart. They live in Durban, Thailand and Toronto, Scotland and Johannesburg, Korea and Cape Town, and I am working towards seeing some of them in the next twelve months. However, when I get a little blue, I remember why I am here... Because Europe is wonderful! Because London is a moving, living metropolis that beats and throbs, and is the centre of so much culture. Because from here the world is a small leap away, geographically and financially.

I have not yet blogged about my experience in Barcelona. I cannot hope to encapsulate a city in a post, a city I have visited for a mere 5 days. All I can offer are my impressions and my sense of the place. Nothing so greatly impressed on me than Sagrada Familia.

For me Barcelona was about the holy spaces, areas for commune with your own spiritual consciousness. The churches and cathedrals of Barcelona seemed to echo through me, reminding me of my need for spirituality - for something sacred, something pure. I was struck most profoundly by the hallowed ground of Sagrada Familia. The Sagrada Familia is the altar at which Antonio Gaudi, an architect of the Modernist style, laid his religious fervour and obsession. His glorious unification of modern architecture, the imperfection of nature and the need to materialise our links to our deities make Sagrada Familia a revolutionary space for worship and contemplation in my eyes. Every inch of this edifice is perfectly planned, and the attention to detail is sublime. The natural beauty Gaudi channelled for the creation of his church, forgoing the inclusion of straight lines, and drawing on the natural world, serves as a reminder of the complexity and beauty that exists within our universe. Wandering around the cathedral, which continues to be under construction, I felt uplifted by his 100 year old dream. As the coloured glass temporarily stained my skin, and I heard my lonely footsteps in this giant vault of contemplation, the genius of Gaudi brought me closer to the idea of intelligent design than I have been in years.

Detailing on the doors at the main entrance to the Cathedral

Being in Barcelona, I once more scented the blood of the traveller. In so many instances the travellers quest appears to be to garner new knowledge. Knowledge of the city, its history and customs, as well as knowledge of the self when confronted by these things and given the time for thoughts to wander. This knowledge of self so often leads to a deeper wisdom of the place you are visiting, and people in general. And so, I plan to travel further this year, to see new places that might challenge me further, and to reunite with the people I so miss, just to remember once more who I am.