Barcelona is a city that inspired two men who saw the world from a completely different perspective than that of the rest of us. Who saw the world in fluid, undulating lines rather than straight ones. Who saw the world from all angles possible.
Antoni Gaudi was an architect in the late 19th early 20th centuries who did not build or design structures, but rather seemed to grow them from rock. Sure, I can be awed by a magnificent church or a beautiful theatre, but to be honest, I am generally much more excited by ruins of modern buildings. However, I was absolutely blown away by what Gaudi has done. Every building he created is an organic experience, from buildings that looks like waves swelling on the sea or skeletal complexes filled with oblique and curved angles, to a whole park designed with Hansel and Gretel in mind, to a massive cathedral that seems to breathe and surge with life, with glowing stained glass, columns that look like insect legs, and tangled spires that that heave above the skyline. It was truly awe-inspiring.
And then there is Pablo Picasso, who turned the world of art on its axis by realizing that a painting, while beautiful, is only representing a single snapshot of time; a single snapshot of the subject’s being. Instead, why not try to portray all aspects of your subject at once by looking at them from all angles? Sure, it looks kinda funky, with eyes and noses all over the place and of all shapes and sizes, but if you look at it realising that you are seeing that subject not just from the front, but from the back, the side, below, above… all at once, it truly blows your mind. My immense thanks to EB, a wonderful art guide, for helping me to actually see it all and for putting up with questions like: “Now, why is this art?”
What is most wonderful is that these two geniuses in turn inspired the city, as Barcelona seethes with passion and culture. If you have never been, I recommend it highly!!! If you have been, go back!
On Thursday, EB went back to Korea (I won’t go into how difficult that was for me, but if you’ve seen the penultimate scene in There's Something About Mary, when Ben Stiller is leaving Mary’s house, you’ll have an idea of how I was in the Rome airport) and I have found my way to Dakar, Senegal to hang with Aman (my intrepid and perennial travelling companion who is saving the world one West African city at a time through the Red Cross).
I find my mind awash in languages; Korean, Italian, Spanish, and now French. I invariably say ‘si’ for yes and ‘aniyo’ for no. I am worried that come crunch time, sentences like Dove est el hwajanshil? or Aniyo, je non habla Francais. or Vorrei deux cervasas, juseyo. will come spilling from my mouth. It is all a very exciting and welcome side-effect of being a nomad!
Love you all and hope you're well!
J
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