Lost in Barcelona, but not complaining

November 22, 2011 in Boomers, Places, Travel

Sally Franz

Barcelona at night is a vibrant affair. Twinkle lights at every outdoor café, ancient street lights pouring pools of yellow onto cobble stones and shop signs beckoning you inside.

I was staying on the glorious Las Ramblas boulevard which has an open promenade down the middle of the road. It was early September, warm breezes, sunlight until late and packed with vendors selling jewelry, scarves, gelato, and pizza. At the end of Las Ramblas is the Barcelona Seaport. There you will find a major statue to Columbus (Colon), beaches and of course the dock for the cruise ship I would be boarding in two short days. But first I had exploring to do.

The first afternoon, map in hand I started straight for the Gotik area. This Gothic medieval district boasts an old cathedral, gargoyles, museums and labyrinth of narrow alleys. But I was on a quest. Farther into the area is the famous Picasso Museum featuring mostly the artist’s earlier works. The map was clear, I had only to cross over a few main roads and I would be there.

The fact that the map from the hotel was more like one I had seen inDisneylandand less like a real map did not occur to me until I had taken a short cut down an alley and was in a word: lost. The map showed the Las Ramblas, a major square, a cartoon of a cathedral, and a cartoon of the Picasso Museum just inches from each other. It turns out there were many more roads and old alleys than on my map. As a skateboarder with a tray of pink iced cupcakes went whirling by cutting into yet another non-mapped alley I had wished I had left bread crumbs along the way to find my way back.

Flower pots and laundry dripped off of wrought iron age old balconies. Shadows grew longer, when and if I could find natural light. But if Columbus could find America(as his statue and plaque in the harbor alluded to) certainly I could find the Museo Picasso.

I took several more turns into narrower allies. Finally as I came to a T-in the small neighborhood. To the right I saw people mulling about. I ventured forward to find myself in a wedding party in the same square where I had started. Not to be discouraged I started out again in the opposite direction and found the museum with two hours left to see it.

The next day I took the funicular to a gondola up to the fort at the top of Mt.Juic. From there I hiked through the gardens, fountains, arbors to the Miro museum and the Olympic Stadium. At last I arrived at the Barcelona Art Museum which overlooks the “Magic Fountains”. The Art Museum should probably be seen over the course of a week. The collection is enormous and the display rooms invite you to linger. Alas, I had to see only what a few hours would allow.

Getting home in the dark sans light with which to see my cartoon map was an adventure, but at least the streets never close-up in Barcelona and there sangria, tapas and gelato on every corner.

Sort of like being lost in Paradise.

Sally Franz

Sally Franz is a motivational speaker, corporate trainer and author. Her newest book, about contracting an auto-immune disease (Transverse Myelitis-TM), which threatened to leave her paralyzed is an Amazon Best Seller: “Scrambled Leggs…a snarky tale of hospital hooey”. She is an avid gardener, artist and world traveler. And now she is about to venture out on her 26th move since the age of 20. Next stop? Portland, Oregon.