European Exercise IX: Sagrada Família Revisited

Magic Square, swiped from williamnyk on Flickr.

Early the next morning, we dragged ourselves out of bed although we were quite tired. All in the name of beating the queue at Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. However, we still had to line up for an hour in the cold. :S. Ate breakfast in the queue-- bought an on over-priced panini with way too much coriander flakes. We took turns standing. One would stay while the other would go exploring around the exterior. Much construction was still ongoing after more than a century. The spires were flanked by cranes and one can see the difference between new stone and weathered stone. Once the line started moving, we got in rather quickly. The entrance was through the Passion Façade, a work by Josep Maria Subirachs. Depicts the Passion of the Christ through the use of "bare-bone" sculptures with rigid and angular lines. I didn't quite like it. Inside, I was awed by the sheer size of the nave. Gigantic columns rose up from the floor and joined the ceiling like tree branches supporting the sky. Looking up, I had a mixed feeling of nature and extra-terrestrial at the same time. The ceiling could be described as star-like and flower-like with all the radiating geometry. At the main altar, the crucifix was suspended under a giant parasol with grapes and lamps hanging from the sides. After ohh-ing and ahh-ing on ground level, we took the trip up to the spires. Strangely, only Asians were in the line. Every time a Westerner ventured in, the staff would usher them off. Peculiar! The view from the top was amazing, but it was quite confusing. One could go up and down the tight spiral staircases from spire to spire. Got lost with a bunch Japanese tourists. The old lady kept on talking to me in Japanese though she knew I could not understand. :S.









Next up, we admired Gaudi's work on the Nativity Façade. Another amazing work of art dedicated to the birth of Christ! Highly-decorated with animals, plants and flowers, it told the story of Christ's beginnings-- The Annunciation, His birth, Jesus teaching at the Temple, and etc. So many details! Most tourists were smitten by the beauty of it. Refusing to leave so quickly, we spent more time inside trying to discover new details. The Glory Façade was still under construction so perhaps we will revisit it again in the future. Hehe. Our last stop in Barcelona was La Pedrera. Another long wait to get in. Took us more than an hour! A trickle at a time. Ugh. Took a light snack from Farggi. By the time we got, we both agreed that it was not as impressive as Casa Battlo. The only thing impressed us was the attic and the roof with its famously weird chimneys and ventilation towers. Before checking out at our hotel, we had lunch at Cafe & Te again, KH's favourite restaurant in Barcelona. In our zeal, we over-ordered-- had bikini de jamon (not swimwear, but a ham sandwich), pepito de lomo and a mixed snack plate. KH wanted to try cava (Spanish white wine), but he mistakenly told the waitress that he actually wanted red. Without batting an eyelid, she poured the whole glass down the sink. Shy to order it again, I ordered cava, from another waiter. Haha. Dessert was Tarta Sacher, a deliciously chocolate-y end to our Spanish experience.













Actually, we had another night at Alimara Hotel, but we just checked out anyway, cause the deal was as such and we had a plane to catch. Took the Metro down to the airport for just Euro 1.10. Bloody cheap don't you think? Before going through airport security, we sat on the steps finishing a can of Alhambra beer that we bought on the first day in BCN. Inside, we snacked on a salty pizza from El Fornet's. Flew GermanWings to Cologne Bonn Airport. My very first time seeing a stewardess with spectacles. Arrived at about 10:00pm. Still not used to the fact that inter-European Union travel does not require one to clear immigration. JM was already there waiting for us at the airport. gave him a big hug and off we went to catch our train to my host's apartment. Was quite surprised to find many food outlets still open. The first thing that JM told me about Germany was:

"Feel free to hold hands with KH. Germans here don't bat an eyelid."

If JM wasn't there to get us, I think we would have had much trouble trying to figure things out. Everything was in German and the train schedule was chock-full of fine print and at least 0.75m in length. And it being the Easter weekend, maintenance work was going on, requiring us to change trains and get to Wevelinghovener Strasse. Feeling a bit hungry, we had supper at one of the nearby kebab shops. Had a delicious doner. It was filled to the brim with fresh lettuce, grilled chicken and other condiments. A very satisfying meal at only E2.50! Chatted at length with JM and he regaled us about intra-European migration and how people take advantage of Germany's social security. By the time we arrived, our hosts were already asleep, so we tip-toed in and JM briefed us a bit about how things worked. Our room was clean and cozy. On the side table, gay magazines, condoms and lube were available. Thinking of everything, JM brought us water (can never get why Europeans like sparkling water so much), chocolate Easter bunnies, Easter eggs and some typical German food to try. After we had settled in, JM left and we took a nice warm shower before heading for bed.