Gaudi architecture rules in Barcelona Photo by Tim Van Schmidt
Several weeks ago I wrote a column about traveling — and I dreamt of journeying to Spain. Well, it was no dream. I really did go to Spain over the holiday season.
My wife and I flew to Barcelona to meet another couple from Washington state and from there we managed to get a big taste of the northeastern part of Spain known as Catalonia.
We spent several days in Barcelona itself, staying in an apartment right off of the busy Rambla, the city’s pedestrian-friendly centerpiece full of people, food, and stores.
From there, we rented a car and made a big circle through some of the highlights of the area, experiencing Catalan culture, history, and more.
So let’s get this straight right away. Catalonia is officially a part of Spain but there is more than a little independent spirit everywhere you go.
There’s more than a little independent spirit in Catalonia Photo by Tim Van Schmidt
The Catalan flag is commonly displayed whereas you would be hard-pressed to find the flag of Spain anywhere. A yellow ribbon symbol of independence appears just as frequently — everywhere from in shop windows to street graffiti. It’s interesting to note that this is true throughout the region, but not in the Barcelona airport.
Our Catalan journey included visiting castles and medieval villages. One 11th century castle had been purchased and decorated by Salvador Dali. Another lay in the midst of a medieval town located right on the fringes of an area littered with dozens of extinct volcanoes.
Bridge in medieval village Besalu Photo by Tim Van Schmidt
There were churches and cathedrals — every village had their own — and they were often the most prominent and imposing structures in town. Many of them were centuries old. Many had been restored after war damage.
Especially in Barcelona, groundbreaking architecture in general is a prominent thing. Of course, we visited the Sagrada Familia, the incredible cathedral in the center of the city designed by architect Antoni Gaudi. It is a unique sight, grand spires shooting up into the air and decorated with religious relief sculptures.
The ceiling of the Sagrada Familia cathedral Photo by Tim Van Schmidt
We also visited the Parc Guell, an otherworldly collection of buildings also designed by Gaudi that was originally meant to be a unique housing development.
In one block alone in Barcelona — the “Block of Discord” — there are multiple examples of other “Modernista” architecture, all lined up next to each other, competing for attention.
Catalan history goes back millennia and in Tarragona, we saw ancient Roman ruins. Those included a huge amphitheatre and a cirq where the chariot races were held. But Roman ruins were everywhere, including a lone column sitting in a square where we enjoyed a Christmas beer.
Roman amphitheatre in Tarragona Photo by Tim Van Schmidt
We also learned of several unique cultural practices in Catalonia. That includes the curious “caganer”, a little dude that appears in Catalan nativity scenes, squatting and pooping as a sign of fertilizing the earth. I kid you not.
Spreading fertilizer- the caganer Photo by Tim Van Schmidt
We also were introduced to “castells” or human towers built by teams of participants. There’s a mass of mostly men at the bottom, forming a base from which a structure is carefully created, all to get the last person to the top of several stories. It’s a competitive thing and an example of raw human engineering.
Monument to the Catalan human tower Photo by Tim Van Schmidt
We drove along the Pyrenees on a twisty, curvy little highway that we called our own thanks to being there in the offseason. These were magical drives, centuries old villages dotting the hillsides.
Magical driving in the Pyrenees Photo by Tim Van Schmidt
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I burst the pandemic travel bubble this year with several domestic trips. Mostly it was about family, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t good times.
On the way to Catalina Island in southern California, for example, my boat passed through an enormous pod of dolphins, countless animals breaching the water and diving in for as far as the eye could see.
In northern Wisconsin, I rose early in the morning to see a lake as beautifully still as glass. At night I could hear the loons’ mournful calls.
In New Jersey and Pennsylvania just recently, I saw the colors of autumn splashed across the hills — bright reds, oranges, and yellows.
However, I did not get out of the country. I had some plans — like returning to Israel or touring Taiwan with a native — but they got sidelined.
Some of my best travel memories are from my international travels and I cherish them like special dreams. Some of them are not much more than just cool, unforgettable moments:
Mayan ruins in Tikal Photo by Tim Van Schmidt
I am walking in the jungle in Guatemala, headed toward the Mayan ruins of Tikal. Monkeys are jumping overhead, toucans are chattering on tree branches, leaf-cutter ants are parading by on the forest floor. Suddenly a herd of miniature pigs breaks through the underbrush and stampedes across the path.
I am visiting the city of Leningrad in Soviet era Russia and it is during the “White Nights”. We were dinner guests of a Russian family and one of the relatives was a taxi driver — and had his own car. So at midnight, after pounding shots of vodka “like a true Soviet man”, we enjoy a late night tour of the city, ending on the parapets of the Peter and Paul Fortress. Afterwards, the taxi driver stops a factory truck and comes back with warm, fresh bread for breakfast.
I am on an overnight ferry from Denmark headed to England. I’m hunkered down on a deck chair, watching the sky lighten up, tired, but not able to fall asleep. The water, the sea air, the half-light all combine to wash away everything else but this moment.
In Israel, I am visiting Apollonia and in the ruins is a room with a huge stone arch facing out to the Mediterranean Sea. It’s a hot day, and as I stand at the open archway, I can see up and down the coast, the sea breaking hard on the cliffs below. I imagine I am an ancient soldier, posted there to watch the waterways.
I look forward to making some new special memories in the near future.
What’s it all about? Experience, plain and simple. I think the point is to get out of your usual habitat for while. Seeing how other people live helps give you perspective on how you live your life.
You can find these experiences close to home, for sure. But the further afield you go — to another country, even another continent — you get an even wider view on life.
In Oslo- Vigeland Park sculptures Photo by Tim Van Schmidt
Now, I wonder: if I could travel somewhere abroad, where would it be? Where can I find new special memories of foreign places?
In my dreams, I am walking through a cathedral made of stone. At my feet are the resting places of saints and light sprays through long windows on high. Here is a kind of immortal silence made reverent by a million bent knees.
I am thinking that this is in Spain. Maybe that’s where I should go.
A beautiful moment in the Austrian Tyrols Photo by Tim Van Schmidt
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