Spain pt.1 - Barcelona, sights

What started out as an invite by Nunie to Barcelona, ended up with a mini Team Malat reunion, an excursion to Madrid, and another Fei Zhai target in Phing. The brilliant 8-team consists of: myself, CM, Joseph, Phing, Roy, Simon, Doggie WH and his target HL. Manc Piccadilly - Arriva 700 - Liverpool John Lennon - ryanair - Barcelona Girona, and hualah.. the Nebraskans were waiting for us. Just feels good to see them, and of course me & Simon get to crapalot throughout the trip. By the time we trekked to Centric Point Hostel and checked into separate dorms (mine was a 12-bed, 18eu), it was midnight, just right for a tapas supper with german beer. I could nvr rmb the name of drinks I had. It was decided unofficially then, that Phing would be tour leader, with me chipping in suggestions, since we're the only ones that bother to do any research beforehand.

Team Malat reunion@Montjuic; the 8-crew@St. Sebastian Beach

Funny enough, we both got up late the next day, me because my mobile clock was still UK time. However, I still had a headstart, visiting the quirky buildings nearby - Casa Lleo Morera, Casa Amattler, Gaudi's Casa Battlo, and Fundacio Tapies. The hostel's location was excellant, on Passieg de Gracia, with a metro station right outside, and 10mins walk to city centre Placa de Catalunya. Transportation was delightfully cheap, a 10-trip metro pass cost only 6.65eu, and can be shared.

Modernist architecture: Casa Lleo Morera (1905 by Lluís Domènech i Montaner); Casa Amattler (1900 by Puig i Cadafalch); Fundacio Tapies (1885 by Montaner)

Montjuic was the first stop, a hilltop park located in the SW region. No less of complaints, but our troupe led by the two flip-flop wearing leaders, still trekked up to Castell de Montjuic. Lovely overview of the city and ports, the MU fan also posed with cannons eerily similiar to Arsenal's logo. Then again, he was posing with everything and anything, earning the nickname 'Photoboy', still unbeknownst to him hehe. Coming downhill in a tourisy tram which sounded like its wheels would fall off any moment, we hopped off at Placa d'Espanya. 7 cameras powered up = photostops at the monumental Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, a pair of bell towers modelled after Venice's St. Mark's, and the circular Placa de Toros. Since I wasn't too keen to try bull's testicles, we didn't watch any bullfights (toros) during this trip.

CW from top left: Malats@Castell de Montjuic; posing Phing; Roy the Gunner; city view w/ Simon; towers & toros; Catalonian Art Museum

Getting off the metro stop Drassanes ("dockyard"), we were greeted by the Monument a Colom, a statue of Columbus covered with pigeon shit. It's even worse than Nelson's Column in London's Trafalgar Sq, too bad couldn't get a good shot because of the afternoon sun. This is where the 'happening' boulevard Las Ramblas starts, lined with news kiosks, street artists and cafes. For lunch, I had a falafel whilst the others had a bite at ol'Mac. It was a pleasant surprise that Barca had many gelaterias, so an ice-cream a day was a staple. This was what was most enjoyable about Barcelona - one can just stroll around the streets, plenty to see, feeling pleasant and mighty happy, gelato in hand. Just like a stroll through Covent Gardens with Ben's Cookies, or SS2 Pasar Malam with Deep Fried Sotong. However, we did miss some sights in Las Ramblas - Mercat de la Boqueria (wet market) sau tong already, and Gaudi's Placa Reial was being renovated.

Scenes along Las Ramblas

Next is the adjointing Barri Gotic ("Gothic Quarter"), where the 'old' Barcelona started off. Full of tight alleys, gothic buildings and wide plazas, it was a wonderful maze indeed. The buildings encircle the outstanding Cathedral, a church that ranks up there among the best I've seen around the world. Serene tiny garden, high gothic arches, glittering statues and alters every 10 steps - simply blew me away. We then chilled to a street performing couple's (guitar & accordian) sensual tunes, getting a relaxed half-hour's rest.

(top) Me and my deranged buddy; (bottom) Cathedral interior

Onwards to La Ribera, also a medieval area, was the elegant Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar, with the most impressive stained glass collection I've seen in a while. Thank the summer sun, but we still had time to have a go at the Museu Picasso. Similiar to Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum, it houses a comprehensive collection of Picasso's work, arranged in a chronological layout, although none of his most famous works were there. A good hour was spent there charting Picasso's revolutionary shift towards the contempory, although there were plenty laughs too, courtesy of Joseph. His 'l**j***' comment about an obscene sketch of a waiter flashing his birdie at a couple sure left us in stitches. Still, that pic was nothing compared to Dali's fascination with depicting female genitalia as lobsters, evident in London's Dali Universe. More Picasso is still to come later in the trip, so any artistic commentary will be left till then.

CW from top left: chillin'; The Lazy Tour; duh roadsign; cheeky posse; a post office that looks like a senate

Apparently it was some Catalonian holiday, and there were small street parties happening as we headed towards La Barceloneta for dinner. People dressed as vikings weilding huge plastic axes and dancing sure was amusing indeed. After getting lost trying to find a restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet (the add was correct!), we settled in a roadside restaurant amongst many, thanks to the waiter's welcoming cheeky grin. Sangria, mussels, sashimi-like salad, grilled cuttlefish, fried baby octopus, paella, and me&Phing's extremely-salty-cod. A fulfilling fest ends with a walk, a metro, and Simon tumbling into bed and snoring immediately. I'm still amazed at the ground we covered in one day, very accomodating entourage indeed haha.

Gawking at Gaudi

I love Gaudi. Before Barcelona, I knew next to nothing, but this trip has enlightened me about him and other prominent Spanish artists ie Picasso, Goya, Velazquez, Zurbaran, El Greco. Antoni Gaudi was a great Catalan architect during the Modernist period, at the turn of the 20th century. Even though I’ve never been impressed by the art of that era eg Cezanne, Matisse etc, Gaudi’s work strikes a chord with me. I'm able to see, through his work, his life philosophy – naturalistic designs, and a deep spiritual belief (Gaudi was a devout Catholic). His obsession with natural light, and preference of natural spherical shapes over conventional geometric models, is evident in all his structures. I adore his technical ability to convert outlandish concepts into reality, esp the twisted ironwork, brick arches and weird sculptures.

My fascinations will transfer to the pictures below. Gaudi was influenced in his formative years by the ideas of Ernst Haeckel, a German biologist who believed that the biological conception of the universe in which matter was integrated, not in life, but in thought. Some excerpts from Haeckel’s General Morphology of Organisms (1887):


Casa Vicens (1883-1888) - coloured tiles with lined bricks make a formidable structure.




El Capricho (1883-1885) - just love those hand-made sunflower tiles to death.

Park Guell (1900-1914) - brilliant serpentine bench & plaza, beautiful rock arches, fairytale pavilions, four-armed crosses, doric collonades w/ colourful biomorphic designs. All in all, creativity overload.

Casa Battlo (1904-1907) - The house of bones. Creepy but brilliant, and my fave chimney.


La Pedrera, Casa Milla (1906-1912) - hollowed out in the middle to provide natural lighting to all apartment units, this revolutionary design is absolutely magnificent. 4.50eu for a luscious tour of an exemplary apartment of that era, a Gaudi museum in its vaulted attic, and of course the weird shapes atop its rooftop. Also love the eyelid windows.



La Sagrada Familia (1883-) - Finally, the masterpiece of them all. 3 facades, 7 towers, eery bible story sculptures, symbolism everywhere, plants and animals, spiral staircases, blahblah, there's too many good things to say about Gaudi's vision in this structure of epic proportions. Except maybe: why are they taking so freakin' long to finish it?!!
















To top it all off, there's a cute 'support the world' tortoise (La Sagrada Familia); and if I can build a house in the future, I'll definitely include this cute mushroom doorway in my house (it's actually a chimney place in Casa Battlo). Woohoo!!

Radiohead@Hammersmith Apollo, 190506

7pm sharp, last stop of Hammersmith and City line. Following the throngs, jumping over fences, Apollo in sight. Some Japanese wuz offering 250 quid for my ticket, I was like, "I don't care You And Whose Army?", and walked into the ancient warehouse. It felt like The National Anthem was playing in there, everybody who belongs and believes in the same thing, their pride hanging on their sleeves. Whilst getting me a Carling, the bar-mate mixed up my change, cuz he thought 2+2=5. Putting on me white loudspeakers, I looked at the propaganda playlist, it was a Open Pick which songs would they play. I placed myself around 15 Steps from the stage, and when the folksy opening act came out, it wasn't half-bad, definitely no Exit Music.




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iPod still churning out Ok Computer tunes, the crowd started to gather near. Lucky I was, surrounded by two couples on the sides, and a group of (short) young lads in front of me, having a good safe view from the slanting floor. 8:40pm, The lights dim, the masses roar, and Thom's heart-felt voice broke out. The calm before the anthem. The following mathematical build-up assured me that my every Dollars And Cents were well spent. More euphoria ensured as they belt out two solid new tunes, one with a catchy Arpeggio, the other which I just had to Videotape. Clad in a black hoodie, Jonny kept up the Street Spirit, and proved that he really is a Paranoid Android. The uncompromising melodies and perfect solos cement his place as one of modern rock's legendary guitarist. I got a scare and thought he was suffering from Myxomatosis, when in fact, he was using this tech gadget with flashy lights, which I last saw in a deejaying studio in Hartamas years ago.

Go Slowly, I thought to myself, as I was already in another dimension, where the Spooks are Idioteque, where the musical instruments are magically coherent, where the Bangers N Mash around me. It felt like Everything In Its Right Place. As the swirl of freakish sounds encircle me, background still pounding with disco beats, I opened my eyes. Where are they? There There, it was just a short break. I imagined the music video, the dark forest, and I thought of Alice in Wonderland. Building a House Of Cards, unable to move the heavy queen of hearts. Sitting atop of the tree is that purple cat, its half-moon smile gleaming. I saw beyond the smile to notice a Black Star, and was Lucky to snap back to reality, as the crowd sang-along cheerily to yet another rare song off The Bends.

The encore was to serve as a 4-minute Warning that the out-of-this-world experience is coming to an end. What did I do to deserve this? They haven't play "Wolf At The Door", "Knives Out", "A Punchup At A Wedding"!!, my heart screamed. Ed's sweet voice rang out in the background, "for just a minute there, I ask myself..", reminding myself that the Karma Police will come and get me. A superb 23-song set, pics & vids, I was still smiling outside in the rain, as I ran to the station, in the tube, into Bayswater BK, 11pm. They've firmly radio-ed themselves to my head in the short list of Brit bands I revere: Led Zep, Queen & Coldplay. TQTQ to Ved for my conversion and sorry sorry to Jay for my ignorance.




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p/s highlighted songnames is the set list in sequence, shamelessly forced into this poetic essay.