Gaudi, Gaudi, and more Gaudi (3/3: Barcelona, Spain)

One of the things I did yesterday while Christie was getting some work done, was make a list of all the “sight seeing” type stuff I wanted to see in Barcelona. Three of the things on that list are: Casa Batllo, La Padrera, and Park Guell. All three (2 buildings and a park) were designed by the architect Antoni Guadi (a.k.a. “God’s Architect”).

We head out, and our first stop is the Casa Batllo, which is pretty much a block away from our hotel. I can’t really do justice to how crazy/cool Gaudi’s designs are, so just go look at my pictures.

Next, we head out to Park Guell via the metro. Park Guell is a public park with a plaza area designed by Gaudi. The main entrance has “houses” modeled after the Gingerbread house from Hansel & Gretal. Inside the gates, there are stairs up to a room open on three sides, filled with columns supporting the roof. The main feature of the stairs is a large fountain down the middle modeled after a salamander. The ceiling of the columned room has all kinds of beautiful tile work, as does the outside of the terrace above. Up another set of stairs and there’s a huge terrace, with amazing views out to Barcelona. Again, I really can’t adequately describe it, so just go look at the pictures! Anyway, spend a few hours wandering around the park, stopped for a bite to eat at the snack bar on the terrace, and then headed back out to the Metro.

Our final stop was La Padrera. Unfortunately, after the grandeur of the park, and the craziness of Casa Batllo, this building just seemed kind of boring. There was some neat stuff up on the roof, and a great view out to the the Sagrada Familia (more on that later), but at this point in the day it was pretty much just a building. So, back to the hotel and crashed for naps.

Back up and out around 10ish for dinner. First we headed over to a place called Cal Pep in the El Borne district, but it was completely packed, so we walked back out to another place (forget the name), and just got a few small plates and a glass of wine there (like last night, basically a big appetizer). Walked back over to Placa de Santa Maria, and wandered around a bit looking for our next stop. As we were walking around we got to see part of the lunar eclipse! We were going to stick around the Placa to watch it, but after waiting 20 minutes or so, and nothing seeming to have changed, we decided to just keep wandering in our quest for more food. What did we find? A restaurant called “Cheese Me”. If any of you thought there was any chance I was passing this place up, you clearly don’t know me well enough. So, we head in, order the Spanish cheese plate, and a bottle of cava, and chow down. After cheese, we decided to get dessert (I know, most places the cheese plate is dessert. I’m on vacation. Don’t judge!). Christie gets a “fruit gratin with ricotta foam”, and I get a flourless chocolate cake.

So, now, it’s about 1am. We jump in a cab, and head over to a club – The Sutton Club -- and not only is it dead, but they want 15E each cover. However, the two bars near it are both packed. I’m flummoxed. Why are the bars packed, and the club dead? I’m hemming, I’m hawing, and Christie pretty much just wants to go home. In my confusion, Christie decides she has to go to the bathroom, so we head into one of the bars. She goes to the bathroom, and I sneak off to get a drink. Drinks are big. Tall glass, filled to the half way point with ice and vodka, and they give you the can of red bull: 5E. So, obviously I don’t finish it before Christie gets back. When she does, we start talking to the guy next to us at the bar. Neither he nor his friends really speak any English, so he calls over his brother to do the translating. We end up talking to them, and eventually find out that everyone hangs out at the bar until 3am or so (when they close), and then people go to the club. So, we hang out with them, and then around 3am we all head over to the club.

Now, there’s a huge line. Luckily, one of the guys we’re with (Eduardo, the English speaker) seems to know someone, has a card of some sort, and just like that we’re in. I don’t know what he said, I don’t know what he did, and I don’t really care: I hate waiting in lines. We all head for the bar in the back, and Christie sets up camp on a sofa nearby. Get a drink, talk to Eduardo and his brother/friends for a bit, and I get the urge to wander. Now, I know that you’re never supposed to leave a girl (any girl) alone in a club for very long, but we’ve been hanging out with these guys for a few hours, and Christie has been talking to them just as much as I have, so I figure she’ll be ok to hang out with them for a bit. I tell Eduardo I want to walk around for a bit, tell Christie I’ll be back in 5 minutes, and wander off. Huge mistake.

I end up at another bar across the club, talking to some people, when I get a text message from Christie that “we are leaving. Meet me at the front of the club. Go back and get your jacket on the bench.” Crap. Something has happened. I find Christie at the front of the club, and ask her what happened. She tells me to go get my stuff, and she’ll tell me when we get outside. I run over the back bar, grab my jacket, run back to the front. We get outside. “What happened?!” No answer. We get into a cab, and she starts explaining that after I left, she started talking to Eduardo, and he starting hit on her. First he says something like “So, is that guy your boyfriend?” (No). “Do you have a boyfriend?” (No) and then says something to the effect of “I think you’re cute.” Now, never mind that she should have seen this coming a mile away – I don’t think any guys has ever asked a girl her availability without some sort of motive – but we have to leave because someone starting hitting on her? Really? Now, granted I ended up being gone more like half an hour than 5 minutes, but still, no “help! Need rescue!”? No, “where are you?”? The situation escalates straight to “we are leaving.”? So, in one of the biggest party cities in the world, those were my 30 minutes of clubbing.

I want to be pissed about this. Going clubbing was of two things on my "must do" list for Barcelona. I want to be *really* pissed about this. Just one problem… it was my fault:

1. You never leave a girl alone at a club.
2. I’ve been dragging her around Barcelona sight seeing all day.
3. YOU NEVER LEAVE A GIRL ALONE AT A CLUB.

*sigh*

I'm an idiot.