Thursday, July 20, 2006

Shelora's Excellent Adventure

Shelora's Excellent Adventure
I am still in Barcelona. I have seen the sights, the Sagrada Familia, with its icecream towers, and its puff pastry saints, all carved in stone, waiting for completion in Manana land. I confess I have aquired a huge case of MANANA! The thought of doing El Camino drove me to spend an entire day locating the source of a good backpacking establishment. I went there, and bought myself a good backpack, designed for women. Thank God they had a thirty day return policy. Because when the woman I am staying with came in and asked me when I was leaving to do El Camino, I said NO! The thought of all that WORK, and PAIN and SUFFERING was too much. I took the backpack back, and went to work looking for a quiet location where I can stay and write in Spain. I found it. A Christian retreat in Torremelinos, with a pool, and air condiditoning, and cyber cafes and the beach twenty minutes walk away. Oh yes. All for an incredibly low price of $52.00 per night. Casa Nesca. She is a Dutch woman. She says that there are bulldozers next door, so it can be noisy, but nothing like Barcelona! Here it is constant traffic noise. I have seen the creations of Gaudi, the architect who built Sagrada Familia, and also built the Parc Guell, which was meant to be an enclave for the very rich, overlooking Barcelona. But the rich balked at his avant garde style, and for whatever reason it was not a success, even though the millionaire who funded it was a good friend of Gaudi's. It sounds like he gave up on the rich at that point. At some point in his life, having left his mark on many many buildings in Barcelona, he decided to dedicate himself to completing Sagrada Familia. He sold everything and moved into the Cathedral and slept on the floor. At one point, perhaps in a stupor induced by his visions, or perhaps merely hunger, he stumbled into the pathway of a tram, was hit, and died three days later. A tragedy. Then during the revolution of Franco, the antichurch people destroyed his plans for the church. But someone found a set that had been "forgotten" somewhere, and they are now dilligently working from his plans. It is quite lovely; so is the Park, gorgeous. When I was there I met students staying in a hostel. We hung together for a while, and let me say that Barcelona is VERY LIBERAL about certain activities. It was lovely to be sitting in a parc sharing with young people, openly! And all this to the tune of a lute, and a harp. It really was paradise! But so HOT! Yesterday I went to the top of the Mountain to see the city at night, but the last train was leaving in fifteen minutes so I really didn't see much. I will try again today. The smells and sounds of Barcelona are becoming a part of me. It is the sort of place where you never know what you will smell or see next. I have seen many, many different kinds of dogs, from St. Bernards to muzzled German Shepherds in the Metro, and tiny little toy dogs, and Alsatians, and, well, you get the idea. The two little white Scotties sitting by their master on the sidewalk were a trip. The girls are gorgeous, and EVERYONE wears skirts. NO pants, and very few shorts. Dancing in a disco on my birthday was a blast. I have decided to enjoy myself instead of suffering, so, for now, no El Camino. And for those of you who are curious, yes, I am still travelling alone, and nothing is as I expected, which is exactly what I expected. I have read Paulo Cohelo's "The Pilgrimage" and "The Alchemist" and now I am off on my own pilgrimage with the help of A Course in Miracles, and Rumi! And, of course, God. Via con Dios! Tonight I will eat at the "Spiritual Cafe!" Can you believe that?

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