Our Cruise Launched from Barcelona «

Our Cruise Launched from Barcelona

Saturday 13th April 2013

I’ve been wielding a bucket of Flash – hugely cleansing and therapeutic. The sense of clean insides to the kitchen cupboards knocks you down when you enter that room, as well as the now toothbrushed push-in buttons of the washing machine and dishwasher.

But Val and I began our cruise in Barcelona a week ago last Friday. Since, concerning the death of Mossis Thotcher, Val has massively re-bottled and sends abusive texts every two hours. She ruined his life, you see. In some way it was particularly in her mind that he should not have a pension.

But a week ago last Friday we were all right. In Barcelona we slogged up the Ramblas – not liked by us. Trashy, touristic – and then for miles and miles uphill on foot to see the Sagrada Familia (or Sag Fam) which is a cathedral by that Art Nouveau architect, Gaudi.

Well, it was covered in scaffolding and builders, we couldn’t get in because of the queues and it still isn’t finished. Why? I’ve had enough of the Sag Fam not being finished. If you can’t finish a building after a hundred years, you might ask yourself, ‘Do I really want to finish it?’ You might ask yourself: ‘Is lack of drive associated with under-lying doubts about finished product?’

It’s not even that big.

I will concede, there’s nothing like it. In its own terms, if you want a building to look organic and curvaceous like Nature, it succeeds. But oh the hideous concrete finish! Not even clean grey, but browny-orange. Nasty.

Val and I clucked away from the Sag Fam. We saw a few contemporary design shops and one kitchen shop called ‘Gay’. At one time Poor Little Rich Gays went on about Barcelona as the place for a mini-break to the extent that one was determined never to darken its doors. You were supposed to be able to get the most marvellous contemporary design items there. It’s a nice enough town, if you like a Spanish town of the 19th cent mainly with no top class museums. We found another cathedral. Val said, ‘At least it’s finished. Shall we go in?’ But it was 6 euros and close to the facade looked fake, or massively restored.

We couldn’t be bothered.

I prefered to lay down in the cruise ship.