A myriad of colour

If you picture the Mediterranean Sea all blue and azure, drifting towards a sandy beach which borders one of the most colourful cities in the world, you're probably in Barcelona.

I had the chance to see Barcelona again in 2002. I had been there when I'd been 4 years old, a little brat who spoke fluent Spanish and used to call her parents by their first names because she didn't know any better (funny what kids pick up isn't it)?

Thinking back on my time in Barcelona, I remember a lot of things - the bus journey from Paris to Barcelona... the long walk up the steps to the Museum... the heat... but my most memorable memories I'm recounting below.

The first memory I have is of this awesome structure called The Sagrada Familia. You cannot miss these tall tower like structures looming in the skyline. However, they're not your New York skyscrapers. They're crude almost conical hollow structures pointing towards the sky. From a distance you won't be able to guess what it was built for -- but amazingly enough, this monumental unfinished structure is supposed to be a church!! Antonio Gaudi was the architect of this church, and his unique vision is the chief reason why it stays in your mind. You can climb through each of the towers and get fantastic views of Barcelona.

The second is the architecture of Antonio Gaudi. Apart from the church that I mention above ofcourse. His architecture is unlike anything I've ever seen. It's sort of like a candy house - at least that's what I think little kids must think when they see it. His imaginative use of colour and shape really leave you mesmerised. And that's one of the chief reasons why I always associate Barcelona with colour.... and the reason why I think colour is infused into everything in this city.

The third memory I have is of this status of Christopher Columbus, that points to the sea. It's not particularly tall, but we stumbled across it as we were walking in the city, which by the way is the best way to see Barcelona. From what I remember, it was set up to commemorate Christopher Columbus's discovery of the New World in 1492. He entered Barcelona in 1493 with news of the discovery... which was to change the shape of geopolitics in years to come.

I bought my sister a pair of lovely laquer earnings from La Ramblas and enjoyed the sights and sounds of Barcelona. For those of you who're probably thinking where in the recent past you may have heard of Barcelona, well, it was the site of the 1992 summer Olympic Games. Barcelona is also the capital of the region Catalonia (doesn't the word Catalonia just sound lovely?). Catalonia is a region in Spain that is markedly different from the rest of Spain. As it borders the Mediterranean Sea, it has a long history of traders and seafarers, which has exposed it to different cultures and backgrounds which the region has absorbed. Hence you get this myriad of colours and textures -- which is a delight to the senses.

Now I didn't know this, but Salvador Dali, one of my favourite painters and the founder of the art movement surrealism, was born in Catalonia in a place called Figueres. From what I saw of Catalonia, living there will certainly inspire many artists.