I am leaving Barcelona sitting on a Euromed express train speeding meters from the ocean as it travels south to Valencia, watching and trying to understand the Spanish version of James bond - from Russia with love, luckily there is lots of gratuitous fight scenes that don't need much explanation.. The train is really moving now, alternating flashes of apartment walls flashing by mere meters away, interspersed with stunning vistas of golden beech and a bright blue sea. the view seems very fast paced and action packed, a little like my experience of Barcelona. Finding my way into town was easy enough, calling my friend Christian was pretty simple, finding out where I was so he could give me directions took 20 minutes. getting lost on the subway (something I don't normally do but managed 3 times in two days in Barcelona) took a further 30min. its a good thing that Spain works a few hours behind the rest of the world and I was still early for dinner, shops don't close till 8 or 9pm, and no one has dinner till 10pm.

The typical tourist attractions happened the next day, however Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia is not typical at all. started in the 1800's, the building program has spanned several designers and one complete century, and it still might take another decade or two to finish. commissioned by a family that thought Barcelona was getting into bad religious practices...enough said.

Apparently Barcelona party's on Saturday night (and Thursday and Friday for that matter), but on Saturday morning they shop, and boy are they good at it. La Rambla is Barcelona's street of streets, and on Saturday morning is was full with people, and the shops on either side, high end expensive store, had a continuous chain of people carrying out bags of clothing, trinkets, watch's, jewelry, you name it they were buying it. Just off from La Rambla is the Barri Gotic district, the medival quater. The buildings are packed close together, laundry hangs from every third balcony, and the streets are really just ally ways curving all over in all directions in stark contrast to the meticulous grid that the rest of the "new" city is built to. The port and beaches still have the air of the Olympics even though its has been 12 years since they were here. the marina and the Olympic sailing center are bounded both sides by a stunning beach, although its notable the locals with cars prefer the even more stunning beaches south of the city. Still the essence of spinach beech life is here, toplessness not so much the noticeable difference, and there was a lot to notice ...but more of a overall feeling of a fantastic enjoyment of life.

The center of the city is Placa de Catalunya, a large square surrounded buy neon signs atop the buildings, two floodlit fountains in the middle of the park providing a backdrop to the thousands of people that wander around dressed up in all their morning purchases. There is not a dressed down person in the place, except for me, looking pretty tardy in my shorts, t-shirt and sandals. Everyone is here, kids, parents, couples, old guys playing chess and arguing about strategy. You remember what I said about enjoying life, people walk around with six packs of beer offering them for sale at one euro per can, to drink wherever you like, For me it was wandering among all the crowds and enjoying the atmosphere.

As I walked across the square there was a large group of people standing under the lights, and normally with a large group of people there is noise, but there was silence, then I noticed everyone was waving their hands around. The silence was the trigger, this is the Barcelona Saturday night sign language party. What a wonderful think to watch, hundreds of people meeting others with not a word being spoken, fascinating looks on there faces as they watch the hands of the other people with enjoyment. The real party doesn't even think about starting till 11pm, so until then there is a tapas bar every few meters selling a different mix of food, with outdoor tables scattered over the sidewalk. Buskers drawn by the crowds have taken the unique approach of asking for donations (actually more like demanding) before they start, but the quality of the acts is great. from a couple showing how the tango is really done, to the guys breakdancing with head spins and all. By far the most inspired act was the two teenager boys that seemed to make a electric violin and bass dance. the sound filled your head in a symphony as their fingers blurred in perfect symphony on the strings and the bows drew the sound into the speakers with a atmosphere that stopped the crowds and silenced them, not a voice could be heard. The rest of the city is bounded by hills and as such has a nice compact feel, not an expansive sprawl, the beach's are fun, the nightlife is amazing, and the lifestyle is carefree. What more could you ask for.