MADRID — Obstacles on our path are inevitable, and we can either let them stop us on our tracks — or hurdle them.
Still nursing an injured ankle that necessitates my using a cane for long walks, I boldly decided not to postpone — for the third time, if ever — a scheduled family trip to Spain and Portugal.
Our favorite tour group Globus graciously rebooked our first scheduled trip that was postponed during the March 2020 lockdown for November 2022. But then again we had to postpone the trip a second time right after my injury.
Well, third time’s the charm. As my Madrid-based sister-in-law Elvira Ramirez told me, “As we say here, ‘la tercera es la vencida!’” (The third time is the definite one!”)
What I don’t lack is will, and my ankle specialist orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mike Gonzalez cleared me for travel, “As long as you use a cane.”
Joanne, you can(e) do it! So on a chilly winter day, familia Ramirez descended on Barcelona, cane and all.
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One of my favorite quotes, is from Martin Luther King: “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
After I learned that Globus believes “adventure is for everyone, so we strive to cater to thrill seekers of all abilities” and that as long as I could get in and out of the buses by myself, we were set. Besides, I was with two able-bodied men, Ed and Chino, who could assist me.
If you have a sprain or an injured ankle like mine, it helps a lot to request for wheelchair assistance as airports these days are like cities. You have to walk and walk before you fly.
The airline staff and fellow passengers alike are also more considerate of those with canes or wheelchairs — proof that human kindness is abundant still.
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Our first stop on Globus’ Spain and Portugal Escape Tour was Barcelona — and Barcelona is the Sagrada Família by Antoni Gaudi, the focal point of the city.
Not a single word describes the Sagrada Família — a place of worship that is unique, quirky, and astonishing. An unfinished masterpiece of genius architect Antoni Gaudi, who was said to have envisioned the church architecturally as a church of the future, the Sagrada Família has a constellation of details inside and out. Every square meter of the facade, every tower, every spire has a narrative. Today, more than 135 years after the laying of the cornerstone, construction continues on the Basilica, which is expected to be finished anytime from 2027 to 2030. According to our tour director Luis Nogueira, the Basilica was supposed to have been completed in 2026, the 100th death anniversary of Gaudi. But the pandemic upended all plans worldwide, including centuries-old blueprints like the Sagrada’s.
Our local Globus guide Mariona told us that Gaudi himself had a timetable of 250 years for the completion of his plans for the church, so if construction does indeed end by 2027, it would be more a hundred years ahead of schedule. Gaudí’s original design calls for a total of 18 spires, representing in ascending order of height the Twelve Apostles, the Virgin Mary, the four Evangelists and, tallest of all, Jesus Christ. Eleven spires have been built as of 2022, corresponding to four apostles at the Nativity façade and four apostles at the Passion façade, two of the evangelists Luke and Mark, and the Virgin Mary. So, no matter how many times you’ve been to the Sagrada, there will be either a new tower or a new fixture for you to ogle.
There is a tour of the Basilica that includes the towers, but that wasn’t for me — for now, that is! Incidentally, the holy water fonts inside the Basilica are giant clamshells from the Philippines.
Gaudi designed other eye-popping, fairytale-like buildings and parks like Casa Baitlo and Parc Guell in Barcelona. A blend of history, fantasy and liberation from tradition.
Gaudi didn’t just think out of the box — he didn’t have one! In fact, the origin of the word “gaudy” is traced to his style. Still, gaudy isn’t the word that will be imprinted on your memory when you see his edifices.
Another memorable landmark of Barcelona is its former bullring “Las Arenas,” which has been transformed into a mall with a crown of restaurants. Bullfights, you see, have been outlawed in Barcelona, whose prominence was jumpstarted by the 1992 Olympics it hosted.
To get to the restaurants on the rooftop of the bullring, you take a scenic elevator with panoramic views of the city. I suggest you go at night.
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Madrid, the capital, is simply majestic, its regal aura undiminished no matter how many times you’ve visited it.
Like Paris, it is a city of lights, especially around the Plaza de Cibeles, a square with a neo-classical complex of marble sculptures with fountains that has become a symbol for the city of Madrid. It sits at the intersection of Calle de Alcalá, Paseo de Recoletos and Paseo del Prado. My favorite edifice here is the former post office building, whose facade looks more palatial to me than the Royal Palace.
Don’t leave Madrid without visiting the Plaza Mayor (which thrilled me no end as “Mayor” is my maiden name), the Prado museum, whose crown jewel is arguably the 1656 “Las Meninas” by Diego Velasquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age. It has become one of the most widely analyzed works in Western painting, due to the way its “complex and enigmatic composition raises questions about reality and illusion, and the uncertain relationship it creates between the viewer and the figures depicted.” From afar, it actually looks like it’s in 3D.
Near or from afar, Madrid’s charm begs for a second, third or fourth look. Be mesmerized.
(You may e-mail me at joanneraeramirez@yahoo.com. Follow me on Instagram @joanneraeramirez.)