My wonderful, studying children had thought of a birthday present for me. Holidays for the three of us to an unknown destination. They had chosen Barcelona.
Why Barcelona? First, it is a fantastic, vibrant city with endless many things to see and to do. In April it is vivid and much warmer than in Switzerland. And third, when we spent our spring holidays in Rosas 16 years ago, the older one had – as so often – an inflammation of the middle ear and the day trip to Barcelona had taken place without the two of us.
The budget of my two daughters is tight, which is understandable for students with side jobs. This means, one takes the flights, which nobody else wants, such as with departure at 7am and accommodation is adapted to student circumstances. We lived at a family in one of the beautiful, centrally located houses from the beginning of the last century. The historic lift, which hardly conformed to EU norms, the 3.60m high rooms with wonderful plastering at the ceiling, the unexpected huge balcony to the atrium and the endless souvenirs and wonderful photos were so special that a hotel could hardly have outdone it. The owners, brother and sister of the age of about 70 plus, had been successful models in their youth. The old photos showed two photogenic young people. The photos were very good. The biggest disadvantage of this flat was the noise. When one lives centrally, traffic is part of it. And below our window there were on top of it the collection containers for glass, waste and cardboard. On the first evening I was extremely tired and shortly before falling asleep. But the sudden noise from outside kept me again and again from falling asleep. I asked my younger daughter, who had her bed next to the window, to close the window. But it had been closed long ago. In the own bed one had the feeling to lie on the footpath next to the street and the glass container. Horning, breaking, accelerations, disposing of glass, all mixed up to a bizarre soundscape the whole night through until the small hours. At one point one falls asleep nevertheless.
After the weekend with only few hours of sleep and extremely early getting up because of the early return flight, I arrived back home completely done. But what remained is a fantastic picture mosaic with the Sagrada Familia, full beaches with laughing and swimming people, fresh wind through the picturesque alleys, how we ate and laughed in the street restaurant, Gaudí and his architectural master pieces, unforgettable happy hours, experiences, which remain in the heart, thankfulness for everything. And sleep can be caught up.
Michaela Merz 