Looking up at Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia, there is a moment of smallness as this massive structure stands before you, its odd shapes and conical spiraling madness proclaiming to God that man is capable of great things. Staring at it, one is thankful to exist alongside this masterpiece.
Barcelona is stunning: clean, calm, with long promenades lined by trees and benches, perfect for staring off into the distance or crushing an ice cream cone. There are street sweepers and guys collecting garbage everywhere; these folks know they’ve got a good thing going — people dig art, love books, and everywhere, there is a meal that involves some kind of shellfish drowning in garlic and wine sauce.
When Manychat, my benevolent employer, told us that we were all going to Barcelona for a week, I was elated. New place, new food, new passport stamp. Sign me up.
The entire company, including the marketing team, flew to the beating heart of Catalonia to celebrate the company’s nine-year birthday. I love the team I’m on. Usually, I tolerate the people I work with; in this case, I actively am friends with the folks I spend a lot of my waking hours alongside.
This is rare for a lone-wolf weirdo like me.
One Time, One Meeting
Generally, I like my whole company, and that’s not some rah-rah bullshit. I do not drink the Kool-Aid. I am not a team player. If there’s an axe-throwing outing, I will groan the entire time and leave as soon as it’s socially and professionally acceptable. A week with these assholes? For some, this task would seem like a trip to the dentist. For me, it was a week of chopping it up and going on semi-corporate adventures with my friends.
While we had to attend the obligatory meetings with coworkers from around the other global offices and sit through marketing meetings, it’s pretty easy to do when you’ve had plenty of strong coffee and some tapas the night before. The opportunity to experience this place was incalculable, especially for a working writer, to see the spot where Hemingway was known to roam and Gaudí created alongside the ghosts of Picasso, Miro, and Dalí. I used to dream of this stuff, watching Rick Steves and dying, wishing I was with him as he grabbed his backpack and headed off to another adventure.
The trip was filled with laughter. I don’t have any drama to report. There is a phrase in Japanese I come back to frequently: “Ichigo ichie” (一期一会), which means “one time, one meeting” — the idea that each encounter or moment is unique and will never happen again in the same way, so it should be treasured. We had one of those trips that you can file away in the memories, thinking, “That was a good one.”
Exploring the streets of the ancient Gothic Quarter, stopping for lunch at the slow-moving cafes, or being shocked at the price of a tourist trap paella place – I mean, it was perfect, but very not cheap. It’s fun to snap goofy photos of one another in alleys, looking in shops, and picking things up for loved ones, or just realizing we’re sharing an irreplaceable moment in a way that cements bonds beyond creative meetings (or “forced fun” activities).
A Shared Meal
In the spirit of Ichigo ichie, I had one of those days that’s etched into my mind forever, walking through Park Güell with my friend Dustin and his wife, Cait; we were enraptured by the beauty of it all, how it felt like being in Disneyland but this the place the House of Mouse looks to for inspiration.
As we gazed out over the vastness of Barcelona and out to the Mediterranean Sea, my phone informed me that my first byline with VICE had dropped, which was a “holy shit” for me – I’d landed something I’d desired for twenty years. It happened to overlook this magically complex place — it all hit at once — this wild tangle of beauty, luck, and long-held dreams colliding in one perfect emotional pile-up. After taking a moment in, we walked up stone steps where I thought I would rest eternally after being out of breath, to hear a lone singer plucking away on his guitar, howling along to Nina Simone’s “Feelin’ Good” in Catalonian, followed by back-to-back, Amy Winehouse songs, both women are two of my favorite singers, with Winehouse being my favorite female singer of all time.
“Rarely does the universe send a sign: clear and unmistakable, that all the bullshit you’ve endured as a writer might’ve actually meant something. That staying in love with the work, staying stubborn, might just pay off when luck finally meets opportunity.”
I firmly believe that when we go somewhere for the first time, there is an exchange: you leave a little piece of yourself behind but also pick up something new in its place, and you’ve changed a little as a result of the experience. As my plane arrived from London earlier in the week, there is a pause when you arrive at the airport, hunting for your bags, hoping they haven’t been lost, and then waiting for a train with everyone else; there is humility in that moment.
We did ride Segways around town for two hours. Did I feel stupid? Yes. Did I almost fall? Yes. It was more about personal embarrassment than the experience. It wasn’t as bad as I expected because we did get to see a lot of the city in a short time, even though my hands were sunburnt and my feet ached. Again, a lesson learned through the fire of personal ideas of what fun is — just like having dinner at the foot of the Sagrada Familia, there is a notable irony that all around this monolith, there is a McDonald’s and a Subway to choose from to dine, should you wish. Our capitalistic desires know no bounds.
But in the spirit of adventure, my feeling goofy shouldn’t be what keeps me from seeing the world. Every once in a while, it’s okay to strap on a bike helmet and follow a tour guide with diamonds in her teeth while the world does its thing.
The World Doing its Thing
Because of the sheer number of places to sit around town, it’s easy to have a moment to yourself, to drink in the experience. I used to find bars and look for fellow drinkers to swap stories, but on this trip, I sat on benches and listened to the birds.
After participating in some team bonding activities, I left because I needed a shower and a nap. I could feel myself fading. Otherwise, I would’ve been the Grim Reaper of fun.
I had my eye on a pastry shop, one that’s been there for hundreds of years. As I stumbled my way through the order, I emerged with a pistachio cream croissant, along with a strawberry jam — both were amazing.
Sitting on the bench, a stranger, a man, dropped down next to me. He had some soprasota, cheese, and fresh bread. Together, we watched Barcelona come home from work. He seemed like he’d just put in a day himself. Silently, he offered me some of his food; I accepted and made myself a sandwich. Together, separated by language, we sat there and enjoyed our small meal and our moment under a Spanish sun.
There are things we get out of life, moments, really, and we’re allowed to have them, to file them away in our hearts, that this is mine and only mine – I got two of those in a trip. Yes, I got to visit a bar where Picasso and Hemingway would go to argue with friends about the day’s news, with paint peeling off the ceiling, along with the lack of music and air conditioning. I sipped my non-alcoholic beer and took it in.
But that moment in the park and the bench, those are mine forever.
The Manychat Special
To have a job that takes care of its people is a rare thing. To get the chance to go to a party in a fucking castle? That’s crazy. We threw a party in a castle. There was a room with portraits of presidents. I’ve done some interesting things in my life, but seeing a few hundred people dressed up like fairies, monks, and wizards to celebrate the moment of being in such a place was a memory worth reliving.
There’s beauty in chaos. I looked out at a calm sea as seagulls dive-bombed children for fries, then wandered the Gothic Quarter, where two thousand years of footsteps echoed off the stone. For one brief moment, I got to join them. That’s the magic of travel and of luck.
I don’t know where I’m going next. But I know this: there are still stories waiting to be found — and more benches where I can sit, exhale, and listen.
