Barcelona in Sunlight

For some reason, this trip to Barcelona did not come with the usual excitement of going to another country. Flying alone and traveling alone have almost become ordinary now. It is just another takeoff and landing, another stretch of waiting that is slightly hard to endure. After landing, a quick glance at the signs was enough to tell me I had arrived in a different country. The weather was warmer, though still not as warm as Taiwan. But I did see three straight days of bright sunlight. The Mediterranean is still much more lovable than the Atlantic.

My first impression of Barcelona was probably that it felt alive. The last city that gave me this feeling was Bangkok. Both had passionate people and cheerful sunlight, though the degree was still different. After all, warmth and friendliness are not exactly Europe’s greatest strengths. Still, the whole city was clearly much livelier than London. From the accordion in the metro carriage, to African tribal drums in the park, to salsa in the square, it felt as if the city could not stay still for even a moment.

I also really liked the octagonal blocks. The recessed space at every intersection becomes an outdoor dining area, which reminded me of the restaurants along the Thames. The difference, perhaps, is that rainy London does not allow people to linger outside over meals for very long.

Overall, the buildings looked visibly newer than London’s. My favorite street scene was a narrow lane between low, four- or five-story buildings in pale yellow and off-white, with stone paving underfoot. Sunlight slanted onto the second-floor windowsill of the building on the right, where a young woman sat with her legs crossed, smoking. I was standing in the shade, looking up in search of the sun, and quietly committed that scene to memory. At the end of the road stood yet another church, who knows how many I have seen since coming to Europe. The sun lit the tip of the tower. Birds and white clouds circled around it. Around me were tourists chattering, and somewhere nearby, another accordion. The image was as noisy as the sound, yet full of life. It felt as though I had experienced the most Barcelona moment possible.

Traveling alone once in a while is still nice. When you travel by yourself, it feels as if you become rich in time. There is no one and nothing rushing you, because in that moment, there is only you and an unfamiliar city. At times like this, you can put on a filter of detachment and wander from neighborhood to neighborhood, waiting for chances to glimpse the daily lives of people living at different coordinates.

Being alone also gives you the chance to quiet down and think. To think about the things that usually push you forward, the things that linger in your mind from time to time. The insincerities and entanglements you cannot seem to leave behind are often just shackles you placed on yourself. There are not that many things tying you down. What you want is not that complicated either. One consistent goal, and repeated attempts to give everything you have. Anxiety and fear are expected, but they cannot become reasons not to act. Anything that does not help with this is noise. Even if it is lost, it does not matter. Focus on the global optimum, not the local one. Care about the long term, not the short term. You can only focus on one goal at a time; otherwise, you become something incoherent.

In the end, perhaps it really is that simple. But I still had to arrive there through complete solitude and conversations with the people closest to me before I could finally understand it, before the weight could be put down. In the moment of clarity, everything opened up. Like morning light passing through the roof of the Sagrada Familia. Like sunset hitting the fountain in the square. Like looking out the window after the plane lands. Brightness, hope, anticipation, and joy.

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這次來巴塞隆納不知為何沒有平時換個國家的興奮，一個人搭飛機一個人出國也快變成日常，不外乎是又一次起降和有點難捱的等待，落地後光瞥一眼標語便知道到了不同國家，天氣熱了點但還是沒有台灣暖和，倒是連續見了三天明媚的陽光，地中海還是比大西洋可愛許多。

對巴塞隆納第一個印象應該是「很有生氣」，上一個讓我有這樣印象的城市是曼谷，一樣有熱情的人們和開朗的陽光，不過程度還是有差，畢竟和藹可親不是歐洲人的強項，整座城市明顯比倫敦活潑許多，從地鐵車廂的手風琴、公園的非洲部落鼓、到廣場的Salsa，彷彿一刻不得閒。

我也很喜歡八邊形的街區，每個路口退縮的空間成了露天的用餐區，讓我想起泰晤士河畔的餐廳們，差別可能是多雨的倫敦容不得大家用餐太久。

整體而言建築肉眼可見的新於倫敦，最喜歡的街景是兩旁鵝黃米白的平樓約四五層，中間夾著過於狹窄的巷弄鋪著石子路，陽光斜斜撒在右側建築二樓窗台翹腳抽煙的少女，被陰影覆蓋而抬頭尋找太陽的我默默把這幕記下，路的盡頭是來歐洲後不知道第幾座的教堂，太陽照著塔尖，鴿子和白雲在周圍繞，周圍除了遊客的嘰嘰喳喳還有另一台手風琴，畫面和聲響一樣嘈雜卻生氣蓬勃，我彷彿經歷了最巴塞隆納的時刻。

偶爾獨旅還是不錯的，獨自一人去旅遊時就好像成了時間的富翁，沒有任何催促的人或事情畢竟此時也只剩下你和一座陌生的城市，這種時候可以套上事不關己的濾鏡，在街區跟街區間遊蕩，伺機窺探不同經緯的日常。

一個人的時候也剛好可以靜下來思考一些事情，思考那些平時推著你走的，時不時掛在心上的事情，那些不由衷和離不開的不過是自己加上的腳鐐，沒有那麼多事情綁著你，想要的也沒那麼複雜，一個貫徹始終的目標，和一次次拼盡全力的嘗試，會焦慮會恐懼都可預期，但不能因此不去做，任何無助於此的都是噪音，失去了也無所謂，專注全局最佳而不是局部，關注長遠而不是短期，一次只能專注一個目標不然便成了四不像。

說到底好像也就如此，但我也要透過全然的獨處和與最親近的人對話才想通，重擔才能放下，通徹的瞬間一切都豁然開朗，像朝陽穿過聖家堂的屋頂，像夕陽打在廣場的噴泉，像飛機降落後望去的窗外，光明、希望、期待和欣喜。

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