"Devil take me! Do my eyes deceive me? Have they been enchanted again by phantoms so that I only see what I wish to see?" My old master, Don Quixote, has returned to his native land after all these years and I rushed to greet him as I would a dearest old friend as soon as I saw him.
Our past travels - Senor Quixote seeking his adventures and I seeking my fortune - had brought us to Barcelona, but Senior Quixote doesn't seem to remember the city much. Perhaps he's been reading his books so much so that his mind doesn't have room for anything else...
I explained to Don Quixote that new buildings and modern architectural designs have developed to surround the old medieval Gothic Quarter, which he was glad to see that the city has preserved to best of its ability. He was pleased that holy places such as Basilica of Santa Maria and Barcelona Cathedral, both of which he visited numerous times for mass and to stay in good standing with the Holy One, were still standing.
"Sancho, my dear old friend, I remember when Barcelona Cathedral was the grandest Cathedral in all the land, having been just completed not so long ago when I was last visited Barcelona. It's good to see such a holy place is still revered among its people and remain majestic."
"Yes, that is true, your grace," I replied. "But, there's another cathedral that has been commissioned little over a hundred years ago outside the old city wall that's even grander and more majestic than the Barcelona Cathedral. Holy Pope himself consecrated the church and proclaimed it a minor basilica in 2010. It's called La Sagrada Familia and most of the early design was done by this Antoni Gaudi fellow who's also responsible for many famous buildings in Barcelona."
"By the Pope himself!" my master responded. "Then I must see this church at once, Sancho!"
"Yes, Senor, I'll take you to see this church. But be warned that it is still under construction and they say it'll take another 10 years for the building to be completed. Mass hordes of people hoping to see the church make pleasant visit almost impossible. Nevertheless, it's one thing you should see if you are in Barcelona."
We wandered through Passeig de Gracia, one of Barcelona's most important shopping and entertainment streets, from the Gothic Quarter to make our way up north to La Sagrada Familia, visiting other Gaudi buildings like Casa Batllo and Casa Milo. I explained to Don Quixote that seven of Antoni Gaudi's work have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO and his strong Roman Catholic faith can be seen in many of his works. My master being a good Catholic Christian himself was most pleased to hear about Gaudi's piety.
As expected, La Sagrada Familia was so packed with people that we couldn't find our way in. To make matters worst, the Holy Brotherhood was keeping peace and guarding the entrance and they made sure everyone had a ticket that they bought online before granting them entrance. Hearing this, my master was enraged that anyone would ever need a ticket to visit a church! Don Quixote confronted those keeping peace, demanding that he and others be granted entry to the church at once! He was quickly dismissed by the Brotherhood, which further enraged him so much so that Don Quixote demanded that I bring him his lance and shield so that he can right the injustice being done at once.
I, not wanting Holy Brotherhood to ruin my current good health, begged my master to reconsider. "Your grace, how could a knight-errant engage in a combat without his trusted horse? Think of Rocinante, he is back home in your new land called Seattle. In all your readings, has any good knight charged into a combat not being on a horse?"
"No, I can't say I have. It is well established in all the land that a valiant knight must have a gallant horse to accompany him into battle and it's a shame that Rocinante couldn't accompany me to Barcelona this time..." said Don Quixote.
"See, Senor, let's reconsider. And there's a famous park called Park Guell that was also built by that Gaudi fellow we can go visit," said I as I took his arm and led him away from the Holy Brotherhood, who probably thought my master was a delusional fool suffering from hot Barcelona sun.
It took us 30 minutes of walking to arrive at Park Guell. The park, as with La Sagrada Familia, required a ticket to gain entrance. According to a park guide, the park was originally an unsuccessful commercial housing project modeled after the English garden city movement. The plan was to have dozens of houses in the park but only one was ultimately sold to Gaudi, who used it as his primary residence from 1906 to his death in 1926.
Even though I had been a governor of an island for many years, I am still a squire at heart having served and accompanied Don Quixote through many adventures. So naturally, I know when my master needs to break his fast. Luckily, Barcelona is filled with great restaurants so it's not hard to find a place to eat - tapas bars, traditional Spanish cuisines, cafes, Italian, Japanese, American, etc. Barcelona has become a global city so every kind of food is available to travelers. So, the difficult problem is deciding what to eat.
We made our way down to the city center and came across a restaurant called La Muscleria in an area called L'Examples. "Look, your grace, look at all those people eating at that restaurant, both inside and out, and they are all eating muscles out of big buckets that have no bottoms! And the shop serves two dozen variations of steaming muscles, from garlic and onion to herbs and spices to parmesan cheese."
"Yes, Sancho, my good friend," replied Don Quixote, "you can tell how good a restaurant is by looking at how many people are eating at that establishment as people will not part with their money for food that are not of good value. From that point of view, it certainly seems this restaurant will do for us and I am especially fond of seafood as you know."
"I do, Senor. I remember us having many of our meals in La Boqueria Market near the old city wall on your last visit to the city. Back in those days, the market sold mostly meat, but today it's a bustling market that sells everything you could want - meat, fruits, spices, sweets and others. But, it's really known for fresh seafood that your excellency is so fond of. We shall visit the market soon and dine at many of its fine food bars. But for now, let us dine at this place as my stomach is rumbling, begging for food."
Next morning, I accompanied Don Quixote to Picasso Museum, which is located in the Gothic Quarter. My master, being a gentleman of noble birth, enjoys fine art and was most pleased to have visited this museum.
"Sancho, my friend, did you know that paintings are the oldest form of story-telling? Before we learned how to write, we told stories and passed on our history through generations by simple drawings and paintings," said Don Quixote.
"That's fine by me, Senor Quixote. As you know, I am a humble peasant so don't know how to read properly so learning about stories and history by looking at paintings is much easier for me." Just as I said this, I turned to see my master running towards a small shop yelling: "Sancho, the end of my adventure is finally here! Look ahead, in that castle, that's where she's waiting for me."
“Don Quixote, has your excellency lost his mind? That’s not a castle, it’s just a local bakery called Granja Dulcinea serving churro with hot chocolate, madeleines, and other baked goods. Look at all those people enjoying their food!” I yelled while chasing after Don Quixote, who yelled back: “None sense, Sancho, those are tributes people have brought for her. Tales of my lady Dulcinea’s beauty and virtue must have spread to this land too!”
After arriving at the front of the restaurant, Don Quixote stood tall, composing himself and his attire, and with his chest out he strutted into the shop and declared: “I, Don Quixote de La Mancha, a humble servant of lady Dulcinea del Toboso - she who gives hope to hopeless, strength to meek and light to those who are lost - come before her to present himself as her knight-errant having vanquished injustices in this land in her name!”
The shopkeeper, wondering what deranged fool has just walked into his shop, spoke: “Senor, I don’t know who you are, but there’s no lady Dulcinea here or anyone who’s from Toboso. In fact, the only woman here is this peasant girl who works in the kitchen and sweeps the floor. She might technically be a lady, but I’m not sure if she’s ever given anyone anything close to a hope or light, unless you mean a candlelight to go to the outhouse to relieve themselves. But she’s strong as they come, besting all the town’s men in arm wrestling,” said the shopkeeper laughing and pointing at the servant girl.
“Silence, you evil rascal! How dare you speak about her in that manner! Prepare yourself for battle as I aim to right this injustice and silence your blasphemous tongue at once,” Don Quixote shouted as he crouched into a fighting stand, standing back slightly with two clenched fists out in front of his body, ready to strike at the shopkeeper.
Not wanting to create a scene in his shop with other customers sitting nearby, the shopkeeper thought it over and concluded that it might be best to let Don Quixote play his delusional game rather than try to reason with him. “What I meant to say, your excellency, is that she never told me her name was Dulcinea or that she’s from the town of Toboso. Are you sure you have the right place?”
From my recollection, this woman was built like lady Dulcinea with stout shoulders and arms from threshing wheat chaffs and baling hays, but her face was not the way I remembered as she didn’t have a mole with seven-to-nine-inch hair growing out of it.
My master, undeterred, kneeled in front of her, and with tears running down he spoke: “My fair lady Dulcinea, who’s name I cried out to give me strength as I charged into battles to right injustices, what has happened to thee? Thy beauty knew of no bounds and thy virtue had no equals. What wicked phantom has casted enchanted spells upon thee so that you now resemble a simple, plump, peasant girl?,” cried Don Quixote.
By this time, other shop workers and customers were growing curious so have started to gather around us. I, being at the receiving end of many beatings in similar shops, restaurants, and inns during my past travels with Don Quixote, did not wish to re-live the beatings so I urged my master: “Senor Quixote, this lady might not be the lady Dulcinea that you seek. Don’t you remember that I saw her with own eyes when you sent me to present your letter to her while you stayed in the mountain?” I said to Don Quixote. “First, this lady is missing a mole with a long hair growing out of it on her face.”
“Sancho! Don’t you see what has happened? She is under a wicked enchanted spell that has transformed her,” shouted Don Quixote as I dragged him away. Before exiting the shop, Don Quixote stood tall and made a vow with his clenched fist up in the air: “My lady Dulcinea, I will run to the farther corners, climb the highest peaks and search the deepest valleys to find the enchanter who has casted this wicked spell upon thee! This I swear, as the Holy One as my witness, I, Don Quixote de La Mancha, will not rest until I revenge this wrong you have suffered!”
Well, this is how my master started on his new adventures, running in far far away places and up and down mountains, seeking who that has wronged lady Dulcinea. I, having been relieve of my governorship of the island due to many poor harvests, which I know is the work of wicked Moorish enchanters though I can’t prove it yet!, decided to serve as his squire again, hoping for another lordship once we find that wicked enchanter.
So, stay tuned for coming adventures!
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