Day 8 - Barcelona, Margalef, drive to Madrid. I get up early, snack on Zone bars and in-room instant coffee, and take the subway to Sagrada Familia. I'm one of the first people in and manage to get some time completely to myself in some spots, and still not too crowded in others. There is an elevator to the top of the tower, then you walk down the spiral staircase.
The experience is impressive, enhanced by the morning sun that interacts with the stained glass windows.
I am especially impressed as an engineer - all this was designed 150 years ago, communicated to builders, and constructed faithfully to the plan. It is vast in scale, and it is still standing. Things are not built this way now. As an architect I've been working with put it, today the building starts with the parking lot - at least in the US. I've been thinking of ways to change that, for a specific purpose that is much too early to talk about in detail. But eventually I will. This is very inspirational in that regard.
After nearly two hours in the cathedral, it's getting much more crowded and I move on to see more of the city. Goal is to see other examples of Gaudi's work, to gain further insight and inspiration.
It is fascinating not just by itself, but also in juxtaposition to what was conventional at the time.
Overall the architecture in Barcelona is quite varied, and it's fun to just explore and see.
Another of Gaudi's buildings, a bit more conventional than others but still stands out.
The subway is an interesting contrast to all that - also a part of how we build our cities, and an engineering achievement in its own right.
One of the final stops is Guell Park, another of Gaudi's works. Very cool and I now have much to process and think about.
Early afternoon it's time to move on. Madrid is an 8 hour drive, and I want to spend the final full day of the trip there. Another car camping night makes the most sense, and gives me an opportunity to do some detours. I google things that might be interesting. Caves just to the northwest of the city come up. Google says they're closed but should open at 4:30 PM. Looks like I'll get there around 3:30 so will just walk around.
It's a bit of an uphill hike from the parking lot, and there are almost no people around. Those who are are full-on hikers with gear, some even carry climbing ropes and such. The caves are indeed closed and there is a sign, but I don't bother to translate it till later. Had I done so earlier I would have known they are closed for the month and won't open at 4:30. But then I would have left early and missed the goats :)
The camouflage is impressive, as is their agility and climbing ability.
What else to see? There is a tiny village of Margalef that is supposedly cool. It's out of the way a bit, in the mountainous countryside, and it would be dark by the time I get there. Why not. Some interesting roads along the way.
I finally get to DRIVE! The default limit on back roads is 90kph and I actually struggle to reach it. Roads are tight, with curves sometimes coming in long strings at one-per-second pace. Suface is good and there is zero traffic. Occasionally the road drops to a wide one-lane.
Arriving in Margalef I park and go walking. There is nobody around - I end up seeing just two people on the street, although the city tavern seems to be busy inside. I choose not to go in.
Overall the experience is a bit surreal and a cool contrast to Barcelona earlier in the day. Moving on, the road becomes a bit marginal being one lane and surface fairly broken up. At least it's dark :). Still no traffic, I only encounter one car before I get back to the freeway.
A couple more castle-villages along the way. They are lit up but I see no people or cars.
I'm hoping to find a nice rest area to stop at maybe an hour outside Madrid. But as I keep driving, all the gas stations seem to be at exits and a ways from the road, without restaurants or parking facilities. I'm also getting quite tired. Car now shows that it's below freezing but the roads are still clear. I do see some snow flakes. Eventually I'm in Madrid city limits, so I just take an exit and stop at a gas station. It is now 11:30 PM and the gas station is closed. The parking lot is dark but I'm in no mood to look for a hotel so I just end up sleeping in the car. It gets progressively colder, about 25F at the lowest point. It is nto exactly comfortable but I do figure out how to make it work between the jackets, Merino wool layers, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and other miscellaneous items. This is about the limit of unheated camping with the gear I have. I get about 6 hours of sleep. In the morning the gas station opens, I fill up, use the facilites, book a hotel by the airport on my phone, and go there to drop off the bags and warm up a bit before heading into town.
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