Do It Go

Could the Sagrada Familia be any bigger? I just could not take my eyes off this massive church, still under construction and will be for twenty or thirty more years. It is like some dreamy, ephemeral creature has set down in Barcelona, an almost organic intricacy that you just can not take your eyes off. We sat at luxury Barcelona hotels anywhere that had a good view of this astonishing edifice. Designed by Gaudi, the famous artist, the church possess a surreal Gothic Revival style that is absolutely compelling. and in the midst of this and other architectural wonders, parrots. Big green parrots that flew from palm tree to palm tree, reminding you that while you were in Europe and looking at Gothic, say, architecture, it’s just different, like weird, or, if you will, weirder Munich, with green parrots, and warped smash ups ofarchitectural types.

That’s when a guy tried to sell me a parrot. He was sort of dressed up as a parrot, what with a green leather jacket, purple shirt, and white cravat. “This Pierre the parrot. I think he likes you.” Well, what the hell am I going to do with a parrot. This guy should be selling the green leather jacket like the one he had on, and I told him so. “Oh, Senor,” he said, “A parrot is a living thing of beauty, much more valuable.” I had to agree with that, but still, how would I get on theplane back to Toronto. There are no palm trees in Toronto. The CN Tower, but no palms. Maybe Phoenix. Well, apparently he was a magician, because the bird disappeared in a wink behind a flourish of purple silk kerchiefs and marzipan. Then he disappeared too in a burst of red smoke. Just then a parrot landed on my shoulder. “Hello, my name is Pierre,” hesquawked. Looks like I had a parrot.

Tags: Barcelona, Gawdy Gaudi, luxury hotels, Sagrada Familia
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