Old Stones

This afternoon, Fede and I decided to go see the Santa Eulalia Cathedral of Barcelona. Words cannot describe how I felt when I first laid my eyes upon the majestic structure.

— My very first physical encounter with a true Gothic cathedral！

The pointed spires, the tall stained glass windows, the… EVERYTHING! I can’t believe I am actually standing in front of something that I have so far only seen and read about on paper. It is only now that the idea of living in Europe is finally starting to set in.

We paid the 5-euro entrance fee and walked through the ancient doors. It was like walking through time itself. The din of tourists and the city instantly vanished, we are now in the medieval sanctuary that has survived the past five centuries (completed in 1450). I feel as if in a dream, completely captured by the spell of its beauty.

I touched a stone, suddenly realizing, this stone is older than the entire history of the United States! The bundled pillars, the vaulted ceiling with ribbing, the beautiful organ, the amazing altarpieces, tapestries and paintings…  Everything is so familiar since I’ve been studying them for years, yet, when I actually see them in person, they are still simply breathtaking.

Fede was amused by my excitement, said she was glad she could be there with me to experience my first historic structure. We spent over an hour in the cathedral but it only felt like a few minutes. When we walked back out into the hot sun and the swarms of tourists, it was now the modern city that seemed unreal.

Someone please pinch me, this is too good to be true…