“The Sacred Side of Barcelona” 
“Sacred Sounds”
Last Sunday found us wandering through the back roads of the hillside Park Güell, trying to find the famous mosaics, playful buildings and salamander attributed to Barcelona’s famous architect Antoni Gaudi and the great views of the city and harbor. Coming around a corner on one of the many winding paths, we were suddenly immersed in waves of beautiful sounds coming from one of the street musicians. The music sounded almost like a steel drum, only softer, more subtle, and it was coming from an instrument I had never seen before, a ‘PanArt Hang’. Pure heart sounds that stopped you in your tracks and dropped you into the infinite. Sacred sounds. Alex Permanyer was the musician and after soaking in the sounds a bit and asking him about the instrument he was playing I bought one of his cd’s . Later on, upon opening it, I found this quote ” Silence is not the absence of sound, but it is the absence of oneself.” Cosmic attunement is such a delight. Here is Alex in Belguim. http://youtu.be/TKTZLxvJbus.
“Sacred Space”
Earlier that same Sunday (although all days, all moments are sacred, stillness can seem to be more accessible on Sundays), we spent the morning in Gaudi’s masterpiece, the vast cathedral known as the Sagrada Familia. 
From the outside it is busy and somewhat chaotic with all of the cranes, scaffolding and construction equipment, 
(The hope is to be complete by 2026), but the interior is like nothing else on earth. Gaudi was a great student of nature and incorporated natural forms, shapes and patterns in all of his work. A master of engineering, his use of supporting columns and hyperbolic arches is stunning. The effect is of standing in a magical redwood forest, with the columns as trees and the canopy bursting open with branches leaves and light. The photo to the right is a view looking up one of the columns to the ceiling.
Gaudi was also amazing with his use of sunlight and stained glass.
This is a momentary glimpse of how the morning light illumines the interior spaces. And it changes moment to moment. And it is much more stunning in person, in the vastness of the nave. The Sagrada Familia was Gaudi’s true passion and the sacred space he envisioned and created is transcendent.
“Sacred Embodiment”
Timing is everything. Our stay in Barcelona overlapped with the biennial World Swimming Diving and Water Polo Championships and we were lucky enough to see parts of the first ever High Diving competition. Until this summer, the Olympics and worlds have just included spring board and 10 meter platform diving. In Barcelona, the women went from 20 meters (65+ feet) and the men from 27 meters (90 feet). Here is Gold medal winner
Orlando Duque from Colombia on his way down during a practice day, somatic meditation in action. Although new to this championship, Orlando has been high diving for 15 years and can be seen on the Red Bull Diving circuit, (coming to Boston and the ICA later this month.) 
Anna Bader of Germany won the bronze, but this was a moment that had everyone gasping. Just a simple handstand on the edge of a 65 foot drop. She walked to the edge, planted her hands, and lengthened into a deep uttanasana. She then went up effortlessly, locked it in for a good 10 or more seconds, wind blowing, cameras flashing, and then pushed off and flew. Amazingly exciting to watch that level of integration.
There are blessings, nourishment and cosmic delight everywhere, but our week in Barcelona provided an extraordinary abundance. These were just a few. Hope you get to visit some day.
Thanks to Sean Kilmurray for the photography.