I booked four nights at my first hostel in Barcelona. I saw the sights with Luli, the girl I met in Madrid. She'd already been around to all the tourist sights, but took me around anyway. Gaudi's gothic architecture, the cathedral, then the MACBA. The MACBA is the modern art museum. It doubles as the place where the skateboarders and breakdancers of the city gather. Clouds of weed smoke hang in the air like boulders suspended from fishing line. The sharp crack of wheels hitting pavement echoes on the walls of the museum. The bass line from the breakdancers sets the rhythm for everyone. This place is magic.
We approached a couple of older looking skaters to ask where to buy weed. They suggested we go to a weed club instead of buying on the street. A weed club? In a city where it's illegal? Alright bro. He gave us directions to a club, and we couldn't find the place. We decided to wander down a main street and wait for someone to whisper, "Coffee shop." It took about 3 minutes.
Dudes on the street wrangler new customers for the coffee shops. They take you to the club and you pay a membership fee, the dude on the street gets a piece of that. The club takes your picture, checks your passport, and gives you a membership card. Then, they take you into a dispensary area to choose your weed. Only 7 Euro per gram. Luli and I took our 3 grams and went back to the MACBA.
We rolled and smoked a joint, and were locked to the stone seats that doubled as the skating rails. The weed was surprisingly good. Having people skate around you, and land tricks less than a foot away is pretty fucking gnarly. We watched the skaters for nearly two hours, before heading to a bar to see a band. Luli's ex-boyfriend's sister was the lead singer, and it was a happy coincidence that they were playing Barcelona while she was there.
The venue was a small, members only club. Club Cronopios had almost the same process for selling alcohol, that the weed clubs had. They take your ID and add your info to their database. You get a membership card, and can now legally purchase alcohol in a place that wouldn't normally be able to serve. The band is called The Ladies & Him. They mostly play swing music, with a side of folk, and a shot of hipster. It got my dick hard.
We stayed after the show had ended to hang out with the band. They closed the doors to the club and everyone began rolling and smoking joints. People were playing guitar, singing, doing magic tricks, beatboxing, and laughing their asses off. This was fucking cool. I took a video with the magician guy, who was also amazing at mimicking a trumpet with a mix of beatboxing and falsetto singing. After a few joints, we all decided to go to a bar together. First up, a place called Olympic Bar. The main draw here was the projection screen with Super Mario World. We only stayed for one beer, then went somewhere I can't remember, because it was forgettable.
At this point, Luli left, she had to be up early the next day. I was left with a few German guys, and some girls of unknown nationality. Then, we went to what is now my favorite bar of all time. Nevermind. The walls are decorated with skateboard decks and graffiti. The TVs have metal cages covering the screens, always a good sign. In the back, there are skating ramps and a bowl. Wire cages separate the skating from spectators. Spray paint cans of every color laying around for patrons to cover the skating area in graffiti. Ventilation? Meh. I took the opportunity to carve my name in acrylic. I stared at the neon lights, then woke up with headache when the staff at my hostel told me I had to check out in 10 minutes or be charged for another day.
-Continued-