When I was advised by my spiritual director — yes, folks, I do have a live “guardian angel” who provides guidance and a listening ear to my spiritual travails ever since I whistled my desire to be part of a community of like-minded souls — that there will be a seminar that a Filipino group will be handling in Torreciudad for the first time, I immediately raised my hand and signed up.

And to my great surprise and gratitude, when my daughters found out I was traveling to Spain, without any hesitation on their part or prodding on mine, they immediately expressed a desire to join me for an unforgettable lifetime adventure of “A Father and Three Daughters” to sunny yet chilly Barcelona on the Iberian peninsula off the southern Mediterranean coast before I would head off to a Marian shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Torreciudad in the mountains of Huesca in Barbastro, Aragon for a week of reflection, meditation and spiritual renewal.

First stop: Barcelona, a scenic city with a vibrant culture in the province of Catalonia in the northeastern part of Spain and only 90 miles from the southern border of France, is considered the “Paris of Spain” and is on the must-see list of millions of travelers from all over the world. It has, however, a 2,000-year history of military upheavals due largely to its strategic location that serves as a gateway to the rich and fertile lands of Spain.

The most virulent conflict was the Nationalists’ critical victory over the Republicans in Barcelona which was the turning point in Spain’s civil war in 1938 that resulted in the death of thousands of Catalans and the collapse of the local economy that bred poverty for years in its aftermath. It was only in the late 1970s after the death of the dictator Franco that Barcelona enjoyed autonomy and started to reap the economic benefits of the new democratic space.

Today, Barcelona generates about 20 percent of Spain’s industrial output, 25 percent of the country’s exports, and is the favored destination of investors with 25 percent of all foreign investments in Spain.

Barcelona is a city of migrants, including over 25,000 of about 237,000 Filipinos in Spain who work primarily in the service sector, which accounts for approximately 80 percent of all jobs. Spain is a favored overseas destination of Pinoys in search of a better life and wealthy Filipinos looking for a familiar, friendly fallback in case our country goes to pot because as a former colony of Spain, citizenship is within easy reach as Filipinos are given the privilege of acquiring citizenship after only two years of legal residency.

Quickly adjusting to the unusually late lunches and dinners of Catalans, whenever my daughters and I would see our ubiquitous kababayan working in jam-packed restaurants, it was always a delight because getting a table was usually a chore that typically took a 30 to 45-minute wait. But it was a breeze as soon as our kababayan spotted four hungry Pinoy tourists standing patiently in line chatting animatedly in Tagalog.

Today, Barcelona generates about 20 percent of Spain’s industrial output, 25 percent of the country’s exports, and is the favored destination of investors with 25 percent of all foreign investments in Spain.

We met so many friendly Pinoys who had been working in Spain for years and impressively spoke both Catalan and Spanish like Roel, Lucy and Fely as we repeatedly patronized our favorite restos like Gelida, Vinitus and Cerveceria that served all kinds of tapas, paellas, jamon Iberico, patatas bravas, chicharones, chorizos, callos and lobsters — and always, always accompanied by a bottle of rioja.

But the beauty of Barcelona is not just the food. We also had our fill of memorable must-see sights and nourishment for the soul like the Sagrada Familia, Catedral de Barcelona, Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar, Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi, Park Guell, Antoni Gaudi’s Casa Battlo, La Rambla and the Picasso Museo.

As we reached the end of our much cherished and unforgettable “Padre Y Tres Hijas” bonding adventure, and as Patricia, Pia and Anne readied their take homes to Alabang, New Hampshire and Seoul, we made a pact that this adventure must be repeated because Barcelona is undoubtedly a beautiful city that beckons.

(To be continued… Torreciudad beckons the soul)

Until next week… OBF!

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