We’ve spent the last three nights in Barcelona (here they pronounce the ‘c’ as ‘th’). Before we arrived we climbed another two days at Ceuse. The climbing is phenominal. I didn’t do a single route that I didn’t like. It’s too bad we had to leave because I was just starting to feel like I had a bit of endurance.
There was some drama at the crag however. I watched a 19 year old Norwegian kid fall 20 meters (60 feet) and hit the ground. His girlfriend who had been belaying was using an ATC and let go of her brake hand when he fell from the top of the route. I heard him let out a viscious scream, which at least let us know that he was still conscious. Luckily he landed in some thick, dense bushes that softened the landing. Otherwise I think the fall would have been fatal. Everyone at the crag was quick to help and a rescue team arrived via helicopter within 30 minutes. He was then airlifted to a hospital in Gap. I found out later that the climber suffered a broken ankle and two fractured vertebrae. Not bad considering the distance he fell!!
The reason we came to Barcelona was for Sean to compete in a World Cup. He flashed both his qualifiers and did very well in semi finals. In the end Sean came 4th place after Adam Ondra, Ramon Julian and Sachi Anma. The competition was hosted in one of the stadiums built for the 1992 Olympics. There were over 1500 people spectating finals. I imagine that if climbing were to become an Olympic sport it would be run similar to this event. The fact that the venue was in a large Olympic stadium made it feel like a big competition.
When Sean wasn’t climbing we took in Barcelona’s attractions. My favourite was La Sagrada Familia, a palace architected by a guy name Gaudi. Construction began in 1882 and is still being worked on today! There is so much detail in this building; no two pillars and no two doors are alike. Barcelona is a great city to tour around. I would definitely come back to see more. However, I could never stay here for a long period of time. It’s too populated and too polluted. Too often a whiff of raw sewage is caught while walking the city streets. It’s gross! Barcelona makes Vancouver look like a nature reserve.
Now we are off to climb in Rodellar for two days. It will probably be way too hot, but at least it’s new scenery. After that Sarah and I will likely part ways from Sean and Mathilde. We might travel to Rome or maybe Greece. As of right now we’re still undecided. We do plan to be in Paris before we travel to Valence for the Youth World Championships. Can any of you recommend a place for us to go?
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Hey bro, sorry to hear about all your stuff getting stolen. I’m also suprised the kid didn’t die after falling 60 feet. I hope you and Sarah are having a great time and I look forward to seeing the pictures when you get back. Check out some of those places Crystal told you too. Later
Kalymnos is really fun, but it takes a little effort to get there.