“I think the most important thing about music is the sense of escape.” – Thom Yorke (Radiohead)
Last year (2016) was a bit tough in Dubai (or perhaps just to Laurie and I only!) a lot of experimental events in global politics have happened so it was quite tight for us financially. Fortunately, as most of the people are trying to cut-cost like us, I got more projects last year because most people or businesses would rather hire a freelance interior designer like me than those huge expensive design firms. More projects means getting too busy with work. Yes, it’s a good problem, however I realised at the end of the year 2016 that I only traveled ONCE! Not that I’m complaining but because apart from it was not a good time for us to go for holidays, I was also saving up for my upcoming big trip in 2017.
Last May 2016, we decided to go to South of France to continue a little bit more works for our little house there, we wished to finish it so we could at least have it rented and will help us a lot in our finances too. Whist I was checking our dates, I realised that it will coincide the dates of Primavera Music Festival in Barcelona! Barcelona is just 5-hour train ride to our place in south of France anyway.
Then when I checked the line-up I saw 2 of Laurie’s favorite bands (mine too!), Radiohead and Sigur Ros, so I immediately bought our tickets online and gave it to Laurie on his birthday, talk about hitting 2 birds in one stone, right? 😛
We were both excited because we’ve been working too hard and we needed a break, an escape from madness of our jobs, and also because this will be our first music festival together!
I was excited to go back to Barcelona too as when I was there the previous year (Sept 2015) it was just very short visit (3days) and I fell in love with it so I promised myself I will be back soon. Although we will only be staying 5 days this time, I thought I could still see more of Barcelona. That didn’t happen because if you go back to your apart-hotel at 7am after the festival, it’s time to go back again to the festival when you wake up, lol!
(See my entry of my first Barcelona trip in 2015, HERE.)
However, on our first day, we managed to do some sightseeing, we went to Sagrada Familia because our apart-hotel is just in the same area. Then we did the very touristy Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus because we are too lazy to walk around haha! We went next to Gaudi’s Park Guell which is the main inspiration of Architect Gaudi for his organic shapes for Sagrada Familia and most of his other creations.
On the next days, before going to the festival, we just always wander around Las Ramblas and Barri Gotic to find restaurants to have our late-lunch/early-dinner. I am just so at home in Barcelona or Spain actually that is why I love every corner we go to regardless if tourists go there or not. Barcelona is actually one of the cities I think I can live!
It wasn’t difficult to get inside the venue, it was very organized and amazingly safe. The atmosphere inside were like what a music festival should be – free and steady. People were just there to enjoy the music and forget about almost anything.
Even if we already have a list of bands we wanted to see, we still discovered a lot more other great artists/bands as we go from one stage to another. At the end of the main act set, we always go to the rave tent parties to end our night there until the music stops, which is already sunrise! Laurie and I have never partied together yet like this that we have no worries about the next day, that is what I liked about music festivals anyway.
This was the first holiday I have with Laurie that we truly enjoy each other’s company, it was just the two of us and no other things to do but to listen to music and just talk and learn more new things about each other and we experience something new together that make some great memories for us. Closely tied to experiencing something new is being able to learn about each other. It’s amazing but there will always be a lot of things you will discover about your husband no matter how long you have been living together.
And during this trip I just fell in love with him all over again! Cheesy I know haha! And that’s why this festival will always remain very special to me 🙂
They say taking vacations together strengthens a marriage, all the more I guess is that music always plays a big role to bond your emotions when you listen and feel it together! In our busy schedules with work, we can get so caught up in the day-to-day that we sometimes forget our real priorities. Travel + Music = Sweet Escape <3
