Joey chuckled. “I guess I’m a bit geeky about this stuff.”
Vanessa beamed at Joey. “I had no idea. Tell me more.”
“Really?” Joey suddenly felt shy.
“Really,” said Vanessa. “There’s a kiosk over there. I’ll get us some ice-creams, and you can tell us all we need to know. I think we’ve all earned a sit down.”
Joey smiled and began to explain how the building had been created to house a national exhibition, and had been damaged during the Civil War. She gestured to the dome in the centre, and talked about the artwork they would see inside it. Vanessa and Dani seemed fascinated, so she continued.
“Ok,” said Dani, “I am handing you Barcelona citizenship here and now.” She knelt before Joey, intoning: “I, Daniela Ortega, grant you the freedom and privilege of Barcelona, the best city in the world.”
Joey laughed out loud. “Well, thank you.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
VANESSA
Vanessa was charmed by Joey’s enthusiasm for the museum, and while she knew she should be looking down at the view of the city afforded from their position atop Montjuic, she found herself drawn to her tour guide’s passion.
Joey gesticulated with her hands and arms, her muscles flexing, her face more expressive than Vanessa had ever seen it. She listened in silence, relishing the coolness of her ice-cream and the company she was in.
“Now, and this is probably a bit of a basic question, but what is the difference between Catalonia and Spain?” asked Vanessa.
“That’s a difficult one to answer,” said Joey. “I feel like Dani should really take that one, as someone who’s actually from here.”
Dani nodded. “It’s complicated, and there’s lots of history to it. Basically, Catalonia is a semi-autonomous region of Spain. It’s got its own parliament, culture, language – Catalan – and identity. Look, see up there?” Shepointed at the flags flying above the building. “The yellow-and-red striped flags are Catalan flags. Some people believe Catalonia should be independent from Spain. Uncle Sergio has strong views on that!”
“Is that why there’s a mixture of languages in Barcelona? Like the names of the streets? Carrer de Petritxol – in Spanish the word would be ‘chocolate’, right?” Vanessa furrowed her brow.
“Exactly,” said Joey, “which is why you didn’t pick the most straightforward place to learn Spanish.”
“Come on then,” said Dani. “I think we should go in. I’ve been in before, but Joey’s made it sound like a life-changing experience and I feel like I owe Uncle Sergio.” She raised her eyebrows.
Joey paused. “Yeah, sorry, I went off on one there, didn’t I?”
“Don’t be sorry,” said Vanessa, unable to wipe the smile from her own face. “I’ve learnt so much and we haven’t even gone in yet.”
Before long they were situated underneath the beautifully painted main dome of the building. The three of them had to lean their heads back to view the mural, which was full of religious iconography, tradespeople, ships, biblical scenes, industrial buildings, flags. It was a riot of ancient and modern, and Vanessa was transfixed.
“Wow,” she said, unable to think of anything more original to say.
“I always notice something new whenever I come here,” said Joey. She put a gentle arm around Vanessa’s shoulder to direct her view. “Look.” She was almost whispering. “There’s a bull and a bullfighter over there by the tree at the edge.”
Vanessa’s heart jumped into her mouth, and she struggledto form the right words. “Mmhm,” she mumbled. The feeling of Joey’s hand on her shoulder, the feel of her breath on her neck, was very distracting. She froze, not wanting Joey to move, and not wanting to do the wrong thing or scare Joey away. It was like she was faced with a wild but fragile animal.
The moment passed, as Dani hurried them through to a gallery where she found what might have been the most frightening set of photos she’d ever seen. “Oh my goodness,” exclaimed Vanessa. “What the hell is this?”
The triptych before her showed skeletons in cloaks standing on rocks along the edge of the sea, while random naked people were laid out here and there.
“It’s quite something,” said Joey, with a raised eyebrow. “The black and white makes it even more atmospheric.”
Vanessa read the tag, which identified the images as a transfer by Joaquim Pla Janini from 1930. “I’d love to tell you what it means, but I don’t know,” said Joey. “But for me, art is all about making your own meanings.”
“I’m not sure where to start with this one,” said Dani. “Hang on, my phone’s vibrating. Sorry.” She excused herself and hurried out of the gallery.
Joey and Vanessa walked on. “How about this one?” Joey asked.
“Now this is more my kind of thing.” Vanessa gazed at the oil painting, which depicted a woman sitting on a log wearing long boots, a white shirt and trousers and a big sombrero. Propped up next to her was a gun, and she had a terrier at her side.
