Barcelona, On the Full Moon
by Anjelica Jardiel
It happened the way all my favorite experiences happen--by chance. My friend Francesca and I were leaving Barceloneta Beach around midnight after sharing moments with the full moon over the glistening water. She had to catch a flight back to England in the morning, but before we hailed a taxi, we ran into a man asking about Mar Bella Beach and Skate Park. He said, “My friend told me about some full moon party.” Francesca hopped in her taxi, and I lead the way to Mar Bella. We walked in the proper direction, away from the center and away from the marina. I checked the distance and we had 2.5 kilometers to go, so I bid him adieu, wished him luck, and skated away.
I arrived around 1 AM to the site where I had been sunbathing with nude locals and meeting skateboarders from around the world two days prior. The space next to a bar called, “Be Gay” was transformed and there were hundreds of people huddled in groups, spinning fire, playing drums and enjoying the moonlight. There was a constant offering of “Cerveza, beer?” by the Pakistanis who hide beverages in the sewers to sell after 11 PM, when you can no longer get alcohol in stores.
I walked around observing, then parked myself on one side of the beach, staring at the ocean. After a few minutes, I moved to the other side and sat next to a group of Spanish girls singing and playing guitar. I noticed a man who was alone too and invited him to sit next to me. He was from Peru and pursuing a master’s degree in human resources. He said he fell in love with Barcelona and figured out a way to stay long term. His friends bailed, so he went alone. He decided to leave one hour later, and as I was growing tired and putting on my shoes to do the same, a girl popped out of no where and said, “Hello, are you leaving?” I decided to stay.
We took a little hike to pee on the hillside, and she kissed a man from Uruguay. I met some Brazilians, and one of them made me a bracelet. I watched people skinny dip, embrace, and run around.
Next thing I knew, it was 5 AM. Every time I thought I was going to leave, I would meet someone who inspired me to stay. I watched the waves change from deep blue to teal to silver. The sky changed from midnight to purple to pink to orange and back to blue.
It was everything I imagined it would be. I kept asking myself, “Is this real?”
A little while after dawn, I kissed my new friends goodbye, and skated the beach line home to El Raval, energized anew.
This happens every moon.
