Flatspot Team Barcelona Trip 2018
The clocks have gone back, those grim winter nights are drawing in, it was seeming like summer was over… except for seven lads leaving Plymouth for a 5-night bender of skateboarding, drinking ‘Damn Lemon’ and eating family size packets of ‘Taki’s Fuego’ corn chips in the Spanish city of Barcelona.
After loading up Reece’s van at 0300 hours we were ready to head for Bristol Airport with only one thing on our minds… “when we gunna’ stop and get food?”. This request was immediately dismissed by Reece’s Miss Trunchbull like attitude towards stopping for provisions, however before you could say “bacon king muffin with hash browns” fast enough we were sat in the departure lounge waiting for the EasyJet Airbus230 departing at 07:15.
Fast track a few hours, after minimum turbulence and swift airport security and we were settled into the “3 bed, fourth floor Barcelona flat in the heart of the city with nearby supermarche and two tube stations within walking distance”. Bags were placed down, beds were folded out and boards were set up as it was straight to Macba for some food and the first of many sessions.
Everyone almost immediately separated, on arrival at Macba, to skate different obstacles (maybe it had something to do with the last 12 hours of us all within breathing distance of each other) but we gathered back and headed up for a metal edge tree planter just around the corner that Charlie had his eye on.
The next day, following an early morning of consuming euro brand cereal and cheap coffee it was back to Macba for a warm up session followed by a skate to the waterfront for a day of what felt like bank spot after bank spot. It started off with a bank to wallride on a busy walkway then a brief hit on a far too busy ledge spot, then over to the second bank spot of the day. A quick stop at a drain gap on the idyllic Barcelona waterfront, then over to a curved bench with a bank on the other side which saw us witness Steve ollie up and over the whole thing - must be that soya milk. Another couple of bank spots down and we were onto the last main spot of the day, a bank to bank with stairs in the middle in which Matt put at least 5 tricks down within half an hour, followed by my favourite trick of the trip; Charlie’s backside 180 fakie manual up and around the top stairs.
Back to Macba for another evening session of shawarma kebabs, cans of Damn Lemon and a favourite of the vegans ‘the dog is hot’. Steve and I started things off with a selection of tricks down the stairs ending with Steve going back up them (classic), whilst up-top a flat ground switch Tre team bonding session was brewing, the speaker was blaring and the heat was on. Only one man would be walking away triumphant…myself (sorry Reece).
Another early start and a quick return to the scene of the crime i.e. Macba. Unfortunately this time it was wet, so we wasted no time in getting on a train out to Badalona to skate the Bobadilla DIY skate project. Shortly after arriving it broke into full skate mode with everyone getting a good number of clips early in the day and Matt wasting no time once again getting trick after trick. It was time to grab some food and refill our water bottles before hitting some more spots on the way to the Skate Agora Park, Badalona. With everyone well and truly knackered at this point it was just Matt and Gorham still powering through, only to be cut short by a devastating ankle roll that would see the end of Gorham’s skating days for the trip. Back to the flat for an ice bath it is.
Just two full days left on the trip and the effects were starting to set in on the crew as a result of a few injuries and the lack of sleep, however with a good breakfast tucked away it was off to the famous theatre ledge - which wasn’t quite as smooth as I expected. Despite the lack of stone sweeping, Charlie and I both managed to walk away with a couple clips whilst the others basked in the sunlight and Steve put down a 180 over a bar into a rather impressive switch hill bomb.
Next on the cards, a gigantic yellow brick bank meets a stocky Plymouth roofer. Once again Reece entertained the party by doing a ‘ George and The Dragon’ style battle with the imposing structure - bearing in mind we had watched Tiago Lemos shut it down at Macba the previous evening - so at this point we had been a little harder to please. Reece pulled through as always. Shortly after leaving the yellow brick bank, Charlie popped a can of Estrella in his back pocket after dramatically skidding out. Further on, Matt noticed a good photo opportunity to wallie a wall out to the road which involved a waiting game against oncoming traffic.
Waking up on the final day knowing we had less than 24 hours left on the trip had only really started to sink in when the curtains were pulled back to reveal it was raining outside. Nonetheless, we grabbed our stuff and headed for the famous Sant’s train station in an attempt to squeeze one last effort in. Everyone pulled together and managed to get some good clips in followed by Reece, Steve and Matt all putting tricks into the dragon sculpture across the street. The rain crept in one last time and we decided to head back to the flat to get our stuff together before seeking out one final group meal and some sangria before the flight home in the early morning.
Words by Harry King @harrykingy
Photos by @jayrbing
Flatspot Team: Harry King, Matt Beer, Reece Douglas, Steve Attfield, Charlie Reelie, Jack Gorham
