Words by David Appleton.
All credit for photographs goes to Alx Green. Cheers mate.
After a winter of unforgiving rain, wind and freezing temperatures, a couple of the Jux lads embarked on a trip to Barcelona. Armed with Owain John's Sony VX2100 and Alx Green's always on point photography skills, Danny Cartwright, Si Davies, Alx Green and Dave Appleton set out on a mission to fully document the trip and come back with stacks of footage in order to produce the crews first BCN video shot entirely on VX/Mini DV. 
Day One, April 1st, 10:00:
The Lads assembled at Liverpool John Lennon Airport at 10am, ready to catch the 11:30 flight to El Prat, Barcelona. After knocking back a few beers and a full english each, as well as Dave's purchase of a Barcelona football shirt in true tourist style, we boarded our budget Ryan Air flight and jetted off to sunny Catalonia.
Arriving at approximately 2pm local time, we flew through customs and flagged down a taxi soon as possible. After Danny's attempt of a Spanish accent requesting the taxi take us to "Parel-lel" and some confusion with the driver who didn't seem to clock onto his native tongue, we were racing down the motorway, Dave and Greeny snapping away at the buildings along the way and Si stoked over being in a foreign land for only the second time. We arrived at the apartment, got checked in rapidly, set up the boards and were out again within the hour; heading directly to the beach.
From then on we spent the evening and into the night skateboarding along the beach front againt the backdrop of a setting sun, hitting up all the beach spots, grabbing a few Estrelle's and stacking clips on clips. After the first nights skate we had already filled sixty minutes worth of footage, predominantly on a steep bank/wallride that got well and truly rinsed by the crew.
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| Si - Frontside Rock |
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| Dave - Feebs |
Dave and Danny also bagged a few clips on a bank to bollard and another into the road with a variety of wallies and 180's.
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| Danny - BS 180, Dave on filming duties |
With the promise of perfect weather the next day, we stocked up on food and beer and got a decent nights sleep.
Day Two, April 2nd
Up nice and early, we all legged it straight out of the apartment and grabbed some freshly baked bread and perfectly brewed coffee from a place directly opposite Jux HQ (we became regular customers after the first visit). Spot numero uno, Parel-lel, right next door to our apartment. Si and Danny donned the manual game, Greeny terrorised the full pipe sculpture with his innovative style and Danny and Dave bagged some lines over the infamous Parel-lel benches.
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| Role reversal; Dave pop's an Ollie, Danny stacks clips |
After that, everyone hopped on the metro down to Port Forum in search of some obscure looking slides. Arrived, found them, sessioned them and headed towards the harbour after Si, Greeny and Dave all bagged some clips on this unique spot. En route to the harbour we all stopped off at the Forum skatepark for a play; Danny and Si had a game of Skate with a couple of American lads, and Dave took a slide head first into a pond between the bowl corners.. next spot...
The afternoon from then had Si bag a tricky manual, weaving along a long, curvy pad. Danny bagged a FS blunt and 5-0 fakie on the Forum fountain bank and Dave and Si both got some manouvres on the trecherous sea wall.
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| Si - BS 180 |
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| Dave - Feebs |
We also came across a massive bank to gap in the streets on the way home, which Danny promptly shut down with a massive kickflip. Another hour and half's worth of footage stacked.
On a mission to find a place to eat, we ended up at a burger place next to the bank from the night before. Burgers were demolished, jugs of beer were drunk, footy was watched and we staggered onto Las Ramblas in search of good times. Next thing we're on a nightclub crawl, Greeny's smashing an open mic in a local bar, we're meeting some right interesting heads and Dave and Danny are getting arrested at 4am by the Urban Guard outside a strip club for pressing buzzers and putting their bare bums on windows. Fine = Seventy-five euros a piece. Story? Priceless.
Day Three, April 3rd
Waking up after two hours of restless semi-sleep and rain lashing down meant troop moral was through the floor. But after a visit to the fruit shop for potassium a'plenty and a surprise visit by a seagull that became stuck on the balcony for some time, spirits were up and we made the most of the day by having a wander in one of the most incredible cities in the world and a visit to the legit-since-day-one FTC skate shop.
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| Rain ain't bringing this lid down |
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| Moist (outside) |
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| Not what you need on a skate mission |
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| David A |
After a good meal at the delicious Wok & Walk (and the standard Estrelle's, fruit, cakes and sweets), we chilled at the apartment and got a decent nights kip in order to take full advantage of the sunny day ahead - the last day for filming.
Day Four, April 4th:
Up bright and early, we jetted straight out to the bakery for breakfast and Parel-lel for a warm up. Next, straight onto the metro heading for Canyelles.
We arrived in Canyelles early, with the rain of the day before still lingering about in the cool morning. We headed straight to the first spot, a sizeable yellow bank we'd spotted on a skate map with an array of tricks in mind. Got there, nah. This thing was ridiculous. Super steep, glossy finished, missing/raised bricks and wheel sized cracks lining the runaway. Si stepped up to test the thing, next thing you know he's tail dropping it. Dave also got buck with a boneless into the deep end, and Greeny plunged a mad axle stall drop in, after fully eating it on his first attempt. Brave dude.
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| Dave - Boneless |
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| Si - Power Ollie |
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| It's nuffin' |
After this, another bank got rinsed, Danny executed the most sublime Front Blunt 270 you'll ever see and Greeny let loose with his footplant wizardry. Beers were drank, strawberries and Maxiboms consumed by the crate. Dave also got kicked out of a rail spot after attempting to bribe a hairdresser in exchange for another go - worth a try...
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| Danny on filming duties whilst Dave attempts to bribe Toni & Guy |
The final spot of the Canyelles stop was a line of obtuse benches. Si and Greeny stepped up to filming duties, filming Danny nail a beast line with his effortless style and making another BCN bin his trick victim. Ya boi DC slaying waste disposal units since '04. Dave also ripped a chunk out of his hand, completing his line clutching onto a bread roll wrapper to stop the gushing blood. Make do and keep movin'.
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| Dave - pre-breadroll Lipslide from start to end through the kink |
Next stop, the Hills and area surrounding the Olympic Stadium. This spot, although fully out of the way, was one of the best purely because of the setting - impressive architecture, winding roads, cool breeze and coolers on coolers full of ice cold lemon Estrelle. Spot reached, a mad mosiac clad fountain right at the summit.
Greeny, Si and Danny set about destroying the spot, each with their own inventive style.
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| Si - BS Tail BS 360. Ya heard right, back threehunnitandsixty out |
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| Danny's nipples will be available on the menu of all good Burger King outlets late '14 |
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| Si - Monster Ollie out of the mosiac realm |
Filming ceased shortly after this due to a 'tape error' message. We opened up the VX to find the DV had unwravelled itself. As a result, the "Cerveza, por favor" video very nearly didn't happen. Only the master expertise of Owain John was able the tape salvaged once we returned home.
A brief moment of panic set in, easily washed away by Si's reminder that we were in fact in Barcelona, with beer and skateboards in the most perfect weather in prime hill bombing territory. Top lad, keeping the moral up the whole trip. Any skateboarder will tell you there is literally nothing better than absolutely bombing it down a steep road, even when laden with cracks and grids. It's like that thing you do when you're a kid and you run so fast down a slope that your legs keep moving and you just can't stop running. Once you realise its do or die, you just go with it, and it's perfect.
We reached the bottom in no time, blasting our way down one way streets (the wrong way) and seeing out the remainder of the evening bombing it around the beach front, hitting up a few final spots, downing lemon Estrelles and enjoying the food and the sun. Back to the apartment, and back out onto the Las Ramblas strip for a last night blowout. Packing only takes five minutes anyway right?
Day 5, April 5th, 8:00:
Packed (just about), checked out and in the Taxi on the return to El Prat.
We arrived at the airport on time, smashed a Burger King to heal our hangovers and spent the wait for the flight sat in the lounge reminiscing about our time there. Flight called, plane boarded and heads down for a full-flight kip. Arrived back in the UK two hours later to drizzle and arctic temperatures. You know that feeling when you've had a widdle, put it back in your kecks but realise you've not fully shaken all the drops out? It's like it. One of those "Agh 'kinell" moments.
One hell of a trip, best dudes and amazing times in an incredible city. The life, until next time Barcelona...
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