18/07/2026
Barcelona 29 April 2020–24 June 2020
I’m going through my photo archive from Barcelona and I’ve found some photos from the Covid period…
I’ll remember for the rest of my life how I was getting ready to go out with Iga, who was one year old at the time, for our first time leaving the house after the full lockdown.
On 26 April 2020, after six weeks (44 days) at home and on the roof of the block of flats, I carried Iga’s pushchair downstairs for the first time in weeks and, like a law-abiding citizen, waited at 8.58 am in the open doorway of the block to step out onto the street at 9.00 sharp.
The rule was ‘the ones’: once a day, 1 kilometre from home, one adult with a child under 14, and between 9.00 and 21.00. The child’s smile and joy were so great that we broke those rules that day, and we carried on doing so until the restrictions were lifted completely. The walk, of course, took longer, and in the afternoon I went out again, as did Ania.
After that, we could once again have a coffee out and go out as a pair of adults.
But that first day – little children without masks, laughing but also frightened. Imagine a one-year-old who hadn’t seen grass, the sea or the beach for a month and a half…
And the adults – despite the masks, you could see everyone’s eyes smiling as we passed each other at a safe distance.
After those 44 days spent at home, the Prime Minister later apologised to the children. One of the reasons was that people were allowed to go for a walk with their dog, but not with a child…
I remember the clapping heard everywhere at 8 pm out of respect for the nurses and doctors.
My dad’s visit for my birthday, which ended with us looking for an evacuation flight back to Poland for him. Never before or since have I seen El Prat airport so empty. I remember the bus journey back from the airport – just me and the driver…
A crazy time…
But also, I think, a very important time for the people of Barcelona. They rediscovered their city without the crowds of tourists.
