Mike Kraus: Spanish Expedition - Barcelona, Spain

WELCOME TO

BARCELONA, SPAIN!

Barcelona was incredible and intense. Taking the Aerobús (http://www.aerobusbcn.com/) from the Barcelona - El Prat Airport (https://www.barcelona-airport.com/) was a surprisingly exciting ride. A little bit of the county side, a tiny bit of suburbs, and then all sorts of eye candy in the city. If would be real easy to miss your stop because you're too busy saying "look at that!"

A view up the Carrer de Jovellanos from our hotel room

After a short flight from Mallorca, it was good to stop in Elisabets 1962 (http://www.elisabets1962.com) for a hearty lunch. It's interesting visiting different places and seeing their cultural habits. For example, breakfast tended to be little more than coffee and a small pastry, lunch would be a large meal in the afternoon, and dinner was something light (i.e. tapas) in the late evening. It was pretty easy to adjust to.

Second course with a bit more Estrella Damm beer (https://www.estrelladamm.com/en)

Plaça de Catalunya is the center of Barcelona. Several major streets, buses, trains, shuttles, and other forms of transit all collide in the 12 acre park. It's always full of activity (and pigeons). There's lot of sculptures, fountains, and people to watch.

Watching tourists at the Fountain of Canaletes be surprised trying to drink from a water fountain with unexpectedly high water pressure. Apparently, drinking from it ensures that you'll return to Barcelona someday.

The famous Ramblas use to be a drainage ditch when Barcelona was hemmed into its medieval walls. When the walls came down, it was transformed into a luxurious promenade. Today, it's a very touristy street packed with travelers from all over the world. Surprisingly, the mob of people also have to contend with cars, motorcycles, and buses.

The Royal Academy of Science and Arts (http://www.racab.es/) Building with a clock that marks the official time in Barcelona

This is the some of the remains of the Via Augusta, a Roman road that connected Barcino (Barcelona) to the rest of the Roman empire. A route the modern highways (N-340 and the A-7) still follow today. These Roman tombs are typical to see outside of their cities.

Street scene. The skinny balconies were very functional. A nice way to be outside. And the tall windows let a lot of light and air into the rooms.

This drinking fountain's tile work depicts the Ramblas and Barcelona before the medieval wall was removed.

From 1500 to 1850, Barcelona struggled as maritime trade moved to the Atlantic Ocean and the Spanish crown repressed the rebellious Catalunya region. So, the Betlem Church (https://www.barcelonas.com/esglesia-de-betlem.html) was a rare construction in the 1600s. This Renaissance/Baroque church supposedly is the place to see a Nativity scene at Christmas.

Admiring the scale and detail on Betlem Church.

Since 1200, Barcelona has come to La Boqueria Market (http://www.boqueria.barcelona/home) to buy their food. Like most markets during medieval times, it was outside the walls because it was cheaper rent. It has since expanded into a former monastery and covered with a roof in 1850. The cheap rent is long gone, but prices do become more reasonable the deeper you go. And so does the adventure.

Megan examining the wide variety of olives. Being an American use to the choice of black or green olives, seeing a buffet of only olives is so curious and fun.

Joan, La Llar Del Pernil (http://www.joanlallardelpernil.com/) packages their Jamón (ham) more like art than food. It'd be a delicious shame to open the packages. So delicious...

Really, this should be a video rather than a photo of seafood because this entire display was so fresh it was moving.

Just a few pepper products at Soley Boqueria (http://www.soleyboqueria.com/). Since my wife thought I was going to die on our honeymoon from eating a "hot" pepper, I'm understandably nervous about experimenting at this stand...

The Gran Teatre del Liceu (Liceu Opera House) (https://www.liceubarcelona.cat/en/node#)

Plaça Reial was a slightly hidden gem away from the crowd. Also, the site of Antoni Gaudi's first public works, which are the lampposts.

Palau Güell (https://www.palauguell.cat/en) was Antoni Gaudi's first Modernista (Art Nouveau) apartment building constructed from 1886-1890. This just gives a hint of the whimsical designs he will come up with later (and shared in another post)

Roof of Palau Güell

The Christopher Columbus Monument was built in 1888 for the Universal Exposition.

Wandering around the side streets, we came to the Plaça del Pi, which seemed to be holding some kind of event.

From the Ramblas, we saw and impressive building tucked into an alley. What we discovered was the Museu de Cera (wax museum) http://www.museocerabcn.com/

Having a couple Cruzcampo (https://www.cruzcampo.es/) beers to close out our first day in Barcelona

Fartó is pretty reasonable...

Castle of Montjuïc (Castell de Montjuïc) was built in the 1700s not to protect Barcelona, but to keep the citizens in line with the monarchy. It's a very concrete reminder why dictators and fascists should never be tolerated. From 1939-1975, when Francisco Franco (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Franco) was in power, being "taken to Montjuïc" was a death sentence. These included Loyalist to the democratic republic, liberals, socialists, anarchists, Freethinkers, Galicians, Catalans, Basques, intellectuals, women, union members, Protestants, and anyone else who threatened Nationalist Fascism. Somewhere around 50,000 - 200,000 people were killed by Franco's Death Squads and concentration camps. What is now a lovely park and overlook was the site of hundreds of political executions.

A view of the Port of Barcelona (http://www.portdebarcelona.cat/en_US/web/port-del-ciudada/cruceros) from Montjuïc. While it's wonderful to visit Europe and think of it as a land of fairy tales, it's good to see that actual hard work and innovation happens here too.

Montjuïc could mean a couple different things. 1) "Mount of the Jews" as there have been a few Jewish cemeteries found on the mountain. 1) "Hill of Jove (Jupiter)" who was the Roman god of the sky.

It was interesting to wander by the Club Arc Montjuïc (https://www.barcelona.cat/infobarcelona/en/my-new-post-6672_72294.html) during a tournament.

A view of the Barcelona waterfront from Montjuïc

An inland view of Barcelona from Montjuïc

Olympic Stadium (Estadi Olimpic) (http://www.fundaciobarcelonaolimpica.es/) was originally used for the 1929 World Expo. The later expansion and modernization was for the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Taking side trail and other paths though Montjuïc lead to some Old World scenes right from a painting.

Here are the remains of the 1929 World Expo. A fair that was designed to show off the use of electricity. At the time, most people associated electricity with the light bulb. What this fair wanted to do was show that electricity could power everything. And it did with electrified buildings, fountains, and trains.

At the top of the 1929 World Expo grounds is the Catalan Art Museum (Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya) (https://www.museunacional.cat).

Catalan Art Museum

Tower details

Catalan Art Museum was one of the first structures that surprised us coming into the city. It's prominent position on the hill on top of a wedding cake of fountains displays its importance.

Magic Fountain of Montjuïc (Font màgica) (https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/albums-en/magic-fountains-montjuic/index.html) was an electrified part of the 1929 World Expo. At night, there show where the fountain plays music, dances, and various colored lights.

Plaça d'Espanya

Bullring Mall (Las Arenas, formerly Plaza de toros de las Arenas) (https://www.arenasdebarcelona.com/) was a bull fighting stadium from 1900 to 1977. It was converted into a mall in 2011.

The towers at the entrance of the 1929 World Expo fairgrounds

Megan eyeing more egg dishes at Cuba de Janeiro (https://www.facebook.com/pg/cubadejaneiro) while we escape a light rain and cool breeze.

Mercat De Sant Antoni (https://www.mercatdesantantoni.com/)

Butt Mòbil. For all your butt dialing needs...

Gate of the Angel (Avinguda del Portal de l'Angel) was the main entrance to the walled city of Barcelona. There use to be an angel on top of the gate that was said to protect travelers on their journeys and citizens from plagues. The walls came down and the boulevard was created as a part of development of the 1888 Universal Exposition. Over the years, in deteriorated and became a clogged mess of traffic jams. In the 1980s, the road was closed off to motorized traffic and is once again a wonderful pedestrian boulevard.

Modernista (Art Nouveau) awning at the El Corte Inglés (https://www.elcorteingles.es/) department store.

The Catalan Gothic Church of Santa Anna was part of a convent outside of the city walls in 1200.

A view of the Church of Santa Anna from the side.

That intense Barcelona sun filling the buildings with light.

The Four Cats (El Quatre Gats) (https://4gats.com/en/) is the cafe Pablo Picasso had his first one-man show. in 1900. Artists were known to get food and drinks here and talk about art in Paris. The cafe even published it's own art magazine. Why "four cats?" To appeal to the wild artists, they were open 24 hours a day. A friend of the owner joked "No one will come. It'll just be you and four cats (slang for very few people)" and the name stuck.

The Four Cats building is notable for being designed by Josep Puig i Cadafelch in the Neo-Gothic Modernisme style.

As late as 1940, 10% of Barcelona would get their water from fountains like this. In the 1600s, this was the last place to get water before leaving Barcelona. It was improved and expanded in 1918. Still works.

Out for a stroll

In Plaça Nova, stands two Roman towers. These were a part of a wall system with 74 towers, 25 foot high walls, that wrapped a mile around a population of 4,000. When the obsolete wall became a burden, it was torn down to open Barcelona to the world.

Catalan College of Architects (Col·legi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya) (https://www.arquitectes.cat/)

Pablo Picasso designed this frieze showcasing Catalan traditions of weaving, festivals, dancing, shipping, and music.

The Cathedral of Barcelona (https://catedralbcn.org) has been a place of worship since around the year 300. While the facade is from the 1800s, the rest of the structure dates to the 1300s. And yes, it's the "off season," the line is that long, and we never did go in. Oh well...

French Flamboyant style towers.

When Napoleon occupied Spain in the early 19th century, the local population in Madrid revolted. The French forces arrested and shot citizens that participated. A scene made famous in Francisco Goya's Third of May painting. These men from Barcelona were horrified by the events in Madrid. They joined the rebellion and became martyrs. The Monument to the Martyrs of Independence is a scene of these patriots receiving their last rites before being strangled to death.

As is much of Barcelona, Plaça Sant Felip Neri is a monument against fascism and dictatorship. This plaza is a playground to the school connected to this church. And chunks missing from the base are reminders of bullets and bombs dropped on the site.

In 1938, Francisco Franco, with the aid of Hitler and Mussolini, bombed Barcelona from the sky. As survivors searched for loved ones in the rubble, the fascists purposefully returned to kill those save survivors. In this once specific spot, 42 people were killed - mostly children.

The old Jewish neighborhood of El Call. Some say it's called "El Call" as a twisted version of the the Hebrew word congregation "Kahal." But, in Catalan, it means "narrow passage." One or both may be right. About 4,000 Jews were crammed into this tiny area where the nearby Cathedral could watch their activities.

This square is the widest part of El Call. While it's a wonderful space to enjoy now, it was created by the destruction of a medieval building by a Spanish Civil War bomb.

Barcelona's former main synagogue. While parts of the structure date to 200 a.d., a violent massacre in 1391 led to its destruction. As a part of the Spanish Inquisition, Jews were forced out of Spain and any signs of their culture destroyed. It wasn't until the 1980s that the synagogue was rediscovered by ancient tax documents and noticing its odd orientation, related to other buildings, toward Jerusalem.

I believe this car was dropped in by helicopter. Maybe it was assembled on this site. But, there's no other way it could have wound its way to this point on the streets...

Winding our way back toward the Cathedral of Barcelona

Joan Rubió, a Catalan architect constructed this bridge over Carrer del Bisbe to connect the Cataluyan Presidential Ceremonial Home and Government Building in 1920.

Musician playing the horn on a beautiful side street

The Barri Gòtic square Plaça de Sant Jaume is named for a church that was torn down in 1823. It was the site of a Roman forum in the center of ancient Barcelona.

Barcelona City Hall (Casa de la Ciutat) (https://www.barcelona.cat)

King James I (Jaume) was known as Jaume el Conqueridor. In the 1200s, he forced the French out of Barcelona, allowed self-government, and it grew into a major world-class city.

Palau de la Generalitat is the seat of the Catalan government.

Catalan declared independence from Spain in October 2017. The Spanish government replied by temporarily suspending the Catalan autonomous government, arresting several leaders, and charged many others that have fled into exile into other countries. You can read more about it at: http://theconversation.com/catalonia-a-year-on-political-prisoners-go-unnoticed-by-the-rest-of-the-world-106411

In 15 B.C., the Romans founded the city of Barcino on this spot by establishing a fort to protect the harbor. The city is thought to be named after Hannibal's General Barca as he came here on his way to Italy. Soon, these columns were erected for the Roman Temple of Augustus (Temple Roma d'August) (http://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/museuhistoria/ca/muhba-temple-daugust). This 120-foot long building was dedicated to Emperor Augustus as he was to be worshipped as a god.

Catalunya Presidential Home

Medieval Barcelona's Royal Palace (Palau Reial Major) structure's remains are directly across the Plaça del Rei. In 1493, Christopher Columbus went to the first floor reception and throne room carrying many pure-gold statues and natives of the New World.

The Chapel of Saint Agatha from the 14th Century

The Chapel of Saint Agatha was constructed on top of the foundations of the Roman wall

The Viceroy Palace (Palau de Lloctinent), was where the local ruler who acted on behalf of the monarchy lived until the late 1400s when the capital moved to Toledo. Soon after, it was converted into the local headquarters of the Spanish Inquisition. Today it houses the archives for the Crown of Aragon (http://www.culturaydeporte.gob.es/archivos-aca/en/portada.html).

Inside the Viceroy Palace.

Details of the very detailed coffered ceiling.

Ornate topper of a small tower on the Barcelona Cathedral

After all that walking, we needed some churros and chocolate, right?

Stopped in Craft Barcelona (http://www.craftbarcelona.com/) for a few drinks and tapas for dinner.

"Ugh... Mike, take the picture so I can eat..."

"What's this?" "How's that?" "This tastes pretty good whatever it is," pretty much sums up our tapas experience. It was a pretty fun way to sample Catalunya offering. Throw in a Voll-Damm (https://www.damm.com/es/cervezas/voll-damm) and Barce Loka Rebel City and we're set for the night.

Watching the neighborhood activities from our hotel

We stayed at Hostal Grau (https://www.hostalgrau.com/en/), which is an eco boutique hotel right off the Ramblas. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Having coffee and cake first thing in the morning was a nice touch. The rooms were modern, cozy, and comfortable. People watching from the balcony was entertaining. And the location was very, very convenient. Highly recommended.