Girona

We took a day trip to Girona, about an hour and a half from Barcelona. Girona is known for its cases penjades along the river Onyar, its Cathedral, and its Arab baths. However, our first stop when we arrived in the morning was to The River Cafe outside of the Collegiate Church of Sant Feliu.  Not only were they playing Bruce Springsteen inside, but the entire interior to the cafe was completely decorated with Bruce Springsteen posters and etc. Nothing else could make you feel more at home then hearing Bruce Springsteen in Spain!

 We took a walking tour of the old city beginning with the Arab Baths. The Arab Baths were built in the 12th century when Catalunya was ruled for a brief period by the Moors. An interesting fact is that the baths incorporate both Arab and Roman architecture. We ended our walking tour at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Girona. Construction of the cathedral began in the 11th century in Romanesque style and was continued in the 13th century in Gothic style. Attached to the Cathedral is a Romanesque cloister with a columns that have sculpted figures of fantastic creatures and animals. This was to represent hell or evil. Of the original 12th century Romanesque Cathedral only the cloister and the bell tower remain today. The Cathedral is known for having the widest Gothic nave in the world as well as housing in its museum, the Gerona Beatus, a 10th century illuminated manuscript!

FC Barca

Nothing reflects stronger patriotism to Catalunya then FC Barça Football. The biggest rivalry is seen in the game between Barça and Real Madrid. This game is known as El Clásico, is a match between the two strongest teams in the national league. This rivalry goes beyond football in the sense that it reflects the political and cultural tensions between Catalunya and the rest of Spain. To watch El Clásico we went to L’Ovella Negra which is a few blocks from my residencia. We got there over an hour early because even half an hour before the game there are no more seats left in the bar. Everyone was decked out in Barça gear: jerseys, scarfs, flags! The title of my blog comes from the Cant del Barça which is the Catalan anthem of the Barça Football Club and one of the most famous songs in Catalonia. Below are the lyrics for the song in Catalan. The english translation can be found online

Tapas

In Spain, a common breakfast is a croissant with un cafe con leche. Refrigerated milk is rare here, instead warm milk is used in cereal. Another type of breakfast is churros and chocolate. Mom and I found a churros and chocolate place called La Pallaresa on Calle Petritxol with fantastic churros and chocolate!

Lunch is the main meal rather then dinner. Lunch tends to be  served between 2-4pm in the afternoon. During this time the city basically shuts down for 2 hours. At a restaurant for lunch there tends to be a menú del día which commonly is a 3-5 course meal. Students tend to eat bocadillas. One of my favorite places for bocadillas is 100 Montaditos!

Dinner is also served late between 9-11pm. It traditionally is tapas which is a small portion meals. The word tapas comes from the spanish verb “tapar” which means to cover. According to theory, tapas originated in Andalasia where Spaniards placed small slices of bread or meat on top of their glasses to prevent flies from getting in their drinks. My favorite type of tapas are croquetas de pollo, jamon, or espinacas and patatas bravas. Although Sevilla is know for having the best tapas, Mom, Dad, and I were able to find a delicious tapas restaurant in Barcelona called Caputxes.

Gaudi

Antoni Gaudi was a famous catalan architect who was part of the Catalan Modernista movement. His four life passions are evident in his work: architecture, nature, religion, and love for Catalonia. Both recycled tile, stained glass windows, the use of natural light, and non-linear lines are signatures of Gaudi’s architecture throughout Barcelona.

Park Guell, Gaudi’s famous architectural park is located in the hills of Grácia. The park was originally supposed to be the housing site for wealthy families in Barcelona, an idea of Count Guell in the early 1900s. It has since been converted into a municipal garden. Alex, Brittany, and I took the Sants metro station and assumed that it would be a straight shot walk to Parc Guell. It was not. When we reached finally reached the entrance the park we made a right and accidentally took a hike up the mountain, exiting the top. We finally realized our mistake when we realized we hadn’t seen any mosaics or the gingerbread like houses that are a signature of Parc Guell. We walked back down to the entrance and finally found the Parc.

With Mom and Dad I visited two other famous Gaudi works: Casa Batlló and La Sagrada Familia. On Passeig de Gracia, can be found Casa Batlló on what is nicknamed the “manzana de la discordia” or “block of discord” because on the same block are two other houses by famous architects: Lluís Domènech i Montaner and Josep Puig i Cadafalch. Casa Batlló being the most famous was restored by Gaudi in the early 1900s. The influences of nature especially that of the ocean can be seen within the architecture: the blue tiles long the light well, the spiral staircases, and the nonlinear lines throughout the house. The roof appears to be that of a dragon. A common theory is that the turret with the cross on top represent the lance of Saint George (patron saint of Catalonia), being plunged into the dragon. And the balconies represent the skulls of those who tried and failed to kill the dragon.

La Sagrada Familia is without doubt Gaudi’s most famous and impressive piece of architecture. Located up the street from my residencia on Sardenya street. The basilica, that Gaudi began working on in 1883 until his death in 1926, is to this day still under construction. It is currently projected to be completed in 2030. On the inside the columns were designed to mirror trees and branches. On the outside there are three grand facades: The Nativity facade, the Passion facade, and the Glory facade. The Nativity facade  to the East was designed and completed by Gaudi and without doubt the most breathtaking part of Gaudi’s work. The Passion facade to the west in comparison the the detailed Nativity facade appears bare and skeletal. The harsh straight lines were purposely used to illustrate the suffering of Jesus. There is a calendar on the left side of the door, and if the numbers are added across, down, or diagonal, they all add to 33. The age at which Jesus died.  The Glory facade which has yet to be completed will be on the south side of the basilica.

El Barrió Gotico

El barrió gotico is one of my favorite places in Barcelona. Situated just left of Las Ramblas and east of Plaza de Cataluña, the gothic quarter is the historical center of the city.

Originally built by the Romans, it was known as Colonia Iulia Augusta Faventia Paterno Barcino and was simply referred to as Barcino. The name means a colony founded in honor of Iulia Claudia during the time of Emperor Octavio Augustus with the favor of the gods for Roman descendants.

The quater was designed like all Roman cities at the time to have one street running vertical (Cardus maximus:  Calle del Bisbe and Calle de la Ciutat) and another horizontal (Decumanus maximus:Calle Ferran and Calle Jaume I). At the center of the city is the Foro Romano which is the Plaza Sant Jaume. Today the Plaza is still the center of el barrió gotico with two important buildings la Palau de la Gerneralitat and el Ayuntamiento. The Palau de la Gerneralitat houses the offices of the Presidency of the Gerneralitat de Catalunya. Directly across the plaza is el Ayuntamiento. Because the plaza contains the two most important government buildings in Barcelona the square is one of the most popular places for protests in Barcelona. While touring el Barrió Gotico we saw people protesting bull fighting, which was been banned in Catalonia a little over a year ago. 

La Catedral de la Santa Cruz y Santa Eulalia can also be found in the gothic quarter. The gothic cathedral was constructed during the 13th to 15th century. Beneath the alter there is a crypt with the remain of Saint Eulalia. She is a co-patron saint of Barcelona, who was martyred during the Roman times. Connected to the Cathedral is a cloister with the Well of the Geese (Font de les Oques). There are 13 white geese to represent Saint Eulalia’s age when she was martyred.

Another gothic church found in the el Barrió Gotico is La Iglesia de Santa Maria del Mar. On the stained glass window on the far left of church, there is the crest of the FC Barcelona football team among the ancient coats of arms! La Iglesia de Santa Maria del Mar is located next to a square known as Passeig del Born. El Passeig del Born was once the site of medieval jousting tournaments. Today it has many cafés and restaurants. Our favorite restaurant in the Born district is La Hacienda. A mexican restaurant, tucked in on el Calle del Canal, that serves the best tequila cocktails!