barri gotic

View of Barcelona from Parc Güell & Other Sites

I can hardly believe that it's been over ten years since I lived in Barcelona. Back in 2000, I stayed there for six months while conducting research for my doctorate. I worked mostly in the the Biblioteca de Catalunya and the Archivo de la Corona de Aragón. At the time, I shared a rented apartment with a colleague and friend, which was only 10 minutes away from Parc Güell. I used go up there regularly in the mornings to enjoy the view with an espresso and croissant, before I headed to the archive. That was definitely a good grad school experience!  Nothing penitential about it!  Perhaps this was the point in my life when I began to lose interest in traveling back in time to experience life in the cloister...  Looking back, I think that this cleavage had something to do with my being confronted by the imaginative splendour of Antoni Gaudi's architecture, and the raw energy and frantic street-life of Barcelona. This is why I was so glad that Gerry and Tim thought Parc Güell to be a perfect place to begin our exploration of the city, and of the central importance of Gaudi's work within it. The park has many wonderful perches that offer unique viewpoints of the city and the beautiful Mediterranean Sea that lies beyond.  

On our first full day in Barcelona, we met at the Gaudi museum, "La Pedrera", which was just a metro ride away from our apartment downtown, and a close walk for the students from their hostel on the Passeig de Gracia.

Later that day, I took Kerstin, Melanie & Lauren, on a tour of the old Gothic quarter (Barri Gotic).  I wanted to show them, in particular, the central market, the cathedral, the Jewish quarter ("Call") -- old synagogue and Intepretative Center -- and the neighbourhood known as "Santa Maria del Mar", which has wonderful artisan shops (Melanie did not want to see anymore kitschy gifts!) as well as one of my favourite gothic churches. Unfortunately, bad memory and a crummy map got me lost on the way to Santa Maria del Mar ...  My map looked something like this:

That night, we met the rest of the group in the Plaça Reial, had dinner, and then were treated by Tim and Gerry to a Flamenco show at "Tarantos".  It was definitely one of the highlights of my trip to Barcelona. While Flamenco isn't a typical form of Catalan dance, it is, more generally for us, a powerful expression of what we associate with Spanish culture ... and it IS powerful!  I think Gerry summed up my feelings best when he said, after the show, "now, all is right in the world."  It must take a unique blending of peoples and cultures to create such an art form ... if only I could watch Flamenco dance every night!

Coming and Going, Carrer Petritxol, Barri Gotic, Barcelona

Resuming Barcelona as a topic, here I leave you with a view of carrer Petritxol at Barri Gotic. Some people come and some other go for time immemorial. Streets remain but they will also disappear some day and Barcelona will not be the same. 

History is caged in this part of town and without it we will be dehydrated, decaffeinated or whatever "de" something you may think of. So let's protect our history and restore the Gothic quarter! By the way, remember churros at carrer Petritxol!

I encourage you to check the magnificent work of Jay Wesler.