September 13, 2019

September 13, 2019

We are up early again and out of our hotel for a visit to Park Guell. All the Gaudi sites are very popular and require pre-purchase of a timed ticket. I can appreciate the limitation of visitation to enhance the experience but it definitely imposes a rigidity on my tourism style. After a late dinner last night, I would have hoped to sleep in this morning. Oh well.

A short metro ride and we catch the Park courtesy bus up this northern hillside of Barcelona, Spain. This public park started life as a Gaudi-designed upscale housing development on a hillside with great views above the city pollution. Unfortunately it was a commercial failure.

Only the park's central core requires a ticket. It consists of a couple community common areas with connecting walkways. Below are two houses with colorful mosaic tile exteriors that look like giant gingerbread houses. The space is very whimsical and would play well in Oz. Leaving the monumental area, we walked around the park walkways checking out the views. It was a nice respite from the gritty big city of Barcelona.

We are ready to tackle the narrow confines of the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. We start at the Cathedral. It is mildly interesting and rather austere compared to other churches. There is an attached cloister that has a flock of large white geese that have commandeered a fountain.

Strolling the narrow winding lanes around the Cathedral, we see a lot of evidence of a long history. We spot several columns from a Roman temple, the remains of a Roman gate and a short section of aqueduct. Nearby we pass medieval buildings. To learn more, we explore the Museum of Barcelona History, An elevator takes us below ground level and back in history 2000 years. There, underneath the street, we find an entire archeological complex. For me the highlight of the ruins are the factories. Aimee and I were amused to run into our second fish salting plant this year. Roman Barcelona (Barcino) was a fish processing center. There are large spherical pots used to make Garum, a fermented fish condiment (the original Worcestershire Sauce!). In another section there are a similar group of pots for making wine.

Going up a layer, we encounter a Visigothic Catholic church constructed atop the Roman ruins. And above that a late Medieval Bishops residence. Everybody built over the previous foundation reusing materials where it was convenient.

The long history was fascinating but tiring. We take a break and eat a grilled cheese sandwich around the corner. Rejuvenated we go up one floor to explore Barcelona’s later history.This exhibition is in medieval Tinell Hall. This large arched space was where Columbus debriefed Isabella after his discovery of America. This section mostly covers how Barcelona grew as a Mediterranean trading port and then faded when trade switched to the Atlantic.

Barcelona must have languished for centuries because there is little Renaissance architecture. The remnants of the medieval walled heart of Barcelona is surprisingly intact. Outside the Gothic Quarter is almost all Art Nouveau construction from the late 19th century when Barcelona became rich again centuries later with industrialization.

We worked our way through the Jewish Quarter west to the Ramblas. We followed it south to Columbus Square. The lower Ramblas is filled with café seating and street performers.

We rested for a couple hours and then had our Farewell dinner with our Spanish travelling companions. It was seafood Paella again. Aimee and I have decided we prefer American style Paella with sausage, chicken, and lots of shrimp.