The District of City Council is very important to the success of a city. It includes the mayor, the council executive, plenary and municipal political groups. They provide information to citizens about any sort of topic. They also talk about job vacancies, they are in charge of building permits, subsidies and grants, youth affairs and so on. This building and administrative office is comparable to a city hall in The United States. They make sure everything is kept up to par and running smoothly. The building was very pretty when we went to visit and the people were all very helpful in answering our questions for the Barcelona Past and Present presentation.
The Hospital in my neighborhood adds a very historical aspect to the Sagrada Familia neighborhood as well. The hospital within my neighborhood is Hospital de Santa Creu I Sant Pau, which means the Hospital of the Holy Cross and Saint Paul. It was built between 1901 and 1930 by Lluis Domenech I Montaner. The hospital was in full function until june of 2009. Now, it is under construction to be used as a museum and a center to celebrate Catalan culture. The location of the new hospital was places strategically right behind the historical old one because the space was there and it was best for the people in the neighborhoods. Some parts of the historical one is still used but most facilities are in the adjacent new buildings. This is the location where Antoni Gaudi died in 1926. This particular hospital in Barcelona has won many of awards and given much recognition. In 1997, it was declared World Heritage by UNESCO for its artistic value and beauty.
In my neighborhood, the library and the market are in one building called the Civic Center. The library are on the top floors and the market is below. It is very convenient if you need to go to both locations!
Another major part of my neighborhood that I thoroughly enjoy is the market. I could live here for hours on end. Ideally I did wish it had a regular grocery story attached to it, but I cannot complain. At least once a week I head over to Provenca to get the freshest food around town. They have everything ranging from fruits to vegetables to meat. These producers are often local vendors who produce their own goods they are selling. This market was opened in 1973 to provide the vendors with an opportunity to sell their products to the Sagrada Familia portion of the Eixample neighborhood. Sometimes it is fun to try and speak with the vendors because they truly do know what they are saying about their products. Markets are not only part of just my individual life in Barcelona, but they are part of Catalan culture. It is mostly locals that are shopping within the markets, which I think is great! One of the most famous markets in Barcelona is off of Las Ramblas. It is called La Boqueria. If you ever travel to Barcelona it is a MUST see. Words can not explain it. You are able to go in and buy food at the local vendors or there are little bars you can sit at and enjoy some delicious food!
Right above the neighborhood market is the public library. It is huge in size and has any type of book you may be looking for. It is four levels and has journals, biographies, kids sections, books on art, history, anything imaginable. The people in the library are also very helpful. I have been here a few times, particularly recently, to help with recent projects. They have a great database that helps you find those books, which may be hard to find. For our Barcelona Past and Present class we were asked to go there and learn more about it. We also had to get a library card. By getting that library card I have made many new choices in helping myself interact with people of the Catalan culture. At first I was nervous because I was not sureif people would be able to help me, whether they were the librarian or just a regular citizen. But they all were very, very kind and helpful.
I am fortunately to live in a flat that is perfectly located in Barcelona-in my eyes! I live onAvenida Gaudi, right next toGaudi’s masterpiece SagradaFamilia! This unbelievable church has been under construction since 1882. The church is not estimated to be done until 2026, which isGaudi’s 100th anniversary of death.
Originally Sagrada Familia was conceived by Josep Bocabella, a Catalan publisher, whom wanted to explore the revolutionary ideas further. The first architect of SagradaFamilia took the project into his own hands. That architect wasFrancesc de Paula Villar. After some major arguments beforeBocabella and Villar, Gaudiagreed to be the main architect. Once Gaudi’s Park Guell was done in 1911, he began to devote one hundred percent of his time to Sagrada Familia.Unfortunatly in 1926, Gaudiwas hit by a tram and died two days later in a hospital. But the work still continued until the Spanish Civil War in 1935. When the Spanish War occurred, there was abit of damage to the church but nothing unbelievably awful. In 1956 once the war was over, construction began again. The current director is Jordi BonetArmegol. He uses computers for the construction process tobeable to visually see the hopeful final product. SagradaFamilia is the prime example ofGaudi’s Art Nouveau. The most vibrant part of the church are the 18 towers, which represent in order of height the twelve apostles, four evangelists, and the Virgin Mary (tallest of all Jesus Christ). One of the most amazing parts of this church is the aspect of funding. Private preachers were the funders of the beginning stages. Now, the church relies on the tickets bought by tourists and private donations. In 2009, in total, the construction budget is 18 million euros. It is quite aprivilege to be able to wake up every day and see the most amazing church Gaudidesigned.
Another fun tourist activity I did was I ventured to Montserrat. It was so beautiful. The church was unbelievable. The view from the top seriously took my breath away. Someone can put it into words, but it doesn’t do much justice. Also, the rock formations were very cool. That natural aspect made Montserrat that much cooler and prettier. Everyone must visit this location. It was not hard to get to and the trek up the mountain was very neat!
I was absolutely astonished. I have never seen anything like it. It was Gaudi’s masterpiece. He had very artistic buildings and designs. The imagination he has is absolutely intriguing to me. The buildings were so funky and cool. There were people there playing music, walking around, doing work on the grassy areas. It was very very cool. Every person must go to Parc Guell if they are in Barcelona.
Field Trip to History Museum
My Barcelona Past and Present class took a very interesting field trip to see what the Roman times were like here in Barcelona. At the museum, we watched a film about the rise and fall of Barcelona while the Romans were in power. Also, we were able to see things that the Romans used in everyday live such as bowls, spoons, etc. We were also able to see some of the jewelry from that time period. It was very interesting to see things I did not even know were part of Barcelona’s history.
Field trip to Jaume I
The next field trip my class took in Barcelona Past and Present was to a location called Juame I. Ever since that field trip I have fallen in love with this area. We walked around the Jewish corridors and the Roman walls, which surrounded the city limits. The Jewish corridors were very tight and located in small streets. It is interesting to see how small and tight the corridors were. Also, it was interesting to look at the Roman walls that enclosed the city. We finished the field trip near the Cathedral which in the picture above you can see is absolutely beautiful!
Field trip to El Born:
El Born has become one of my favorite places. We walked around this area and particularly paid close attention to the church Santa Maria del Mar. This is where King Ferdinand gave his regards to Christopher Columbus on his long journey in which he discovered America. While building apartments around Santa Maria del Mar they found a graveyard underneath the ground. They have kept this graveyards and have a monumental flame that lasts forever to honor those people. The Cathedral is surrounded by shops, great restaurants and wine bars. Ever since this field trip, my roommates and I have kept venturing back towards el Born.
Field trip to El Raval:
The first time I went to El Raval was at night for a political science class. The impression I got was that it was seen as sort of a bad part of time particularly at night. We went to an NGO for a guest speaker. I was with two girl friends and it was a lot of ethnic people walking around. They were just sort of hanging out in the streets. When we went for Barcelona Past and Present it was a lot different. It had much more to offer than I had thought. The buildings-particularly the one museum was full of people outside, eating lunch, relaxing. It was a beautiful day and “normal” people really did hang out around there!
Cal Pep Restaurant
Dino's Delicious Gelato!One of my favorite restaurants while being in Barcelona was Cal Pep. I am not a big tapas person, but this tapas restaurant was so delicious. It is located in the El Born area-which is absolutely beautiful. You sit at a deli bar and they ask what type of food you want. When I went we did mostly fish. The oysters were absolutely delicious. The service was great, the food was great, it made for a fun, great time. It is often hard to get seated there, so I recommend going right when they open if you are with a large group!
Dinos:
Before coming to Barcelona, I was not a huge gelato person. I liked frozen yogurt not so much gelato and ice cream. But since being here, I have really begun to love it. Dino’s is one of the best places I always went. There was one by school and by my house so it was always a little dangerous! Everytime I would always try to get a new flavor…doesn’t always work, since I have my favorites! I don’t know of any gelato places back home so I am definitely going to have to research where I can go get some after falling in love with it here!
TXAPELA-
This restaurant is located right off Passeig de Gracia. It is absolutely amazzzzing! It has so many different types of tapas to choose from and it is very cheap-so it’s great for students! You choose what you want around the bar. It is usually pretty crowded if you go at busy hours, but it is definitely worth the wait! And might I add, they have great sangria! In the beginning of this semester, I (with a bunch of friends) would sit outside and watch people stroll up and down the street. Now that it’s a bit cooler, we have been sitting inside, but the atmosphere is still great! I definitely recommend this restaurant! Its one of my favorites!
Tonight I am off to my first Barcelona futbol game. I am very excited to see what this all entails. Go Barcelona!
The soccer game was so much fun. FC Barcelona beat Zaragona 6-1. The fans were insane and the excitement poured onto the field. People got so into the game. The fans of the visiting team were kept in a netted area so they didn’t have conflicts with the home team supporters. I realized after the game how much people truly get into the game of soccer in Europe. It was an experience I will never forget!
The markets around each neighborhood in Barcelona are absolutely fantastic. They are full of the freshest produce and food that one can find. And they are cheap! At our house, we always had our fridge stocked up with fresh fruit and vegetables. We are now about to start cooking some fish-which look so fresh at the market! The markets are conveniently located and always fun to go explore! I wish we had something similar in The United States.
One Friday afternoon, my roommates and I decided to take a stroll down Passeig de Gracia. I did not know how many stores, restaurants and beautiful buildings were down that way. We would be walking down the street and all of a sudden see one of Gaudi’s beautiful buildings. We also walked by an old mansion in Barcelona which was absolutely beautiful. If you want to go to a good shopping area, you must go to Passeig de Gracia, it has stores reasonably priced and designer stores the further up you go. It is perfect for a girl who loves to shop! Passeig de Gracia is a street that has a lot to offer and I will definitely be going back for more!
There is a big festival in the fall called La Merce. The weekend was absolutely insane. There were people building their own human towers, many of concerts and fireworks on the beach at the end. It was fun to see how many people truly got into Barcelona’s festivities. It was not something I had ever seen before.
Barceloneta is the area that I go to for the beach. We have found one of our favorite restaurants to grab some nachos and sangria: Princesa 23. It is always a relaxing day in the sun with a usual dip in the Mediterranean. The beach stretches long with different areas along that people can explore and walk along. There are also many hotels on the beach such as the Arts Hotel and W Hotel. Although we went a ton in the beginning of this semester, it is still nice to go down there with sweatshirts on and walk along the beach. It is also nice to sit outside at some of the restaurants, such as CDLC for drinks and sushi with heaters!
Las Ramblas is a great part of Barcelona that I discovered in the beginning of my semester here. I love it. It has so many vendors, stores, restaurants. The market in Las Ramblas is unbelievable. It has everything imaginable. It's a great place for people watching! There are people dressed up, people trying to sell you things left and right and there are people just out for a stroll. At the end of the walk of Las Ramblas, you are greeted by a large statue of Christopher Columbus which shows how significant of a man he was in Barcelona.
