Get Down in Old Town... Welcome to the Barri Gotic.

 

Wednesday September 20th. The Barri Gotic.

The Gothic Quarter is one of the oldest areas of the city and you feel it right away when you enter through the remains of the old Roman wall. Here historic buildings remain along the narrow winding streets. Small plazas and squares remind us of the way of life centuries ago. Churches are the cornerstone of each square and the plazas were the gathering places.

One of the oldest fountains is the Fountain of Three Faces near the Church of Santa Maria del Mar, dating back to 1403.

The remains of the old Roman Wall.

 The most significant attraction in the Gothic Quarter is the Cathedral of Barcelona. Even though it is smaller than the much newer Sagrada Familia, a city can have only one Cathedral and this is Barcelona's.

 There is evidence of a cathedral in this area dating back to the 6th century, but this cathedral was started in 1298 and faltered through the 14th and 15th century. It was finally fully completed in the late 1800's. 

Much work has been done restoring the façade. Due to the splendour of nearby Sagrada Familia and the influence of Gaudi on the architecture in Barcelona, more modern design has been incorporated into the work.

A small rickety elevator takes visitors to the rooftop where a 360 degree view awaits.

We rush off to meet up with our Food Walking Tour of the Gothic Quarter....

We meet our guide, Adria, and our small group near the cathedral. Today has been a day of political protests in the centre of Barcelona and some of the streets have been blocked off by policia. The Catalunya (people who were from Catalonia- now the province where Barcelona is) are holding a referendum on October 1st for independence from Spain. The referendum is not endorsed by the Spanish government and therefore is an illegal referendum. Today the Policia arrested 14 of the organizers which has churned up a lot of emotion and patriotism amongst the Catalunya supporters.

Supporters wear or wave Catalan flags with a blue triangle and white stars which symbolizes independence.


But tonite all is quiet and well as we wander the narrow winding streets of the quarter.

We enter the old walled city where Adria talks about the history of the city, dating back to about 200 BC. In about 19 BC Augustus Caesar declared Roman control over the peninsula and named the city 'Barcino'. As a military city it was protected with a wall, simple at first then strengthened onwards. 

The old gates of the city clearly show 3 distinct periods. The lower section was built by the Romans during their rule until early 400 AD. A second section was added by the Visigothic warriors who controlled the city from 408-711 AD, and the top section shows the Muslim influence of their control which lasted from 711 to 1492 when the Christians within Spain took over control of the city, allowing the Muslims to stay if they agreed to convert to Christianity.

As we roam through the old city we make our first stop at Zona d'Ombra where we are introduced to some of the best local wines. We sample tapas of calamari, cheeses, croquettes, anchovies and chorizo before hitting the streets again and continuing or walk.

We enter a little shop that bears a very notable plague outside. This plague indicates the shop has been in existence by the same family for more than 100 years, in fact the---- has been operating for 167 years. The sell all manner of roasted nuts - from hazelnuts to walnuts to macadamias and almonds. They still use the same old oven their original founders used.

 As we continue, we leave the old city through the remains of the old Roman wall and continue into the District of El Born, an old working class area of little shops and handmade artisan items like jewellery.


WE stop into a little bakery that has the honor of having the best petit cakes in Spain.

And pass by a cheese shop with huge blocks of cheese in the window.

We arrive at our final stop, the Casa Gispert, where we settle into a cozy table in the back. Here were are served a very good red wine called Garnache and a white Cava. The red is in interesting decanter that is has an opening at the top and a spout on the side, like a pitcher. Adria tells us it comes from the shape of the sheepskin that the shepherds used to use. You tilt your head back and pour directly into the back of your throat an swallow. 

Adria shows us how it is done, then cajoles us to try it.

 

We try more calamari, fried squid, Russian tuna salad, cheeses, etc.

For dessert we have chocolate melted on crispy toast and drizzled with olive oil and sea salt... yum!

Stuffed, we wander back through the streets.  A great evening!

And we continue..... Come With Me.

Hop On With Us.

September 10th and 20th. Hop On With Us.

Whenever we travel some place new, one of our favorite ways of seeing a new city is the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus. Generally, we like to do this our first day as it gives a good overview of the city and lets us determine what we want to see in a deeper way.

Barcelona was no exception. So, Monday morning we purchased a 2-day pass and made our way to the nearest Bus Stop, Here in Barcelona there are 2 routes, Red and Blue, each taking in a range of sites and attractions. You are free to get off at any stop you like and get back on whenever you like. You are provided with headphones and a running on what you are seeing.

Some of our favorite stops:

1.       Placa de Catalunya: Catalonia Plaza

The centre of Barcelona, its beautiful fountains overlook a bustling city square with impressive buildings all around.

Modernista Port Authority Building

2.    Placa de Espanya. 

Plaça Espanya is a lovely plaza just out of the centre of town, where many of the main roads in Barcelona, such as Gran Via and Diagonall intersect. Here a statue announces your entry to the area, right alongside a circular building which once hosted Spain's famous bullfights.  The bull-fighting ring has now been converted into the a shopping centre, Las Arenas de Barcelona commercial centre.

From here two towering pillars, Torres Venecianes, welcome you. Terraced fountains lead toward the beautiful castle-like complex  that houses the MNAC, or Catalonian National Art Museum. 

The Art Museum is house in the Palau National, a Neo-Baroque Palace of Italian style that was built for the 1929 World Fair.

Fountains cascade down from the palace toward the city below.

Vendors spread their blankets on the ground, hoping to sell souvenirs and knick-knacks to the tourists, despite the fact they are forbidden to do so. Every now and then Policia come by and they scurry to wrap their goods and disappear, only to return as soon as the police leave.

The Art Museum sits high on Montjuic hill and from its terraces you are treated to a fabulous view right across the city.

An elevator leads to the rooftop where even better views await.... the entire city is spread out in 360 degree vvvvvvpanaramas.

Back on the bus, we continue past the site of Barcelona's Olympic Games of 1992.

We sit back and enjoy the scenery as we slowly make our way along the port and on to the Ciutat Vella or Old City and its Gothic Quarter.

Come With Me as we discover the Old Town....