I have to admit that before I came to Spain I knew very little about Barcelona and Spanish history. In fact, everything I know about Barcelona I learnt from spending hours in front of the television watching Manuel on Fawlty Towers when I should have been studying for my HSC. ¿qué
We were staying in an apartment about 20 km south of Barcelona at a town called Castelldefels. Our apartment was between the 5 mile stretch of sandy beach and the Olympic Canal used for Rowing in the 1992 Olympics.
We caught the bus in and of course Paul befriended a fellow traveller in the form of an Israeli man who had lived in Barcelona for the past 4 years. He kindly became our tour guide pointing out the sights from the bus and giving us helpful advice on other places to visit while in Barcelona.
From the bus stop we walked most of the way down Las Ramblas, the buzzing tree lined boulevard that runs from Placa de Catalunya to the Columbus Monument at the city’s waterfront. Finding our way down one of the small alleyways leading off Las Ramblas we found the meeting place for our Free Walking Tour of the city. With an hour to spare we had Spanish omelette and drank sangria in the courtyard behind the bar and soaked in the vibe of the backstreets.
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| Las Arenas Shopping Centre was once a famous bullfighting ring |
Jamie was our tour guide for the afternoon and hailing all the way from Wellington NZ we had no trouble understanding him but sadly he lacked the authenticity of a true Catalonian.
Popular legend attributes the founding of Barcelona to Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal, who named the city Barcino after his family in the 3rd century BC.
Barcelona was once part of the Roman Empire and was also occupied by Goths, Moors and Franks.
Ruins of the original Roman wall around the Barri Gotic and parts of the aqua-duct are still standing and are surrounded by centuries of add-ons.
Many of Antonio Gaudi's unique and beautifully sculptured architecture is found around the city and his first commission of a pair of lampposts stands prominently in the Plaza Real. Later we visited his magnificent Sagrada Familia. Gaudi took over the planning and construction of this giant Basilica in 1882 and today, some 130 years later, it is still under construction and not expected to be completed for at least another 20 years.
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| Placa de Sant Felip Neri is a serene square with a tragic history. |
Popular legend attributes the founding of Barcelona to Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal, who named the city Barcino after his family in the 3rd century BC.
Barcelona was once part of the Roman Empire and was also occupied by Goths, Moors and Franks.
Ruins of the original Roman wall around the Barri Gotic and parts of the aqua-duct are still standing and are surrounded by centuries of add-ons.
Many of Antonio Gaudi's unique and beautifully sculptured architecture is found around the city and his first commission of a pair of lampposts stands prominently in the Plaza Real. Later we visited his magnificent Sagrada Familia. Gaudi took over the planning and construction of this giant Basilica in 1882 and today, some 130 years later, it is still under construction and not expected to be completed for at least another 20 years.
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| Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia (under construction) |
Another of Barcelona's great talents, Pablo Picasso, is proudly mentioned and displayed around the city. He came to Barcelona as a young boy to study art. The Picasso Museum holds more than 3000 of his artworks and is a 'must-visit' for one day when I return.
The tour probably went on a little too long for two girls but when we got to Placa de Sant Jaume and Jamie told us of the yearly competition to build the highest human pyramid my two climbing monkeys had to have a go themselves.
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EssentialLee
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