Local News

Los ingenieros piden más capacidad para los coches

An article from La Vanguardia's culture section described the problem with congestion on avenue Diagnol. There is not enough capacity on the street to support the amount of cars that occupy it. There was a vote passed with 23 to 3 votes agreeing with the need for remodeling and intervening in this problem. Possible restructuring includes additions and creation of a better tram system along this street. City planners and civil engineers believe this will be the most popular idea that they will look into and take proactive steps towards.

Park Ciutadella

Park Ciutadella has been one of my most frequently visited places. I pass through the north end of it on my way home from school and often times stop and sit on a bench in front of the Cascada fountain pictured above. This is a great spot to people watch as many people, children, and performers, all congregate in front of this fountain. I have found this to be one of the most beautiful things in Barcelona.

CARNIVALE - SITGES

Carnivale is a huge celebration that takes place in various locations around Europe. In February I attended the one held in Sitges, Spain.

This was like nothing else I have ever seen in my life. There were thousands of people everywhere all dressed in costume, a large parade filled with floats, and several other actions taking place.


I was unaware of Sitges being one of the highest gay populations in the world and witnessed several different things to me such as parade floats filled with transexuals, dildos, and dragqueens.

The night ended with a huge dance party on the beach featuring a dj and light show. I have never been to such a crazy event in my life. The train ride home to Barcelona at 5 am was quite the scene as well!

FC Barcelona match

Going to FC Barcelona matches is one of the most intense experiences I have encountered in Europe. Camp Nou stadium holds over 120,000 people and they are all "true" fans. I watched people stand and scream the entire game and throw things at people whom left early, even though the game was not close. This was one of my first cultural events in Barcelona and was certainly a bit of a shock to see how much this team means to the city and people of Barcelona.

Taller de Tapas

This has been one of my favorite Tapas places because of the outdoor seating right at the start of the Born district and the quality of food.







There is often performers that set up close to the tables of this restaraunt and on a nice day you can be eating and drinking outside, while being entertained. The food is very fresh and reasonably priced for a nicer place.

La Paradeta

La Paradeta is one of the best meals I have ever had. The style of this restaurant is like none other I have seen. You enter, a normally crowded line, hand pick which live lobster, crab, or other seafood would want. They then take it off a fresh ice bed and bring it to the back to be cooked just the way you like it.

This restaurant is right next to my house and is constantly busy. The ordering and preparation experience is truly unique and was the freshest tasting seafood I have ever tasted.

Ruval

Raval was an area that appears to be in great transition. The area at parts appeared to be completely run down and filled with problems such as poverty, drugs, and crime. Other parts, such as the Museo de Arte Contemporaria seem to be modern additions that are helping to change around the area.

There was a large square built in front of the museum to serve as a common grounds for all types of people. This has become popular for young people as well as Pakistani men for playing sports.

Pizza del Born

Pizza del Born is perhaps my most frequently visited restaraunt. It is located in the heart of the Born District and close to my house.

It offers small pieces of deliscous pizza with a variety of toppings. I find ham to be one of the best tasting things in Catalunya and is a common order.






It is harder to find a cheaper snack I have found in Barcelona. Portions are 1.80 and 2 portions and a beverage is only 3.80, a special I often take advantage of!

More Born

The Born district is filled with lots of amazing things. One of the most attractive, and my personal favorite church in Barcelona, is the Santa Maria del Mar. This was considered a working man's sanctuary and fit the theme of the old Gothic/Born area. The ceilings were high and the church was spacious. The beauty is more in the architecture and simplicity as opposed to other European style churches that are more "glamorized."

The best part of Born is getting lost through the small ancient streets. During the tour I noticed things I never have before, such as the horse crossing street signs. It is hard to picture navigating a horse through these tiny streets in the past!

El Born

The tour of El Born was my favorite field trip because it was my immediate neighborhood and area. It was very interesting walking along the narrow streets that I travel on every day and hearing the history and meaning behind them all from an expert.

I did not realize the importance of the Gothic area to the city of Barcelona. This was the heart and soul of the city for hundreds of years. The guilds that craftsmen used to work out of were in the narrow streets, usually behind a small door. We were able to enter one of these ancient small doors and travel up the original stare wells. I could not believe how small they were! It was typical for a guild worker or shop owner to live on one of the floors above the shop. The guilds represented hard work from the common man and specialization. This was a special era that lasted a long time until the guilds slowly started being put of out business by larger, more manufactured based, stores and businesses.

Roman Barcino

The Roman Barcino museum was a great first field trip. We began the tour by taking note of the outside structure and surroundings.
I thought the most interesting part was how the house next to the museum was taken down that put back piece by piece in an identical way after the necessary construction was made.







Once in the museum we saw several ancient objects that were used for everyday household occurrences. This item to the left was used to contain meats with salt in order to keep them fresh for long periods of time.






The ruins in the bottom of the museum were kept in tact very well and you could see the details in how daily practices were carried out with things like cooking and food preparation and storage.

Barcelona Past and Present