Day 13 - Gothic Quarter & la Rambla

We had breakfast at the hotel again today, which I have to mention because Miel had her first miel ever. She said something along the lines of “Pretty good” or “decent.” She plans to have some tomorrow as well. I will focus on this victory because we also had gelato today, and she went back to her bowl-requesting ways.

The flags of Catalunya, Spain, and Barcelona fly atop the City Hall in the Plaça de Sant Jaume.

We went on a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter this morning (in English, so I didn’t have to translate. They had a French option, which I didn’t let Miel do). Oliver, our tour guide, was highly entertaining as well as knowledgeable. We started in the political square (la Plaça de Sant Jaume), and after explaining the history of the buildings (the Roman forum stood in the same location in the colony of Barcino), he started with criticisms of the Spanish government. He also pointed out politically charged graffiti throughout the tour. It was funny to hear him complain, but also interesting to hear a local’s perspective of current events. He had many other Oliver-isms, including “Rome never died,” “Nobody gives a damn” (half-jokingly, when talking about tourism and how people don’t understand what they’re taking pictures of), and “If you ask the stones, they will give you the answer” (when determining if a building is restored or original). Miel says that the tour was “Spain-centered AP Euro in two hours” (shout-out to Dr. H-W!). Oliver had nearly endless knowledge of Barcelona and the Gothic Quarter, including architecture, history (both ancient and modern, from the Romans to the Spanish Civil War and beyond), and religion, specifically Sant Jordi (St. George, the patron saint of Barcelona, who is honored and depicted in various forms in the city). He was also fluent in at least four languages (Catalán, Castellano, French, and English), all of which we heard him speak at some point. We now know how to identify Baroque churches, differentiate Romanesque and Gothic arches, and distinguish between northern and southern Gothic styles (Notre Dame vs. La Catedral). Oliver was definitely the best tour guide we have had on this trip.

A random view of la Catedral, with Oliver's head at the bottom. 

The façade of La Seu, completed hundreds of years after it was built.  This is why it was pinnacles, which are otherwise characteristic of northern Gothic architecture.

After the tour, we went back to the Catedral de Barcelona (also called La Seu or just La Catedral) to see the inside. Oliver had only taken us inside the cloister, and to the main entrance to point out how it was “more Gothic than it used to be,” (a commentary on how the restoration added Gothic elements that were not originally there). This was only the first time we crashed Mass today, as we also visited Santa María del Mar, another Gothic church, during Mass. Miel didn’t feel as awkward because in both churches, the front section was closed off so the tourists couldn’t disrupt the service. Both churches had the usual arches, stained glass, and chapels to various saints.

Inside of La Seu, during Mass.

Santa María del Mar, also during Mass.

Our next thing (“don’t say thing!”) was a short boat tour of the Barcelona port. There were many, many gigantic cruise ships, and we saw Montjuïc from yet another perspective (fun fact: the stone for many of the buildings in the Gothic Quarter were quarried from Montjuïc). We saw the monument to Cristóbal Colón and then walked up la Rambla, the main thoroughfare of Barcelona. La Rambla is packed with shops, restaurants, hotels, random old churches and government buildings, gelato stores, and other stalls selling various touristy goods.

Columbus points dramatically toward the New World.

Just off of la Rambla is the Palau Güell, a palace designed by Gaudí for his friend and client, Eusebi Güell (the guy who donated the land for Parc Güell to the city, surprise surprise). The restoration of the palau was completed sometime last year, and it is now restored to its former luxury and beauty. Gaudí and Güell were both fans of using very high-quality, authentic materials such as stone from the Pyrenees, fancy hand-wrought iron, fancy woods, and gold and silver leaf. On the roof, there are at least a dozen chimneys in the trencadís style that we saw in Parc Güell (referring to the abstract use of broken tiles of various colors, typical of Gaudí and Catalan modernism). We learned that Gaudí debuted this style at the Palau, and then used it further in the Parc and in other houses.

The front gate at the Palau Güell, with some unusual wrought-iron swirly things. Gaudí also used many parabolic arches in the Palau.

Trencadís on one of the many chimneys at Palau Güell.

After climbing down from the warped roof of the Palau Güell, we continued up la Rambla. We went to find the Hospital de Santa Creu, now the Biblioteca de Catalunya. Unfortunately it was closed, but it had a beautiful courtyard. We found a restaurant that served tapas for dinner, branching out from our usual fare of ham and cheese sandwiches (we had jamón ibérico and Camembert cheese). We then had the delicious gelato mentioned above (their dulce de leche actually tasted distinct from caramel, which was delightful).

I am now attempting to come up with a closing that will gain Miel’s approval; I need her eyebrowical consent (she made up that word; don’t blame me), DEAR READERS. She raised an eyebrow, DEAR READERS! Oh dear, now she’s covering her face…anyway, lots of interesting history and pretty buildings today (and Miel pointed out that for once we didn’t take a single train, metro, or tram), and more Gaudí tomorrow!

-Sara & Miel