Postcards from Barcelona
We spent part of this weekend in Barcelona with Marty’s family. Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, an autonomous region of Spain recognized in the Spanish Constitution as a “nation.” Consequently, Catalonia, while belonging to Spain, enjoys a fair amount of autonomy.
While we have become accustomed to seeing occasional menus translated in both French and English, in Barcelona we enjoyed menus in Catalan and Spanish. We frequently don’t really know what we’re ordering anyway, so the Catalan/Spanish menu added a nice variation to the suspense that usually accompanies our meals out.
The Catalan language, distinct from Spanish, thrives in Catalonia where it is understood by 95% of the population. Surveys show that 75% of the people of the region can speak Catalan, and 50% reportedly use it in daily situations. Catalan was actually prohibited during the Franco era, so it is experiencing a resurgence and is actively being promoted in Catalonia today. Schools mostly use Catalan, and the government business is done entirely in Catalan. Businesses are required to display all information at least in Catalan, with additional languages being optional. There are also areas of southern France where Catalan is spoken.
I was nursing a cold when we arrived in Barcelona, and the questionable air quality left my already-sore throat feeling raw, like it had been abraded with sand paper. My eyes also felt gritty and irritated from the haze that hung over the city. Barcelona, the second largest city in Spain, is sandwiched between the Mediterranean Sea, a couple of mountain ranges and two rivers, making for special climatic conditions which play an important role in air quality. Barcelona was an industrial city and still manufactures textiles, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, among other things. According to the Barcelona City Council’s web site, the gradual migration from being an industrial city to a more service-oriented economy has improved air quality indicators in Barcelona, where cars are now the biggest sources of pollutants. Reportedly Barcelona’s air quality indicators are generally within the legal limits, but my throat and eyes suggest that it is time for either new air quality monitors or new legal thresholds.
While we found the air quality to be unpleasant, the architecture in the city was inspiring. Barcelona is most famous for its works by Antoni Gaudi, a Catalonian architect of global stature. I don’t pretend to know anything about architecture, so I would describe Gaudi’s works as “pre-Disney-esque.” To my uneducated eye, they were delightfully fanciful and colorful. According to more knowledgeable sources, Gaudi’s work is inspired by nature and natural forms.
Gaudi spent the last 40 years of his life working on a basilica for Barcelona called Temple de la Sagrada Família, which is Catalan for The Holy Family. After 115 years of work, Gaudi’s masterpiece is still under construction. Before you start shaking your head and saying bad things about the Spanish or the Catholic Church, keep in mind that it took 120 years to build St. Peter’s in Rome and 185 years for the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, although Westminster Cathedral was a relatively speedy project coming to completion in just 15 years. In any case, when discussing issues of God and the Catholic Church, what’s a couple hundred years or so?
The construction has been constrained by funding, and the project moves forward as money becomes available. The project is entirely dependent on private donations. In America, a visitor to the site would expect to find many different “opportunities” to donate; naturally there would be big thermometers showing the progress of fund raising and perhaps even a few corporate sponsors. In contrast, at the La Sagrada Família I didn’t see one opportunity to give money, not even a little drop box at the exit. It was the most culturally revealing experience we had during our short visit. Perhaps the church hasn’t hired any fund raising consultants to speed up the process. Depending on where you are on the fund raising fatigue spectrum, you may find the lack of obvious fund raising efforts either inspiring or regretful. I simply found it fascinating.
Even more remarkable than the fact that we paid approximately $11 to see a church that isn’t even finished, was the actual building itself. While I’ve visited a fair number of churches in Europe, a required past time for any American tourist, I’ve never seen anything like this. There are columns that soar and branch out like trees, piles of what appear to be colorful fruit collections on the top of spires, and guardians of the Virgin Mary that undoubtedly were the source of inspiration for the Star Wars’ storm troopers (no kidding – check out the pictures). It is simply amazing and worth a trip to Barcelona, even for the church-weary among you. While you may want to give it a few more years for the project to progress, I wouldn’t wait until it is finished because, chances are, it won’t be in our lifetimes.
More recently, a Gaudi-designed skyscraper was proposed for the World Trade Center site. Originally designed by Gaudi for New York City in 1908, the plans were never carried out. You can see a picture of the proposed skyscraper by clicking on this link.
Below are some photos we took in Barcelona, including some of Gaudi’s work. The photos don’t do his work justice, particularly the photos of the unfinished Temple. You’ll just need to see it for yourself. I’ve also included some pictures from one of the Barcelona food markets because I find food markets irresistable.
Temple de la Sagrada Familia (under construction)
Temple de la Sagrada Familia 
Temple de la Sagrada Familia
Barcelona Street Corner
While we have become accustomed to seeing occasional menus translated in both French and English, in Barcelona we enjoyed menus in Catalan and Spanish. We frequently don’t really know what we’re ordering anyway, so the Catalan/Spanish menu added a nice variation to the suspense that usually accompanies our meals out.
The Catalan language, distinct from Spanish, thrives in Catalonia where it is understood by 95% of the population. Surveys show that 75% of the people of the region can speak Catalan, and 50% reportedly use it in daily situations. Catalan was actually prohibited during the Franco era, so it is experiencing a resurgence and is actively being promoted in Catalonia today. Schools mostly use Catalan, and the government business is done entirely in Catalan. Businesses are required to display all information at least in Catalan, with additional languages being optional. There are also areas of southern France where Catalan is spoken.
I was nursing a cold when we arrived in Barcelona, and the questionable air quality left my already-sore throat feeling raw, like it had been abraded with sand paper. My eyes also felt gritty and irritated from the haze that hung over the city. Barcelona, the second largest city in Spain, is sandwiched between the Mediterranean Sea, a couple of mountain ranges and two rivers, making for special climatic conditions which play an important role in air quality. Barcelona was an industrial city and still manufactures textiles, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, among other things. According to the Barcelona City Council’s web site, the gradual migration from being an industrial city to a more service-oriented economy has improved air quality indicators in Barcelona, where cars are now the biggest sources of pollutants. Reportedly Barcelona’s air quality indicators are generally within the legal limits, but my throat and eyes suggest that it is time for either new air quality monitors or new legal thresholds.
While we found the air quality to be unpleasant, the architecture in the city was inspiring. Barcelona is most famous for its works by Antoni Gaudi, a Catalonian architect of global stature. I don’t pretend to know anything about architecture, so I would describe Gaudi’s works as “pre-Disney-esque.” To my uneducated eye, they were delightfully fanciful and colorful. According to more knowledgeable sources, Gaudi’s work is inspired by nature and natural forms.
Gaudi spent the last 40 years of his life working on a basilica for Barcelona called Temple de la Sagrada Família, which is Catalan for The Holy Family. After 115 years of work, Gaudi’s masterpiece is still under construction. Before you start shaking your head and saying bad things about the Spanish or the Catholic Church, keep in mind that it took 120 years to build St. Peter’s in Rome and 185 years for the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, although Westminster Cathedral was a relatively speedy project coming to completion in just 15 years. In any case, when discussing issues of God and the Catholic Church, what’s a couple hundred years or so?
The construction has been constrained by funding, and the project moves forward as money becomes available. The project is entirely dependent on private donations. In America, a visitor to the site would expect to find many different “opportunities” to donate; naturally there would be big thermometers showing the progress of fund raising and perhaps even a few corporate sponsors. In contrast, at the La Sagrada Família I didn’t see one opportunity to give money, not even a little drop box at the exit. It was the most culturally revealing experience we had during our short visit. Perhaps the church hasn’t hired any fund raising consultants to speed up the process. Depending on where you are on the fund raising fatigue spectrum, you may find the lack of obvious fund raising efforts either inspiring or regretful. I simply found it fascinating.
Even more remarkable than the fact that we paid approximately $11 to see a church that isn’t even finished, was the actual building itself. While I’ve visited a fair number of churches in Europe, a required past time for any American tourist, I’ve never seen anything like this. There are columns that soar and branch out like trees, piles of what appear to be colorful fruit collections on the top of spires, and guardians of the Virgin Mary that undoubtedly were the source of inspiration for the Star Wars’ storm troopers (no kidding – check out the pictures). It is simply amazing and worth a trip to Barcelona, even for the church-weary among you. While you may want to give it a few more years for the project to progress, I wouldn’t wait until it is finished because, chances are, it won’t be in our lifetimes.
More recently, a Gaudi-designed skyscraper was proposed for the World Trade Center site. Originally designed by Gaudi for New York City in 1908, the plans were never carried out. You can see a picture of the proposed skyscraper by clicking on this link.
Below are some photos we took in Barcelona, including some of Gaudi’s work. The photos don’t do his work justice, particularly the photos of the unfinished Temple. You’ll just need to see it for yourself. I’ve also included some pictures from one of the Barcelona food markets because I find food markets irresistable.
Temple de la Sagrada Familia (under construction)Temple de la Sagrada Familia Temple de la Sagrada Familia (note "storm troopers" to the left of Mary)
Temple de la Sagrada Familia
(note fruit-like features on top of spires)
Inside Temple de la Sagrada Familia
mosaics on ceiling
Temple de la Sagrada Familia
interior tree-like columns
Gaudi's Parc Guell
Gaudi's Parc Guell
Gaudi Museum - window
Gaudi's Casa Batlló
Barcelona Street Corner
posted by Nancy at 12:02 PM
1 Comments:
I'm glad to see you're back to writing your blog. I love reading it and check it everyday for a new posting.
I love the photos. As you may remember, Barcelona was on our list of places to visit. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to go, so I was very interested in reading about it. I enjoyed the vicarious experience.
Another place of interest in Spain for me was the Museum of Modern Art in Bilboa. Frank Gehry is the architect of the building and it looks very interesting from its photos. I saw a documentary of his life and work. His home is also quite interesting, as are most of his creations.
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