News

Azulgranas se juegan el título

A big game for Barcelona took place last night. Not only was it a very important victory for the team, but it was a very important victory for the city of Barcelona, and for all of Catalunya. Barcelona played Real Madrid in the first game of the Champions League last night and walked away the victors in a two to nothing win. 

This match is more than just a soccer game. It is a large rivalry that goes farther than just soccer. There is a constant battle, social and political, between Madrid and Catalunya. This match represents it all. The fight between central power in Madrid, and nationalism in Catalunya is a constant fight back and forth, and this important game is a powerful representation of a win for Catalunya and Catalan pride. Hopefully, they can keep up their lead, and beat Madrid in the next game.

The bar I went to watch the match at was a small local bar filled with what seemed to be young business men, who just got there from work. For the majority of the game, it was a rather quiet bar, with the occasional outcry with something important happened, or when we got close to scoring. The moment the first goal went in, the bar exploded with cheering and sining. From then on, the bar was not quiet. the entire rest of the game, especially when the second goal went in, was filled with loud sining, Barcelona chants, hugging, clapping and laughter. It was a very cultural experience for me.

Field Study to the Guilds

The Guilds and the financial district were the economic heart of the city, and is where all the money flowed through. It is like our modern day wall street in the United States, however, this was much earlier.

We started the Field study with a stop at the Palau de la Musica. The palau is a Catalan Classical music theater which was built in 1901 by the middle class musicians with architect  Domènech i Montaner. The building is of modernista style architecture with intricate mosaics and fascinating iron work. It was a place for middle class people to go to the theater and enjoy Catalan music. After the performances, the performers and spectators would travel down the street and relax at the Teatre Lanitc bar. 

After the Palau, we visited the Financial Building in the financial district. This large building was not built at the same time that this are of the city was built, therefore, a lot of demolition had to be done to fin in such a large and important building. 

We then saw the workshop houses, or specialty guilds, which was the heart of the cities economy. Each house specialized in a certain trade, such as iron, wool, wood working, or shoes, and the entire family, as well as an apprentice, would live and work in the house. Each house has the same basic structure. The ground floor has one large window, where the owner would put the machine and work, so people could see what type of guild it was. This window was the display window. Next to the window was a small door that lead tot he upstairs. The owner of the house would live on the first floor, because there were no elevators in the buildings. As shown in the picture, the first floor had the largest balcony, with each window above it getting smaller and smaller. The top floors were reserved for the servants of the guild and the apprentice. The balconies on the first floor were built as a status symbol, to show everyone that they were successful and of a higher class. The guilds were made of heavy stone, with a wood structure. Each guild had its own saint, which they placed at the front of the house. The oldest guild was the iron guild. 

The largest balcony is on the first floor,
while the top floor has the smallest window

Large display window with a small door next to it

We then made it over the the Placa de la llana. This placa was like a modern day Placa Catalunya, but it was for the economy of wool. it was a local neighborhood stock market, where people could see the price of wool, to make business.


Our next destination was the Santa Maria del Mar church that represented Catalan wealth for the area. on our way there, we passed over Carrer Priceza, where they had to reconstruct the street to make it big enough for the princess to leave town when she wanted to. The church was built by the middle class, for the middle class and represented the religion and power of the guild owners. The design is simple and it is connected to God by utilizing natural light. This is where the families were buried.

Our last stop on the field study was Carrer de Canvis Vells, which was the financial district for all the guilds. It financed everyone's guilds and was the center of the economy. This is where the price of all products was determined, and deals were made. It is like the stock market of its time. This is were currency was determined and trading took place. If you were an ally, you had the privileged of dealing with no taxes. It is arrangements like these that were put in place to protect the economy. The building pictured below was the actual stock market building.

Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Familia is a very important cultural icon for Barcelona. It represents religion and architecture that Barcelona is proud of. It is one of the first things people talk about when Barcelona is mentioned. In my opinion, it is the greatest piece of art work in the entire city, and it isn't even finished yet.

It was designed by Barcelona's greatest and most popular Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi, and is a masterpiece that attracts millions of tourists year round. It has become a symbol of Barcelona and therefore vital to its culture. Over a century of construction has taken place, and it is still incomplete. Gaudi devoted the last years of his life to the project, and died suddenly during the construction.

Classical Music Concert

Last night I attended the Mozart Requiem concert in the Santa Maria del Mar church. This church is culturally significant to the history of Barcelona because it was built by the middle class, for the middle class. It was a symbol of wealth and power for the people of the original city. This church represented the religion of the middle class, and was the place of worship for all the guild workers.

The concert last night was a fun and interesting cultural experience, as I was able to sit inside a historically important church with local Catalan people, listening to amazing classical music. As a side note, the acoustics in the church were phenomenal. 

Cultural Significance of Port Olympic

After three failed attempts, Barcelona finally won the votes to host the Olympic Games in 1992. This event was a major event that helped shape Catalan culture and identity. One of the major renovated areas of Barcelona was Poble Nou, which is now the Port Olympic.

The entire beach front was build along with the huge port that is there right now. To make room for all this construction, much of the area had to be demolished and cleared out. The government was forced to kick out families to make room for the new construction.

Included in the rebuilding were the two large skyscrapers that tower over the entire area. One is a hotel, while the other is a large business building with a lot of office space. Also, the fish at the base of the two towers was designed and constructed for this event. It was part of a public art project that transformed the city by building hundreds of pieces of public art.

Today, this area is a major tourist attraction and one of the reasons people come to Barcelona. There are many restaurants along the beach and near the port, as well as a long beach for people to sun bathe on. This will remain a major part of Barcelona culture for many years to come.

News

The major governmental unrest taking place in Africa right now is a major international news story for Spain. Though the unrest is not taking place in Spain, due to the close proximity Spain and Africa have to each other, the people fleeing Africa to get away from the dangerous uprisings will attempt to penetrate the borders of Spain and find a safe place to live. This potential immigration problem is a serious issue for the safety and protection of Spain. Much like Mexican immigrants flowing over the American borders, African immigrants, now and in the future, are posing a danger to Spain. All over the news papers are pictures of the civil unrest going on in Libya,  Syria and the rest of northern Africa.

Cultural Significance of Placa Espanya

The 1929 International Exhibition was a big step in Catalan Culture. It was one of the major events that proved to the rest of the world that Catalunya is a serious and important place. Placa Espanya is where the magic fountain show takes place every weekend, and has the iconic Palau Nacional museum on top, over looking the entire city.

The biggest cultural icon here however, is not the fountain, but the four columns. These columns represent a lot for Catalunya and is something very close to the hearts of all Catalans. The Columns were constructed prior to the 1929 event and were built to represent the Catalan flag. However, with dictatorship regime in power, and the  1929 event about to take place, the columns were ordered to be demolished. This is a huge political statement that was made by the central government, to take attention of of radical Catalunya and focus on the central government of Madrid.

A recent fight by Catalan nationalists has restored the columns to Placa Espanya, and they are currently a symbol of Catalan pride. and Catalan nationalism. It is both a cultural symbol, as well as a highly political symbol.

News

On big thing in the news today was in El Periodico, and it was about a major change in healthcare that is about to take place. The Spanish healthcare system is loosing a lot of money and it is making it harder for Spain to recover. the bad economy is only making things worse, and there needs to be a change. Staring in April, there will be major reductions in healthcare and hospitals will be receiving a major cut. Doctors and nurses will be fired and the amounts of medications being prescribed will be limited. Medical services will need to be evaluated before being approved and there will me no more unnecessary surgeries. 

This is a big deal because it will change how the whole system is working. They are slowly trying to get away from universal healthcare, and working towards a more private system. What these changes mean for the people, is that young and healthy people will be getting the most of it, while the old and sick are being pushed aside. The system cannot continue the way it is now, with the government paying for everyone's sicknesses. 

La Boqueria

I cant think of a better place to spend my leisure time than in one of the greatest cultural centers of Barcelona. The Boqueria market is one of my favorite place to go, either to buy fresh food, watch the locals do their daily business, eat at one of the great tapas bars, or simply just walk around.

Jamon Serrano

The greatest collection of fresh fruits

This market has so much history and is a major part of Catalan culture. It was the major place of trade and economy at the start of the city. People would gather at the market to see what fresh local products were available, talk to their fellow neighbors about politics and the economy, and was a central gathering place for the whole city.

Local buying fresh fish from his favorite stall

Also, it houses the finest and freshest local ingredients, such as jamon serrano and a plethora of seafood. In addition to being a market with tons of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, it also has many typical Catalan bars to relax with a drink, or to eat a mid afternoon meal. Pictured below is a picture of one meal I had in the boqueria market. It is tripa stew, which is made with cow stomach, potatoes and chorizo. Because the restaurants are located directly in the market, they buy all their products from the vendors that morning, making them one of the freshest places to get a typical Catalan meal.

One of the many bars in the Boqueria

Tripa Stew

Cultural Significance of Montjuic

Montjuic is a very important cultural center in Barcelona. It was completely renovated for the 1992 Olympic games and helped shape what Barcelona looks like today. The Olympic Games put Barcelona on the map and made it a very popular place for tourists. It is the reason many students, such as myself, study here. If it were not for the Games, Barcelona would not have many of the key things it has right now.

For example, the entire Olympic village on top of Montjuic was built for the Games, and is still a popular and important place to visit. The Olympic Stadium and the Palau Sant Jordi are both large stadiums that are still being used to host events today.  The Large communication tower on Montjuic helped progress the accessibility of television and radio to the entire city and was vital to the progression of the city into modern times.

Though it was not always a part of Barcelona, the massive construction and renovation on Montjuic of the 1992 Olympics holds an important history in the culture of Barcelona. It was the host location for arguable the most important event that took place in Barcelona, and is extremely important in the Barcelona Culture. It will always be a spotlight in the reason Barcelona became so popular and will remain popular.

FCB vs. Zaragosa

A relatively new addition to Catalan culture is the Futbol Club Barcelona. Today, when people talk about Barcelona, it almost always goes hand in hand with FCB and Messi. It was not always like that however, and it continues to grow in popularity. I participated in this exciting cultural event the other day.

It was Barcelona against Zaragosa, and although Zaragosa is not a very well known or popular team, the Barcelona fans were still engaged and loud fans, cheering on their team. The end score was 1-0 Bareclona, making the game even that much better. the stands went crazy when the goal was scored, and from then on till the end of the game, there was dancing, cheering and typical Barcelona songs being sung all throughout the stadium.

Carnaval 2011: Sitges

Yesterday was a cultural experience of a lifetime. My friends and I were submersed in a traditional carnaval celebration in Sitges, Catalonia that I will never forget. The day started off with an exciting train ride from Barcelona to Sitges. The train was full of people dressed in various costumes and wearing bazaar and extravagant head pieces.

 The beginning part of the day was mainly spent on the beach as we watched very strange costumes go by. The vibe in Sitges was electric. everyone was enjoying their time on the beach, drinking and laughing at their own ridiculous costumes, as well as the multitude of other costumes to be seen. Also, there was a children parade through the streets during the day, where family members all cheered as their children were performing the in streets.

Morning Parade

When night fell however, the children were gone, and even more interesting characters came out to play. The larger parade began at about nine o'clock and lasted well past five in the morning. It was over eight hours of elaborate dance moves, eccentric costumes, loud music, cross dressers and gay pride. The street were completely packed with college students, and adults all sharing the space, and enjoying the wild environment.

Carnaval is an exciting event all throughout Europe, and being in one of the largest celebrations in Catalunya was a cultural experience I will never forget.

Field Study to the Ship Yards

The other day we went to visit the old Barcelona ship yards. Due to Barcelona's location directly on the Medditerranean, it is a very important economic center, and has been since it was inhabited. On our way to the to the guilds we walked passed the museum of contemporary art, known as the MACBA, in the El Raval district of Barcelona.

 This area of town was once a very bad area. It was riddled with drug dealers, and plenty of illegal activity. Now however, it is a place for children to skate, meet their friends, and start a night out. It is more family oriented and is no longer a place to fear. The major cause of this change was the museum. If money is being put into a location, and there are activities for everyday people to participate in, the area would slowly get rid of its dark side, and it will turn around. That is exactly what happened, to this area, and it is now a safe and fun place for young local kids.

Another part of town that is trying to be revitalized is the Rambla de Raval. It was over taken by a large Pakistani immigration population and turned into a place that no locals, or tourists wanted to go. The construction of a large hotel complex was one way to bring in tourists to the location. It is a long strip that is constantly being maintained and working towards making it a great place for locals and tourists. This is culturally important, much like the construction of the museum, as noted above, because it is cleaning of the dangerous parts of the city and making it a better place to be.

We then made our way over to the Library which is also an important cultural hot spot for Catalunya. It is a place for people to enjoy the courtyard (pictured below) and is home to the largest collection of Catalan literature.

Entrance to the Library courtyard

The last stop on the field study was the old ship yards (pictured below). The center of all commerce and the major port of Barcelona was the ship yards. Here is where the ships were built and put into the sea for importing, exporting and transporting. The location near the water allowed business in Barcelona to flourish and thrive, but it all had to started with the construction of the ships and submarines. This has a large impact on the Barcelona today. Although the ship yards are no longer being used, and the major Barcelona port has moved, it all began here and it helped build up the city of Barcelona by establishing an economic center and bring money and commerce into the city.

Ship Yard