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

Catalan Cuisine

That is me preparing Tortilla de Patatas

Fortunately for me, I had the opportunity to take part in a culinary adventure. I was able to prepare typical catalan cuisine under the watchful eye of a native. I learned how to cook tortilla de patatas, pan con tomate, Paella and crema catalana (a typical Catalan dessert).

Tortilla de patatas (the final product)

Tortilla de patatas is a typical Catalan food that can either be served as a tapa or as a main course. The ingredients are eggs, potatos, onion and salt. It is very simple to make and delicious to eat.

Tortilla on top of pan con tomate

I also had the opportunity to make Pan con Tomate, which is a very local food that is only eaten in Catalunya. It is made by rubbing garlic on a piece of slightly stale bread or toasted bread, then rubbing half of a tomato on it. It is often the base to sandwiches and some tapas.

Chicken and vegetable paella

Next we made Pallea de Valencia. It is a typical Catalan meal made with rice, chicken, and vegetables. To make a paella it is important to have the correct pan, which is wide and shallow (which is also called paella) and it is key to cook the rice with all the chicken and vegetables.

This is the sugar caramelization on the crema catalana

For dessert, we made a typical Catalan dessert, called Crema Catalana. It is mainly made of eggs, milk and sugar. It is very similar to creme brulee, however the texture is slightly less creamy because crema Catalana uses milk, instead of cream.

Saint Eulalia Festival

Today there was a parade in honor of Santa Eulalia in Barcelona. The parade ended in Placa Sant Jaume where there was the dancing of the giants. Each town in Catalonia has two giants that represent the town. In the Placa, the pair of giants from many of the towns did a typical dance in the center.

After the parade, six different teams of Castallers came out to build the human towers. It is a Catalan tradition that involves every age group. The people involved have a lot of pride in what they are doing.

 

Field Study Roman Barcino

We traveled to the roman museum to learn about the Roman influence on the culture of Barcelona. On the way we stopped by the cathedral of Barcelona (pictured above). The name of the Cathedral is La Seu Cathedral and it has a very important part in Catalan culture, as it represents the religion of the city and is a constant reminder of the Roman past. A Roman chapel was built in the mid 1200s and is the only original Roman piece still on the cathedral.

From the Cathedral we went to the Templo de Agusto (pictured below). These columns are all that are left of the ancient Roman Forum where politics, and commerce took place. This is a big reminder to the people of Barcelona as to where their culture originated from.

From the Temple we took a tour of a Roman Museum that showed how Civilization in Barcelona practically started. We discovered the roots of Catalan culture and saw how the Romans lived their everyday lives. Everything from what they used to put on makeup, how they stored and cured their foods and wine, and even their intricate and planned out sewage systems. It was an eye opening experience that showed me how today relates to life back then.

Typical Catalan Meal

My first trip outside of Barcelona was to another part of Catalunya, Valencia, with IES. On our way back to Barcelona, I had the opportunity to partake in a typical Catalan meal, known as a Calçotada. The main attraction at these meals are the calçots, which are sweet onions typical of this region. The calçots are char grilled over an open fire, then the outside layer is peeled off for consumption. They are dipped into a special sauce then put directly into the mouth. This meal is very dirty and eaten with your hands, even a bib is necessary. As you can see in the pictures, the table and bib are quite messy when it is done.

The next portion of the meal is a family style tray of grilled meats and vegetables. Included in the tray are veal, blood sausage (typical Spanish food), other sausages, potatoes, beans and other grilled vegetables. Everyone was sitting at large tables digging into the feast that was before us. all while passing around a typical vine drinking vessel that is ideal for sharing wine in a hygienic, yet fun way. The point of this meal is to eat typical seasonal food while sharing it all with close friends and family. The food culture here is very different than in America, mainly because it is about the experience and the company, rather than just the food. I got to see that first hand at this meal.

At the end of the meal, we were served a typical Catalan dessert, known as Crema Catalana (pictured below). It is made of milk, egg and sugar and is very similar to creme brulee.