Diada de Catalunya 11 September 2013

La Diada de Catalunya- September 11

La Diada de Catalunya is the province's most important "holiday."  It is the equivalent of Fourth of July in the states, but actually the complete opposite.  September 11, 1714 is the date that Catalunya lost its independence to Spain for good.  It was a result of the Spanish War of Succesion from 1701-1714.  There was a conflict where both Phillip V of Bourbon and Carlos of Austria had claims to the throne.  Phillip V won the crown and ended the war with the Siege of Barcelona in 1714.  This is still controversial to this day and on this holiday Catalunya remembers its loss and still protests for independence.

 Parade for Independence cutting through the center of Placa Catalunya

Entire main streets closed off in the city-this is Via Laietana 

Part of the human chain running over 250 miles from the top of Catalunya by the Pyrenees to the south of Catalunya

Another view of the Human chain running along entire streets 

Many groups of independents parade through the city waving their own flags 

Marching bands and drummers playing and performing along the streets in protest 

 Myself in front of the Parliament building at Ciutadella Park, where I was at 17:14 when the human chain erupted in protest

 Arc de Triomf waving a flag for independence

 Close up view of the Flag under the Arc.  Flags with the blue triangle and the star are the flags of the Independists

 "Los Gigantes" parading around Ronda Sant Pere

Picture of the protests in Placa Catalunya, notices the giant screen in the background with live music playing for the people

Around the City of Barcelona

 View of the city from the top floor of Hotel Arts my first day in Barcelona.  If you look closely you can see Sagrada Familia in the distance.  This is my favorite hotel I've ever been to and was well worth the extra cost in my opinion.  I spent two days here with my friends Mike, Kate and Taylor after traveling through Italy and France for 2 weeks before school started.

 View of the city from the top of Park Guell.  Park Guell was designed by the Famous Architect Antoni Gadui and is one of my favorite places in the city because of its architecture, beauty, and of course its view.

 The top of Park Guell overlooking the city.  You will always see tourists on this terrace taking picture of the view and admiring the rest of the park.  I was also here for an incredible sunset but forgot my camera!

 The slanted pillars supporting the terrace at the top of the Park.  You will always see vendors here selling cheap souvenirs and there are typically musicians playing or singing for tips.

 View from the steps leading up to the top of Park Guell. There is a very famous sculpture of a lizard here on the left that also functions as a popular fountain.

My Attempt at fitting Sagrada Familia into one picture.  This church was also designed by Antoni Gaudi and was started in 1882 and was taken over by Gaudi the next year.  It is still under construction as you can see, and is expected to be completed in 2026, over a century after it started construction.

 View of one of the side Facades on the Nativity side of the church

 Back side of Sagrada Familia-Crucifiction Facade. Notice that it is under some serious construction.

 View of the city from Mont Juic.  Mont juice mountain is a historical place for the city.  There was a castle on top from centuries ago that was a safe fortress outside the city.  The Olympic games were also centered at the base of this mountain.  You can see the smokestacks of the old industrial building on the left from the Industrial revolution

View of the beach and ports of Barcelona from the top of Mont Juic.  You can see the Hotel Arts in the distance passed the port.

 Casa Batllo on Passeig de Gracia, one of the two houses designed by Gaudi on this street.

 The Old Bullfighting ring next to Placa Espanya, which is now converted to a modern shopping mall

The two towers in Placa Espanya, which are on the road leading up to Mont Juic and the Olympic Museum

 La Rambla, the main tourist street in Barcelona and also known as the pickpocket capital of the world.  You will see hundreds of people on this street on any given day.  There are many street vendors, performers and human statues.

Plaça Reial right off of La Rambla.  Very popular tourist spot with many nice restaurants with outdoor seating in the plaza.  Common meeting spot at night for young people before going out.  There is also a youth hostel called Kabul Backpacker's Hostel that I always recommend to visiting friends that has a great lounge and bar.

Casa Míla, also known as La Pedrera.  The other Gaudi house on Passeig de Gracia at night time.  You can go inside and see the architecture and also climb up to the roof to see a beautiful view of Passeig de Gracia and the city.

 Our nice cozy apartment living room in Eixample Esquerra.  It never actually looks this clean anymore but we really love how much space we have and how we can comfortable host many visitors.

View from the Apartment balcony, nothing too pretty but not a bad spot. That street you can see through the trees is Joseph Taradellas which marks the border between Les Cortes and Eixample districts.

Jewish Quarter Field Trip

Jewish Quarter Field Trip

We took a class trip to the old Jewish quarter of the city, located right next to Placa Sant Jaume and the Gothic quarter.  There are few remains of this area due to repression of Judaism and the Spanish Inquisition.  This part of the city is called 'El Call' which is what Jewish areas are typical led called.

Part of the remains of outdoor Roman Walls (Lower Section)

Bridge connecting the old and new buildings

Intersection in the section of the Jewish Quarter, old main Roman road

Carrer de Sant Domenic Del Call

Plaza where Facists executed people-notice the bullet holes

Carrer Del Call-Main road in Jewish Quarter

Part of the Roman wall still used in the structure

Museu d'Història de la Ciutat

Museu d'Història de la Ciutat

Our first class field trip was to the Museum of City History in Barcelona.  I did not know what to expect from this trip but it was definitely a surprise!  An entire section of the ancient Roman city was still for the most part intact and was discovered during remodeling of the city.  In the times before machines and modern construction, old buildings were demolish and new ones built right on top of them.  This is how it was preserved so well because the Gothic buildings used existing Roman structures as foundation.

The Roman city was called Barcino and was founded in 15 b.c. as a post for Roman soldiers during the Second Punic War with Carthage.  It was contained within walls which you will see below, and the center of the city-the forum- existed where Placa Sant Jaume is today.

Roman Monumental influence in Barcelona

Bottom portion of part of the old Roman city walls, seen from inside the underground Museum. You can see other buildings built directly on top of the existing city walls.

Part of the sewage channel on part of the old Roman streets.  Sewage was a technological advancement of the time and led waste out of the city walls.

Wine duct where grapes would be crushed into juice under very large stones and fermented for a few months.

Vats where wine could be held in storage for longer periods of time.  Barcino was known for having cheap wine that was easy to make, and it was also mixed with water to make it easier to drink and not as strong.

Remains of the old Roman aqueduct, seen to the side of the Cathedral of Barcelona.  This brought water into the city for drinking and sewage.

Area where laundry could be done in the smaller pit.  Laundry would be rinsed and washed with a mixture of urine, limestone and ash.  This would disinfect the clothes and also bleach them to give them a white color.

Facade of the workshops of the Roman town

Salted Fish and Garum factory.  The Romans used to salt fish to preserve it in times before refrigeration and garum was a common food made by salting fish remains and could be stored for long periods of time.  It was one of Barcino's main exports.

Religious Artifacts

The top picture is a Sculpture of the head of one of the old Roman gods, and the second one is an artifact with carved writing that was located next to the temple.  The last picture is of a sculpture that depicts another Roman god.

Domestic Objects

Bowls and plates found in Roman houses

More dishes

The Roman wax edition of a modern day iPad, where you could write something and then reset the wax to a blank page.

Small trinkets and personal items