Barcelona is a wonderful city with something for everyone. I think this must already be a well known fact, as it was jam packed with tourists. All the architectural creations by Gaudi, such as Casa Mila and the Sagrada Familia Cathedral, and the Picasso Museum had lines around the block to enter. I learned that you can book ahead to beat the lines, like you can with the Eiffel Tower. We had been to just about every Gaudi creation 15 years ago and had no intention to wait in long lines. We had a great time wandering through neighborhoods admiring the details of the buildings with their fabulous ornamentation, elaborate iron balconies, small neighborhood shops with beautiful fruit displays, and lovely parks. Something we later learned is that in recent decades there was a conscious effort in Barcelona to preserve historic buildings by repurposing them, and often making them livable by adding modern architectural features while preserving the historic aspects of the buildings. So you might see an old stone building with an integrated modern external glass and steel structure. I like it…it’s unexpected. It seems that the city plan specifies that 30% of the city be public spaces i.e. parks and recreation areas. I remember being in Barcelona in 1988 and finding it to be a seedy port town with heroine addicts shooting up near Las Ramblas. The transformation could not be more dramatic. Las Ramblas bustles with a market, cafes, street performers etc. Being history lovers we hit a few interesting museums including the Catalonian Museum of Archeology, and the spectacular National Catalunian Museum of art. The people of Barcelona celebrate their Catalunian heritage. People in this part of Spain tend to make the distinction that they are Catalan vs Spanish. The takeaway from these fascinating museums was that this part of Spain (Western Mediterranean) has been inhabited since at least Paleolithic times and has been constantly influenced and transformed by outsiders who have come as traders, invaders, and settlers. The Greeks brought olives and donkeys to the Iberian Peninsula. The first Roman influence occurred around 200BC when they first came as traders, then as settlers (invaders). The Spanish language, religion, and vineyards have Roman roots. Roman law became the law of the land. The Visogoths, a Germanic people, came as invaders around 400AD. They adopted many of the customs of the Romans. Then came the the Muslim invaders, who occupied much of Spain for about 700 years until they, were ultimately given the boot by Isabella and Ferdinand in 1492. Their influence is found in the architecture, and the language i.e. Spanish words that begin with "al" like almohada (pillow). What we have learned in the museums so far has served to wet our "appetite" for more.
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