L'Eixample Esquerra Barrio Project

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ejtkrmab2j2jqba/Eixample%20Esquerra%20neighborhood%20project.pptx

5 Cultural Experiences

5 Cultural Experiences

Correfoc

One of the first weeks during my semester in Barcelona I was able to partake in what I would consider one of the more unique events in Barcelona, the Correfoc.  The Correfoc can be translated as the fire run and it is an event that takes place during Barcelona’s celebration of La Merce.  This amazing cultural experience can be described as a parade of firecrackers, full of costumes, contraptions, and statues that all are designed around one main theme, the representation of each barrio or neighborhood in Barcelona and their similar but unique portrayal of a fire show.  During the Correfoc people dress up from head to toe in clothing that is essentially fire proof. 

Those that take place in the actual parade as more then just bystanders often carry large contraptions holding a magnitude of firecrackers.  They then light these firecrackers and begin spraying the crowd with the sparks that are made from igniting firecrackers.  Bystanders, or at least the brave bystanders, will jump into the parade dancing around and being bombarded with sparks of fire.  The trick to this is to constantly be moving because if you stop the embers will sit on you and burn your back.  I suppose the more intelligent way to avoid burn marks would be to dress appropriately however I did not catch this memo in time.  The idea behind the Correfoc is that the sparks cleanse you of your sins.  This was an amazing experience and possibly one of the best days of my life.  

Independence Day

Another truly unique and empowering cultural experience I was lucky enough to encounter while studying in Barcelona was the Catalonia Independence Day.  Being from the United States I believed that I had a great conception of what cultural pride was however this day redefined the term for me.  Independence Day in Cataluyna is like nothing else, it puts the 4th of July to shame and is a true testament to cultural pride.  On this day almost all of the city was shutdown and the streets and plazas became flooded yellow and red, the colors of the Catalan Flag. 

I have never once seen so many different ages and demographics of people uniting to celebrate one specific cause, Catalan Independence.  All ages of people wrap Catalan flags around their bodies as they cheer, dance, drink, and party for Catalan Independence.  Oddly enough this day is September 11th, the day that Spain regained control over Catalonia. One of the main ideas on this day is to create a human chain going from the coast of Barcelona all the way to the border of France, initially in-circling all of Catalonia.  Many national and international news channels actually discussed this public celebration and statement and many included arial views taken from helicopters of the human chain.  This is truly an amazing experience and I highly suggest witnessing it in your life if possible.

Sala Apollo

One of the very first things people mention when discussing Barcelona is its world renown nightlife.  One can easily find themselves dancing and partying into the early hours of the morning.  One thing that I have noticed about the “discotecas” or night clubs in Barcelona is that each one possesses unique traits that help separate it from the others.  Many night clubs here attempt to draw in mainly tourists, some focus on Americans specifically, some on study abroad students, some on college students, some on locals, and some on a mixture of it all.  My favorite night of the week tends to take place at a discoteca called Sala Apollo.  Every Monday they put on a party known as Nasty Mondays in which DJ’s and live performers play 90’s rock and punk rock music.  If one is looking for a way to wrap their mind around what young Catalan adults like to do at night this would be the place to go.  When you step off the metro stop Parallel you enter a wide street filled with young adults drinking, smoking, and socializing in groups of multiple sizes.  Although most places in the United States get busy by 12 at the latest this discoteca doesn’t even open up until midnight and if one chooses to enter at this hour you will be struck with an almost completely empty two story old ballroom that has been turned into a nightclub. 

It will not be packed with people until at least 1:30-2am but once that hour hits you will be engulfed in a world full of young Catalan culture, a mix of grunge, anarchy, and passion.  If you are able to embrace this culture and attempt to talk to the people you can have the opportunity to see what a young Catalan adult may think.  However it is important to not get discouraged by rejection, especially when attempting to talk to “una chica muy guapa” (a beautiful girl) because at one point or another it is inevitable.  I have had some of the best nights of my life at Sala Apollo getting to experience young Catalan culture first hand.

Food

Coming from a country that tends to function at a very fast pace, high stress, hectic life style the idea of the siesta was a completely eye opening experience.  Being able to see the way that Spanish culture incorporates its belief of food into its meals as a time to sit down, relax, enjoy, and engage in conversation with friends and family leaving all other time constraints and stress outside the edge of the table is truly a different and memorable experience.  The fact that the way people consume food and treat meals is not the only difference though, the food itself is very different from what I am accustomed to as an American.  Prior to my study abroad experience I had never eaten Tapas or even seen a Tapas restaurant.  Although I know they do exist in America I doubt they are the same experience as eating tapas in Spain.  Unfortunately because Barcelona relies heavily on tourism it is hard to find true Tapa’s restaurants here however places like Maitea Taberna and the Xampaneria come very close to portraying the experience I encountered in Madrid at El Tigre. 

In a typical traditional Tapa’s restaurant one will find very few tables and chairs and a lot of counters or standing tables.  Often the good ones are packed nearly shoulder to shoulder leaving one to wonder how one can simply eat or navigate their way through such a place, however this is all part of the experience.  Also the floors at a traditional Tapa’s restaurant will be covered in napkins because often people just throw their used napkins on the floor to be swept up at the end of the night.  Going from American sit down

restaurants to the craziness that a Tapa’s restaurant can offer can be a very different but very amazing experience.  To go from a whole lot of personal space and a large meal to nearly zero personal space and an assortment of little snack sized plates is something every American should experience.

Camp Nou

Coming from a city that is very proud of its professional American Football team, the Denver Broncos, I am not new to the idea of breathing and bleeding the colors of your team.  However sporting events in the United States are much different then sporting events here, especially FC Barcelona futbolllllll!!!  My first time at Camp Nou was an amazing experience full of awe, not only in disbelief at the talent the athletes poses but also at the cultural attitude and behavior. 

In America big football games are stadiums full of endless amounts of booze, drunken mindless yelling and cheering, shit talking, socialization, and few moments of actually watching the athletic performance taking place.  However futbol in Barcelona presents a stadium full of die hard fans, no alcohol, and a sense of very focused very serious fans.  It is almost silent until Barca does something good or bad, but when the ball goes in the goal serious fans of all ages break their focus and erupt in communal cheers supporting their beloved team.

La Vanguardia

La Vanguardia

Local

The first high speed train linking Barcelona with Paris in less than six and a half hours was made public on the 18th of December, 2013 going from the Gare de Lyon in the French capital and Sants station in Barcelona. Also put in operation on the 18th of December was lines connecting Toulouse, Marseille and Lyon. In total, five daily services each way linking 17 Spanish and French cities.  "Today is a historic day, the French and the Spaniards lived closer," said the Catalan Minister of Development Ana Pastor. "The Pyrenees have definitely ceased to be a barrier," he continued, after which he stressed that the train, as well as "quick, convenient and safe" offers "attractive prices". 

National

Seven Spanish soccer teams are being accused of receiving illegal and unlawful state aid.  Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao, Osasuna, Valencia, and Hercules and Elche are all being interrogated for this alleged unlawful aid by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo.  So far statements from Margallo have supported the idea that not all articles and publishing are accurate and sometimes media can misconstruct the truth.  Competition spokesman Antoine Colombani confirmed that EU executives will make decisions about public support of football in Spain however he has not declared reasons why teams are receiving unlawful state aid. (http://www.lavanguardia.com/economia/20131218/54398335717/bruselas-expedientara-a-madrid-barca-y-otros-clubes-espanoles.html)

International

The number of indirect deaths caused by the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 in the prefecture of Fukushima (northern Japan) has now reached 1,605 according to a report from local authorities collected by the newspaper Mainichi.  The report of Fukushima prefecture notes that most of the deaths reported so far are due to diseases, people not receiving proper medical treatment, and decreased living conditions of the evacuees, these conditions have led to an increase in suicides as well. (http://www.lavanguardia.com/internacional/20131217/54397284892/mas-de-1-600-japoneses-alejados-de-fukushima-murieron.html)

El Raval

El Raval

El Raval neighborhood in Barcelona was at one point a rather run down, sketchy, and somewhat dangerous neighborhood full of drug dealers and prostitutes.  Originally it was the area of town that navy men passing through Barcelona would stay in and go to in order to partake in actions that were simply not possible while out at sea.  The sailors would stay in the Raval neighborhood and would drink, get high, and have sex with prostitutes.  It was a way for them to obtain the aspects life that were simply just not possible while at sea.  It was their opportunity to cut loose but unfortunately this made this neighborhood a neighborhood ran by drug dealers and prostitution.  However during the times of Model Barcelona in the late 80’s and 90’s the city decided to attempt to clean up this neighborhood and turn it around.  The way they went about this was actually very innovative and turned out to be very successful.  Instead of cracking down on the drug dealers and prostitution with police the city decided to build new urban buildings and plazas to make the people of the city care more about the neighborhood.  

  Urban development such as moving the University of Barcelona from the outskirts of town to the center of town in the Raval neighborhood brought a lot of younger people to the area.  The fact that these younger people were University students meant that the area was know full of critical thinkers and innovative ideas.  Also the creation of more open spaces and areas for people to play and skateboard motivated people to clean up this area of the city and then keep it clean.  When walking around the Raval neighborhood today one can find a multitude of little skate shops, small and affordable restaurants and bars, lots of students, and a neighborhood that is very much alive and thriving.

El Born (La Ribera Quarter)

El Born also known as La Ribera Quarter was home to the guilds of the late 12th, 13th, and 14th centuries in Barcelona.  El Born was the neighborhood of the working class people of Barcelona and was not a very desirable area to live in aside from one key factor.  This neighborhood held a lot of pride and the people of El Born were people that were more focused on being good, proud, hard working people.  This mind set was different then the upper class neighborhoods that focused on flaunting their wealth.  Many buildings in El Born portray this idealistic way of life that focuses more on the quality of life then the quantity.  Within El born many streets can still be found that were specifically named in regards to the craft trade/guilds of that street or the public purpose of the street.  These streets often possesed masonry depictions of both craft trades and saints.  

Santa Catarius Semuletas was home of the couscous sellers, carrer dels banys vells was the street of the fountain for bathing (the baths), carrer de la Princesa was the street in which the princess of the 13th and 14th century was shuttled in and out of the city on, she was also showcased to the citizens of Barcelona on this street.  Some other streets in El Born very specific to the guilds are the Carrer de les Semoleres, carrer dels Cotoners (cotton), and carrer de les Candeles (home to the candle makers). One of the more important areas in El Born was Placa de la Llana.  This was where the wool market was located and people would come from all over to buy, sell, and trade wool.  

During these times wool was a very popular material that could be used for multiple purposes.  As you can see many different traits where abundant in La Ribera quarter and although it was not common for families to live in this area it was home of many different types of workshops that housed both Mestre and apprentices.  La casa-taller was used primarily as a workshop however it could be compared to a trade school in todays culture.  Families would attempt to have their children accepted by the most skilled craftsman of their trades.  If accepted by the Mestre the child would then move into La case-taller where they would live, work, and learn under the supervision and teaching of el mestre.  If your child was accepted by one of the more skilled Mestre's of each specific trait this was considered a great honor and blessing.  It could be compared to being accepted to a school like Harvard or Yale in todays American society.  

 

La case-teller's were often constructed with an open air front door at the bottom that would only be closed at night or when the workshop was closed.  This bottom floor is where the work was done and at times products would be sold, however most products were sold or traded at larger markets. Often these open door frames consisted of a wooden beam across the top like the one depicted in the picture below.  This wooden beam was to serve as a support beam for the door frame.  Aside from having the workshop on the bottom floor it was also common for the case-taller's to have a backyard.  On the next floor one could find the living space designated to the mestre/principal/owner and on the top floor the students and or servants.  Because this area was a poorer neighborhood until after the olympics in 1992 many of the buildings in this area are constructed using wooden beams and wooden ceilings.  Many of this area was abandon, especially after the guilds began to grow less and less popular.  Although many of these buildings where originally constructed using wooden framing one could easily distinguish rich guild workshops from the use of stone frames on their door ways.  After the 1992 olympics began to bring more interest to the El Born neighborhood buildings began adding two or more floors to the original structures.  Similar to the buildings in the Jewish Quarter and old Barcino the house owner typically lived on the first floor and had a large window and the higher up the building you went the smaller and smaller the windows got, in a way the size of your window resembled your status in the house.  The principals or owners with the largest and closest to the ground and the slaves with the smallest and highest up living quarters.  

One can find five very culturally relative areas in the El Born neighborhood.  The first of these is Santa Maria del Mar.  This was a church that was built by the working class people for the working class people.  Like many people of Catalunya today this church was built with the belief and idea that wealth was not viewed or flaunted.  This church was built and payed for by the working class so it held a lot more value on pride then gaudiness. It was very different then many of the bedazzled churches of the upper class of this time era.  Although it was not bedazzled in jewels families would place ceramic pieces that resembled their craft or family members within the masonry work of the church.  The working class was able to construct this church in 15 years, another feat that the upper class was not able to do.  It was a church of worship and pride not flash and fame.

 Another culturally relative area was El Mercat del Born.  This was where many different craftsman would come from both El Born area and other areas of Spain to trade, buy, and sell their products and materials.  This Mercat is still present today and can be found hosting events such as young castelleres performances and much more. It is also a functioning Market with fresh fruits and meats as well as restaurants.  

Another very culturally relative area in the El Born neighborhood is El Fossa de les Moreres.  With a flame that never goes out in honor of the deceased this area serves as a memorial for the thousands of people that died during the battle of September 11.

The final important landscape in this neighborhood is La ciutadella park.  This park became the fortress of Phillip V by 1714 and is still very popular today.  One can find many different types of festivities and people enjoying their time in this park today.  It begins right next to La Llotja and goes all the way up to Arc de Triumph with a very breathtaking fountain that is centrally placed in the park.  Another very important landmark in this area is el Consolat de Mar, also known as La Llotja.  This area was very prevalent during Barcelona's growth as a major Mediterranean city.  It served as the financial street of its time and still serves such purpose.  It was created as the stock market and was strategically placed near the ocean so that import and export business and trade could be easily accessible to those coming into Barcelona.

El Call Neighborhood

The El Call neighborhood located just behind the old city walls of Barcelona is also referred to as the old Jewish quarter of Barcelona.  it was originally inhabited by the Jews when many of them fled Jerusalem because of prosecution and found their way to Barcelona.  

The Jewish people that fled over here were typically educated folk and were able to get good jobs because of this.  El Call is located directly behind El Catedral and Placa Sant Jaume.  It was very typical to see very detailed masonry work in the old Jewish quarter of El Call and walkways linking what were once very nice old houses like the one seen below are still amazing showcases of the true talents possessed by many skilled workers of this time.  

Many of the out streets of El Call have wide and tall roads for horse carriage to pass through however the deeper you get into the neighborhood the narrower the roads become and in many areas it would be impossible to get a horse carriage through.  In fact El Call means alleyway and it is justly named so because of the maze like roads that create this densely packed neighborhood.  

In many roads in the Jewish Quarter one can literally touch both sides of the street when they elongate their arms.  One of the oldest synagogues in Europe is located within the Jewish Quarter and it is still visitable today.  It has held many different purposes over the years but has currently been restored and is know an active museum that one can visit for a small price.  It is no longer an active synagogue but it is still used for festive purposes at times.  It is not uncommon to stumble across very good stores selling a variety of handmade quality products in the El Call neighborhood, both in present and past times.

 Also many small but delicious bars and restaurants can also be found in the neighborhood.  However you may want to write down the directions to the ones you like because in this neighborhood many of the streets look the same because of their tendency to be so tightly condensed.

 If one takes the proper turns within this maze of narrow streets it is likely that you will stumble across a placa that will appear very little but that holds a lot of character for its size.  

Often one can find children playing soccer or lovers reminiscing in this mysterious placa in the heart of the Jewish Quarter.

Museu d'Historia de la Ciutat

The monumental structures of the old Roman city of Barcino shares many similarities with the Catalan buildings of today.  As one can expect differences do occur but the influence of roman design is still very prevalent in today's Catalan buildings.  Not only in their construction but in the layout of the city as well as the uses of such monumental structures.  The most similar structure between the old Roman city of Barcino and current Catalan buildings is the construction and use of the Forum.  The forum was strategically placed in the center of old Barcino to serve as an area in which people could conduct public meetings.  Many of these meetings were political however they were not restricted to political meetings.  In Barcelona today Placa Sant Jaume serves as what the Romans referred to as the forum and it was purposefully constructed on top of the old Roman forum.  

One of the more obvious similarities between the old Roman city of Barcino and more modern buildings in Barcelona present today are the ways in which walls are constructed.  Most of the buildings of old Barcino were created using stones that where mined from Montjuic.  These stones where then held together using an old form of mortar, creating walls to help protect the city.
 This first image is an example of a wall that was built in the old Roman city of Barcino that is now underground and can be found in the Museu d'Historia de la Ciutat.  This second image is an image of what was once a more modern city wall built to protect the city of Barcelona.


As you can see the style of masonry used to build both of these protective and very important walls is very similar despite the difference in time.  













One of the more interesting aspects of construction during Old Roman Barcino was the construction of the sewage systems and their strategically placed influence on old washing facilities.  The picture to the right is an image of a public urinal.  Citizens would urinate into these slots and the urine would then run through the wall and into the washing areas.  Back in the Old Roman city of Barcino washing areas would use the urine to help bleach and clean their clothes. 

Another very interesting aspect of the Old Roman Barcino was the use of public baths.  Although not all baths were public many were.  A typical bath would consist of a bathing area, both hot and room temperature, as well as an exercise area.  The private baths often consisted of both hot and cold bathing areas, massage areas, spas, and exercise areas.

This image helps depict a rough idea of what a cold bath would look like.  These cold baths could be either gender specific or unisex.  These old Roman bathing areas can be compared to sporting clubs in todays world. 

Another interesting influence on modern Catalan buildings was the layout of the Domus.  A Domus would be referred to in modern times as a mansion or house of the upper class.  Like modern day Catalan mansions these structures where constructed using stones and often had mosaics of the family crest or religious references. 

 The masters or the family would often live on the main floor while the servants and slaves would live on the upper floors in much smaller living spaces.  This is similar to the workshops of the guilds that I will discuss in another blog post.

At first Barcino was a city of polytheism.  However as catholicism was born and began to grow in the Mediterranean it slowly shifted toward a city of Monotheism.  A lot of this had to do with the success at which the catholic church was spreading its beliefs and powers across the Mediterranean.  This made it hard to adopt any religious practice other then the Monotheistic religion of catholicism.
    















As previously mentioned, it is still very common to see roman architectural similarities in Catalan buildings today.  One of the more interesting similarities is the use of very detailed stone carving.  In the two images above one can see the use of very detailed stone carvings.  The image on the left is on a pillar used to support a building in the Old Roman City of Barcino and the image on the right is on the under carriage of what was once a walkway in more recent times.  The image on the right can be found as one enters the old jewish area known as El Call.  

Also the use of arcs is very prevalent in both old Barcino and more recent Catalan structures.  This is because the roads had to be both wide and high enough for carriages to pass through them.
Another similarity that can be found in the different time periods of construction is the usage of open door ways on the outside of shops.  In both old Roman Barcino and present day Catalan buildings one can find stores that have open air entryways, especially in markets and skilled craftsman shops, these can also be found in older buildings that have more recently been converted into bars.

Although their is lots of interesting information to be found in the Museu d'Historia de la Ciutat I found the domestic objects of these ancient roman times to be the most interesting.  Maybe it is my own weakness, or undivine knowledge, for gambling that influenced my interest in the fact that gambling was very present in the ancient times of old Barcino.  Like many people still do today, the use of dice where very common on the gambling grounds.  Often these dice were carved from ivory.  Another very interesting object that is found in the museum is the tools used for fishing in during these ancient Roman times.

The above objects are images of a magnitude of different sized hooks used for fishing as well as old weights used to bring the hook to the proper depths of the ocean to catch fish.  Aside from these domestic objects images of mosaics, cosmetic bottles, laundry detergents such as ash, wine, and color pastels from plants and fruits can all be found in the museum.  During these times looks where very important to the people and so cosmetics where often stored in what at one point in time where considered very nice porcelain carrying devices.

Still observable in Catalan culture today, wine played a large role in society.  It was often made in large vats and could be argued as one of the more advanced constructions of its time. 

The image above is a ruin of what was once a massive wine brewing cellar.  The structures that almost appear to look like hatched dinosaur eggs where the vats that the wine would ferment in.  During these times wine was bot ha very social and a very religious aspect of life.  Citizens of all ages would consume wine and it was not uncommon for children to partake in drinking wine.  Your average citizen would drink around 210-260 liters a year and 1/2-3/4 a liter a day.  However unlike todays wine the wine of these times was watered down.  This was because of catholic influence and religious purposes. Like many wine labels today, wine labels back then would describe who made the wine and where they made the wine.