Roman Barcino: January 28, 2010

For one of our field trips, we walked what was considered the hub of Roman Barcelona, known then as Barcino. The entrance to Barcino is on the right hand side of the cathedral where a series of artistic sculptures stood. These scultures indicate when you have reached the ancient city. The center of the city was the forum which was a space for commerce and meetings. The forum area was located in Plaza St. Jaume where the council and local government buildings are still positioned today.

Most of the ancient city is now buried deep underneath today's city center. What has been dug up can be viewed in the City History Museum located in Plaza del Rei. A lift goes down into the vaults of the city while a digital year display counts down time in big red flashing numbers. The doors open at 600 A.D. You can see sections of the Roman wall, foundations of buildings, churches, and bathing areas. There was a short film that shows a graphic representation of Barcino, and its geographical location in relation to the rivers and the sea.

I found it interesting to see all of the Roman ruins and how it has transformed Barcelona into the city it is today. Although few of the buildings have been renovated, there are still many that have been there since Roman times. It was a unique experience walking through the dark alleyed streets where so much history exists. Behind the cathedral you could see the Roman walls which were taller than I expected.

La Paradeta: February 24, 2010

La Paradeta is a marisco (seafood) restaurant with a unique style of ordering. The fresh, quality seafood is caught by the restaurant´s own boat and then displayed as if in a fish market, ready for you to choose exactly what and how much you want to eat. I felt as if I was in La Boquería. What is great about this place is that you can see the quality of seafood you are buying before you even sit down to eat it. It has a relaxed-café style that Spanish and Catalans do so well. So you would think that this process would be an expensive meal, right? Wrong. It was actually very fair and reasonable as you pay by weight.

So how does the process work? There is a selection of seafood ranging from crabs, prawns, squid, lobsters, mussels, clams, oysters, and more. You pick out what you want at the counter, it´s weighed up and heaved away, and you pick it up crisp and steaming on a platter. Once you choose what food you want you proceed to the next station where you tell them what you would like to drink. Lastly, you pay for everything, take your number, and wait for them to call it over the microphone. Once our number was called, I began to indulge in the mussels, clams, fried calamari, grilled calamari, and lastly grilled prawns. By far my favorite was the fried calamari and mussels. They were unbelievable!
This concept is loads of fun, but remember to order everything at once so you don´t have to wait in line again. It is especially busy on the weekends. La Paradeta has 3 locations in Barcelona. We went to the one next to the Sagrada Familia which was nice because I had yet to see it light up at night. I found out about the restaurant by doing research on places to take my father while he was here visiting. After reading about it, I thought it would be an interesting experience and a fun way to have dinner. This is truly a seafood lover´s dream.

Museo d´Historia de Catalunya: February 17, 2010

For my Spanish Civilization and Culture class, I visited the Museum of Catalan History to understand the heritage and identity of Catalonia. The museum narrates a story beginning with ¨The Roots¨and ending with the ¨Retrat de la Catalunya contemporània¨. I typically am not a huge fan of museums, but this particular one was quite interesting. The way it was set up was as if you were walking through the history of Catalonia. The maps, pictures, and artifacts brought the story to real life which made it more interesting and easier to understand. It´s remarkable to think that a single region of Spain has so much history behind it. Also, it explains how Barcelona came to be the capital of Catalonia.

The Roots began with the most remote era in prehistory, the Lower Palaeolithic period. The spread of agriculture and husbandry changed the shape of the land and led to the emergence of new cultures. Greek and Phoenician societies in the 7th century BC led to the development of Iberian culture which is one of the most important civilizations of the western Mediterranean. By the end of the 5th century, the defeat of the Western Roman Empire paved the way for the Visigothic Kingdom.

In 711, the Muslim army began its conquest of the Visigothic Kingdom and a new country,al-Andalus, came to exist. Al-Andalus bordered the Catalan counties, which were part of the Hispanic March, the frontier territory of the Carolingian Empire. At the end of the 10th century, the Catalan counts became independent from the Franks, with the House of Barcelona as the dominant family of counts. A phase of economic growth began in Catalonia, though the struggle between the Hispanic monarchy and France led to constant border conflicts. By 1830, Catalonia began to industrialize.

During the first 30 years of the 20th century, Catalan industry went through a period of diversification, characterised by the spread of electricity and oil products. By 1959, the opening up of the economy led to major economic and social changes: foreign capital came into the country; industry diversified; tourism developed; waves of immigration from within Spain occurred; and the consumer society became established. The death of Franco meant the return of self-government and the governing institutions of Catalonia. With so much history in Catalonia, it is now clear why there is so much passion and pride for its region.