This large city in the north east of Spain enjoys a lovely Mediterranean
climate and for a long time has enjoyed more prosperity than the rest
of Spain. Its wealth is based on industry and trade and the
extraordinary treasure of architecture from 1890 to 1920 is testament to
a flowering of both wealth and power at that time. The city found itself on the wrong side of history at the start of the civil war and suffered a great deal as a
result.
There is a strange undercurrent of political unhappiness in the city at belonging to Spain. The people see themselves as Catalan over the centuries and from time to time there is a strong expression of the desire to be an independent country. For the most part Spain has managed this tension by according the region autonomy to run its own affairs. The independence is evident every day in the widespread use of Catalan as the language of business and society in general. It can be confusing for the visitor who is trying to cobble together some Spanish for communication purposes! Beyond that, it is hard to see why in this day and age Spain would be splitting up into smaller units at a time when we seem to be removing rather than building borders, especially in Europe.
There is a lovely relaxed vibe in the city too though and the gentle climate lends itself to much outdoor sipping of coffee and wine and the cuisine is delicious. The modernist architecture best defined by Antoni Gaudi, particularly in the Sagrada Familia, still abuilding, attracts visitors in their thousands daily. What a great place for a holiday!
This was my favourite Gaudi building - La Pedrera
There is a strange undercurrent of political unhappiness in the city at belonging to Spain. The people see themselves as Catalan over the centuries and from time to time there is a strong expression of the desire to be an independent country. For the most part Spain has managed this tension by according the region autonomy to run its own affairs. The independence is evident every day in the widespread use of Catalan as the language of business and society in general. It can be confusing for the visitor who is trying to cobble together some Spanish for communication purposes! Beyond that, it is hard to see why in this day and age Spain would be splitting up into smaller units at a time when we seem to be removing rather than building borders, especially in Europe.
There is a lovely relaxed vibe in the city too though and the gentle climate lends itself to much outdoor sipping of coffee and wine and the cuisine is delicious. The modernist architecture best defined by Antoni Gaudi, particularly in the Sagrada Familia, still abuilding, attracts visitors in their thousands daily. What a great place for a holiday!
This was my favourite Gaudi building - La Pedrera
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