10 Pleasant Surprises in Barcelona

1. Frederic Marès Museum.  While wandering through the Gothic Quarter (and keeping our eyes peeled for a bathroom) we stumbled across the Frederic Marès Museum. I noticed it had free entry, so I thought we could take a look and use the restrooms on our way out. We ended up spending nearly an hour in the building, which used to house the kings of Aragon and Castile. Christopher Columbus was received here upon returning from the new world. But the museum is dedicated to sculpture, particularly really old sculptures. Some date back to Iberian, Greek, and Punic culture. The largest and most impressive display comes from the large collection of crucifixes from the medieval era. Room after room exhibits carvings of the crucified Christ, often with arms broken off. 

2. Street Festival.  Probably our funnest surprise came one evening around dusk when we heard explosions from somewhere on the street. I told Kaitlyn that we had to immediately leave our hotel and investigate. Near the San Antoni Market we found the street blocked off and a party like none other. Dozens of people dressed in orange jackets held torches with sparks shooting from the top. They would run up and down the street and onto the sidewalk and scare anyone they could by brushing the torch near their feet. Others lit off fireworks that would boom and scream. The entire street was one large pyrotechnic display, with no order, but chaos. Another group of people formed a band and played music, which included steady drum beats. Then they attached twirling sparklers to a giant pig on wheels and sent it racing down the street. In the end they lit a firework display right in front of us that echoed off buildings and was so loud I had to plug my ears.

The group responsible for the din was the Diables, or Devils, de Sant Antoni. I don't know much more about the occasion other than it was a local affair, a fiesta put on by people in the neighborhood. It was quite the serendipitous moment.

3. Cathedral Rooftop.  Tucked away in a nook in the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia is a door that gives access to a small elevator. Coming across this nook had eluded me during my other visits to the cathedral. The lift takes the visitor to the roof of the church, but it might as well be another world. Not only does it bring you up-close to the gargoyles and red tiles of the roof, but gives you an expansive view of a sea of other rooftops and steeples and bell-towers that one would otherwise never see. One can also see Montjuïc, the sea, Tibidabo. We spent at least half an hour up there, pleased to gaze upon a peaceful view that I had never seen before.

4. Camp Nou.  After church on Sunday we caught the metro and had traveled two stops on the blue line when Kaitlyn remembered she had left her watch on one of the pews. We got off the train at the Collblanc stop. Knowing where we were, I told Kaitlyn we had two choices: we could immediately get on the first returning train, or we could exit the station and see Camp Nou. We chose the second option.

Camp Nou is the home stadium for the world renowned soccer team, Barcelona, or known locally as Barça. The stadium is gigantic, holding 99,354 people. We had to walk ten minutes to get there, but it was totally worth it. We walked through the store and got our pictures taken in front of a couple icons outside. We didn't go inside, or pay for the “Camp Nou Experience,” but we still got to feel a bit of the atmosphere that comes with Barcelona football.

5. The Champions.  After eating lunch in a bar one day we heard echoes of excitement coming from up the street. Immediately we sought to investigate. We found a local soccer venue and a rowdy crowd on their feet, cheering the team who had just won the championship. It was a youth team, and I don't know what championship they just won. But the team was excited, throwing their arms into the air, jumping up and down, and putting on the winner's jersey. The crowd yelled, “Olé, olé,” and chanted a victory song. I wish we had shown up a bit sooner, but we were lucky to show up at all.

6. Santa Maria del Mar.  In Barcelona, as well as about any other city in Europe, you will have the opportunity to visit many old churches. I enjoy all of them, but will admit that after a while, they all tend to blend together. One church that stands out is Santa Maria del Mar. This church began construction in the 1300's outside the city walls, as a worshiping spot for the fisherman. For me, the thing I enjoy most is the openness of the church. Doors on three sides and a plethora of stained-glass windows let in a lot of light, thus Santa Maria is much more well-lit than many of the other churches and cathedrals. The design is open, allowing for an unobstructed view of the interior. On different inscriptions are memorials to those who helped build it, as well as to the mariners to whom it was built.

7. Hotel Balcony.  When getting a hotel in Europe, especially the cheaper ones in my price range, you never know what kind of window view you will get. It may be a wall, parking lot, or empty space in the middle of the complex. Our first hotel in Barcelona was nothing to brag about on the inside, but our view out the balcony was pleasant. Our fourth-story room looked over Carrer de Josep Anselm Clave, a narrow street just a block from the harbor. Far to our right we could see the mouth of the Rambla, almost to the Columbus statue. On our left we could see the dome and angelic statue atop the Basílica de Mercè. We could hear voices of people roaming the streets, mopeds zooming, and the occasional church bell.

8. El Raval at Night.  Our final hotel was in the Raval District of Barcelona, an area once known for drug problems and prostitution. Although the city has done a good job cleaning up, it is still a little on the seedy side. Each night as we returned to our room, I chose to wander a different route through the Raval. The streets, all narrow alleyways, were well lit. Some were full of bars and nightlife, while others were devoid of people. But it was always a pleasure to walk through these streets at night and take in the sites and smells of whatever we passed. Often I would have to pull out my map to figure out where we were. I watched old ladies at midnight going on a stroll. Shop-keepers sat outside their doors chatting. Independence flags hung from balconies and occasionally I heard television coming from an open window.

9. Castellers.  I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that, following our church services we would attend on Sunday, there would be a competition of Castellers. This is a sport unique to Catalunya where teams build human towers, standing on each others shoulders, often seven levels high. It had been many years since I had watched in person. We weren't disappointed. In the municipality of Esplugues (a suburb of Barcelona) we observed three teams take turns and build some amazing “castles” as they are referred to in Catalán. There was even an upper-level terrace that led to a park where we had a birds-eye view.

10. The Magic Fountain.  On our final night in Barcelona we climbed the stairs of Montjuïc to the famed Magic Fountain. I wasn't sure what to expect. The first time I went there (during the 1992 Olympics) I as thoroughly impressed. We had been exploring some of the Olympic venues when we happened upon the fountain. I didn't know it had a name back then. Thousands of people gathered around, so we thought something exciting was about to happen. When the show began it was a booming exhibition of light and dancing water, choreographed to the song Barcelona, sung by Freddy Mercury and Montserrat Caballé. The experience has stayed with me for 26 years.

In 2001 I visited the fountain with my wife, but found it not even running. I was disappointed.

So I tried again on this last trip with my daughter. We were not disappointed. As in 1992, there were thousands gathered around the fountain. At 9:30 promptly the display began and the song Barcelona blared into the air! I turned to Kaitlyn and explained that this is exactly what I had experienced 26 years ago! ♠