Articles by Beatrice Labonne

Rambling on the Rambla : 36 hours in Barcelona


This title is misleading, even inaccurate, and definitely unfair to both Barcelona and its potential visitors.  A-36 hours stay only allows for quick stops at the A-list landmarks of the Catalan capital.  A visit to its less publicized treasures calls for at least an additional two days.  Actually, the famed Rambla no longer lends itself to a leisurly stroll.  The 1.2 km long avenue has morphed into a non descript Broadway lined with cheap stores, pizza parlors and fast food joints patronized by local and visiting teenagers.  However, Barcelona guidebooks still boost the avenue’s historic and timeless appeal.   


Nowadays, the place to ramble is the Passeig de Gràcia where 21st century Versace over-the-top creations compete with that of 20th century Gaudí.  Gaudí was an architect who used building material a bit like fabric.  He also turned pieces of colored tiles into ceramic patchworks.  Passeig is the Catalan translation of the Spanish paseo or avenue. Catalonia is a language battleground.  In the Iberia peninsula, Spanish is nationally spoken, but in the province of Catalonia, the Catalan vernacular is the official language. Street signs are in both Spanish and Catalan.  Fortunately, in Barcelona’s tourist areas, English is the lingua franca.   


You are constantly reminded that the residents of Barcelona are expected to speak Catalan, not Spanish. I got a taste of the Catalan activist spirit in a delicatessen where I speaking in Spanish to purchase a box of turrón, a kind of almond sweet.  The pesky male shop attendant made a point of responding to me in Catalan.  I more or less can read Catalan, but understanding it is another matter.  Annoyed, I replied in Portuguese, and told him that turrón was Spanish, and that if he made a fuss I would walk out without my purchase.  Fortunately he got my message.  Otherwise I would have had to part with an excellent sweet.  I dismissed this bout of Catalan activism to frustration resulting from a soccer defeat.  The previous night, the local team had lost the Spanish championship title to the mighty Real Madrid.  During my stay in Catalonia, I managed to stock up in turrón without further linguistic argument. In their grand majority, the people of Barceloa are very hospitable and happy to help whether you speak Catalan or not.  


You are also constantly reminded that Catalonia is not Spain.  It may get on your nerves, unless you think it is plain silly.   The pros and cons of corrida make an interesting example. Apparently, bullfights are no longer welcome in Barcelona as un-Catalan.  As a long time corrida foe, I am sympathetic to this viewpoint.  A young taxi driver dismissed bullfights as a blood sport only attractive to under-developed people.  He informed us that the city’s sizeable plaza de toros, the bull ring was still functioning only because it caters to foreign tourists.  Well, the taxi driver might have told us the truth.  I recently read in a Spanish newspaper that 43.6% of Spaniards were now against corridas.  My house in the south of France is located near the city of Nimes which is famous for its bullfights.  It is an entertainment recently imported from Spain.  I find this corrida issue rather laughable, if not hypocritical as many Catalan tourists come to Nimes to surreptitiously enjoy a bullfight.  Fear of Catalan opprobrium? In the remote probability that corridas become banned in Spain, Spaniards of all regional stripes will still be able to enjoy their sport in the south of France! 


Well, let’s go back to a less controversial subject and the main reason for our Barcelona visit.  Barcelona has always liked to promote itself as an avant-guarde metropolis.  Architect Gaudí epitomizes Barcelona’s creativity.  He is regarded as the poster boy of “Modernism.” Modernism is the Catalan adaptation of Art Nouveau. In the early 1900s, Modernism took over Barcelona by storm.  In France, the convoluted Art Nouveau was derided as “noodle art” (art nouille). By the same token, the Catalan version could be described as “squid art.” I have a fondness for art nouille, its curved, and exuberant floral patterns look very feminine.   


On Passeig de Gràcia, the Casa Batlló is one the many Modernist attractions.  Gaudí’s sea jewel of a building epitomizes the trend.  The house’s scaled roof is supposed to symbolize the hump of a dragon. Near by, stands the Casa Milá better known as the Pedrera, the stone house.  It is anotherofGaudí’s creation.  Its curvy granite facade has wrought iron balconies.  The facade and the undulating balconies give an impression of waves. 


Modernist buildings, parks and churches are attracting throngs of tourists to Barcelona. Even in case of an acute Modernism overdose, the Palau de la Música Catalana, the modernist concert hall cannot be overlooked.   Tucked in the historical heart of the town, little of it can be seen from outside.  A guided tour is highly recommended as an educational must. The outside walls (little of them are still visible now days) and interior ceramic and stained-glass decorations are breathtakingly over the top.  It is unquestionably the masterpiece of Catalan Modernism.  Tastes change, and the concert hall was regarded as so gaudy and kitschy that it was nearly demolished in the 1920s. The jury is still out on its acoustical quality.  It seems that only Catalan music lovers are pleased with it.  For me, the design and decoration easily make up for the acoustics, good or bad.   


Barcelona’s other draw is its medieval heritage.  The old city or Barrio Gótico is jammed-packed with beautiful buildings, convents and churches.  During the Middle Ages, the town was a powerful political and prosperous trading centre.  One of these medieval palaces has been converted into the Picasso museum.  Museums dedicated to Picasso are so many these days.  It is a normal outcome for a painter who once claimed “Give me a museum and I will fill it.” The museum is probably the most visited museum of Barcelona.  Young Picasso soaked in Modernism and did his bit to contribute to the trend as showed by his few exhibited works.  


The northern part of Catalonia is known for its plentiful churches and chapels.   Many of these early medieval chapels are crumbling.  Their superb Romanesque paintings have been carefully removed and re-installed in church like spaces in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya located in the Parc de Montjuïc.  Modernism is never very far away, and the museum hosts an outstanding collection of sculptures, paintings and furniture from the period. 

The easiest way to discover Barcelona is to hop on the colorful double-decker tourist buses.  They go everywhere you want to go.  They obviously stop at the Sagrada Familia church, Gaudí’s life time undertaking and unfinished masterpiece.  The church, which is an unending construction site, is usually very mobbed.  The bus’ next stop is the exuberant Park Güell, another Gaudí’s creation.  At the Sagrada Familia, there is often a long queue for the bus.  Tourists on a schedule should hail a cab instead.  The cabby will comfortably drop them in front of the park entrance. 


Barcelona is an all year-round tourist destination and a vibrant economic centre. Hotels should be booked well in advance.  The city has fully embraced globalization. However, globalization has brought some unexpected developments such as having frozen sangria delivered by Pakistani waiters on the wharf cafes.  Frozen sangria should be avoided by all means.  Nothing can replace the traditional version concocted on the spot.  This critical information was provided by our charming Pakistani waiter.     


When entering Catalonia, I was baffled to see the Provençal flag hanging from official city buildings. Actually, it is the legitimate flag of Catalonia.  I later discovered that the five red and yellow stripes flag belonged to the Counts of Barcelona.  During the Middle Age, the counts had ruled over the south of France, Provence included.  When the French king annexed Provence, the region kept its flag.  


Barcelona keeps reinventing itself.  A case in point is the urban renewal of the harbor area.  The 1992 Summer Olympic Games provided the incentive for developing the derelict sea front. Barcelona epitomizes the term fusion where north and south and east and west meet.  During its history, Barcelona has exploited many cultural, social and political concepts and ideas from its neighbors.  It has proudly fashioned them into true Catalan experiments.   


Barcelona is in the fast lane again.  Coincidently, but sadly Gaudí met his accidental death on the Rambla, the fast lane of the 20s.  He was run over by a tram in 1926.  The iconic architect was mistaken for a homeless man and was going to die in obscurity.  Fortunately, the deacon of the Sagrada Familia church recognized the wretched man and ensured that he passed his last days in decent conditions.  Recognition came: Gaudí’s body of work is a UNESCO World Heritage site.   Not coincidently, the second World Heritage site is the Palau da Música catalana! 


Beatrice Labonne, August 30, 2007.