The Port Vell (old port) has been completely redeveloped, there is a wonderful wooden foot bridge which rotates to let the sailboats through from the marina to the open sea. We had a pleasant walk along the sea to the beach at Barceloneta.
When the Citadel was constructed in 1718, the homes in La Ribera were demolished with no compensation given to the inhabitants. Barceloneta was to be built to compensate the homeowners; however, as it took more than 40 years to complete the project, it was the descendants of those original La Ribera inhabitants who received the new homes.
Barceloneta was designed in 1753, at the time, it was considered very progressive as it was laid out in a grid system with a market and central Placa. Long, narrow blocks of houses were to only have one upper floor to ensure access to sunlight and air. Not surprisingly, the restriction was modified in 1837 and then ignored, resulting in dark little streets as building height increased.
Since we meandered along the sea, I will add a small snippet about the fishermen in medieval Barcelona. Fishermen had no interest in politics, they were not part of the Council of One Hundred, their life was at sea. At sea, the skipper’s word was law. The catch was divided equally between the crew, with the captain taking two shares, one for him and one for maintenance of the boat. Shipmates were fiercely loyal, there was also a feline member of the crew on board who tended not to be loyal. The coveted cats were large and black, their role on board was that of the ratter. The best cats were stolen from other boats, lured on board with a piece of fish. Under maritime law, the owner of a cat-less ship that was infested with rats, had to compensate the crew.
Marina at the Port Vell
Ginormous yacht
Beach at Barceloneta
Peix (Fish) by Frank Gehry
Barceloneta
On our return from the seaside we meandered through some of the old medieval area of the city then continued on up to Gracia.
Placa Reial
The Placa is graceful, it is one of Barcelona’s most elegant spaces. Surrounded by arcades, the Placa is massive. The fountain displays figures of the Three Graces. The lamp posts were designed by Gaudi when he was an architecture student, they depict Hermes, the patron god of Catalan business - two serpents around a staff and a winged helmet. The Placa went into decline after the merchants and bankers left for Eixample in the 1880s. It became a rather vile space in the 60s and 70s with all manner of drug dealers, but has since been restored. Today, it is very popular with visitors and was very busy, the bars and restaurants in the Placa do a brisk trade.
Placa Reial
Font de les Tres Gràcies- Fountain of the Three Graces
Tomorrow is flight day so we have to finish our cava, pack up and get up quite early to catch our flight. This has been another exceptional trip, Spain is marvellous and we really enjoyed Catalunya and Barcelona. The best hiking was in els Ports, we have fond memories of the time we spent in those beautiful mountains.
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