"Barça = football"

Basilica de la Sagrada Família

Barcelona (week 25)

Even in the last week of December, Barcelona is full of tourists.  We had planned for a morning outing to the Gaudí-designed basilica Sagrada Família, but the lineup was around the block by the time we got there just after 10 am.  So we just took in the exterior with a stroll around the church, which was very impressive in and of itself.  The cranes attest to the fact that even though construction started in 1882, the building is unfinished.  We then carried on to Camp Nou, the home field of FC Barcelona.  The club bills itself as the most successful in professional sports; even if Montréal Canadiens fans disagree, it's hard to argue when you walk through the trophy room and see their hardware.  The club is not just the soccer team - there is also professional basketball, handball, roller hockey (on old-style roller skates with field hockey sticks) and futsal (an indoor soccer variant).  They also run amateur teams in volleyball, ice hockey, wheelchair basketball, and various women's sports.

We took the stadium tour, which is quite comprehensive.  It starts in the Barça museum full of the aforementioned trophies and other memorabilia from shoes to videos of famous goals.  It continues into the stadium itself, visiting a locker room, press room (for press conferences), press booth (where the play-by-play announcers sit), etc.  You get to walk down the same tunnel as the players, past the very Catholic addition of a chapel on the way, and onto the sidelines (but not, naturally, onto the pitch itself).  It's also a good workout - at one point you have to hike all the way up from the pitch level to the press booth, which hangs from the roof.  Naturally you end up in the FCBotiga (botiga = boutique), a 3-level shop with probably the same area as a small Walmart.  For all its size, though, the selection is pretty limited, consisting of modern jerseys (three styles plus two goalie styles), soccer balls, jackets and other clothes, and various knickknacks like fridge magnets and water bottles.  It's not nearly as extensive as the gold standard of team stores - the Bruins shop in the TD Garden - because it has no historical items and no game-worn or signed memorabilia.

from left to right: the field-side bench, the chapel in the player's tunnel, the press booth above the stadium

Reefie revisited

fancy digs for a tourist bureau

Barcelona (week 25)

Barcelona's aquarium bills itself as the largest in Europe.  In terms of exhibit space, it doesn't seem bigger than Cité de la Mer, but then Cherbourg's aquarium has an entire ballistic missile nuclear submarine within its area.  On the other hand, l'Aquàrium de Barcelona has far more tanks and fish, so perhaps they have a point.  It's easy to see where the Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto got its inspiration - the layout, signage, and giant conveyor belt under the big tank were all pretty much the same between the two aquaria.  Andrew was glad to get reacquainted with the reef sharks (this time both black-tipped and white-tipped).

To get to the Aquarium, we came out of the Drassanes Metro stop and walked down past the tourist bureau, located in the base of the giant Mirador de Colom monument to Christopher Columbus, and over the Rambla de Mar bridge.  Catamarans for the 2-man-team around-the-world endurance race were moored at the harbour near the bridge.  The harbourfront was busy, even on a Sunday, as all the stores in the mall were open, and lots of people were going to the Aquarium and the movie theatre.  It's a vibrant and modern waterfront bordered by interesting buildings and not too marred by the industrial port facilities as you look seaward.

Leaving the Aquarium, we followed the roadway north-east until we came to the Parc de la Ciutaella, site of the Catalonian Parliament.  The park also hosts a population of wild parrots, the local zoo, and various other buildings.  We strolled along past orange trees and the big fountain (reminiscent of the Palais Longchamps in Marseille) and up the promenade to the Arc de Triomf that I mentioned in the previous post.  From there we caught the Metro back to our hotel.

Down the Via Domitia

Barcelona (week 25)

The reason the Romans settled Provence was to have a secure land route between Italy and Spain.  Thus, all along our drive from Puyloubier to Barcelona there were signs declaring that we were following the path of the Via Domitia Roman route.  We decided to come to Barcelona for our Christmas holiday.  To emphasize the old Roman connection, there is a large Arc de Triomf in the extended garden surrounding the Catalonian parliament building.  Like in Paris, this is not an actual Roman structure, but instead was built for the 1888 World's Fair.  Interestingly, the outside is brick-covered, as you can see in the picture.
  
The Catalonians are certainly in the Christmas spirit, with a skating rink covering most of the Plaça de Catalunya and festive lights adorning the main streets.  The ice was actually quite good in spite of the 10+ degrees temperature, since the rink was covered and perhaps also air-conditioned.  Craig, Andrew, and David went for a skate (no helmets required for those over 8!); they also had Wii U consoles set up, a hockey-shooting area reminiscent of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and video screens showing highlights of the Sochi Olympics (perhaps to support a fellow Olympic alumnus city).

We also took a stroll down La Rambla, checking out the market, which included a large fish market; stalls selling meats, candies, and fruit; and a "Dunkin' Coffee" (i.e. Dunkin' Donuts).