Barcelona 2023: Where & Why

All right, time for the post-trip-posts I traditionally pen. First off: why did I go here and what happened?

Followed by a food post, and then a Final Thoughts/Tips Post.

First. Why?

My last international trip was to Italy, by myself in the early spring. This summer, the guys and I did a great trip to Yosemite. In between have been several family-related jaunts out West and around the southeast.

I wanted to get a fall trip in, but it was tricky. I had obligations – local talks, plus the Notre Dame conference. Family members were moving about – new homes, new cities – and could use a hand in those activities. I had originally planned to do this trip at the end of September, by myself. I wanted to get in the two major sites I’d not visited on my first trip to Barcelona 14 years ago – actually going inside Sagrada Familia as well as the journey to Montserrat – and I’d happened upon what looked like a good festival – Santa Tecla in Tarragona. Tarragona also has important Roman sites I was interested in seeing. So I was set – even had a couple of hotel reservations.

But then…the family members who were moving – two sets of them – came closer to solidifying their plans, and the dates for all of this were too close to the end of September for comfort.

So scratch that!

Then, through conversation, a new plan evolved – and that week in November – in between Notre Dame and Thanksgiving and maybe a trip out West – worked very well, not only for me, but for a friend, when we decided to do this trip together.

Now, I’m a comfortable solo traveler, and enjoy traveling with family, but this would be new – could it work?

It did! My friend and I are both low-maintenance people and we worked out a system, as it were, in which the first few days we saw all of the big sites and did the acclimation to the city together, but then, the last few days, perhaps saw one site together, but then she & I split up for the rest of the day until dinner, following our own interests. It worked great – and in particular, worked well for me since there’s only one thing I’m not super comfortable doing solo: eating dinner during those late-night southern European dining hours. I determined to do so in Italy in February, but could never quite get there and not feel weird. Perhaps I will in the future, but this worked out great.

So that’s why. Now, where?

We just stuck to Barcelona. We had originally thought about – and even planned – a day trip to Tarragona. For me, it was mostly because I was convinced I would be sick of Barcelona and just want to get out of the city. But it didn’t work that way. As Monday (the day we’d thought we go) approached, we both agreed that there was plenty left to do and see in Barcelona, and as for me, no, I wasn’t sick of it at all.

Day 1 – November 8 – Landed at BCN about an hour earlier than scheduled, contacted AirBnB host, who let us drop off our bags and get the keys from the cleaner. They’d meet us at noon to orient us. We spent the day orienting ourselves to Barcelona, including one of those open-bus tours, which was freezing (it did warm up a lot during the stay, but those first couple of days were chilly) – but helpful.

Day 2 – November 9 Sagrada Familia tour.

Day 3 – November 10 – Montserrat

Day 4 – November 11 – La Pedrera and Sant Pau

Day 5 – November 12 – Mass, Parc Guell and back to Sagrada Familia for dedication and lighting of the Evangelists’ towers.

Day 6 – November 13 – Casa Batlló, wandering, various churches. Including one with the …interesting Blessed Sacrament chapel.

Day 7 – November 14 – Pobleneau Cemetery, wandering, various churches. Including one with the…interesting wall art.

And then back again!

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Barcelona Saturday

No, not yesterday – last Saturday, which for some reason I never finished writing about after this post.

“Some reason” = wine.

This will be the last daily report – hopefully in the next couple of days I’ll be able to do my usual compilations – itinerary, accommodations, food, etc.

All Spain 23 posts so far are here.

Saturday began with a visit to my store that I can find in any really major city.

The only reason I am a fan of Muji is the notebooks. They are thin, basic and cheap. Everything else in Muji seems to be ridiculously expensive, but the stationary goods? Loss leader, I suppose.

So I’m stocked for a while, although I will have the chance for another Muji visit when I go to NYC in a month, so..well, that’s exciting.

I was on my way to Casa Mila or La Pedrera, but I made a stop on the way at a church, encountering a martyr and a wedding – which I wrote about here.

La Pedrera delivered, as it does. You can read more about the building here.

Located on Passeig de Gràcia, in the heart of the Barcelona Eixample, La Pedrera is Gaudí’s last residential apartment building, constructed between 1906 and 1912, coinciding with the architect’s mature period, which was inspired by nature’s shapes and which gave rise to one of the most thought-provoking and unique works of modernist architecture.

The audio tour focuses on the owner’s apartment, the attic, roof and courtyards. The attic is an important element of the building – it’s not just a storage space. Gaudí was very intentional and innovative in its design, and that innovation was not for its own sake, but had an important structural purpose as well. There’s a rather extensive exhibit space in the attic which focuses on Gaudi’s techniques here and in his other structures.

Yes, to do “all” the Gaudí in Barcelona is going to cost you – it’s probably the most expensive sightseeing I’ve ever done – but the quality of the experiences is high and I can’t begrudge these organizations from taking Gaudi’s achievements seriously and wanting to preserve and build on them. That costs money.

And in case you are interested in the question of Gaudí’s proposed path to canonization – here’s a good overview of where that stands, the objections, and so on.

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Then, more modernisme, of course – to the Hospital Sant Pau, a masterpiece, not just of design, but of enlightened, humane medical care.

The hospital was to be something very special: in a relaxing, tree-lined environment where patients could recover from their illnesses and pains and breathe fresh, clean air. The medieval and Moorish-influenced architecture – typical of much Catalan Art Nouveau – makes it difficult to tell that this is a hospital. The orientation of the buildings to the north-south axis of the site allows for maximum solar radiation on the facades of the pavilions. In addition, the design as a “Park Hospital” created open areas for the well-being of patients, which was considered a novelty at the time.

The hospital area takes up almost an entire block – the almost 30 buildings are located in a park. With the inclusion of two gardens per pavilion, the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner gave the complex a cheerful, optimistic character that helped the sick and their families to feel better. Horse chestnut, linden and orange trees line the central promenade and provide shade in summer. Medicinal medicinal plants such as laurel, lavender, rosemary and lemon trees grow in the roadside beds.

At the main entrance to the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau complex is the chapel-like administrative building with a large domed roof and an impressive entrance hall with marble columns and mosaic-covered ceilings. It is no coincidence that the building looks like a church, as it is intended to symbolize the Christian tradition. At the same time, the building should represent a person who spreads his arms and welcomes the patients with open arms.

I would add that every ward building had its own chapel area.

It’s beautiful, impressive and moving. I just did a self-guided tour with pamphlet, but there are audioguide and in-person guided tours as well.

Even though the wards are empty now, one can’t walk around without being struck by two realities: the depth of human suffering and what can happen when that suffering is met with respect for the human person, body and soul.

One simple example. Below (and seen to the far left above) is the ceiling of a ward. The designer/architect wanted an evocation of the natural world, bathed in light, to be the first thing patients saw when they opened their eyes in the morning:

Do remember that this was a hospital for the poor.

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Go big

I’ve previously highlighted some interesting Spanish church features here and here. Well, let’s look at another

Video would be better to get the full effect here. That is, walking into Santa Maria del Pi, surveying the side altars, which look like this:

…and then facing front and seeing:

It’s huge.

Before we get all judgy, let’s read the signage:

(Remember – click on the image for a larger one)

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So, basically – graffiti was an issue, and they decided to engage instead of fight, to use the moment to strengthen ties.

I just don’t think that admirable goal necessarily calls for a massive, dominating piece like this. But then, of course, I don’t have the inside point of view. Wouldn’t it be more interesting, though, to engage with say, local graffiti artist by inviting them to learn about sacred art and symbolism and use their talents – or invite an artist like this who works in that style – to enhance the space in a way that respects what’s already there without apparently seeking to overwhelm it and draw attention to itself?

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Adios, Barcelona

Well, I’m back…this was my perfect view at about 8pm last night:

I will be back in the next day or so with my usual summary posts: Why I went, where I stayed, what I ate and a day-by-day itinerary. Go here for previous trips.

(And in case you are wondering, I have nothing big planned for the next several months. I’ll be heading West for a short visit this weekend, then up a little north of here for Thanksgiving, and YES we have reached the point at which I am no longer the primary host for things like this and PRAISE GOD for THAT – and then to NYC for a few days around Christmas.)

Where were we? Ah yes, I‘d told you about Monday, so it’s on to Tuesday.

(Remember – photos in galleries – that is, in any display not a single image – you can click on it to enlarge it.)

Tuesday began…in a cemetery.

I got on the Metro and headed a bit north to the Pobleneau Cemetery, fame for its funerary monuments, especially this one:

There were others:

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I walked around for a while, partly in search for the Kiss of Death statue, but also just to see the other memorials, elaborate or simple.

There were a few people there that Tuesday morning: an elderly man standing, hat in hand, lost in thought in front of a bank of crypts, an elderly woman sitting in front of another, cane and shopping bag in hand. She said something to me as she walked away – pointing – and I think she was complaining about flowers falling from one of the higher rows of crypts. A young man also stood quietly in another part of the cemetery, contemplating in front of a wall of graves.

You can’t help but pray in a place like that, of course: pray for the dead, for those standing, looking, remembering, praying, for all of us.

What are we praying for? For their salvation and peace, for ours. And, I think, for the sake of the connection. Praying that the connection we knew on earth will not – please, cannot – be broken forever, praying that somehow the movements in our own souls, the memorial we construct, the mementos we leave, the care that we take – will keep the links from fraying any more than space and time necessitate.

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Another notable figure:

No idea, but I love it.

There is a boy – Francesc Canals i Ambrós – who is buried in this cemetery and is popularly revered as an uncanonized saint – but I couldn’t find his grave.

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Church time. Once again, I came upon a …design feature of a Spanish church that calls for its own post. So come back for that in a bit.

Anyway:

Iglesia de San Jaime:

Home of Hermandad nuestra señora del rocio de barcelona – whose processional cart is kept in the church. I couldn’t get great photos, but perhaps despite that you can see how the cart represents certain aspects of Catholicism in Catalonia – the towers of Sagrada Familia, Montserrat:

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Santa Maria de Pi:

A display of Los Gigantes – some of the huge figures traditionally carried in parades and processions:

In the crypt, an excellent history of the church, including before and after photos of the destruction wrought by the Republicans in 1936:

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La Mare de Déu de Betlem

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Then some wandering. Many enjoy an afternoon gelato cone. I prefer something different:

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Final stop: Palau de la Música Catalana

Designed in the Catalan modernista style by the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner,it was built between 1905 and 1908 for Orfeó Català, a choral society founded in 1891 that was a leading force in the Catalan cultural movement that came to be known as the Renaixença (Catalan Rebirth). It was inaugurated on 9 February 1908.

Domènech also designed the Hospital of San Pau, which I visited on Saturday and just now realized I never wrote about. Okay, I owe you one….

Well, back to Tuesday. The theater is astonishing. I would love to attend a concert there. What an experience it would be.

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Well

As I mentioned in my previous post, today I visited Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona.

They had an…interesting space for the reservation of the Eucharist:

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The explanation, with a computer-generated translation:

THE WORD OF GOD

IT BECAME FLESH

AND HE PUT HIS TENT

BETWEEN US

JOHN 1,14

THE RENOVATED CHAPEL OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

OF SANTA MARIA DEL MAR

The reorganization of the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament of Santa Maria del Mar has been done thanks to generous and discreet donations, respecting the heritage values ​​of the Basilica, Cultural Heritage since 1931, and emphasizing its eucharistic meaning.

In this renovation, the Chapel is presented as a Tent of Camp where Jesus Christ is present in the consecrated bread of the Eucharist, given “the Word of God became flesh and pitched his tent among us” (John 1, 14).

In this Camp Tent, God himself “set the table” (Psalm 22.5), with the sacramental presence of Jesus who is “the bread of life” (John 6.35), and for this reason “the Church gives herself in breaking bread with everyone” (Pope Francis, 2021).

Jesus celebrated the first Eucharist in “a large room” (Mk 14, 15), on a wide table, an expression of “the double table of the Word and the Body of Christ which is the Eucharist” (DV 21). In this framework, the tabernacle of white and luminous alabaster, where the Bread of Life is collected, and the firm and austere iron altar, from where the Word of God is proclaimed, offer worship the presence sacramental of Jesus himself, “bearing in mind that the Eucharistic Celebration is in itself the greatest act of adoration of the Church” (Pope Benedict XVI, 2007).

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The tabernacle:

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It is late, and I am tired, so I can’t access great depths of thought right now. I will just say that this installation – and that’s the vibe it gives – as an art installation – suffers from the modern’s loss of symbolic weight and depth. It seeks to avoid any references to any ways that the Body of Christ has responded to the presence of Christ among that might have had expression between the first century and the present day. It’s so literal, its attempt to bring the what the Scriptures tell us about all of this – Jesus’ Passion, death and resurrection, the Last Supper, Jesus’ Real Presence among us – into the present moment and into our daily lives in a recognizable way seems (to me) ironically shallow, perhaps evoking a Is that all there is? feeling.

Which, as I have said a few times, is a project of the past few decades of Catholic thought leaders – to get all of those pesky accretions out of the way, for they believe that all of that indeed does, stand in the way of us and the kind of encounter with Christ that meets us and challenges us here, where we are. All of that other stuff? Obstacles, not doors.

That said, there was a person praying there – a rather alternative-coiffed person using a thick prayer book, perhaps the Liturgy of the Hours.

So. There’s that. Which is a definite good.

Nonetheless…

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Barcelona Monday

Yes, I know there is a lot going on news-wise, but I am over here and who cares what I think anyway. It’s a good discipline, to be out of the loop.

(Not that I won’t have thoughts when I return, if not from this trip, from the next [quick] one.)

Today was one more Gaudi stop – very different from the others and totally worth it, despite some rather over-dramatic narration on the audio guide. Casa Batlló is beautiful, and once again, one has to wonder what is stopping us from creating living spaces with even a bit of this creativity and imagination now.

And then, an afternoon of wandering.

For some reason, this bakery featured (baked) sweet potatoes in the case. I haven’t seen them in any other Barcelona bakery so far.

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Do they sell legs of Iberico ham at Aldi in the US? I….don’t think so.

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I eventually made it over to a couple of churches. First, Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón. Ignatius’ sword is here, but the main body of the church is inaccessible, and I presume the sword is on display there. There is a lot of nice plexiglass and another chapel behind more plexiglass that they seem to use for daily Mass, but all I could do was sit in the pews set up between the two spaces.

Next, to the Basilica of Santa María del Mar. Ignatius has a connection here as well, it being a site where he begged. It is a towering Gothic structure, built in a relatively short time and in a consistent style (because of that short time) by the local parishioners, most of them involved in trades related to the sea. Obviously.

There was a room for eucharistic reservation which merits its own post. So come back in a second for that.

Dinner – it was planned to be an apertif, but was so satisfying and interesting, it became dinner – was at Quimet and Quimet. The emphasis is on tapas built around Spain’s tinned seafood – anchovies, sardines, tuna, cockles, squid – and it was wonderful. You do not sit – you stand at the bar or at one of the couple of tables. You can stay for an hour, tops, then you have to move on. It was a great experience and wonderful food.

One more note from the day: I stopped in a large bookstore – Casa del Libro – and of course looked for religion books. The section on “personal beliefs” was huge – and it was all new age/affirrmation/self-help spirituality. The low shelf on the left was mostly yoga. I didn’t know there were so many books about yoga.

The Christianity section was not tiny, but yes, it was much smaller than the general “personal beliefs” section filled with books filled with advice on how to find happiness even if your personal belief is that no personal beliefs are actually about things that are true for everyone.

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So how about a fraction of a fraction of a fraction (of a fraction) of some of the beautiful architectural and decorative sites of Barcelona. And a sunset.

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Barcelona Sunday

It was a day full of crowds of people praying, protesting, dancing, running, watching and strolling.

On the way to the Cathedral for Mass, dodging hundreds of walkers and runners.

The Cathedral, 10:30 Mass is in Catalan. A celebrant, with perhaps 6 concelebrants, a deacon and six very serious and well-trained servers. The music was beautiful, mostly a cappella choir, some organ, and a very Spanish-forward cantor who directed us with choir-directing-motions. There was no congregational hymn singing, but the Mass parts were sung, some in Latin (Gloria, Credo) others – the Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei – in Catalan, which surprised me – do the really long ones in Latin, but the shorter, actually (still) more commonly sung in Latin/Greek in the vernacular?

No matter. The music was beautiful, the liturgy was prayed with reverence and the homily – read from two sides of a single sheet of paper – was about ten minutes long. Whatever he said, he said succinctly and with care.

No photos or videos were allowed during Mass, but I got a few after – and before we were run out for the next Mass. If you would like videos, go to Instagram Stories.

Walking out of the Cathedral, the sardana – or traditional Catalan dance – was already in progress in the square, a Sunday afternoon tradition. Again – video at Instagram.

But why are so many people wandering around draped in Spanish flags? And why, after Mass, are so many of them moving in a single direction? Well, thanks Internet – it seems it was an anti-independence-for-Catalan protest. One of several across the country today.

Lunch was at a tiny place in the Gothic Quarter called Salterio, discovered through the Instagram page of Keith Taillon, whom I started following because of his Gilded Age recaps and background, but who is also a great travel Grammer and was in Barcelona in May. Lovely herbal tea, a white-wine Sangria which was light and refreshing, and a gorgeous dish called sardo – I suppose you could say it’s an North African/Near Eastern quesadilla, made here with extreme care and high quality ingredients. Fantastic. (I’ll have a full Barcelona food report when I return).

Then, some buskers.

Then on the bus up to Parc Guell. More Guadi, more fascinating Barcelona history.

Another busker, with parakeets who live in the park.

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Then, back down to Sagrada Familia, which was tonight blessing the now-completed four towers dedicated to the evangelists. You can see better photos and videos at their Instagram page.

The streets around the church were packed with people, the church was mostly dark to those of us outside. Mass had begun at 5:30 inside, so we were waiting for it to end, at which point the blessing would occur. At about 6:45, episcopal personages – I assume the Archbishop of Barcelona – processed out, choir music was piped outside, prayers were prayed, holy water was flung a few feet – but what else could one do – spray them with a fire hose? – and the lights came on, and the crowd oohed, clapped, and moved back into life in the city that night, this place in the midst of it all, always in sight.

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A Spanish martyr

Of course there are thousands, but I ran across a unique statue of one I’d never heard of today: Blessed Joan Roig Diggle, beatified in 2020 at Sagrada Familia:

Blessed Joan Roig Diggle was killed “in hatred of the faith” in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War. The young man was known for his devotion to the Eucharist at a time when churches in Barcelona were being closed, burned, or destroyed, so a priest entrusted Joan Roig with a ciborium containing the Blessed Sacrament to distribute Holy Communion to those most in need in their homes as it was not possible to attend Mass.

During one of these visits, Joan Roig told a family that he knew that red militiamen were trying to kill him. “I fear nothing, I take the Master with me,” he said. When those seeking his life knocked on his door, the young man consumed the hosts he had been guarding to protect them from potential desecration.

The Libertarian Youth patrol then took him to the Santa Coloma cemetery where he was killed on Sept. 11, 1936 with five shots to the heart and one to the head. Blessed Joan Roig’s last words were: “May God forgive you as I forgive you.”

Here’s the statue in the Basilica of the Puríssima Concepció, where he was baptized:

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The interior of the church – a stop on my way to Casa Milà – where there was a small, obvious pre-wedding gathering outside and preparations inside. I went ahead and entered, because others were inside, praying and looking around, and a few small children were exploring. A cellist was practicing, followed by an organ. Then the two started playing together and well-dressed people started entering, not in a big formal procession, but clearly…for the wedding. It was interesting to me that life around them in the church just kept going on and no one was making any of the rest of us leave.

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More later…

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Day Trip to Montserrat

Yesterday, a day trip from Barcelona to Montserrat.

(How? F5 train from Barcelona arrives at Monistrol de Montserrat in time to get you on the rack rail train up the mountain. You can get off the previous stop and ride up the cable car as well. It’s all timed so you just get off one and on the other.)

A history of the monastery, which is still active – despite the efforts of Napoleon and the Communists – and is famed for a boys’ choir school.

On the Black Madonna image of Our Lady of Montserrat:

The image of Our Lady of Montserrat, popularly known as La Moreneta (the Dark One), due to the dark colour of Her skin, is a truly beautiful 12th-century Romanesque polychrome carving. Pope Leo XIII proclaimed Our Lady of Montserrat Ptron Saint of Catalonia in 1881. In 1947, the image was enthroned in a silver altarpiece, paid for by popular subscription and installed in the upper section of the basilica apse.
Artistically, the image imitates a popular model, that of Our Lady Majesty, with a wholly frontal attitude and Baby Jesus on Her lap in the centre. Both Mother and Child are wearing crowns.

The figure of Our Lady stretches out Her right hand, which holds the globe, symbolising the cosmos. Our Lady nearly rests Her left hand on the Child’s shoulder, indicating that this omnipotent king is Her Son. With His right ahnd, the Child gives a blessing, whilst His left hand holds a pinecone, symbol of fertility and everlasting life.

General impressions and then photos:

• A wonderful day trip, and…popular. Especially late morning to midday. Many, many groups. Because of the nature of the site, it’s not oppressive, but it’s definitely a busy place.
• They told us to get into the basilica by 12:45 for the 1pm boys’ choir concert. Arriving at 12:30 was better because by 12:45 the basilica was full.
• There are many hikes around Montserrat including, of course, the possibility of hiking up to the monastery itself, which would be a challenge but a very rewarding one, I think. We only did one hike – a relatively easy one up to St. Michael’s Cross.
• I had thought that the 1pm performance would be the choir in support of the monks’ prayer. It wasn’t – it was just the boys, who sang Pater Noster, a version of the Salve Regina, and then a hymn which was unfamiliar to me. It was lovely, but not exactly what I expected.
• It is, of course, stunning.
• It would be interesting to attend Mass there, but I’d have to spend the night there in order to do so, I think. Or drive.
• The tabernacle was…interesting.
• Read to the end of this post to see a very puzzling piece of art.
• I reverenced the statue of our Lady – it was a long line, but didn’t take a long time – but did not take a photo of myself smiling in front of it. Or giving a peace sign. Sorry.
• Nor did I take video of the choir performing – just so you know that I didn’t hold up my phone blocking the views of others and watching on a screen what was happening in front of me in person.

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Big pipe organ…tiny pipe organ…

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“No one’s interested in what the Church offers these days.”

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Pablo Casals, who was Catalan and recorded choral works with the Montserrat choir.

The tabernacle…..

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Now this:

Got it? Nativity of the Virgin. Birthed by St. Elizabeth. Well:

If you can explain, please do. That is, shall we say, unlike any representation of post-partum St. Ann I’ve ever seen in art. Not that I’ve seen everything. It looks like a male, including the position of the sheet and the bare shoulders/upper chest. I am actually wondering if it supposed to have some meaning – that the figure is supposed to evoke Christ either giving or receiving Mary??

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All right. Back to this. Pretty nice.

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May I beat my drum again?

Montserrat was bustling. It’s a living, breathing monastery. Yes, in a spectacular setting, but still. It’s a monastery. It and Sagrada Familia are probably the most popular tourist sites in the Barcelona area. Both Catholic and clearly, unapologetically so. The crowds come for various reasons – herd instinct, checking off tourism boxes, interest in nature, history or architecture, and yes, even faith. The motives don’t matter. What matters is what the Body of Christ on earth has built – these structures that are suffused with symbolism and the living presence of Christ on earth, pitching a tent among his people – still draw people. By the thousands, by the millions.

These symbols, these structures, these practices – of simple faithful Christian discipleship, of talents used for the glory of God, of art, architecture, music, liturgy – are nothing to be ashamed of. To wave them off as something from “the past” that modern people can’t relate to their modern experiences is…many things. It’s ignorant. It’s theologically and spiritually narrow. It reflects an incorrect understanding of the ways of God and human beings, of human nature. It’s amazingly shortsighted and weirdly blind to reality. Perhaps willfully blind, even.

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Montserrat

Today’s scenery:

Come back tomorrow morning (your time…if you live in the US) for more…

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