Barcelona, Spain, Thursday September 4th

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Joel had preparation to do and we were so far behind on the blog and needed to research and organise travel arrangements for our next steps, but first we had to change our accommodation. We had only rented the apartment for four nights and we now moved to a hotel not too far away. Any move is a drag and a time waster, and unfortunately we hadn’t confirmed what we were going to do next so we didn’t know whether to book for another night or if we would be travelling on the next day. By the time we had decided to stay another day in Barcelona for a further night, to have a catch up day, there was no room available in our new hotel and we had to move yet again. But I am ahead of us here. At this point we had moved into the new hotel and all was fine, and Joel had settled down to work in his room just down the corridor. We didn’t settle down to work ourselves because we had found where the Museum of Catalonia was and I was keen to see it and the Museu de L’historia de la Ciutat.

By this stage we knew our way around the city reasonably well so we found the area we needed and after some help from several people on the street, the Placa del Rei was finally found, tucked in behind walls in the only spot we seemed to have missed. This is a vast museum because it was made by linking the archaeological sites under the buildings and under the square. They are the remains of the ancient colony of Roman Barcino, dating from the 1^st to 6^th Centuries AD, and include commercial and artisan areas of wine production, fish and sea products works, dyers workshops, a laundry and a pottery, as well as a Basilica, other religious buildings and a necropolis. Walkways took us over the site with excellent information boards explaining the way of life and the customs of the people who lived in Barcino. A sauce derived from fish offal and some shell fish was called ‘garum’ and was a must in the early Roman cuisine. Permission was sought by the laundry owners to collect the communal urine and amphoras were placed in the streets outside the laundry so that ‘donations’ could be made. Ash and urine were the ‘swear by’ ingredients that the laundry used to achieve a truly ‘white than white’ that would make your neighbour envious of you and your toga. Remarkable archaeological detective work, sifting out every tiny seed and plant flake have enabled the dyeing ingredients to be identified. A whole series of vats and drains linked rooms in the wine makers. In the past people must have regarded a prime site as just that, and the fact that a fairly ancient building was there was a problem solved by knocking things down a bit, recycling some of the materials and consolidating the rubble to act as a foundation. It was unfortunate that we had just reached the religious sections when our body clocks set off the siesta alarm, and although we soldiered on, it was certainly at half pace and with lots of uncontrollable yawning. Anyone looking at the surveillance footage would have recommended a rest. I sparked up when we came upon a most fascinating map showing the migration patterns in Europe from the 4^th to the 6^th Centuries AD, but even the news that the Vandals had been particularly active and that the Bretons had gone from modern England to modern Brittany at that time was not what we needed. Fresh air, an ice-cream and a sit down revived us after we left the museum.

I had missed the cloisters in the cathedral on our last visit, when Joel and Keith had been the last to gone in before closing time and I had been absorbed elsewhere. We decided to wait until the special visiting time finished, since strangely the ‘special’ part is that you have to pay to go in. Fifteen minutes later it would be free again. I spent the time looking around the antiques market, where china headed dolls sat in cardboard box crèches beside the treasures of bygone eras. The cloisters are intact and surround a garden and fish pond, with the fattest fish and geese enjoying and making the most of the religious life there. Some of the tombstones had skull and cross bones on them, which I have not seen before.The Museum of the History of Catalonia was down by the sea, looking out at a forest of masts in the marina. This was one of the best museums that we have been to and we had not allowed it enough time! We made the choice to start with the second floor, which is devoted to the period from the 18^th Century up until modern times.

Modern Spain consists of various regions that, in the past, have been separate states or kingdoms, being invaded and dominated from time to time from every direction, and each having its own distinctive language and culture. The central region of Castille has often been the dominant force and much of Spain was dominated by Muslims for several hundred years.

Catalonia is a region in Spain's north east and it has a very strong regional culture, including its own language and literature. For some periods it has been independent or autonomous (as various regions of Spain are now) and at other times it has been occupied and the local culture and language suppressed.

The Catalan people developed economically by taking advantage of new inventions, which aided a resurgence in agriculture, particularly for wine and spirit production. They began to build up big export markets. Migrants poured in to service the new enterprises. King Felipe V of Castille was still in control of Spain and many longed for self government in Catalonia so that they could manage and benefit more from the new found wealth. The private sector took over and developed regulating bodies for trade and development. The king closed the universities in Catalonia but this did not stop the formation of academic, literary and scientific groups. Primary education was revitalised and teaching in Catalan language was promoted despite official and Royal opposition. Spain invaded France in 1793, France invaded back and the Catalans formed an army and routed the French, bringing the war to an end. Five minutes later, or so it seems, France and the Spanish monarchy formed an alliance against Great Britain that stopped exports from Catalonia to its major markets in England, America and the Netherlands.

Next thing you know, France invaded Catalonia and in 1812 Napoleon annexed it to France. He did work on improving relations with Catalonia and recognised Catalan as an official language. The Industrial Revolution arrived and made its mark, with economic benefits for some and misery for others. The history continues with several more wars, and upheavals over the throne. Phyloxera destroyed the vineyards, appearing first in 1879 after spreading throughout France. Grafting to American root stock saved the day after 1909. Workers societies formed because of disputes in industries and these led on to Utopian experiments and the birth of the Republican movement. In 1892 the Catalanist Union met and set a goal to make Catalonia a sovereign nation. While that goal was not achieved, in 1932 Catalonia was recognised as an autonomous region within the State of Spain. There was great destruction of Catalonia during the Spanish Civil War and great repression during the Franco years. Many Catalans were exiled, Catalanist and left wing groups were repressed, self-government was abolished, with Catalonia no longer being recognised as a country. Various opposition groups were set up, some clandestinely. Franco died in 1975 and the opening up of the regime led in 1977 to the first free elections since 1936. Self-government was reinstated in Catalonia.

The museum presents its information and social commentary in a fascinating array of displays, utilising historical objects and mannequins and photographs. We had to be hounded out at closing time without even doing justice to the second floor displays. We must come back if we can.