El Born Field Study

Our second field trip to la Ribera Quarter (el Born) may have been better than the first which is hard to top!  I think it was so interesting because we walked the same streets that once were home to the working class of Barcino and each road had a different and unique story to tell.  Whether it was carrer dels cotoners, carrer de les semoleres or Placa de la llana, they are were so distinctive.  Each had a specific purpose in ancient times and the people who lived there gave new meaning to the expression, “work is my life.”  These workshop-houses served the two most valuable parts of their lives and were essential to their livelihood.  I really like the way they were set up, with a large viewing window at the front to show off their workshop, then a side smaller door to enter.  Although we didn’t get to go inside, I learned that there were normally gardens in back, and the first floor ceilings were always the highest, because that is where the owners would live.  Then their servants and such would live upstairs, meaning they also had access to smaller sized windows.  I also noticed that there were large wooden blocks above the doorways.

A highlight of the trip was going inside Santa Maria del Mar, which was built by the working class at night while they did their jobs in the day.  What a spectacle that must have been!  I did some research and learned that construction on it began in 1329, which was the height of Catalan’s maritime and mercantile preeminence.  It would have been so awesome to have been able to see it just finished back then!  The inside was beautiful and gigantic, and reminded me a lot of Sagrada Familia, except of course less fancy and ornate.  The last thing we saw, el Consolat de Mar was also very interesting.  I wish it wasn’t built over the original one so we could have seen what it looks like, but it’s very big and important, as it is the official chamber of commerce, industry and navigation for Barcelona.  I overall had a great time in el Born and now I have started walking through that area for fun!  I hope that I can convince my parents to take me to the best fish restaurant in the city that you mentioned on the tour!