Today's return to Barcelona was an opportunity to learn even more about this beautiful city. In the previous tour, we focused on the oldest parts of the city from both ancient Roman and medieval times.
Today, we looked at four waves of change that swept through Barcelona and expanded the city each time. Barcelona had been a major shipping and trading city for centuries, but its first wave of modern change occurred with the World's Fair of 1888.
Spain demonstrated iits imperial and cultural significance through artictecture and art, some of which still stands today.
The Arc de Triumphe (below) was made as the entrance to the World's Fair and was designed by Catalan architect, Josep Vilaseca. This brick arch was so loved that while the rest of the facility was torn down, the arch became the entrance to a garden square that houses ths local government's parliament.
You can see the tree lined garden with the arch in the background. The stone building to the back right is the government building.
Below, the Christopher Columbus Monument was built at the entrance to the city from Port Vell. It also marks the end of LA Rambla, an open air market that is still thriving today. It was built as part of the 1888 event to celebrate the imperialism of Spain because Barcelona was where Columbus returned to meet the king and queen after his journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
At the base of the column, the Spanish king and queen are carved along with symbols of the regions of Spain that supported Columbus on his voyage including Catalonia, Argon, Castile, and Leon.
What a beautiful statue of Christopher Columbus! I just enjoy reading your captions too. Have you ever given thought to making this a career move? If you ever get tired of teaching....here is your second profession! Your descriptions are detailed and capture readers attention! Thanks so much for sharing your journey even though it's slightly changed. Glad you are making more out of the trip.
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