I have a new hobby that involves my two favorite things: reading and travelling. In preparation for my fall cruise to the Mediterranean, I have purchased four books on Italy and Barcelona to bone up on my knowledge of the land, the architecture, the people and the customs.
Up first was a 500+ page history of Barcelona. Sadly, I didn't realize that this history ended before Franco and did not really include any twentieth century focus. Anyway, it was still an eye-opener to realize how Barcelona's history is in some ways quite distinct from that of the rest of Spain. I really liked learning about the strong and defiant manner that the Catalans of Barcelona tried to separate and distinguish themselves from Castillian Spain. I was incorrect in my assumption that Catalan was simply a different dialect of Spanish - in fact it is an entirely different language, influenced by French and Latin.
The book made me even itchier to explore the fantastical architecture of Barcelona. And for the first time, I learned about Antoni Gaudi's life - his journey from a confident and ego-centric young architect to a penitent and lonely hermit. I've always dreamed of seeing his Sagrada Familia. It was begun in 1882 and slowly inched its way into the Barcelona sky over decades. In the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War, violent mobs turned their anger towards the Sagrada Familia. During this attack, the crypt was raided and bodies were dumped on the street. In addition, all of the plans, drawings and letters were burned. Gaudi, having passed away in 1926, was not around to share his vision. Construction continued, and continues to this day, but no one really knows what Gaudi's ultimate vision was for his church, nor how he would have finished it.
I'll have to find another source to round out my understanding of the city - I would really like to know more about the Civil War and Franco. I'm definitely getting more and more jazzed up for this trip. I wonder how many books I can bring with me on the boat...
