Independence Day (Sort of) Sept. 11

Ridiculously beautiful and ornate ceiling of what used to be the chapel

We are going back in time, before the Foleys came, to show you pieces of Barcelona that tourists rarely get to see. And it isn't the Fat Tire sign below, which we took a picture of just to show the reach of Colorado's finest brewery, it is the Generalitat de Catalunya and Catalan Independence Day.

the ninth-century Count of Barcelona, Guifré el Pelós—Wilfred the Hairy for anglophones and those with a sense of humor—was wounded in battle (enemy unclear; either the Moors or the Normans), and as he lay on the battlefield Frankish king Louis the Pious dipped four fingers in Wilfred's blood and ran them along Wilfred's golden shield, rewarding his bravery with a new coat of arms. - See more at: http://www.letsgo.com/europe/spain/barcelona/blogs/markwarren/2011/06/06/legend-catalan-flag#sthash.9nvrQObq.dpuf

The original Fat Tire?? I think not...

Yes we waited in a long line

The Generalitat de Catalunya consists of the Parliament, the Presidency of the Generalitat, the Government and the institutions, the Council for Statutory Guarantees, the Ombudsman, the Public Audit Office and the Catalonia Broadcasting Council. So it's kind of like walking through the White House and Congressional buildings, but smaller and more ornate.

Saint Jorge Killing the Barcelona Dragon!

The Courtyard

This statue was so weird we had to take a picture

This figure is actually concave. Trippy.

This building is rarely open to tourists, but on such a day as Catalan's loss of Independence day it is free for all who care to venture in. And it is definitely worth the venture.

The modernist meeting place of Catalunyan powers

Exiting Middle earth

We didn't get to see the President's quarters, but we sauntered through the conference room, the chapel and arms room into a courtyard that looked like it came straight out of Rivendell, and into the huge ballroom that used to be the chapel (before it was relegated to a smaller, less prominent place).

A ridiculously beautiful chandelier

Rivendell and the House of Elrond!

And the stone lady is so sad that they have lost their freedom. Unfortunately, as she is solidified in stone, even if they do secede she'll still be crying.

The Catalunya Independence day commemorates the defeat of the Aragon Kingdom troops on 11 September 1714 fighting during the War of the Spanish Succession. It reminds them of what they lost and why they hate Spain. Yet Catalunyans don't seem to grasp the fact that saying farewell to Spain would mean they'd have to work a lot harder...Why you ask? Well, although they feel that they're getting the short end of the stick in terms of taxes [and of course other State actions that rankle their nationalist fervor] they would have to develop their own military and international relations which would be exceedingly costly. But hey, I'm no economist.

Historical archetypes of some king and queen.

These paper maché Catalan giants have been used in celebratory procession for centuries. And apparently their revolutionary garb resembled that of Paul Revere.       







After viewing the Generalitat, we walked through the human chain that spanned all of Catalunya (consisting of hundreds of thousands of Catalans spanning 250 miles, yeah, they're serious) to the Parque de la Ciutadella. Passing by the most beautiful statue I've seen in Barcelona (the crying lady below) and the most beautiful fountain that I've ever seen (that will come in a later blog) through the Barcelona version of the Arc de Triunf proudly waiving a gigantic Catalan flag.

Tongue of Fire!

Trees! Knobby branchy trees.

The legend of the Catalan flag is worth a few lines. The ninth-century Count of Barcelona, Guifré el Pelós—Wilfred the Hairy —was wounded in battle by Moors, or Normans, well some kind of enemy at least, and as he lay on the battlefield Frankish king Louis the Pious dipped four fingers in Wilfred's blood and ran them along Wilfred's golden shield, rewarding his bravery with a new coat of arms. This then, the story goes, became the flag of Catalunya. Four bloody finger marks...Not sure if there's a legend of the blue triangle with the star...Maybe it's the reflection of the night's sky in his dying eyes...or maybe something a little more gruesome and less poetic.

the ninth-century Count of Barcelona, Guifré el Pelós—Wilfred the Hairy for anglophones and those with a sense of humor—was wounded in battle (enemy unclear; either the Moors or the Normans), and as he lay on the battlefield Frankish king Louis the Pious dipped four fingers in Wilfred's blood and ran them along Wilfred's golden shield, rewarding his bravery with a new coat of arms. - See more at: http://www.letsgo.com/europe/spain/barcelona/blogs/markwarren/2011/06/06/legend-catalan-flag#sthash.9nvrQObq.dpuf

Plaza Catalunya should always be dressed in black.

What goes better with Catalan independence than fish?

Fun day seeing the true character of Barcelona. Everyone draped in their flags singing, lounging, drinking, eating, making impromptu Castelleres (coming up in another blog) and generally making merry. It seems strange to commemorate a day of utter failure, but hey, it's a reminder to them of who they were, and what they want to be.