On A Different Planet

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The temporary “resident” of our local Caixa Bank was sound asleep in the cash machine hall, as we headed out Sunday morning. The ingenious member of the disadvantaged in Barcelona had found a solution to his temporary housing problems. He had moved in at some point after close of business on Friday and taken up residence in the warm. The customers seemed not to mind and were still engaged in their normal cash transactions, whilst our man slept his way through the weekend. The remainder of the neighbourhood was also fast asleep with the exception of the dog walking fraternity. We made our way towards the Stadium Narcis Sala, home of Union Esportes Sant Andreu. The ultras were gathering – as per their instructions on Twitter – for the march to their local derby with Club Esportes Jupiter. The Bar Australia was probably glad of the custom. The gates to the stadium were boldly painted in the red and yellow stripes of the Catalan flag. It seemed rude not to enter, as they were wide open. An Under 11 game was in full swing at the far end of the 4G pitch. Parents applauded enthusiastically. We sought a seat in the covered Main Stand that wasn’t splattered with pigeon droppings and watched the duration.



It seemed logical to walk the mile or so to St Marti, home of Club Esportes Jupiter. The route was a semi-industrial wasteland that crossed the main rail lines heading north out of the city. The industrial buildings were a canvass for the street artists of Barcelona. We could hear the Sant Andreu ultras following, although they remained out of vision. The Stadium Verneda was tucked away just beyond the St Marti Metro Station. The ticket office was by the main entrance – Barcelona B could learn something from these guys – although entrance was a hefty 10 Euros. It seemed a bit steep for the level of football on offer. A club bar was heavily populated in advance of the 12 noon kick off. The coffee con leche came with complimentary mini-muffin, which went down well with the Other Half and distracted her from a perspective doughnut purchase. The Sant Andreu ultras came to a halt outside the entrance and waited patiently for their tickets, before entering. The single tier Main Stand had limited seats, so we secured some at the opposite end to the Sant Andreu fans. It was very basic, but functional enough. The oversupply of black plastic crumbs on the 4G pitch made it look scruffy. The teams entered to a flurry of flag waving by Sant Andreu. Yellow and blue balloons were released and shock, horror – a minimal amount of pyro. Jupiter struggled to respond on the opposite side. Sant Andreu dominated in their yellow and red Catalan flag replica shirts, but missed a penalty. It looked like it would be costly, but the Jupiter centre forward missed 3 gilt edged chances and speculative shot broke the deadlock with 10 minutes to go. The Jupiter fans took it on the chin. There was no segregation, but obviously no animosity between the two groups of followers. We hadn’t spotted a single police man all morning.



The plan after the game was to go to the Picasso Museum. It isn’t usually at the top of my things to do list, but Sundays after 3 pm are free. At that price, why not? We made our way as quickly as possible to the Arc de Triomphe Metro and walked down to arrive circa 2.45 pm. A long queue snaked down the narrow road outside the Museum, which the attendant estimated to be a 1 ½ hour wait. The Man in the Middle thought that didn’t represent a good use of his time. I was confident the wait would be less time. Indeed, it would have been had the couple in front not let 2 of their friends in. We missed out on the 3.30 pm entry slots by those 2 people and secured a 3.45 pm entry card. The majority of people completely disregarded the times on their ticket and attempted to get past the first security barrier. We watched with amusement, as the words “Wait”, “Too Early”, “No Backpacks” were repeated continually. There were others who completely circumnavigated the queue using the shop entrance and pleaded ignorance, when challenged. My Picasso count has now gone up a couple of hundred, but I remain more a Lowry man. The cubist Picasso works were better than the more traditional, but in all honesty the cubist works by other artists in the first section were probably the eye catchers. All a matter of individual taste, I guess. We wandered the backstreets towards the Arc de Triomphe. I am on my 3^rd Arc this year – Chisinau, Moldova, Skopje, Macedonia and now the repeat of Barcelona. The Barcelona arch is red brick and more elaborate than most. It was built for the World Fair of 1888. It had quite a gathering of people in the late afternoon sunshine.



We retreated back to base, where the Main in the Middle had been on an exploration using his Metro pass for new bars and eateries. The end of Line 1 at Fondo had proved fruitful. The La Rambla of Fondo was wall to wall bars with another that was effectively Chinatown. The beer proved competitive.





The Caixa Bank sleeper had gone on Monday morning. The bank was ironically open earlier than Lidl, so I had to go elsewhere for our breakfast provisions. We were booked on a walking tour at 11. It was one of those Free Walking Tours, now all the rage in big European cities – just donate what you think it is worth – or in the case of some, just disappear or get detached before the end. The sun was shining and the sky was blue, as we waited to be split into groups on the corner of the Plaza Catalunya. The take up had been high, although bizarrely 2 girls who had come for a “free” walking tour took up the 20 Euro alternative of Barcelona by bike. The tour cleverly avoided La Rambla, with the exception of a short stop at the fountain which has symbolic meaning to all Barca fans. “Drink from the fountain and you are guaranteed to return”. Barca fans gather here after big victories – a throwback to the time, when this was outside the radio offices. We moved off into the Gothic Quarter – Plaza Pi with the 3^rd largest stained glass window in Europe, the oldest synagogue in Europe, a very atmospheric square with a church where Gaudi used to worship. The bullet holes and shrapnel damage were still very evident in the walls from bomb damage in the Spanish Civil War. Catalonia was very much on the Republican side in the conflict and suffered accordingly from the bombing raids of Franco’s allies i.e. Fascist Germany and Italy. Whilst the European masses were busy holidaying down the coast, Franco’s regime was busy keeping Catalonians in check right through to his death in 1975. He inadvertently made FC Barcelona what they are today, as it was a place where the Catalan language could be used and large groups could meet without fear of arrest.





The walking tour guide spoke enthusiastically about the founding of Barcelona, although what was fact and what was fiction remains open to debate. We saw some Roman ruins. However, I quite like the myth accrediting Hercules with the foundation as part of his endeavours to secure the Golden Fleece. The Moors didn’t dominate this part of the Iberian peninsula in the same way they did further south. A foothold for a few decades wasn’t enough to have a significant influence on the architecture, as in such as Granada. The man widely attributed as the founding father of the modern city is Wilfred the Hairy, who helped drive the Moors from Catalonia. A small stone statue of the hairy knight is tucked away near the north entrance of Barcelona Cathedral. The front entrance of the Cathedral is rather grand – very ornate stone carvings. However just round the corner out of full view, the original frontage of the Cathedral itself is very plain. The fancy stone work was a later addition, designed to show off the new confident, modern, prosperous Barcelona. We passed the Basilica Santa Maria Del Mar and ended the tour in the El Born district, before dining in a seafood restaurant.



Appendix 1

Tercera Division (Catalunya Group 5)

CE Jupiter 0 UE Sant Andreu 1

Date: 12 November 2016 @ 1200 Hours

Venue: Camp Municipal Verneda, Sant Marti, Barcelona

Attendance: 750


CE Jupiter: Iván Fuentes, Adri, Sergio, Pep, Julen, Vives Prieto Prat (Angel, 61), Blasco (link, 77), Paul and Uroz (Mark, 84).

UE Sant Andreu: Segovia, Llamas, Juanma, float, Santolalla, Guerrero, Jorge Muñoz, Alcover, David Lopez (Arjona, 66), Makaay (Sekou, 59 ') and Toro (Joel, 84').

Goals: 0-1 Alcover (Sant Andreu) 81 Mins

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Comments

[Dancing Dave]

Moments in time
Enjoyed the montage in this blog. Art & Div 5 soccer...sounds mighty fine.

[Rainyb]

Awesome photos, awesome architecture, of course, & also great street art photos!