Sandy had been thinking abut buying a new hat that woud cover her ears a little better and she spied this one and would have bought it if I hadn't intervened. She's lucky to have me for a friend to keep her from making such an outragious purchases. Imagine Sandi in that hat with Sharon and me, As you all know we constantly update our wardrobe and try to be real class acts on this adventure. A purchase like that could have spoiled our whole image.
The Gothic Quarter is a bustling area of shops, bars and nightlife ( at least that's what I've read) packed into narrow, winding lanes and undiscovered courtyards. This is the birthplace of Barcelona where the ancient Romans built a city, where medieval Christians built their cathedral, where Jews gathered together, and where the people of Barcelonia lived within a ring of protective walls until 1850, when the city expanded.
We started our tour on the Placa (square) de Sant Jaume. It derives its name from the Church of
St.James (Jaume) that once stood here. After the church was torn down in 1823, the square was fixed up and renamed "Placa de la Constitucio" in honor of the then-decade-old Spanish constitution.
The Catalans never embraced the name and after Franco, they went back to the original title.This square was once a Roman forum. It's been the seat of city government fot 2,000 years. Today it's home to two top government buildings.
Palau de la Generalitat. The Catalunya government building. It always flies the Catalan flag next to the obligatory Spanish one. Above the doorway is Catalunya's patron saint - St. George ( Jordi), slaying the dragon.
The Barcelona City Hall. To the left of the doorway in the niche is a statue of King James I, credited with freeing Barcelona from French control.
Locals treasure the independence these two buildings represent. In the 20th century, Barcelona opposed the dictator Francisco Franco ( who ruled from 1939 to 1975) and Franco retaliated. He abolished the regional government and outlawed the Catalan language and customs. Two years after Franco's death, joyous citizens packed this square to celebrate the return of self-rule.
One of the small alley like streets.The Cathedral.
The Monument to the Martyrs of Independence. Five Barcelona patriots - including two priests- calmly recieve their last rites before being garroted ( strangled) for resisiting occupation of Spain by Napoleon in the early 19th century. According to the plaque these martyrs to independence gave their lives in 1809 for God, country, and king.
All these martyrs are buried across the way in the catheral cloister. This Clositer , part of the Cathedral is a peaceful respite from the busy bustling streets of the quarter. It is a tropical atmosphere of palm, orange, and magnolia trees; a fish pond; trickling fountains; and squawking geese.
The resident geese have been here for at least 500 years. There are always thirteen, in memory of Eulalia's 13 years and 13 tortures. Before modern security systems they acted as alarms. Any commotion would get them honking, alerting the monk in charge.
This one insisted on getting his picture taken.
The fountain has a tiny statue of St. Jordi ( George) slaying the dragon. Jordi is one of the patron saints of Catalunya and also one of the most popular boy's name in Barcalona.
The Chapel of Santa Lucia is a small 13th-century remnant of the earlier Romanesque cathedral. People hoping for good eyesight (Santa Lucia's specialty) pray here. 
You see coats of arms as well as tombs in the pavements. The tombs were rich merchants who paid good money to be buried as close to the altar as possible. Notice the symbol above, a scissors, showing the trade of the individual. 
The church of Sant Felip Neri located in the square by the same name is the church Gaudi attended and is pocked with bomb damage from the Spanish War. Barcelona was a stronghold of democratic and anti-Franco forces and thus saw a lot of fighting during the civil war. The shrapnel that damaged the church was meant for the nearby Catalan government building. As was the fascist tactic, a second bombing followed the first as survivors combed the ruble for lost loved ones. A plaque on the wall to the left of the doors honors those 42 killed- mostly children.
In the Middle Ages there were very few open spaces - except around cemeteries clustering around churches. Many squares today, like this one, started out as cemeteries. They later became open spaces when, with enlightenment and concern for hygiene, graveyards were moved outside the town.
The buildings were paid for by the local guilds which powered the local economy. Here is the former home of the shoemakers' guild. It is now a shoe museum. Notice the shoe symbol above the door of the museum and also above the windows.
Between the windows is a relief of St. Mark, the patron Saint of shoemakers.
This building , Casa de l'Ardiaca was once the archdeacon's residence and now functions as the city archives.
This is located to the right of the doorway and is a carved mail slot by the Modernista arhitect Lluis Domenech i Montaner. Some say he played a joke on the lawyers who occupied this building and requested his services to design the mailslot. The symbol to the left is the symbo of justice and the top represents how justice should be administered - fast and straight, instead it is depicted in the lower portion as twisted and slow.
Inside the building is some beautiful tile work. 
A picture of the Cathedral of Barcelona. It has been a center of Christian worship since the fourth century. What you see today mainly dates from the 14th century, with a 19th century Neo-Gothic facade. The facade is a virtual catalog of Gothic motifs: a pointed arch over the entrance, robed statues, gargoyles, and bell towers with winged angels. The roof top which you will see more of later has prickly spires meant to give the impression of a church flickering with spiritual fires. On Sundays at noon the Barcelonans dance the Sardana in front of the church. During the 36 years of Franco dictatorship the Sardana was forbidden.
This building enclosing this square exemplifies Barcelona's medieval past. It was the core of the Royal Palace.
This museum houses the eclectic collection of the local scullptor and "packrat" Fredric Mares ( 1893-1991). One of the most interesting diesplays is his extensive "Collector's Cabinet," consisting of everyday life in the 19th century. On the second and third floors are rooms upon rooms of scissors, keys, irons, fans, nutcrackers, stamp, opera glasses, pocket watches dolls, etc. 
Here, Naria is standing at the summit of Mont Taber, the Quarters highest spot. It was here that the ancient Romans founded the town of Barcino around 15 B.C. They built a fort on the hilltop, protecting the harbor. The circle was a place of sacrifice - animals not human. Inside you see an imposing Roman temple ( Temple Roma d"August). All that's left now are four columns and some fragments of the transept. The columns date from the late first century B.C. and are as old as Barcelona itself. These huge columns were part of the ancient towns biggest structure, a temple dedicated to the Emperor Augustus, who was worshipped as a God.
This 16th century building is the Vicroy's Palace (for the ruler's right-hand man). It now serves as the archives of the Crown of Aragon. After Cataunya became part of Spain in the 15th century, the Royal palace became a small regional residence, and the Vicroy's Palace became the headquarters of the local Inquisition.
The Saint Georges Door sculpted by Josep Maria Subirachs in 1975 connects the Vicroy's Palace, which houses the Archives of the Crown with the Salon del Tinell, the Great Hall of the ancient Royal Palace. On the vertical arm of the cross, Saint George is depicted with the dragon lying under his feet and the four bars of the coat of arms of the counts of Barcelona and kings of Aragon above his head. On the door there are written several texts in Latin, Catalan, and Aragonese, taken from mediaeval chronicles and documents referring to the miraculous intervention of the saint in various battles.
To the left of the saint a small panal shows the plan of the door and a map of the Mediterranean area at the time of the expansion of the Crown of Aragon (13th-15th centuries).
An impressive wooden coffered ceiling surmounts the noble staircase of the Viceroy's Palace. It has the shape of an inverted vessel and incudes a balcony surruonded by a balustrade.
The Barcelona History Museum in this area contains objects from archaeological digs around Barcelona but there is also an underground where you can examine excavated Roman ruins. We didn't take the time to go into the museum on this trip but I would like to go back and explore the "Roman Street".
A replica of a Roman fountain found in the Gothic Quarter.
All morning, as part of the Festival of Saint Eulalia ( Festes de Santa Eulalia) children performed various dances in the St. Jaume square. This fetival takes place in February , around her feast day of February 12, and has been a part of the Catalan tradition since the 14th century although it was suspended during the dictatorship of Franco.
Looks like a cheese head but I don't think he's from Wisconsin. I quite honesty have no idea what he was doing but he talking to everyone in the square. As I was watching the dancers this vehicle with these handsome fella's caught my eye and I went running to snap their picture.
And of course they waved back at me.
Then, I looked down the street and realized a parade of gegants, giants and "others" were approaching the square. They wre actually disbanding in the square so we walked a way down the street and caught the parade just before it disbanded.
Saint Eulalia was the Patron Saint of Barcelona. She was a 13 year old Roman Christian virgin who suffered martyrdom in Barcelona during the persecution of Christians in the reign of emperor Diocletian. For refusing to recant her Christianity the Romans subjected her to thirteen tortures including:Stripping her naked and shaving her head, though a miraculous snowfall hid her nakedness
Putting her in a barrel with knives ( or glass) stuck into it and rolling it down a street.
Cutting off her breats
Crucifixion on an X-shaped cross
Finally decapitation
Some of the "characters" in the parade.
A little children participation.
One of many "gegants" ( giants).
Each figure is from a District or area of Barcelona and is accompanied by a musical group and persons to assist the figures in their procession down the street.
After the parade we found a little tapa's place once again - Oriel's.
After lunch we went back to explore the inside of the cathedral.
The church is 300 feet long and 130 feet wide. Each rounded keystone whre the arches cross features a different saint.
There are 28 chapels. Besides being worship spaces these serve as interior buttresses supporting the roof. From the 13th to the 15 th century these side chapels were simply moneymakers for the church. After the Black Death ravaged the population - and the economy- the church rented chapels to guilds to function as private offices, which came with the medieval equivalent of safety-deposit boxes and notary public.. The iron gates are more than decorative- they were protective. They also made taking pictures very difficult.
The 15th century choir features ornately carved stalls. During the standing parts of the Mass, the chairs were folded up but VIPS still had those little wooden ledges to learn on. Each was creatively carved and - since you couldn't sit on sacred things- artists were free to enjoy some secular and naughty fun here. In 1518, the stalls were painted with the coats of arms of Europe's nobility.
The Crypt, or tomb of St. Eulalia. The cathedral is dedicated to this saint. The stairs are blocked off so this was as close as one could get.
The high altar
The Catalunya's yellow and red coat of arms. The two wooden coffins on the walls are of two powerful Counts of Barcelona - Ramon Berenguer and his wife Almodis.
Coutyard leading to the cloisters.Our admission included an elevator ride to the roof of the church where you got a great view of the spires and the city.
The spires are the Sagrada Familia.
It was a fun day. We learned a lot, enjoyed the parade and the other festivities , and explored a bit more of this very lovely city.
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