Raval Fieldtrip

December 1, 2010

            Going through the Raval district was probably my favorite fieldtrip of them all. It was a whole new side of Barcelona that I wasn’t really comfortable venturing around in until then. It was so authentic and full of music and art, which I love. We ventured into the skate park and watched different groups of people, skate, watch or walk by. This area used to be dangerous and is now surrounded by churches and new modern building. Schools and hospitals were put in the area in order to make it more attractive for people to come visit here. We went over to the CCCB which is a modern structure and has the last sky line of city exhibition. It is also where the Asian film festival is location with electronic music playing throughout. We ran into a wall with “ravalejar” written on it and many different definitions. It literally means “to hang out,” and was ironic because as we looked around, we saw various groups of people just “hanging out” around the area. One of the coolest aspects of this area is that it is full of all different types of people. There are old, poor apartments right next to the new modern ones. There are many young, trendy youth living in the area because it is so close to the University which makes for a lot of art and expression all over the area. There are many representations and art that show the past, present and future of the district which displays is diversity. My favorite part of Raval is the house painted by the kids in which they inhabited for so long that the police no longer have the right to kick them out. The house is crazily painted and has three sets of eyes running up the center. There is also a sign that reads “this is not a tourist attraction.” The area used to be known for it’s fresh fish because it is so close to the port, and still contains one of the best restaurants for fish. I liked this area so much that I have been back multiple times and even bought my dad and brother’s Christmas presents from the percussion store we passed.