The nobles danced on Paral.lel while Europe was slain.
-One of many quotes by my Civil War tour guide.
Reaching Spain on Wednesday afternoon, I set out to explore the city on foot with little prior knowledge of the place. After exploring the harbor and the exterior of the aquarium, I moved in town down Avinguda del Paral.lel, determined to make tapas my first Spanish dinner.
The cheery, drunk faces of 20-some-year-olds window shopping were a tribute to older times with a similar facade but darker undertones, little did I know. Avinguda del Paral.lel was Bourbon Street for the French nobility in the 20s. Spain not only managed to stay out of the first World War, but also made a fantastic profit by selling weapons to both sides.
Sure, this money revolutionized the Spanish economy. But it also created a massive rift between the rich and the poor of Spain. While the wealthy were literally having orgis, shooting cocaine, and downing expensive alcohol on Avinguda del Paral.lel, much of the rest of Spain could not afford a pair of shoes.
This is what led to the Spanish Civil War.
Moving to more important topics, I eventually did find tapas *and* paella at a street-side restaurant. The portions were smaller than I expected.
Barcelona is one of those rare places where the anarchists are in cahoots with the government. In all fairness, it was more of an enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend sort of deal. During the revolution, both the anarchists and the Republic hated the pro-fascist Nationalists.
Walking into Plaça de Catalunya, I came across the old headquarters of the CNT, the anarchist confederation. Anyone familiar with Orwell's Homage to Catalonia will appreciate that this building is also known as Telefónica, the Telephone Exchange.
Telefónica building in Plaça de Catalunya
The CNT has some hostile neighbors. Just across the street, still in Plaça de Catalunya, was the headquarters of the PSUC, the Pro-Soviet Communist Party of Barcelona. The anarchists and the communists were of course at odds. This tension grew when the communists actually had power after the USSR pumped money into Spain.
Headquarters of the PSUC Pro-Soviet Communist Party
Seeing these buildings, the recency of the Spanish Civil War hit me. Guess how I found the PSUC building? By searching for the Apple Store which lies in it's first floor. Spain, like most of Europe, wears the baggage of old wars openly. This is very different from the US, and from anything I've seen before.
Everyone else in the hostel common room is asleep, so that's all for now. This has been a dense post, so to lighten the mood here's a photo shoot of a duck I found in the Barcelona Cathedral.
