Castell du Montjuïc and Arc de Triumf

Anabel and I took a cable car to the top of Montjuïc, another famous mountain here on the opposite side of the city from where we were yesterday (i.e. the Mediterranean side). More incredible views. The cable car was super fun and there’s a castle at the top that is amazingly maintained. It’s been used more as a fortress than an actual castle and there is still different weapons there from all the different centuries where it was used as such: from cannons to WW2 anti-aircraft turrets. Really an awesome place to see. I don’t know much about the arc de triomf. We also saw a cool park in the city that had some nice fountains and even a little canoeing area. This city has parks everywhere. Very green place.
One of the things I’ve found most interesting is the mix of Catalan and Spanish - I’ve never been anywhere that speaks multiple languages. I’ve heard much less Catalan than I’ve expected, and whenever you go into stores or restaurants they talk to you in Spanish. But public signs, official things and some of the ads are in Catalan, especially for things like ISPs or apartments that are only really for people who live here. It almost feels like if the ad is using Catalan, it’s as a statement that they’re in touch with the city. Super interesting. There are Catalan flags everywhere and I’ve seen a lot of posters and things about anti Spain protests.Read more