The Grand Hyatt Barcelona

Our airplane arrived at 8:20 AM, so we did not expect our room to be ready. Nevertheless, a driver brought us to the Grand Hyatt Hotel on the northwest side of Barcelona. The staff here was most courteous. They let us stow our luggage, and then we just hung out for a while in the lobby to get our bearings. We decided to go into town for a few hours to see some of the sites. The concierge stowed our luggage and got us a taxi to take us downtown.

We have arrived in Barcelona, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. On a previous trip a guide told us that the name “Barcelona”came from the family name of Hamilcar Barca, the father of the great Punic general Hannibal. Now it seems that scholars are not convinced that was the case. The Romans called this place Barcino, the Latin version of the local name for this town. Apparently that was an ancient name for this trading post which became a small town. No one is quite sure where that name comes from.

One difference between the Phoenicians and the Romans is that the Phoenicians, and their colony in Carthage, were traders. There is no evidence that they ever attempted to conquer other peoples. They simply traded with them. The Romans on the other hand were formidable militarists. Their legions went all over the Mediterranean world conquering people, enslaving them and bringing the slaves back to Rome. One would like to think that the nice guys would win, but in a series of Punic wars the Romans defeated the Carthaginians. That result seems to me as one of the sad facts of history.

Of course maybe the Phoenician/Carthaginians weren’t such nice guys, after all. The Old Testament writers didn’t care for them or their god Baal, who required that every family’s firstborn infant be sacrificed to the deity.

History, it seems, has a wicked sense of humor.

More recently in this city there has been a strong political movement to separate from Spain. The language here is not Spanish, it is Catalan. The natives here consider themselves culturally and ethnically different from the Spanish. This area has elected Catalan separatists to Parliament for many years, but things came to a head a few years ago when the government of Spain had to send in troops to quell separatist riots. Since then the peace here has been an uneasy one.

We don’t have a dog in that fight, so we are feeling welcomed and are being treated royally. Although one does have to be careful of pickpockets on La Rambla, the crowded pedestrian artery that runs theough the city. The art, culture and cuisine here are amazing. Many visitors come to see the architecture of Antony Gaudí, the local favorite son. His Church of the Sagrada Familia and his residential neighborhood, Parc Guell, attract tourists from all over the world. I must confess, however, I am not a fan. No wonder his name gave rise to a new word—gaudy.

So as I enjoy my tapas and good conversation, pull up a chair and let’s do some people watching in Barcelona, one of the truly great cities of Europe.Read more