Saint-André-d'Allas

The day I arrived in Barcelona I went on an afternoon walking tour of the Gothic region of the city. I have found these walking tours a great way to get orientated and you can ask the guides for tips for the rest of your visit. Alex our guide was an immigrant (as all my guides have been so far) from Ireland and was both amusing and interesting.

There is much of the ancient Roman walls and building still left in this area but many of them have been added to over the centuries as wars and revolutions changed their purpose. Attitudes to different religious buildings changed as well with many destroyed.

The guides take you to hidden places sometimes and one we went to was the secluded Cloisters of the Barcelona Cathedral. They were completed in the 14th century and in the middle is the "Fountain of the Geese', the fountain and pond that provide a home to 13 white geese. The sound of the loud cackling of the geese can be heard throughout and they warned of intruders and thieves. The number is symbolic of the story that Saint Eulàlia was 13 when she was martyred and she suffered 13 tortures.Read more