PLAÇA DE CATALUNYA AND RAMBLA DE CANALETES

Rambla de Canaletes

In this post we are going to present you one of the most important squares in the entire city: Plaça de Catalunya. Also, we are going to explain the first part of Las Ramblas known as La Rambla de Canaletes.

La Plaça de Catalunya can be considered as the union point between the old Barcelona and the modern one. That is because it is settled at the end of what is known as “the medieval Barcelona” and connects through the Passeig de Gràcia with the city built during the 19^th century. This connection can be seen while looking at the different commercial stores. In the same square you can find many bars that have been there for many years, such as Café Zurich, but also you can find a big new mall called el Triangle.

Café Zurich 1900

Café Zurich nowadays

Just down Plaça Catalunya, you will find the first part of Las Ramblas. His name, Rambla de Canaletes, came from a fountain that can be seen there –la font de Canaletes–, and as we told in one post before this is the place where FC Barcelona supporters come to celebrate their victories. 

Font de Canaletes

Coming back to Montalbán’s book, and as we have already told, this is the main starting point of their promenade; here is where Ventura wants everyone to go before starting the night. Actually, the first bar where they stop is in that part of Las Ramblas: la Cocteleria Boadas. This bar appears in all the touristic guides of the city but we highly recommend you to visit it because it is a symbol of identity of our city. This bar has been part of Barcelona for more than seventy years –it opened in 1933–, and can be considered a bastion of authenticity due to his long and interesting history. Finally another important thing to recognise here is the Teatre Poliorama, that has opened in 1906 and has been a symbol of Las Ramblas and Barcelona.

Entrance of Cocteleria Boadas at Las Ramblas with Carrer Tallers

Cocteleria Boadas

See you at the next step!

MVM, NARRATOR OF CHANGES

 

In this post we are going to show some fragments extracted from “El pianista” that describe some parts of the promenade that we propose. Our will is that you get close to his literature and his way of writing because in the posts where we are going to describe the significant places we will introduce them through the vision and description made by Montalbán.

 

An example of what we are talking about can be seen in the fragment that we will show. In this fragment we will see how he describes the beginning of Las Ramblas; it is not a physical description but a social description. What he is doing is explaining how Barcelona has evolved describing just a few meters of one of the most characteristics streets of the city:

 

“Empezaríamos por la hamburguesería que han abierto en el viejo Canaletas. Podríamos hacer allí una reflexión sobre la degeneración de la gastronomía y la penetración cultural imperial norteamericana a través de la hamburguesa. A dos pasos están los corrillos de culés y podríamos meditar amargamente sobre la pérdida de señas de identidad de un club como el Barcelona, en otro tiempo vanguardia épica de la Catalunya resistente.”

 

What we can see in that extract is how the city has changed through the description of a new burger restaurant (McDonald’s or Burger King, both of them are in the corner that he is describing). Right after that, he mentions a part of Las Ramblas where the supporters of FC Barcelona –Montalbán’s football team– usually go to celebrate their victories. Through the mention of that football team he analyses how the entire society has changed. This change will be seen in all the future posts because what we will do is show the society that Montalbán describes in front of the present society. Actually his social criticism comes from his leftist ideology –he was a member of PSUC, a left party–.

Finally during our promenade we will recommend a few restaurants around the Raval according to Montalbán’s preferences. Because, it is important to remain the he was a very important gastronomic critic.

 

We hope that you enjoy the promenade!