Labor Sculpture at Catalonia Square, Barcelona

Trabajo, so reads the pedestal under this fabulous sculpture (Miguel Oslé 1929) at Plaça Catalunya. Labor, work, job, occupation, employment...oh, what a beautiful word! To obtain retribution for your services, to work for wages. An activity we tend to complain about specially if monotonous or stressing. We often wonder why the heck we are supposed to devote most of our precious time to matters that apparently are not related to our aspirations in this world. But nevertheless work is a right, it is said to dignify you as a person, to purify your soul in a certain way. As you can see there's not only a philosophical connotation behind the word but also a religious one. Toil gives meaning to life or so they say. It is true that when you are proud of your work there is a certain something inside your mind that says: you are doing right. Our humanity, our civilization, our evolution is tightly linked to work, tools, interaction for the benefit of the group and ourselves as individuals. Consequently, if this is so deep rooted in our nature, so good for the soul, so spiritual and vital for our existence, then how come there is unemployment, how come are we deprived of such rewarding activity? The question is of course rather naive but I can't help feeling baffled by the absurdities of us, "humans". More Wisdom and less capitalism.

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Crowd or Riot Control?: Placa de Catalunya and FC Barcelona Celebrations

Plaça Catalunya used to be a relatively quiet place maybe 20 years ago but now is some sort of anthill being poked with a stick. Crowds move fiercely as if life was in danger. Some people, tired of so much fighting against the stream, get out of the turmoil and scurry to take refuge on the grass of the square, the benches or whatever appropriate surface where to lay their humanity. Chaos must have some order so it doesn't go out of control and that's when dissuasion and coercion enter the scene. In our case here, from the two mossos d'esquadra, guess who would do the dissuasion and who the coercion. This beautiful and important area of the city next to Las Ramblas and the Triangle with important shopping areas and a dense traffic of tourists is where the scum of our city likes to go hunting. If this was a desert it would be that small pond where animals have to go to quench their thirst, or maybe that wade in some African rivers, where crocodiles patiently wait for the gnus. In the same way, gnus get killed and are drawn into the water while the next fellow keeps on going, innocent tourists pretend not to see or get scared for just two seconds and then make their way out protected by the strength of the pack. Well, I am exaggerating here, but it is important that you are aware. I am not one of those that promote repression for the sake of security but let's accept the fact that some patrolling helps.

By the way, Barcelona is trying to cope with massive concentrations of people these days due to FC Barcelona's victories. The season has been so successful that Canaletes fountain, a very small area of Las Ramblas which has been traditionally the place to celebrate titles cannot hold the thousands of fans and Placa de Catalunya where these two policemen are, has been conditioned to receive the exultant multitude, mainly when we won the UEFA Champions League yesterday, the trophy that crowned the biggest campaign of our team in history.

Update: Finally the big celebration takes place today May 28 at Camp Nou stadium. Almost a million people gathered on the streets of Barcelona to welcome the FC Barcelona soccer team.

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Young Triton Sculpture, Placa Catalunya

I found this sculpture in Plaça Catalonia. There are several important sculptures around the square but this one representing a young triton carrying an enormous shell on his shoulders looking up proudly towards the last rays of the afternoon sun seemed one of the most beautiful in spite of all the pigeon natural paint on the shoulders.

Hungry Biker at Catalonia Square, Barcelona

This might as well have been a good post about the benefits of vegetarian food but since I am not an unconditional let's just talk about the place and the scene as such. For those who have never been to Barcelona, this guy is chewing carrots in the middle of Placa Catalunya, one of the most frequented spots downtown. This is like, say, the place where the church and the town hall would stand if this was an old village. The place is the landing strip for thousands of pigeons that live in total connivance with the man behind the pigeon food stand. If the little rat-like creatures stay two steps away from you in all of the urban area, here, in the square, in the event that you dare to throw some seeds or whatever similar object at them, they will ominously perch on your hair and shoulders and you will immediately feel like Tippi Hedren in The Birds. What about our subject today? Was he waiting for his girlfriend, was he anxious, was he on a rigorous diet? We will never know. Take a look at how Catalonia Square looks from above in a previous post: Plaza Catalunya As Seen From El Corte Ingles store (click for the larger image. It is a little blurry cause the store window was in the way and it's got this sort of protective coat to filter the sun rays falling on the top floor restaurant)

Man on The Grass - Catalonia Square, Barcelona

The man was sitting on the grass drinking some beer before taking a nap. I would say he was homeless but I can't say that for sure, so my post is just about a man in Plaça Catalunya, in the very center of Barcelona, an anonymous character, one of the many solitary souls that wander in this square.

El Corte Ingles Department Store at Catalonia Square, Barcelona

This is El Corte Ingles at Plaça Catalunya or Catalonia Square, one of the most important department stores in Barcelona and Spain. El Corte Inglés was named after a shop specialised in children's tailoring in Madrid back in 1890. Ramón Areces Rodríguez founder of the company, bought the tailor's shop and made it a private limited company in 1934. In the 60s El Corte Inglés began its expansion as a chain of department stores, the number of establishments grew in Madrid and new centers were open in Barcelona (the one in the image), Seville and Bilbao. Later on, it covered most provincial capitals in Spain and started diversifying its activities with a travel agency, Viajes El Corte Inglés, S.A.; an insurance company, Seguros El Corte Inglés and a chain of hypermarkets, Hipercor. The group also runs Supercor S.A. (supermarkets), Opencor (24 hours convenience stores), IT services, Sfera (clothing chain) and Bricor (DYS stores). From the point of view of a client, my opinion is that their products are more expensive than the average but they counteract that with an extremely efficient customer service.

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Plaça Catalunya, Barcelona: As Seen From El Corte Inglés

Today I will sacrifice a little quality so I can share with you this sight of Plaza Cataluña as seen from El Corte Inglés (check the picture to see the windows from where I shot). 

When you visit this square, in the middle of what we consider the center of Barcelona, don´t forget to do something that most tourists fail to do, enter the shopping center and reach the top floor. 

You will find a cafe-bar with a spectacular view over this neuralgic spot and the rest of the city. From there you can see Montjuic or Paseo de Gracia in all its length. The bad thing is that the restaurant is covered with glass panels that filter the light and hinder pictures in some way. 

Here is the seaside of Plaza Cataluña square with Las Ramblas entrance where the big sign is.

See Picture of Plaça Catalunya on a Google Earth Map.