The other must-see in Barri Gotic is the Palau Reial Major, the palace of the former Counts of Barcelona. Catalunya used to be part of France, but in the twelfth century it was given its independence, and ruled by the Counts of Barcelona. The French rule is also the reason Catalunya has its unique language, Catalan, which has heavy French and Spanish influences.



The Count of Barcelona married the Queen of neighboring Aragon, and the palace became the home of the joint monarchy. This golden age for Barcelona came to a halt in the fifteenth century, with the famous marriage of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, which united Aragon with Castile. Although it was supposed to be a marriage of equals, power quickly moved to Castile and away from Barcelona, so the palace was soon abandoned.



It's a sprawling place, but not very photogenic as much of it looks like an archeological dig rather than a royal palace. Actually the interior isn't very palatial either; it's huge, but much more like a massive fort than a showpiece residence. The most interesting part of the palace is actually underneath it, where archeologists have dug up a huge swathe of the ancient Roman city. Lots of old streets, building foundations etc are all sitting under there, and it's very easy to get an idea of what the Roman Barcelona would have looked like.

The cathedral's interior is quite stunning in its soaring sense of space, and attention to architectural detail. The main nave is very high impact, but the smaller chapels surrounding the nave are all worthwhile exploring as well. There's also a beautiful cloister attached to the back and generally undervisited, which makes it a nice place to chill and enjoy a bit of greenery in the otherwise brooding Barri Gotic.

On Friday, we tackled the old town, or Barri Gotic, which is impressively moody and medieval. The area's got a couple of must-see sights, like the cathedral, but the overall effect of the place, ancient hulking building, dark, timeworn alleys etc. makes it a great place to wander for a few hours. And definitely a different feel from the beach.



The Cathedral, or Seu, dominates the entire area. It was built mostly in the fourteenth century, and is a classic example of Gothic architecture. However, the facade, which is its most photographed feature, wasn't built until the nineteenth century. For five centuries this gothic masterpiece sat with a blank wall for a face. But during the nineteenth century a liberal, strongly secular government took power in Barcelona's province, Catalunya, and they proposed inscribing the Catalan Constitution on the blank face of the church. That threat finally got the church to move, and they covered the blankness with a more traditional facade.