Medieval Barcelona

Walking through the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona is unlike anything I have ever seen or done at any point in my life. The architecture, the sights, even just the way that the buildings fit together in those narrow streets, or the random sculptures or gargoyles that are on display. To be able to walk down streets that have had men walking on them for two thousand years before me is a feeling unlike any I have ever known in America, especially since San Francisco is only a century and a half old. Walking through the Jewish quarter and seeing the sights, the stars of david carved into the walls, the streets called 'Call' to mark the Jewish part of the city, and the old synagogue that was destroyed during the Inquisition. To walk down the city streets where the guilds were was equally fascinating. To think that the concept of what one may see as a 'union' today existed back then is so impressive. Entire streets devoted to craftsmen making swords, or mirrors, areas where shepherds would bring their flock to sell the wool. Other guilds included silversmiths, and the exchange market where the price of goods would be determined. Fishermen and sailors would disembark and head to the exchange market where they would settle on the price of a pound of fish, and would return with their goods to sell afterwards. This banking system has existed in Barcelona for close to 800 years.