Barcelona. I haven’t been there since 1992. Today’s Barcelona is sprawling and majestic, much as it was in 1992, just more. When I gazed across the cityscape from the patio of Fabra Observatory, near the top of Tibidabo, the tableau of city and Mediterranean stretched along the coastline.
The stunning vista from above was the setting for our first night’s dinner at the world’s fourth oldest astronomical observatory still in operation. In the Fabra Observatory’s great hall with the dome, we viewed a binary star 200 light-years from earth through a telescope dating from 1904. It is one of the largest and oldest in Europe that is still in use.
I had one night in this magnificent shooting location. I soon discovered Alfons Puertas, a meteorologist at the Observatory who is Barcelona’s equivalent of New York City’s Gary Hershorn. They both have incredible portfolios of nature’s presentations with the greatest cities in the world.
Barcelona provides an incredible wealth of opportunities for today’s photographers. In 1992, I had free run within the city, photographing the construction of sites for the Olympic Games, Barcelona’s opportunity to present itself as a destination on the Mediterranean. It has succeeded almost too well. I was never treated badly on this trip, but I saw the signs that told British tourists to go home. Drought and lack of housing seems to be what the news reports, as well as a recent water gun attack by protestors against tourists in the city. So maybe it’s not the water shortage. The numbers of tourist groups around Sagrada Familia was daunting, making walking difficult as you weaved through masses blocking every sidewalk crossing.
Barcelona Pre-Olympics on my first visit in 1992
Barcelona provides an incredible wealth of opportunities for today’s photographers. In 1992, I had free run within the city, photographing the construction of sites for the Olympic Games, Barcelona’s opportunity to present itself as a destination on the Mediterranean. It has succeeded almost too well. I was never treated badly on this trip, but I saw the signs that told British tourists to go home. Drought and lack of housing seems to be what the news reports, as well as a recent water gun attack by protestors against tourists in the city. So maybe it’s not the water shortage. The numbers of tourist groups around Sagrada Familia was daunting, making walking difficult as you weaved through masses blocking every sidewalk crossing.(Mass tourism protesters squirt water at Barcelona tourists)
As I journeyed around the city, I discovered a clean, cosmopolitan wonderland with unique architecture and physical beauty that was incorporated into its landscape. Pinned between mountains and the sea, Barcelona is a seaside jewel.
The Olympic Village was created in the Sant Martí district for the 1992 Olympic Games, when the decision was taken to build an entire neighborhood by the sea to house the athletes who were going to take part in the sporting competitions. This major urban-planning project brought about the regeneration of large areas of the city’s coastline and reclaimed a derelict industrial site. Today, it is a memorial to the games and the rebirth of the waterfront with trendy restaurants and bars and beach access in the middle of the city.
Montjuïc Stadium was built for the International Expo of 1929 and then renovated for the Olympic Games of 1992. I witnessed the modernization of an ornate pre-war temple to sports. Designed by the architect Pere Domènech i Roura, the stadium was officially inaugurated on 20 May 1929 with a rugby match between Spain and Italy. After the Spanish Civil War and WWII ended Barcelona’s attempts to host the Olympics, the stadium fell into disrepair. That all changed on 17 October 1986, when Barcelona was proclaimed the winning candidate to hold the Olympic Games of 1992.
The stadium has maintained a high profile since the Olympics, serving as the home to RCD Espanyol from 1997 to 2009. Second to FC Barcelona, they were the most successful Spanish football team, winning nine championships in UEFA Cup and Copa del Rey titles. Today, it is more likely to host a major musical act. The Jonas Brothers will rock the stadium this September.
Barcelona 2024 by Mark D Phillips
On this trip, I revisited two of my favorite “Works of Antoni Gaudí” which comprises seventeen of his works that UNESCO declared World Heritage Sites. Construction on the Sagrada Familia began in 1882. After his tragic death in June 1926, followed by the two wars, the sites were all but forgotten. In the 1950s, efforts were made to protect and complete his major works. On November 7, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the temple at Sagrada Familia and granted it the title of minor basilica. The La Sagrada Familia Foundation has announced that the monumental church will be completed in 2026, 100 years after the death.
The basilica is like an armed camp, with armed guards, metal detectors, x-ray machines, and one entrance at the front and one exit by the rear, after passing through the gift shop. Tickets sell out well ahead of time. Don’t be late unless you have a good excuse, like taking the train the wrong direction and arriving thirty minutes late. We felt like they were begrudgingly letting us in. The interior is massive, with all of Gaudi’s touches in view. I have always thought it looked like a melted candle. Even with the security, walking inside the ornate structure is spellbinding.
No Gaudi tour is complete without a trip to Parc Guell, a mystical, magical version of every city’s premier park. It is Central Park of New York with better views and Gaudi’s creations which include the Nature Square’s popular serpentine bench, the Viaducte de Baix (the Lower Bridge), and the Hypostyle Room, to name a few. The 12-hectare park was Gaudi’s home from 1906 till his death, and his home was opened to the public as the Gaudí House Museum in 1963. Unfortunately, it closed in January 2024 for maintenance and renovations. From the gate of his house, Sagrada Familia appears beneath the Parc, a testament to Gaudi’s influence on a city that he loved.
During my 1992 visit, this was the highest I had ventured in the hills around the city. This time we ventured to one of the oldest amusement parks in the world atop Tibidabo mountain at an elevation of 512 m (1,680 feet). The creation of a tramway, a funicular and a large amusement park began in 1899, opening a tourist location like no other. The views of the city are legendary, and the rides were designed to capitalize on this. One of the first, the Aerial Railway, opened on May 22, 1915, and still presents a sensational view over the city in 2024. It is not the only ride that takes you out off the mountain. The Avió, which is a replica of the plane that made the first Barcelona – Madrid flight, takes you on a circular flight at the mountain top, powered by an actual plane engine. “It will carry you like a gigantic bird over an incredible panorama, and you will notice the sensations that occur in air travel” is how it was described when it opened on September 23, 1928, the world’s first flight simulator. A book behind glass at its entrance features comments by a surprising list of names — including Red Skelton, the Princess of Monaco, and King Alfonso XIII. Riding through the trees on The Muntanya Russa roller coaster gives you an initial drop that feels like you are plunging down the side of the mountain with all of Barcelona in your vision.
After all this fun, Barcelona proved its role as a sports center when Liza joined her USA teammates at the Castelldefels Hockey Club south of Barcelona, in a beautiful seaside community just a 20 minute train trip to Sagrada Familia. With more than 50 years of history, the club opened in 1967 and hosted HOCKEY LA JARRA 2024 the last weekend of June 2024.
The invitational tournament featured teams fielded by clubs from Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, England, and the first ever women’s team from the USA. My daughter, Liza, was invited to join the USA’s inaugural group. For American field hockey players, it is a unique opportunity to meet and network with lovers of the sport. Age had no meaning. Liza was probably one of the youngest with players well into their later years. It felt like Masters skiing with the same enthusiasm and vigor.
You may be wondering what is ‘La Jarra’. Well, Jarra is Spanish for jug or tankard. Every participant in the event is given their own Jarra on arrival at the hockey club. Each Jarra is individually numbered for easy identification and comes with a convenient clip so it can be attached to a stick bag when not in use. The Jarra is to be used all weekend to avoid having to use plastic glasses. It also serves as a memento of the weekend.
The Men’s teams competing in the tournament were the Barcelona Nomads (EU), Els Salvadors (NL), Old Williamsonians (ENG), Wicklow Warriors (IRE), Castelldefels Cool Daddies (ES), Privateers (USA), and the Manchester Abejas (ENG).
The Women’s teams competing in the tournament were Brookfield (ENG), Old Williamsonians (ENG), Albert (IE), Amsterdams Finest (NL), Castelldefels (ES), Liberty United (USA), and the Golden Globals (NL).
Friday’s mixed hockey format created six teams, each one made up of one ladies team and one mens team from the international pool. What a way to create camaraderie in a setting that shares everyones love of sport. No two teams from the same country were paired, bringing new friendships together across the world. Saturday and Sunday pitted the teams against each other in 11 on 11 matches throughout the day but with a new found respect and support for all the players keeping their sports alive.
I can’t wait for next year.
