El Born! Fieldtrip 3

Our teacher Xavi Alcon took our class on a field trip to the Born District, “El born”.  This district is very close to my house and I frequently wander through the small streets looking for new stores and restaurants to visit.  I was so excited to see this area from a local persons point of view and find out new information about it.  Also, Xavi Alcon always includes information about his favorite places and restaurants to go to within the district.  This fieldtrip was dedicated to learning about the guilds.  Our teacher explained to us the origin of the street names and how each of the streets within the district represented the type of guildsmen working there.  For example, there was a street for the rope makers, which is now named Carrer de lad Cordes.  There was another street for the wool makers, which is now named Placa de la Llana.  The way the streets were set up was smart; different guildsmen who did work that was associated with the other guildsmen’s work were located near each other. This way, if someone needed to go and get certain products, the ones that were associated with one another were all in the same vicinity.  It was definitely convenient.  During this field trip, we also visited the Santa Maria del Mar, which is a church that took about 55 years to build.  This church was built by the people and is an example of Catalan Gothic architecture.  I thought the church was beautiful and it was definitely something I am glad I got to see while studying in Barcelona! After visiting the Santa Maria del Mar we went to El Fossa de les Moreres, which is a cemetery located very close to the Santa Maria del Mar.  I definitely learned a lot more about the guilds and their influence from this fieldtrip.  I also learned a lot more about the historical sights within the Born district that I frequently pass while walking on my way to and home from dinner.