Barcelona is a city rich with history. From the legend of it being founded by Hercules, to huge cathedrals built in the 14th century. There are several places to view remnants of the city's past, from the archaeological dig site under the El Born market, to the remains of a 13th century Roman wall next to the Cathedral on Via Laitana and the Roman ruins in the Gothic quarter.
While it is interesting to see the remains of these ancient things, it is also pretty cool to see live action evidence of what life was like in Barcelona in the more recent past, but still before any of us were born.
http://www.wimp.com/barcelonafootage/
A friend passed along this video of Barcelona circa 1908 as seen through a camera mounted on the Travia tram car that used to run throughout much of the city's streets. In it, you can see many of the places you'll visit in Barcelona today like Passeig ( or Paseo) de Gracia and Plaza Lessps. It's amazing to see what is still recognizable and also what has changed.
Especially enchanting, to me, are the people. You can see that, although the fashions have changed (you don't see too many ankle length tunics on boys these days), enthusiasm for riding bikes and getting on camera has changed in the past 102 years.
Whether you're awaiting your visit to Barcelona or have already returned, watching this video will strike a nostalgic and sentimental chord in you for this wonderful city. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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