6) One thing you will see a lot in Barcelona is the Catalan flag. This consists of five stripes of yellow alternated by four stripes of red- you’ll see them hung both horizontally and vertically. While the origin of this flag is historically disputed, the legend of its creation is interesting. Before old Count Wilfred the Hairy died in the 9th century, they say that King Charles the Bald drenched his fingers in Wilfred’s blood and then ran them down the surface of his golden shied as an act of gratitude and that was the basis for the four red stripes on the gold background that is now the Catalan flag. Now, I would think that Charles the Bald would be more envious of Wilfred the Hairy than grateful, but I guess hair wasn’t his main concern. This legend was most likely circulated to directly relate the Counts of Barcelona to the emblem of Catalunya.
7) There are two legends as to the origins of the city. One legend says the city of Barcelona was founded by Hercules 400 years before Rome. The other is that Barcelona was built by Hamilcar Barca, the father of Hannibal. The name Barcelona comes from the Barca family of Carthage who ruled the area in the 3rd century before Christ. I guess the second one is more feasible but I think the Hercules legend is more fun to believe.
8) Santa Maria del Mar is one of the most famous churches in Barcelona, located in La Ribera. The church was built between 1329 and 1383 and the money to build it was contributed by all of the different trade guilds of the neighborhood. The porters or Bastaixos of the neighborhood who loaded and unloaded the ships in the port were too poor to contribute money to the project. However, their dedication to their patron, Maria del Mar was so great that, in lieu of money, they contributed by carrying every stone for the church from the quarry at Montjuic, along the beach, to the church on their backs. This is memorialized on the main doors of the church.9) If you come from America, and particularly from a suburb, you are going to be freaked out by the traffic in Europe. People drive quickly and aggressively. Apparently Barcelona are some of the worst offenders- there is a traffic accident in the city every 19 seconds on average. I’ve never seen a taxi involved in one of them, but still- maybe stick to the metro.
10) One of the most beautiful and well-known images of Barcelona is the Pont del Sospirs, or Bridge of Sighs on c/ Bisbe along the side of the city’s main cathedral. Thousands of people walk underneath it every day. However, not everyone looks up when they do so. On the underside of the bridge are several decorative carvings, include a skull with a dagger through it. The legend is that if you go stand beneath the bridge and make a wish before looking up, if the skull is the first thing your eyes focus on when you look up, your wish will come true. Blowing out candles on a cake may be cuter but I feel like a bad-ass skull with a dagger through it is more likely to get things done.
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