Spain Trip #5: Arrival in Barcelona, Spain, Upside-Down Staircase & Catalonia

Tom and Rob take a break

In today's blog, we've finally arrived in Barcelona! In today's blog we'll tell you about an upside-down staircase monument and explain what Catalonia is and the political movement behind it. 

BOOKED - We booked the adventure with a company called Detours, which is a gay-oriented travel group that has tours to various "friendly" cities. Once we got to the hotel (and after a wait for our hotel room) we met our  group of 5 other guys: Gary, Scott, Doug, David and Bruce, and our group leader, Dan. After the meet and greet, we got in a 1 hour nap, and took a 2 hour walking tour of Barcelona. 

L to R: Dan, our guide and Doug

WHO IS DAN?  Dan is a really cool guy, who loves traveling. He's like a super-traveler and he speaks Spanish, in addition to being a biologist. He's a Canadian, so we liked him immediately. :) After all, Canadians are good at picking a smart and handsome leader. 
  Dan was extremely resourceful and knew how to get an answer to any question. 
  Our first group activity was a 2 hour walking tour of Barcelona, led by Dan! 

Upside down staircase monument

WHAT IS THE UPSIDE-DOWN STAIRCASE? The upside-down staircase symbolizes the step-by-step construction of Catalonia’s future in Placa de Catalonia.

 WHAT IS CATALONIA? The Catalonia region, in northeastern Spain, is known for the lively beach resorts of Costa Brava as well as the Pyrenees Mountains. Barcelona, the regional capital, has a historic Gothic Quarter, La Rambla pedestrian mall (which we will see in an upcoming blog), museums and several beaches. Antoni Gaudí’s distinctive modern art and architecture (which we will see in an upcoming blog) can be seen at the Sagrada Família Basilica and in the colorful outdoor mosaics of Park Güell (which we will see in an upcoming blog).
Official languages: Catalan, Occitan (Aranese), Spanish, Catalan Sign Language (also recognized)
Provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, Tarragona
Capital: Barcelona

Fountain in the park of the upside-down staircase

Recently Catalonia tried to declare independence from Spain. It didn't go well. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has dismiss Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his regional ministers after they declared independence in October. 2017. All Catalonian independence politicians were jailed at that time and are STILL in jail, without charges. 
POST A YELLOW RIBBON - People of the region have put up yellow ribbons on their property or clothing or hung the Catalonian flag as a way to protest the holding of those prisoners. 

NEXT: La Rambla, Dunkin' and Dogbone Balconies