Spain Trip #8: Barcelona Bike Tour: Raval's Wall and Lucky Cat

L to R: Scott, Gary,Doug, Rob, Tom and El Gato

In today's blog we continue on our great bike tour of Barcelona. Marit, our bike tour guide brought us to the Raval neighborhood where we met a special feline. Well, statue... but it has a story. We'll also tell you about the Raval area.

WHO IS EL GATO? - El Gato is a giant cat made out of bronze that has been placed in one of the main squares in the Raval neighborhood. It's in a pedestrian street that's wide enough for vendors. El Gato has become Raval's mascot and the superstition associated with him is that if you rub his whiskers, it will bring you good luck. Marit explained that so many rubbed the whiskers, that they've actually fallen off and had to be replaced/

El Gato

Part of a wall still outside of Raval

WHAT IS THE RAVAL NEIGHBORHOOD?  It's the neighborhood in Barcelona where you'll find the most diverse cultural mix. Immigrants from many countries live together here. Although it's the most diverse, unfortunately, it's also not safe after dark. We learned that there are buildings with no central heating, so trucks sell tanks of propane so people can warm their homes and cook. El Raval is one of the most colorful and lively parts of Barcelona. El Raval is known for having the best bars and restaurants in Barcelona. 


RAVAL HAD A WALL - Walls once circled Barcelona, and the Raval neighborhood was once protected by it.The medieval and modern walls of Barcelona were built as a defense for the city between the 12th and 14th centuries initially by Pere II the Great of Catalonia and Aragon (1276-85).
 They were actually the second and third sets of Barcelona city walls and were built to protect the parts of the city that had grown up outside the original Roman walls of Barcelona. Once they were complete, the walls remained in place for five centuries until most were demolished in the 1850s.

Part of a wall still outside of Raval