Field Trip 3 - Cathedral, Gothic Quarter, Santa Maria Church

Our most recent field trip was around the same area as the previous two. However this time, we took a closer look at the idea of workshops and we even got to see the Santa Maria church. Although I arrived late to the field trip, I got there in time to learn that many of the street names like Calle de Llena and Calle de Espejo are streets named after the trades that took place in that street. So the two examples above would be the street where wool was made, and the street where mirrors were made. I assume this was simple for the people to know what was taking place in each area. We were fortunate enough to have one woman come out from a small door in one alley way which turned out to be an old workshop. The door was not large at all, and there was a small winding staircase inside. I also found it most interesting to learn about the housing situation in the area, although it may not have been a main focus of the trip. It was sad to find out that landlords strategically try to force the elderly in the buildings to move out, because they are locked in to paying a low rent, so landlords cut their electricity and make it unliveable for them. Moreover, I learned that I should be overly thankful for the invention of the washing machine, or else I would have no career path, or education if I lived in barcelona. Women would have to wash clothing day in and day out, and without a washing machine I would be someone still doing that today. Finally we ended the trip by going inside the Santa Maria church. The church was one of the most beautiful religious buildings I have ever been in. Again, like I said about the first field trip, it amazes me how they could have created such nice stain glasses windows with little or no technology. I will never get over the craftsmanship in so many old buildings. Personally, I am not an extremely religious person and such places never really affect me much at all. I can appreciate the artwork but I do not feel connected in any ways to my religious self when I am in these kinds of places. I am not sure if it is a good or bad thing, but it is just the way I am.