Field Trip to the Raval

On Tuesday April 27th 2010, we took our final field trip to an area of Barcelona called the Raval. One of my favorite aspects of the Barcelona Past and Present class is going on field trips. The reason I enjoy going on these trips so much is that it gives us an opportunity to see places that we would not generally see. The only thing that would make these field trips better would be if they were at the beginning of the semester because it would allow us to know where more places were in Barcelona were for more of my stay. However, I realize that this may be impossible due to the fact that we are only here for four months. Anyways, by walking around in this area, I would have never ever thought that this was a bad area whatsoever. However, prior to the 1992 Olympics, this was a dreadful area where illegal drug trade and underground prostitution took place. But as we talked about in class, the 1992 Olympics brought tons of renovation to Barcelona, and made it into one of the top tourist attractions in all of Europe. With all the revenue and exposure Barcelona would receive, funds came in to completely change the city and clean up many parts that were previously downtrodden; like the Raval. When we were walking around, we saw a group of kids skateboarding. The first thought that popped into my head was that these kids should be in school considering they looked no older than 14 or 15 years old. However, it was entertaining to see one little guy attempt a kickflip off a staircase and land unsuccessfully about 20 times in a row. Who knows though, could that kid be the next big time skateboarder? However, the big picture here is that these kids were free to hang out here worry free, while before the 1992 Olympics that would have been unthinkable because the area was so bad. Although the area is not perfect, and could still use renovations, it is amazing to see learn how far the Raval has come. I am glad we went on this field trip along with the others, because they have allowed me to get a perspective on Barcelona I would not have had otherwise.