The Monkey began his Spanish travels in Barcelona, the premier city of the autonomous region of Catalunya, in the northeast corner of the Iberian peninsula. Barcelona vies with Madrid for cultural and economic primacy in Spain, and has, since hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics, really come into its own on the world stage. The city exemplifies the autonomous regions of Spain; here, theough Spanish is understood and spoken, the main language is Catalan, and the Catalans take great pride in using their language openly after years of seeing it repressed under the Franco dictatorship from 1939 to 1975.

Here the Monkey is resting in the lovely Plaza Real (Plaça Reial in Catalan). The plaza was a 19th Century addition to the surrounding Bari Gotic, the gothic quarter that is Barcelona's real core, and one of the largest medieval neighborhoods left in Europe. In Plaza Real, one also gets a subtle introduction to the work of Barcelona's most renowned architect: the lampposts were designed by Antoni Gaudí early in his career.

This is Barcelona's monument to Christopher Columbus, located at the bottom of the pedestrianized Ramblas near the old port. It's somehow fitting to begin the tale of the Monkey's travels through Spain here. The Genoan mariner, having been rejected in his homeland and by the Portuguese, eventually found favorable patrons for his explorations in the Spanish Crown.

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were feeling triumphant, having overpowered the last Moorish stronghold on the Iberian peninsula (Granada) and expelled the occupying Muslims for Chistendom (as they saw it). This triumphalism combined with the Crwn's Christian missionary zeal to give Columbus the green light when he sought funds for a westbound voyage into the relatively uncharted waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Ostensibly seeking a route to the Indian subcontinent that didn't rely on the Portuguese-dominated route around the southern tip of Africa, Columbus ended up running into (but certainly not "discovering") a number of the already-inhabited Caribbean islands.

Columbus returned to Spain to report to Ferdinand and Isabella, bringing along tropical birds and plants, and more importantly, captured humans and gold. It was the beginning of Spain's imperial foray into the Americas, which would bring inconceivable wealth back to Spain and untold horrors and bloodshed to the established civilizations of the Americas, forever altering the cultures of both places.

Barcelona's Bari Gotic contains a plethora of narrow alleys, balconied buildings, quaint cafes, tucked-away restaurants, and serene, hidden squares. Here the Monkey relaxes by a fountain in one such square during his 1996 visit to Barcelona.

The Monkey relaxes on the balcony of his Baro Gotic pension, with the Catalan flag hanging behind him. During the Franco regime, such an act would most certainly have brought the authorities down on the owners. The warm window across the narrow street belongs to Xocoa, one of the Monkey's favorite cafés anywhere in the world.

Another view of the Monkey enjoying the silence of that quiet plaza from the photo above left.

Barcelona abuts the Mediterranean Sea on one side and is surrounded by low mountains on all the other sides. Nestled between these natural boundaries is a sprawling, lively city with distinctive neighborhoods, a wealth of cultural and culinary attractions, and some of Spain's most industrious people. Here the Monkey surveys the cityscape from the heights of Parc Güell (more photos of that on the next page).

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