Field Trip to Raval

The last field trip was to Raval neighborhood. Raval means "Neighborhood of the Harbor". This is located on the right side of La Rambla. We learned that this is a newly renovated area of Barcelona. It used to be a place full of drugs and homeless people, and the city council decided to complete a massive overhaul. In some parts of this neighborhood they stopped letting cars on some streets and also developed and underground trash system to clean up the city and minimize odors.
Raval used to be full of monestaries and other religous buildings that are now converted to public places. The MACBA (Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art) contains all types of modern art. It was designed by Richard Meier and was opened in 1995. Outside of this building is a place where many young people hang out and skateboard and bike.

The CCCB (Barcelona Center for Contemporary Culture) is another museum located near the MACBA. The building has a mix of modern and contemporary art as seen below. Here contains many exhibits. I went here to see the World Photo Press 2009 exhibit. They also hold many cultural activities in the auditorium and always encourage young people to come and see these.

There is still a strong anarchist influence in this neighborhood. Walking by there were signs with anarchist symbols and messages written on the walls. We also walked by traditional anarchists bars near Carrer d/ Carme.

La Rambla de Raval is another famous road in this area. Here there is a high concentration of Morroccan and Pakistani people. This causes great debate in things such as schools because actual Spanish children are the minority. This street is filled with Doner restaurants and shops run by these people. One thing that is out of place is a five star hotel located right off the left side of Rambla de Raval. After walking down this street I definitely prefer the normal La Rambla.