El Pueblo Español

"El Pueblo Español" (The Spanish Town) is located in Barcelona's Montjuic Park.  It was created as an exhibit for the Barcelona International Exhibition of 1929.  Replicas of over 100 historic buildings from all over Spain were built here to create a village representing the architecture of the entire country.  Because it was the most popular exhibit at the fair, it was not torn down after the exhibition ended.  Many of the buildings contain shops selling Spanish handicrafts.  I've always thought that it was a pleasant place to spend an hour or two wandering along its streets lined with picturesque buildings and looking for some souvenirs in its shops.  However, when I took Phyllis there this morning, I was shocked to find that the price of admission had gone up to 12 euros (over $16 US).  I can understand charging a few euros to maintain the buildings, but $16 seems exorbitant to look at fake buildings and to have the privilege to spend money in their stores and cafés.  It's a pretty spot, but if I play "tour guide" in Barcelona to any friends in the future, "El Pueblo Español" will not be on the itinerary!

After we left "El Pueblo Español" we did a bit of exploring in Montjuic Park.  Montjuic is a large hill on the western side of the city and from there we had a great view of the city.