Field Trip I was really excited for this field trip. Not only do I love history, but I love boats! I knew Barcelona was a huge port city, but I didn’t know how long it had been one. Some of the boats we saw in the museum were just that: boats. Some were not bigger than the rowboat at the lake in Wisconsin. These boats were in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean fighting storms and huge waves. It was super interesting to me to see the evolution of the boats and ships and how they changed the city. The bigger the boats, the bigger the port, the bigger the city, the bigger the income. At the end of the museum we saw a “modern” Spanish ship replica. It was bright red with tons of gold trim on it. It was the Spanish was to show all the other countries that they were a force to be reckoned with. The boat was powered by slaves in the cabin that would row the long paddles back and forth together. The conditions on the ship must have been terrible! I can’t even imagine all the diseases and problems the people on the ship must have encountered every day. I had blisters on my hands from kayaking for 3 days! I can’t imagine working for weeks on end under those conditions.
We also saw the maps that the Spanish had drawn throughout the years. It was so interesting to see the “evolution” of the world and see the changes of the maps every time something new was discovered. The first map was pretty much all of Europe. This was the only thing they knew existed and so it was supposedly the whole world. Then Asia and Africa were discovered. At this point Columbus was certain the world was round and was going to sail across the Atlantic to reach Asia. Of course he didn’t get there, but rather “discovered” America. In all the maps you could almost see the changes of perception and ideology with the evolution of geography. Overall, the building, the exhibits, and the information was really interesting and showed me how Barcelona has transformed as a port city.
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