Riding in the coche … or is it cotxe?

We’ve decided to go exploring today and of course it involves my favourite transport – the car or as we call it here in Spain coche. But today I’m confused because Dad says it’s called cotxe! Only for today though because we’re going to Catalonia and apparently they don’t speak Spanish there – it’s Catalan! Just when I thought I’d got the hang of things.

So we are soon whizzing up the motorway and in just over an hour we arrive in a place called Reus. This old town is between the mountains and the sea and is famous for wine making and liquors. Sounds yummy to me but Dad says I’m too young for tasting so I have to make do with a bowl of water while they have coffee in Prim Square.

Most people only know the town because of the airport that has low cost flights to the UK. However people have lived here since Roman times and the name actually means Roman Prison! I’m glad I wasn’t around then as it doesn’t sound like much fun. The town was small until the 18th century when the liquor production really took off and the town expanded. At that time it was the biggest liquor producer in the world, even bigger than Paris and London.

The other thing that Reus is famous for is it is the birthplace of modernisme art. At the start of the 1900s Art nouveau was the big fashion and Spain was also part of the craze. Each country had it’s own take on the style but Spain was a bit different. I’ve always thought of Spain as one country but in fact it is a complex mix of 15 seperate regions, each with it’s own style, culture and, in many cases dialect or even language. Catalonia is no exception and the modernisme style brought it’s own uniqueness.

One of the greatest artists of the time was Antonio Gaudi and he was born in Reus in 1852. As we walk through the narrow streets of the old town, we find the little house where he was born into a family of coppersmiths. Although there are none of his designs in the town – he worked mainly in Barcelona – the modernisme style can be seen everywhere. It contains the symbols of the region, culture and language which were all banned at the time and are displayed in the designs of the unique buildings.

The streets in the old part of the town are narrow and cobbled but nearly every house has been designed by a famous architect of the era. Plaques in the floor in front of the buildings state the architects name and the dates of the buildings. I wonder how many dogs have sniffed around these streets!

We reach the church that has been standing since the 13th century. It’s one of the few buildings that don’t have the modernisme influence. However the sign outside says that Gaudi used the spiral staircases in the tower as inspiration for his most famous work in La Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona.

As we stroll back into the Plaça del Mercadal, we stop to admire the beautiful Casa Navás. It’s so grand I think it must be a government building but I am wrong. It was built in 1901 as a private house. Wow! Too grand for me!

I spot a little stone marker in the floor of the square that says tronada. I ask Dad what it means and he says it’s a Catalan word for storm but in fact it marks the spot where the famous Saint Pere celebration takes place and where a huge display of fireworks takes place. I hate fireworks so I start to make a run back to the car – I’m not taking any chances!

I love Reus. Not only because it’s the birthplace of my favourite designer – I might ask for a Gaud designed dog bowl for Christmas! – but the people here are proud of their heritage which has been repressed and even banned for so many years. Catalan is a beautiful and unique language and I’m an honoured dog being able to experience something so unique, even if it was only a day.

So for now…..

Goodbye Reus! See you again!

Adéu Reus! Ens tornem a veure!

Adiós Reus! Hasta Luego!