Order from Chaos

Order from Chaos

When were told about Barcelona it was described as a city that never sleeps and that there is constant noise. As I ventured down the Las Rambles which is one of the most famous streets in Barcelona I noticed all of the noise and commotions but it appeared to have a certain order. Las Rambles is a 1.2 km long http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/ramblas/barcelona-las-ramblas.html street that has spans many different types of life and culture of Barcelona. At the southern most end of the Rambles is the Port Vell and the Gothic Quarter off of the right side. This street started as a small stream that flowed outside of the city wall. In the 19^th century the wall was torn down and the street was reborn into a larger collection( Las Rambles ) of the smaller streets http://www.aviewoncities.com/barcelona/rambla.htm. This street is a flow of people and traffic. There are tons of the standing “ Statues” that are performers who dress up and pose for money. There is also not a shortage of restaurants selling Paella and Sangria. The major symbols of the Catalan Culture are all representing in some way in this street. The Ramba de Sant Josep has been up graded from it’s usually form of just a street to have been made into Mercat de Boqueria or Flower Market http://www.aviewoncities.com/barcelona/rambla.htm. Even though the Rambles has many different things going on from the mass of tourist walking the street to the local Catalans who are trying to get their vehicles down the side streets. To be a part of this clash of culture where there are not very many boundaries between people and cars is an adjustment. According to Tremlett’s Ghost of Spain the layout of the busy street in Barcelona is the epitome of what the Catalans life style is about. I thought that Spain was a busy place in comparison to the other European cities that I have been to. Then I went to Marrakech, morocco.

When telling someone that you are going to Morocco many people will wonder if you are going to the magical city of Casablanca to see where the memorial movie was filmed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casablanca_(film). We did not we headed to the main tourist city of Marrakesh. Known as the “Red City” because it used to be the imperial city of Morocco. The unique thing about the city is that it is one of the only cities that still have an old walled city and a new modern one adjacent to it. The city has been through many transformations with being the capital of Morocco and being built up as a religious center for Sufism pilgrims. The city is known for the seven saints which is a festival invented during the reign of Moulay Ismail http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ismail_Ibn_Sharif. This festival and movement of tombs of famous figures was to attract more pilgrims of Sufism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufism during its height.

My first experience in Morocco was that of an illegal immigrant. At the customs station my passport was not stamped but it was typed into the system. This did not seem to be a problem until I arrived at the hotel and the employee was baffled that I had been let in the country. When our tour guide returned to get us he was informed of my illegal status and he told me that we would have to take the 20 min ride back to the airport in order for me to get a stamp. Now I was not too worried at this point but my tour guide was more visible shaken. I was let in the customs area and had to ask the agent give me a stamp. Now I would have never thought that these stamps that the custom agents stamp in such a haphazard way would ever matter this much. I was given a little bit of a hassle and then I was stamped. I was now official in the country in accordance to the Kingdom of Morocco law. Now I didn’t think that this was as large of problem as my tour guide was worried about but in reality I could have been a member of Moroccan society for longer than I had planned. The stamp in the passport was the symbol that is given to all foreigners to show that they were allowed for a short time in the Moroccan boarder. This shows the difference between EU nations boarders and non – EU nations.

Another experience with territory and barriers was visiting the market in Marrakesh. The market in Marrakesh one of the largest in Morocco http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrakech and is something that would only work in a country like morocco. For how tight the customs are to get into the country that idea of boundaries does not transfer into the market place. The sights, sounds, smell are all enough to make someone think that noise and bustle of Barcelona is nothing but a whisper. The boundaries in the market are nonexistent between the food vendors and the people fixing tables and chairs. One of the largest and most dangerous lack of boundaries is that of the roadway and pedestrian space. In the narrow alleys of the market a person will be passed by at least 3 bicycles and 2 or more motorbikes. The only warning given to pedestrian is the small honk of a horn or a yell (conveniently in French or broken Arabic) for you to get out of the way. The street vendors have their wares all over the street and in the more crowed areas of the market there is not a clear difference between one vendor’s wares and the neighboring stores.

The differences between these two cities were enormous yet they have similar aspects of viewing themselves as unique. Barcelona is considered the city that is full of life and yet very refined to the people of Catalonia. Where they follow certain protocol that makes them Catalan. The city of Marrakech is a new and developing city that is trying to blend its old traditions and boundaries into something that will be welcomed in the 21^st century as a global tourist city.