Montjuic And Anella Olimpica

Back in the city, I was intent upon seeing the site of the 1992 Olympics held in Barcelona -- otherwise known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad. The primary location for events was on Montjuic, a broad mountain southeast of the city center, with views of the piers of Barcelona de Mar and the beaches of Barceloneta.

Asking for directions at the front desk of the Hotel Axel Barcelona, the concierge was surprised that I would be walking. “It’s a mountain, you know,” he cautioned me. “Yes,” I replied, “I walk a lot, and I’ve been known to climb a mountain or two. I’ll be fine if I get there before the heat of the day sets in.” He nodded, dubiously.

So off I went, heading west for about two miles before approaching the entryway to Montjuic. To my surprise, most of the climbing would be by escalator, as it turned out. Montjuic is a wide, wooded hill that houses a fortress built in the 17th century with a bird's eye view of the harbor and virtually the whole city of Barcelona.

Montjuic (meaning “Jewish Mountain,” indicating a settlement at one time) is a delightful arboretum and principal site of the 1992 Summer Olympics. It also has a forboding past centered on the castle on the southeast corner of the mountain, which doubled as a prison and place of execution as recently as the Spanish Civil War.

Walking past the Placa d’Espanya, a key plaza near Montjuic, I started climbing the escalators at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. Escalators gave way to stairs as I continued on to the top of the western summit of the mountain -- where the main group of Olympic sites are located -- including the Olympic Needle and stadium.

The 1992 Summer Olympics were notable for numerous reasons. It would be the last time the summer and winter games would be held in the same year. Americans will remember these games as the summer of the “Dream Team.” The Olympic Committee had approved the admission of professionals and the U.S. easily won the gold medal.

Other notable aspects of the 1992 Olympics: first time for badminton competition; South Africa admitted for participation for the first time since 1960 because of apartheid; first Olympics without boycotts in 20 years; and one last hurrah for the Soviet Union, competing under one flag as the Unified Team and winning the medal count.

Waiting for Japanese tourists to move for a picture of the stadium, I finally got my shot, plus a bonus. They opened the stadium for the tour groups and I slipped inside for a photo of the field and track. I stood out among the entire busload of Japanese tourists, but nobody said anything, so I bought a shirt at the gift shop on my way out.