‘I Thought That Barcelona Was Spanish’: Tourists Caught in Catalonia Unrest<br />Mark Langer, a lawyer from Washington and a former student of modern European history, could narrate how the process of unifying parts of Spain accelerated under Ferdinand II and Isabella I in the 15th century, and could explain the loss of Catalan autonomy under Felipe V. On the other side of the square, an Irish couple said<br />that the history of their own country’s independence movement meant that Catalan nationalism typically received more coverage in the Irish news media than elsewhere.<br />England said that It’s like speaking to people in America and trying to explain that the U.K. is actually four places<br />Mr. Anderssen and Ms. Hoeseth had to cancel their initial trip to the Sagrada Família, as did Ms. Dick and Ms. Forbes.<br />But it was no great hardship, Ms. Forbes said, adding, "Then we thought: Let’s just go to the beach." In fact, it had even all been "very exciting,"<br />said Ms. Dick, whose first act in central Barcelona was to wander innocently into the thick of a large pro-independence demonstration.<br />6, 2017<br />BARCELONA, Spain — When Gisle Anderssen and Bente Hoeseth, Norwegian newlyweds, were planning their<br />honeymoon last December, by their own admission, they knew little about Catalan nationalism.<br />Tourists of all nationalities spoke of their surprise, excitement<br />and — in some cases — admiration after witnessing the tumultuous events that have unfolded in Barcelona during the past week.
