Viewing figures showed three-quarters of Catalan television sets were tuned into one of the channels showing the Germany game. "We will end up with more Spanish flags being waved for the Spain-Holland match on Sunday than Catalan flags on the Saturday demonstration."īarcelona did not experience the same wild celebrations that provoked gridlock in parts of Madrid after the semi-final win against Germany on Wednesday, but Carod-Rovira is right that growing support for La Roja overshadows attempts to assert Catalonia's "different" identity. A massive flag bearing the red and yellow stripes of Catalonia, supposedly originally drawn on by the bloodied fingers of a warring Catalan count, preceded the procession.īut the march could not have been worse timed, according to Josep-Lluis Carod-Rovira, deputy leader of the Catalan regional government and a leader of the separatist Catalan Republican Left party.
The march was led by the socialist head of the regional government, José Montilla, and his two predecessors.
Hundreds of thousands of Catalans marched through Barcelona's streets denouncing the court's decision to strike out parts of the statute. "Our constitution recognises no nation but Spain," it affirmed on Friday in a stern rebuke to Catalans who hoped a new autonomy statute might formally allow them to be known as a nation within Spain. The country's constitutional court disagrees.
Spain oppresses other nations, according to separatists, including to the Basque terror group Eta – which exacts its revenge in blood. This is a "nation of nations" according to some, who see Catalonia and the Basque country as unrecognised nations which, like Scotland, deserve their own football teams. Such an outpouring of national pride also raises challenging questions about Spain's vision of itself. Few countries in Europe, except Germany, have such an instinctive mistrust of patriotism. Fire Station #8 stands at the ready, another sometimes unnoticed but truly beautiful part of daily life.Indeed, Spain's red and gold flag still reminds some people of the civil war of the 1930s, more particularly, of the 36-year dictatorship of Francisco Franco, leader of the pro-fascist Nationalists, that followed it. It boasts a clean Mid-Century Modern design clad in smooth stucco and roman brick, flush window bays that wrap around a corner, curved canopies over the garage and main entrance, and geometric punch-outs in the canopy over the third-floor balcony.ĭespite its three-story height, the building is modest in scale and has a strong horizontal feel so it melds very well with the low-scale streetscape around it. The station is a simple three-story building with typical fire station necessities like double-height roll-up garage doors and space for both working and living, on-site. The building was completed in 1953 and has served in active operation ever since. It's a shame, because so many of the fire stations in Los Angeles County are lovely examples of Mid-Century Modern design, representing a huge increase in construction to keep up with the postwar population explosion and housing boom.įire Station #8 on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood is a perfect example. Fire stations are a ubiquitous building type, so much so that they nearly disappear into the landscape unless a firetruck is coming out of one with lights and siren blasting.
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