The residents of Pedralbes finally have a casual meeting point, a place where they can get to know each other in a relaxed atmosphere, in any way, rubbing shoulders. It is a simple bar of a lifetime at the foot of the neighborhood monastery that opened its doors a few weeks ago. It is not a futile question, nor an occurrence.
These rather informal spaces consolidate the cohesion and neighborhood spirit of all neighborhoods. Circumstantial conversations while waiting for some olives on the bar with that person who calls you lightly in the end generate more complicity and bring neighbors closer than any community mediation program directed by the public administration.
Here, on this side of Barcelona, ??as several members of the neighborhood’s neighborhood association explain, most of the buildings lack commercial floors, the shops are a bit far from the homes, people tend to leave the estates and later they re-enter through the car park door, all the time in their private vehicle.
And so, very few people walk the streets, people find it very difficult to enjoy their immediate surroundings, those who walk the dog and those who go for a run hardly cross paths – in fact, for these verals, this of walking the streets often seems disturbing and suspicious -, and on top of that there are not a lot of public facilities… So the casual meeting points most frequented in these latitudes are the pipicans, when people leave mass and especially the common areas green and private from the communities of owners.
What happens is that in these small gardens you only meet the neighbors of your staircase. The truth is that, for some time now, many wild boars have more social life in these gardens, digging holes and other things, than some residents all their lives. And in this way, the neighborhood finds it very difficult to shake off the adjective bedroom and all the depersonalization that entails.
At the weekends, people tend to go down to other neighborhoods or play the city’s two. Here, in Pedralbes, everything is far away, for better or for worse.
“Actually, this snack bar was an old vindication of the monastery of Pedralbes – explain the members of the neighborhood association, around a table of the establishment in question, having something -. The monastery has always lacked a place where visitors can have something to drink after visiting it. Now, more people will come for Christmas! Finally, the City Council held a competition”.
“In Pedralbes we also have good restaurants, such as El Mató de Pedralbes, which reopened after a long time, which is also a meeting point”. “And Casa Cantabria is also very good.” “But in restaurants you relate above all to who you share the table with”. “And we also have the Christmas fair, of course, but it’s very timely.” “What’s happening is that in this neighborhood we also lack facilities, we don’t have an outpatient clinic, no library, no civic center, no day care center…”. “And if we make claims, many people look at us badly.” “And here, in this snack bar, the creatures play pétanque together. It’s very good”.
That’s why the bar in question is called La Petanca, because they leave balls to play. “The response from the neighbors is being very good, especially on weekends at vermouth time – says entrepreneur David Corbó-. You can see that people really wanted to have such a place close to home. Families, couples, neighbors of all ages come. Not only creatures play pétanque. This sport is increasingly fashionable among young people. But hey, we were the only ones who entered the contest in question. In reality, it wasn’t that clear, but we fell very well in the neighborhood.”