A day in Barcelona (part 1)

I know many, like me, have a travel bucket list. The places you really, really want to see.

But ever among those, there are usually 1 or 2 that are sort of your long-dreamed, long-awaited destination, the place that you think of as “I’ve always wanted to go there!”

That’s a lot of buildup. Which means by the time you finally make it there, the excitement is mixed with a tad of anxiety that the place won’t live up to your expectations.

Barcelona was definitely not a letdown. A tourist’s dream, easy to navigate on foot, with beautiful sights and gorgeous buildings at every turn, fabulous food and wine widely available, and a wealth of markets and shops carrying all sort of lovely decorating accents and knick-knacks that you just can’t wait to bring home.

One thing you can count on: your camera will get as much of a workout as your legs will, when you explore Barcelona.

Our walk started near the harbor, at Plaça Portal de la Pau, where the Christopher Columbus monument sits atop a 60-meter (200 feet) column, pointing towards North America. It reminded me of the Columbus Monument on the other side of the Atlantic, in NYC, and I wanted to say I hear you, I’ve been there too and it’s pretty awesome

There we started walking up Las Ramblas, the most notorious promenade in the city. The Sunday market stalls and street performers attracted crowds of tourists and locals alike; the crowds made it difficult to to capture some good pictures, but there was so much worth capturing that it hardly mattered – when you are surrounded by that much beauty, you don’t let other stuff spoil it for you.

We stopped on the way up Las Ramblas to take a small detour when I noticed an alley on our right that lead to what had to be Plaça Reial. The Sunday flea market filled the square, and my husband was tempted to drag me away when he saw my eyes sparkle at the sight of the market’s bounty, but he was relieved to see I was focusing on taking pictures and not gearing up to buy every little flea market treasure I could set my eyes on. (I have to admit that took a fair amount of willpower.)

We exited through the Arolas and continued our journey up Las Ramblas, stepping on the Miró mosaic in Plaça de la Boquería and passing the Art Deco dragon on the old umbrella shop, the Licieu Opera House and other gorgeous palaces.

After walking the main stretch of Las Ramblas we ended up at Plaça de Catalunya – which for some reason the Fodor guy didn’t like. “The only relief in sight is Café Zurich” he said. Yeah, ‘cause when I am in a huge square with sculptures and mosaics and fountains and I see interesting buildings of various styles all around me, all I can think about is going to get an espresso. Seriously??? (Although I did, of course, take the time to check in while I stood outside Café Zurich )

Just to the right of Las Ramblas is the Avinguda del Portal dellAngel, a lovely walking street that took us right into the heart of the Barri Gòtic (“Gothic Quartier”), the area I was most looking forward to exploring. Even the crowds of tourists cannot spoil the feeling that you are taking a trip back in time when walking through the shady narrow alleys and enjoying the splendid medieval buildings and squares.

After returning to the Carrer del Ferran for paella and sangria at a spot near Plaça Reial, we resumed our walk through the Barri Gòtic headed to Parc de la Ciutadella, the once-upon-a-time military fortress later turned into one of the main parks of the city. There the girls could run around and play, and I got a chance to walk up the steps of La Cascada, the monumental cascading fountain at the North end of the park.

By this time we were getting hot and tired, but the thought of a siesta back at the hotel must have been more tempting than laying on the grass right there at the park, because we strolled past the Catalonian Parliament and down the Passeig de Isabel II and the Passeig de Colom, back to the now familiar sight of the Columbus monument, back to our car and back to our hotel.

We knew we’d be back for more, but for now, a rest and a shower were a well-deserved prize.

Tagged as: Barcelona, Spain, summer 2010