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Published: October 17th 2008
Barcelona
Placa de CatalunyaWe spent two full days in Barcelona but only scratched the surface of all there is to see. We rented a flat through “Holiday’s in Barcelona,” and it went really smoothly. Our apartment was on the third floor and had a nice roof top terrace, but the rooms inside were really small. It would be a challenge to live there as a single person, but it worked great for our three nights. We enjoyed having our breakfast on the terrace each morning -coffee from the French press, good bread that we bought in Orgiva and orange marmalade and yogurt.
We were on St. Pere Des Mas Alt which is just a few blocks from The Plaça de Catalunya, a large plaza surrounded by monumental buildings and Barcelona's busiest square. It is located between the old city (Ciutat Vella) and the 19th century Eixample district. Las Ramblas, a 1.2 kilometer-long tree-lined pedestrian mall connects Plaça de Catalunya in the center with the port. Las Ramblas is usually full of street theatre, cafés and market stalls, it serves as the emotional hub of Barcelona. There were bird sellers and turtle sellers and craftspeople and street entertainers and lost youth.
The street we
stayed on is a typical European street that is narrow and seems to not really allow cars but lots of bikes and scooters. We arrived on Saturday and the shops were closed up so there are just lots of metal garage-type doors that cover the shops, and the street seemed dark and dingy. Sunday things were still closed but when we went out on Monday morning everything was open and there were clothes shops and kids’ stores and hardware stores and lingerie shops and markets. People were busy up and down the street and it seemed like a different location than the one we had walked down earlier. But when we came back on Monday afternoon it was siesta time and everything was closed up again and looked like a totally different street.
We spent time walking around the port area, enjoying the yachts and cruise ships and sangria at a harbor side café. We did lots of shopping but didn’t buy much. Things were so much more expensive than the other places we have been. We had a great dinner at a tapas bar called Taller Tapas and we met a delightful couple from Tel Aviv who were
Barcelona
Our street at the table next to ours. We really enjoyed talking with them. They were so interested in our politics and said that they think of Bush as a comedian. We have been reminded over and over how much more aware the rest of the world is about our politics. We are such a big factor in how everyone else functions and it is clearly maddening for them to watch the decisions we make.
The last day we walked to Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia the massive cathedral that has been under construction since 1882, and is scheduled to be completed in 2026. It is stunning from the outside but we decided not to go in. The lines were long and we would want to spend several hours and we just didn’t have the time or energy. We got lost on our way back to our flat. The city is so big and the streets are not squared off so you can turn down one and end up going in the opposite direction that you expect. We finally found an intersection that was marked on our inadequate map and made it home, but we did lots of walking. We were surprised at
how humid it was, even though it was overcast and many people had on coats as if it was cold.
The last evening we went to the Boqueria Market, a huge fresh produce, meat, seafood, candy, cheese, wine, spice, etc. market just off Las Ramblas. The colors are vibrant, the smells vary from enticing to got-to-step-away…and the merchants are either aggressive, or they appear to be uninterested in your business and it is hard to get their attention. This would be the place to shop if we lived in Barcelona, or even if we were there for a longer stay, but we just got some cheese for our evening snack, and some fresh squeezed mango juice.
We are tired and ready to be home. It is hard to end a trip in a busy city. The things that are inconvenient or annoying seem to become more so in the last couple of days but that may be a good thing because it makes it easier to go home.
We will remember this trip for the rest of our lives and are so grateful for each person we met, those who hosted us and fellow travelers who took
the time to connect with us. And we are grateful for the friends at home who helped make it possible for us to be away - co-workers who covered for us, the saints who kept the dog, the friend who watched the house and the angel who mowed our lawn, and to anyone who took the time to read about our travels - thanks! Laura and Sam
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