Barcelona is one of my favorite cities in the world - beautiful scenery,
an area rich in history and culture, activities to fill every minute of your
day and night, wide avenues to stroll, lovely plazas, warm and friendly
people, delicious food and wine, including Mediterranean seafood of
incredible variety. Very different from the rest of Spain, Catalonia is
a treasure that should not be missed. Now that I have retired, I don't
know if I will ever be able to return but memories of past visits are
never far from my mind.
Barcelona has so many beautiful buildings with wrought iron trimmings.
Gaudi's famous Sagrada Familia, a work in progress.
One of the many stalls at La Boqueria, the fabulous La Rambla market.
The letter "B" is our topic and I have chosen one of my favorite cities in the world - Barcelona, a place I have visited about ten times if my memory serves me correctly. Most recently, I was there for four days in October 2008, as part of my 65th birthday celebration, along with four friends, and I also spent three days there in April 2007, with my dear friend, Sherry Arndt, at the end of our transatlantic crossing on the Navigator of the Seas.
picture courtesy of www.traveladventures.org
Panorama of the city with the spires of Gaudi's unfinished Sagrada Familia
Barcelona, with a metropolitan area of over four million people, is the capital of Catalonia, with its own language. Spanish, however, is the national language and is spoken and understood almost universally. The city lies on the northeast coast of the Iberian peninsula and faces the Mediterranean Sea.
It is a city both ancient and modern, tracing its history back to the time of the Romans in the 2nd century B. C. The Visigoths conquered the city in the 5th century and the Moors took it in the 8th century. Louis, the son of Charlemagne, reconquered Barcelona, in 801.
From the 12th through the 14th centuries, Catulunya was wealthy, with Barcelona ruling a small empire which included Sicily, Malta,Sardinia, parts of Greece, the Balearics, and the French regions of Rousillon and Cerdagne. The 15th century, however, saw a reversal of fortune, with the onset of the plague, bank failures and other traders taking over their markets. Opposition to the Spanish throne on several occasions, resulted in the defeat of Barcelona and even in the
banning of the Catalan language, in 1714.
Around the 1830's, the European Romantic Movement helped usher in the Catalan Renaissance, with a strong nationalist movement. The turn of the century, in Spain, was a period of great political unrest. However, with the death of Franco, Catalunya returned and Barcelona, as its capital, is a city to be treasured and enjoyed.
Barcelona has a warm Mediterranean climate so it is a year-round city to visit. It can be quite hot and humid in the summer - and very crowded, especially in August. Many Catalans
vacation themselves at that time so shops may be closed. Late spring or fall are nicer times to visit to avoid crowds and to maximize your time in Barcelona.
To really avail yourself of all that Barcelona has to offer, please refer to the websites at the end of this article. I will mention only a few. Of course, there are museums and arts to please every taste. Throughout the city, the work of Gaudi is evident - in lamp posts, buildings, parks.
Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera, is a Gaudi work on the Paseo de Gracia in the stylish Ensanche district. It was completed in 1910 and was Gaudi's final civil work before he devoted himself to the Sagrada Familia temple on which he worked until his death. This building has few straight lines and, as you can see, has curves and undulating forms. La Pedrera was declared a World Heritage site in 1984.
Park Guell was also declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. It is home to the Casa
Museo Gaudi ( the Gaudi Museum ). Gaudi lived there in the Pink Tower from 1906 until 1925, a year before his death. Many of his personal objects and furnishings are there.
The Casa Batllo is also on the Paseo de Gracia and is one of the most famous of Gaudi's buildings. I never get tired of seeing it and no trip to Barcelona is complete until I have passed by there!
A Gaudi alligator at La Sagrada Familia
Crucifix at La Sagrada Familia
Eternal construction at La Sagrada Familia - estimated to be complete in 2020
Barcelona is a city of wonderful restaurants from the simple to the most elegant. With its proximity to the Mediterranean, there is never a shortage of excellent seafood and, of course, one may simply feast on assorted tapas rather than eat a whole meal. Outdoor dining abounds and prices range from reasonable to extreme. Spain is well known for its excellent wines.
Colon Square Restaurants by Gipsy Bokeh
Our nice waiters at Colon Square
Padron peppers and scrumptious octopus
The city is resplendent with stunning architecture - from ancient to modern. My first trip to Barcelona, I rode the hop on, hop off buses to the end of each route, just to get a feel for the city and I was overwhelmed with its incredible beauty. The lCatalans take much delight in their home and, on Sundays, people are out in huge numbers, strolling hand in hand, along the avenues, and at Placa Catalunya, walking down La Rambla, enjoying the fresh air and listening to street musicians. It is a remarkarkable place.
Another pretty building
Apartment building
Barcelona turrets
The old and the new
Of course, the famous street, La Rambla, is a favorite of tourists, running from Placa Catalunya to the statue of Christopher Columbus at the port. It is lively from morning till late night, with its hotels, restaurants, shops of all sorts, mimes, entertainers and the like.
Flower stall on La Rambla
Entertainment on La Rambla
The fountain at Placa Catalunya
Beautiful light fixture
I have talked about La Boqueria in another post but I can't write about Barcelona without mentioning this incredible market on La Rambla. Whenever I travel about the world, I always visits markets but this one is my all time favorite. It is so beautifully organized and alluring. For the best prices, choose stalls that are further away from the street!
La Boqueria Vegetables
Fruits
Eggs of every kind!
Paella
Goodness, do I ever wish I had some right now!!
The Agbar and the Diaganol Hotel by Gipsy Bokeh
The Statue of Christopher Columbus at the port end of La Rambla
Icari by Thor
Nothing I can write can do this city justice. You have to visit to experience Barcelona. It is fashionable, modern, exciting, but honors the old traditions and its history stretches back two thousand years. I never tire of visiting. When I arrive there, it feels like I am going home.
To learn more about Barcelona, check out the following websites, for a start:
Also, thank you to the photographers ( names with their pictures ) who allowed their pictures to be shared. At least, there was a little variety from mine!
It has certainly taken me awhile to get my 65th birthday celebration blog completed! These are the final photographs from that trip. Our last four days were spent in Barcelona, Spain. We took an early morning flight on Vueling Airlines from Malaga. Originally, there were fares for only about $100 U. S. one way but, because we procrastinated in our ticket purchases, it ended up costing us $159.00. We had pondered with the idea of going by train, thinking it would be less expensive. When I began checking that out, it became a nightmare. Most train schedules had us being routed through Madrid and the trip would have been about thirteen hours and would have cost about a thousand dollars!
As it was, we had the horrible experience of having to pay nearly $300 U. S. per person for overweight luggage on Vueling which definitely limited our enjoyment of the last few days of the trip. Most of us had flown to Europe on U. S. carriers to begin our cruise which had offered a higher luggage allowance and, what with souvenier shopping and the like, our bags were going home much heavier than when they started!
We stayed at the Hotel Lleo, conveniently located at the top of La Rambla, near the Placa
Catalunya, close to the Metro. It was initially recommended to me by Steve Clark, a former British Air pilot - he and his lovely wife, Jenny, were tablemates on a southeast Asian cruise in 1997. We became great friends and, once, we met and spent a weekend at the Hotel Lleo in Barcelona. Last year, for my 64th birthday, they again met me in Barcelona to celebrate.
Busy bar in Ambios Restaurant at Placa Colon
I love this restaurant - I eat here every time I'm in Barcelona. There are numerous restaurants in this huge outdoor square not too far from the port, at the other end of La Rambla from Placa Catalunya. I've tried a couple of the others but I think this one has the best food!
This waiter came up to me and said hello. He told me he remembered me from my visit last
year. I couldn't believe it. We did eat here twice and I chatted with him in Spanish. Perhaps
he recalled us because we ( my cruise friend, Sherry, and the Clarks, from England, consumed an incredible amount of food and an even larger amount of wine! )
Almost always, in these wonderful Mediterranean countries, I order grilled seafood. This
was a delicious octopus grilled in wonderful Spanish olive oil and garlic...delicious. Usually,
my companions don't even want to try it!
The fountain at Placa Catalunya
We sat here for about two hours, just people watching. It is a delightful place to see families with their children, couples strolling, tourists, street entertainers, vendors. We sat here till the sun set and we knew it was time for cocktails and dinner!
A Barcelona alley
A street near our hotel
Healthy balcony plant - wondering what kind of plant food they use?
Xaica Restaurant
We were so fortunate to discover this restaurant, near the Hotel Lleo. It had great breakfast for about five euros, compared to the Hotel Lleo's which were double that or more. Lunch and dinner, typical Catalan fare was very reasonable and they also offered buffets and Catalan desserts. I was so suprised when I got back home to find it had several reviews in Trip Advisor. I just wish I had know about Xaica years ago - since now that I am retired and on such a limited budget, I am not sure I will ever get back to my beloved Barcelona.
El Poble Espanyol was built for the Barcelona International Exhibition in 1929. It was meant to be a real "village" in the middle of the city, representative of all towns and villages of the peninsula. The village consisted of over a hundred buildings, streets and squares, built to scale, and it was meant only to last six months, until the exhibitions end. Its buildings are representative of many of the regions of Spain and many of the actual edifices still exist.
The village houses more than forty craft workshops and shops sell beautiful gifts created
in Spain. Lovely fans, ceramics, lace, and jewelry are just some of the items available. Spanish wines and olive oil can be purchased as well.
