Barcelona Part Uno

Barcelona, Spain was a dream destination of mine and I have only heard great things about it, specifically the food!  Omgoodness the food!  I had yet another chance to practice my Spanish while in this lively city and I got to spend time with my mother and aunt who were visiting for a couple of weeks.  While they do speak Spanish in Barcelona obviously, they also speak Catalan which on first impression sounds like a mixture of Spanish and French and has a noticible "th" sound in words where a "C" would go.  So "gracias" is pronounced like "grathias" by many Catalonians.  We got an Airbnb hotel right downtown near La Rambla and had a great experience.  Being right in the thick of things, it was very noisy at night, but a few days there was great.     There is a lot to do and although there were beaches, I wouldn't consider it a relaxing place.  It is the sixth largest city in the EU and is a bustling city checked with Antoni Gaudi influences, amazing food, architecture, and history.   First thing I explored was La Rambla or the main strip in the center of the city.  This is where all the action is and in the beginning of June it was full of tourists and very crowded.  Though I walked in this area every day of my four day trip in Barcelona, I didn't enjoy this touristy area because it was so crowded, but it is a place you have to see in Barcelona.     Right off of La Rambla is probably my favorite place in Barcelona, La Boqueria.  This is a food market with everything from smoked sausages, to machego cheese, to fresh veggies, fried seafood, and fresh juices.  I loved the fresh juices and I had one every morning for breakfast.      Go a little further past La Rambla and you can find the the Bari Gotic which is the old Gothic area of Barcelona.  It's not too big but worth a look. We found some amazing musicians playing some of their music.  Also near this area is the shopping.  Barcelona has great shopping.  I found lots of great shoes and clothes.  You could spend all day shopping.   In this same general area is the Barcelona Cathedral and on a Monday we happened upon a little antique market where I purchase a Solar Clock which I thought was beautiful.    I can't talk about Barcelona without talking about the tapas.  You can find them everywhere and they are little tastes of foods.  On this particular day we tried gazpacho, croquettes, cheeses, and salad.  Spain is on to something with tapas.  We did have a bad experience away from the touristy area where we found a cockroach in some of our bread, which just reminds me that if it's a place with no one else eating there, then don't go there.  This restaurant was way far off from the tourist area, I'm not saying only eat in the tourist area as some of the best food can be found off the beaten path but you are sure to find great food where lots of people are eating there.   If you are into architecture, Antoni Gaudi's works are king here.  Right off of La Rambla is a smaller museum of his works called Palau Guell.  The outside isn't impressive like his other works but the inside has some things worth seeing.  But if you don't have time, I'd say skip it.   If you walk far enough down La Rambla you'll reach the pier and from there you can keep walking towards the beach in Barcelona.  I did not enjoy my time at this beach.  It was extremely crowded and the scenery was just okay.  We only spend an hour or two there because of all the people.  If you want to go to a nice and less crowded beach in Barcelona you'll have to take the metro or taxi at least 20 minutes outside of the city.  I'll talk more about that in my next post!

This explains my first two days in Barcelona.  Stay tuned for Barcelona Part Dos where I discover Flamenco and La Sagrada Familia!

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