Spain: Bienvenidos a Barcelona
First post from Spain - Hello from Barcelona!
We have a limited time in Spain, so this post is packed with information.
Today's topics: La Rambla, Antoni Gaudi, Cathedral de Barcelona, Mercat de la Boqueria,
Scammers in Spain, Sangria and Spanish food.
Placa del Portal de la Pau viewed from the waterfront
The first night in Barcelona we took to the streets and headed for La Rambla. Technically, it is merely a tree-lined street, pedestrian mall and tourist trap in Barcelona. However, it is still worth a trip to witness the architecture, feel the history and experience the crowd (all while keeping a very close eye on your valuables). Historically, La Rambla was not so attractive and originated as a sewage filled stream bed. However, it was converted into a paved street during the 18th century and has remained a sight to see ever since. Personally, it was refreshing to be outside and near the water.
Casa Batlló
Next, if there is only one name to remember in connection with Barcelona - it is Antoni Gaudi. The man seriously left an impression on this town. Gaudi was a Spanish Catalan architect who lived from 1852-1926.
Gaudi is known for his gothic-inspired modern style. His works embraced romantic catenary curves (an engineering term for a curve that, like a hanging chain or cable, supports its own weight when supported at both ends)
, ceramic mosaics and extensive details. In fact, his most famous work, the Sagrada Familia, is filled with dramatic intricacies that remain unfinished because he died before its completion. All the works we witnessed were inspiring, beautiful and definitely a must see for Barcelona.
Casa Milà
After we toured the famous Gaudi Houses, we ventured in search of something different. In the historic district of Barcelona is seems that there is a church around every corner. One of the most spectacular churches is the Catedral de Barcelona (featured on left). Warning: Do not confuse this gothic masterpiece with Gaudi's Sagrada Familia - because they are different! The Barcelona Cathedral is the home of Archbishop of Spain and was built in mostly during the 14th century.
A common theme to remember when visiting Barcelona (and the reason there are no pictures of the inside of these structures) there is a line to get into practically every. single. structure. So come prepared.
Next, we visited the Mercat de la Boqueria. Historically, this market (known as la Boqueria for short) was first mentioned in 1217. Overtime, the market survived as a general and unofficial market for over 500 years. Then, in 1826 the market was legally recognized and the official structure you can see today was completed by 1914. On our visit today, it was intensely crowded (as with most tourists spots). However, I was a bit thankful for the crowd because I noticed most people were drinking small juices. I eventually learned that most vendors who sold fruits and vegetables also sold fresh squeezed juices. I chose pineapple coconut - and it was awesome! I highly recommend! The remainder of our visit consisted mainly of checking out the vendors, such as: (1) If I had more time I would definitely come here for meat products, and (2) The dried pepper stand was so beautiful (see photo below).
Pepper stand in La Boqueria
Last, but not least, the topics concerning general life in Spain. First things first ... scammers. Now, I considered myself fairly well-traveled. I have been to three continents, do my research before head out, try to blend in, and haggle, haggle, haggle. But, Barcelona may be the exception to my preparation. Initially, the taxi driver from the airport warned us about pick-pockets in La Rambla. Ok - that is easy enough to avoid and thus far we have experienced no problems. But the driver also warned us about other taxi drivers overcharging - no problem we thought - we are from New York. Well, at the end of our first night, we took a taxi home, and were totally scammed. The initial walk took about 30-40 minutes, but took at least 20 via taxi with little traffic and cost almost 13 euro. All in all - I recommend you keep an eye on your taxi driver in Barcelona.
Similarly, we may or may not have had our conversation invaded by a former staff writer for
. (Yes, the cannibas afficionados magazine for all you straight edges out there). What do I mean?!? Well, when abroad as an American, I have found that other Americans will frequently join in on the conversation, especially when they have been abroad for some time. Basically, the miss speaking English and want to brush up on their skills. This past evening, we were chatting and minding our own business, then an older gentleman clearly of the flower power/make love not war generation completely crashed the conversation. Generally, he was nice enough until he started asking us not what we wanted to do with our lives, but "what do you want to
do??
" (If you are confused, you are on the right page, because this guy would not take any of our professional goals as an acceptable answer - thus we all were confused). Moral of the story - become fluent in Spanish or speak quietly to avoid conversation crashers.
Finally, some comments on sangria and Spanish food. In a word - awesome! The tapas style mediterranean fare is a welcome change to the heavy Austrian style food we ate last week. Specifically, the picture below (featured left) is that of a typical Basque tapas restaurant. There, consumers grab a table then head to a buffet of tapas sized snacks. Each has a toothpick holding it together and at the end of the meal the waiter counts the toothpicks and charges you per tapa. Great experience to share with friends!
Long story short, Spain is welcome change from Austria (primarily weather wise) and the group has really seen a lot across one short day of touring. We especially loved the view from Park Guell (see above right) also heavily designed by Gaudi.
Cheers!