What happens when a city thrives for 2,500 years, makes its mark as a maritime power, and combines Roman, Gothic, Renaissance, Catalan, and modernist influences? The vibrant, dynamic Barcelona, with its Roman ruins, medieval cathedral, Gothic quarter, and unique Modernista architecture, is the fascinating result.
Spain's second-biggest city is also the capital the partially autonomous region of Catalonia, home to 10 million Catalans. Catalans are proud of their distinct language and traditions, a pride borne out of periodic suppression from Spanish rulers that began when Catalonia lost the War of Spanish Succession in the 18th century. The economic boom of the Industrial Revolution gave rise to the Catalan Renaissance, the Renaixença, which in turn gave way to the Modernisme period and a love affair with the unique, Art Nouveau-inspired Modernista architectural style popularized by architects like Antoni Gaudí.
My friend and designated travel buddy Marissa and I couldn't wait to explore it all. However, our flight landed at 1:30 in the morning following a 2-hour delay out of Croatia, so we headed straight to our hostel after our arrival. As I worked a little later into the night to back up some of my photos, a visibly inebriated hostel guest returned after a night out at some local bars and immediately lost his lunch, but at least he made it to the bathroom before doing so. It was hardly the most auspicious start to our stay, but things quickly turned around!
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| Barcelona is full of charming architecture |
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| View of a courtyard with a public pool from our hostel. Barcelona can get hot! The beach and pools are frequented by locals in the summer |
Our day began at Plaça de Catalunya, right at the center of town. This transportation hub also serves as the city's primary spot for celebrations, demonstrations, and festivals. Consider it Catalonia's Times Square, but a little more revered among the locals. It also separates Barcelona's famous grid of broad boulevards in the Eixample district (where our hostel was) from the narrower streets of the older parts of town (our destination).
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| A monument to Catalonia's former president, Francesc Macià i Llussà, who declared independence for the region in 1931 |
Plaça de Catalunya forms one end of the city's most famous thoroughfare - Las Ramblas! This pleasant, tree-lined pedestrian street, once a canal that has since been paved over, lead us straight us to the sea. We strolled past street performers, flower shops, newsstands, pet stores (children traditionally bought pets with their parents on Sundays on this street), FC Barcelona gear, and streams of passersby. Naturally, many of them were tourists, but you really had the feeling that this was no tourist trap - Las Ramblas is an integral, charming part of the city to which you couldn't help but keep coming back.
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| These shallow, sunny balconies are trademark characteristics of the city's architecture |
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| A recently discovered cemetery dating back 2,000 years to when Barcelona was a port town called Barcino and under the control of the Roman Empire |
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| Catalans are fiercely proud of their identity, a point underscored by their recent referendum for independence. The variant of the Catalan flag with the blue triangle is known as the estelada and is the symbol of Catalan separatists |
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| Betlem Church |
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| The La Boqueria market offers plenty of traditional jamón, cured ham found in Spain in Portugal |
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| Architect Antoni Gaudí, whose works we would see later, used to wander through the market to gain inspiration |
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| All sorts of unusual products were available for sale, like these razor clams |
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| Feeling adventurous? |
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| Buildings at Plaza de la Boqueria |
At the direction of my trusty Rick Steves Barcelona guidebook, our foray down Las Ramblas was taking us into the heart of the Barri Gòtic, Barcelona's Gothic Quarter.
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| Plaça del Pi, a little hidden square off Las Ramblas |
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| Santa Maria del Pi, a 15th-century Gothic church |
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| I'm used to these sorts of displays containing a creepy relic (fingernails of a saint, the blood-soaked tunic of an apostle, etc.), but if there was one here, Rick Steves didn't mention it |
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| The octagonal bell tower of Santa Maria del Pi |
As if Las Ramblas wasn't scenic enough, the city's most vibrant, beautiful, and bustling square was just around the corner - Plaça Reial! Grand buildings, a large fountain, and towering palm trees adorn this elegant square, first built in the 1850s for King Ferdinand VII.
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| Restaurants with decorative neoclassical facades line the square |
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| Romantic, lively, stately, brimming with restaurants and hot nightlife spots... this square has everything you could hope for in a city's social center |
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| Eminent Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí designed a unique set of lamps for the square early in his career |
Moving closer to the shoreline, we passed by Palau Güell, the first of Gaudí's Modernista buildings (which together are considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Built in 1888, these apartments are just of one of countless architectural sights worth seeing in the city. We were in town for three full days and did not have a chance to stop by for a real visit - there's just too much to see !
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| The parabolic front gates were built to accommodate horse-drawn carriages, which would then be kept in the basement |
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| At the end of Las Ramblas stands a 200-foot column honoring Christopher Columbus, who visited the city the year after his trip to the Americas. You think the dinky Columbus statues we have in the U.S.A. are controversial? Imagine the protests this huge monument would spark! |
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| It was erected in 1888. Note the four winged victories taking flight to all four corners of the earth |
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| Marissa added for scale |
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| The old customs building, built in 1907 |
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| Flea market in front of an ornate government building |
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| The entire waterfront district used to be run-down and sketchy, but it received a sprucing-up in advance of the 1992 Olympics. It's now a major focal point of the city |
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| Rambla de Mar, a wooden pedestrian bridge at the city's wharf, acts like an extension of Las Ramblas |
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| Walking along the Passeig de Colom, we passed the fanciest post office building we'll probably ever see at Plaça d´Antonio López |
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| Traversing the slightly grittier streets of Barceloneta, once home to fisherman and sailors |
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| Heading into El Born, a bohemian neighborhood once home to the cit's wealthiest shippers and merchants |
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| Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, the centerpiece of the neighborhood |
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| The church was built in the Catalan Gothic style by workers known as bastaixos, who transported every stone for the church across town on their backs. They're depicted here on the front doors |
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| The funds for the church's construction and upkeep come from the community, not the Catholic Church or city, so it is seen as an "alternative" cathedral that symbolizes the common people |
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| The church was completed in 1383 |
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| Fire damage from a blaze set during the Spanish Civil war still mars the ceiling |
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| The churches columns are said to have inspired Gaudí's work on La Sagrada Família |
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| The Carrer del Bisbe Bridge in the Barri Gòtic |
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| Plaça de Sant Jaume, the central square of the Barri Gòtic. The building is the Palau de la Generalitat, which has housed the governmental offices of Catalonia for 600 years. Some days, the square sees Catalonia's leaders or soccer stars greeting cheering crowds from the balcony, while at other times the square plays host to massive numbers of demonstrators demanding respect for the region's cultural heritage |
Since seeing four distinct neighborhoods, three major plazas, two churches, and the city's most famous thoroughfare wasn't enough action for one day, Marissa and I then paid a visit to one of Barcelona's must-see attractions: Park Güell (pronounced "gway"). This fanciful, Gaudí-designed Modernista paradise, completed in 1914, consists of gardens and unique buildings originally designed as an upscale housing development. It's now a public park and part of the Works of Antoni Gaudí UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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| The park's famous sweeping staircase |
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| La Casa del Guarda |
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| Inside the Hall of 100 Columns, originally meant to be the location of a produce market for the development's residents |
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| There are really only 86 columns... presumably Hall of 86 Columns was deemed to be insufficiently catchy |
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| A pedestrian arcade reminiscent of a breaking wave, reminding visitors of how Gaudí drew much inspiration from nature |
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| Barcelona's most famous, postcard-perfect view is from the top of the park's terrace! |
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| Marissa and I met up with my friend and fellow CBYX-er Nicole at the park, who also happened to be in town |
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| You're actually not allowed to say you've been to Barcelona if you didn't get this picture (but seriously, everyone takes a picture here and you should, too) |
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| Trencadís mosaics made from broken tiles cover many of the surfaces in the park |
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| A look down a colonnaded footpath |
Having now seen one of Barcelona's most iconic sights, we were invigorated and ready for more sightseeing action - but first, tapas and sangria! Once our way, way, way too early dinner (by Spanish standards) was out of the way, we met up with Nicole's Spanish friend and headed towards the Plaça d'Espanya.
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| A monumental fountain at Plaça d'Espanya, built in 1929 by Josep Maria Jujol, one of Gaudí's main associates |
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| The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, built for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, is like a more flamboyant version of the Bellagio fountains |
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| The lights change colors and fountains sway to a wide selection of music |
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| Coincidentally, we were there on July 4th! We decided the fountain's performances would serve as our fireworks |
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| Explosive! |
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| The waterworks are accompanied by twenty-minute segments of film, classical, and modern music every half-hour |
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| The fountain took a full year and 3,000 workers to complete |
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| The Palau Nacional (also built for the 1929 International Exhibition) looks fantastic at night |
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| Looking all the way back to Plaça d'Espanya |
After we enjoyed a glass of wine and headed back to the hostel at 11:30 p.m., we saw plenty of Spaniards enjoying a full-on dinner. I'm a dedicated night owl myself, but even to me that seems like a late meal! Marissa and I bid Nicole and her Spanish friend Alex goodbye (we did the quick kiss-on-a-cheek routine, which we considered a successful exercise in cultural integration) and hit the sack in an attempt to sufficiently rest up before another full day exploring one of Europe's finest cities.
