Barcelona- A Travelogue

Okay, the first thing to say  is that 24 hours in Barcelona is not enough- but it’s all I had, so I made the most of it. It is also fair to say that I can pack more things into a one day period than most people can cram into two weeks, but hey, I am a pro at this thing called life! When life beckons- I go!

WHY would anyone stay in Barcelona for just one day, you ask? Well, let’s face it, the airlines are making the trip to Europe from Memphis hard these days. We wanted to go to Athens, Greece, but because of some strangeness in the air traffic world, in order to get there, we would have to go to Toronto, have a long layover, then Amsterdam with a 9 hour layover, then Munich, ….you get the convoluted picture. So instead of fighting it, we embraced it. We saw it as an opportunity to see some European Capitals that we had always wanted to see. So, with massive amounts of effort by Julie Butler at Peacock McCarty Travel, instead of sleeping at the airport in Milan, we were taking in the sights of Spain.

The first thing you notice about Barcelona is that it occupies a lovely location. It is ringed with hills, the Mediterranean Sea laps at its shores and it is washed with sunshine- Ah, yes, a very good geographical location indeed.

The second thing you notice is the foresight that went into planning this remarkable    (and very old) city. Broad, pedestrian friendly boulevards, 68 urban parks, and a huge promenade that runs the length of their oceanfront beaches (their beaches are the best urban beaches in the world) allows residents and visitors alike to fully enjoy the place. Vendors and buskers work their trades and the sweeping sidewalks are full of activity and life. The city has a program where the residents can, for about $50 a year, borrow any one of thousands of bicycles from one of the hundreds of stands dotted through out the city. So there are loads of people enjoying the fabulous weather while going from work to lunch or work to home, or out for the evening, you get the picture.

Our hotel, The Barcelo Raval, was amazing (thanks again, Julie Butler!) and located right off of La Ramblas, the famous main street in Barcelona that runs almost a mile and is lined with shops and cafes. Its huge, pedestrian friendly, cobblestoned median is filled with shopping stalls, artists, open air taverns and restaurants just as it has been for centuries. Start at the northern end of the street and walk down towards the sea.

At the southern end of La Ramblas, near the beach and by the statue of Christopher Columbus, is a tourist information booth where you can purchase tickets for the Hop On- Hop Off tour bus. This is a really good idea for people who want to make the most of limited time. You will want to see the work of Antoni Gaudi, the famous architect- no doubt you have heard of him- and since his work is sprinkled though out the city, a tour bus is definitely the way to go.

Gaudi is famous for his over the top whimsical style. He designed and built a cathedral along with some homes, gardens and public buildings. His master piece is a Cathedral called “Sagrada Familia” which he started in 1882 with construction continuing today. You can disembark the bus there, which apparently everyone does, but because the place is so absolutely packed it is hard to get a good view or even really appreciate it. Instead opt to jump off the bus at the Casa Mila, a famous home that was designed and built by the master.

The bus takes you through many of the different neighborhoods of Barcelona including the Palace. We jumped off the bus at the beaches, walked through a huge food market, had lunch at the Cathedral and saw ancient Roman ruins. We were back at our hotel in time to enjoy a sunset cocktail at “Bar 360” and a dip in the small rooftop pool, a perfect way to begin our night.

Friends had told us to dine at a place called Los Caracoles a restaurant located in the Gothic District not far off La Ramblas. It was founded in 1835 by the same family who runs it now. The place is like some medieval labyrinth with a central (and very busy) kitchen. The menu was great and the ambiance even better. A mariachi band roamed around playing acoustic renditions of songs by REM and making the entire experience slightly surreal. This place is busy at anytime of the night and day so be sure to make reservations.

The walk back down La Ramblas to our hotel now had a completely different vibe since it was now well into the evening. It was just as busy but now there were more performing artists and people lounging in the street side taverns. We made our way slowly back to the room, enjoying every second of it.

A taxi picked us up in the morning and took us back to the airport where we would catch our flight back to Memphis. The ride there was lovely and we past many places we had left unexplored…but that’s okay, it just gives us a good reason to go back!

Where To Eat-  Los Caracoles, 14 Escudellers…be sure to make reservations!

Where to Stay-  Barcelo Raval, 17 Rambla Raval