Barcelona is one of Europe’s top destinations
Cool Catalonia
In a privileged position on the northeastern coast of the Iberian peninsula and the shores of the Mediterranean, Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain in both size and population. It is also the capital of Catalonia, 1 of the 17 Autonomous Communities that make up Spain. Consider Barcelona car hire as a great way to get around to see the city attractions.
There are two official languages spoken in Barcelona: Catalan, generally spoken in all of Catalonia, and Castillian Spanish. The city of Barcelona has a population of 1.510.000, but this number spirals to more than 4.000.000 if the outlying areas are also included.
The capital of Catalonia is unequivocally a Mediterranean city, not only because of its geographic location but also and above all because of its history, tradition and cultural influences. The documented history of the city dates back to the founding of a Roman colony on its soil in the second century B.C. Modern Barcelona experienced spectacular growth and economic revival at the onset of industrialization during the second half of the 19th century. The 1888 World’s Fair became a symbol of the capacity for hard work and the international outlook projected by the city. Culture and the arts flourished in Barcelona and in all of Catalonia; the splendor achieved by Catalonian modernism is one of the most patent displays.
A personal reflection
After all the warnings I received about this lovely city, I am happy to report that I have been having a fantastic time in the capitol of Catalonya. Not being able to speak either Catalan nor Spanish (well, only the few key words I recall from Sesame Street), I´ve still fared very well in this lively city by the sea. Because this was my last city on my journey, I treated myself to a very nice hotel that I could see had good locksmith security, at the marina close to where my boat for America leaves on Monday, the start of a new adventure. From the marina it is only a short walk to the spire hosting famed explorer Christopher Columbus, who points west towards my home. I have mixed feelings as I explore prepare to explore my last city of my world tour, but this doesn’t last long because Barcelona captures my heart immediately.
Las Ramblas, the famed pedestrian main street of town, is an entertainment zone unto itself. A fun walk past the many street performers leads to Placa de Catálunya, a huge square with fountains, statuary and a big plaza, where major streets intersect. Upon noticing that there seemed to be a lot of motorscooters and motorbikes parked here, I later learned that Barcelona has indeed the most motorcycles of any European city, due to the constant good climate. They also have over 100km of bicycle lanes, so the traffic here is not nearly as crazy as other big cities. I have explored the city by foot, on the bus and only as a last resort by affordable, speedy taxi drives to get me to my destinations like the hotel and the boat terminal. I saw a fantastic Flamenco cultural show and sat next to a woman from Cape Town, SA. We hit it off and went to enjoy some tapas and drinks after the show at a delightful little tapas bar hidden in amongst Barcelona´s ancient, winding alleyways.
We had a lovely time walking around the area after listening to the delicious sound of the Spanish guitars and the flameco dancers´ rythmic feet. I was wowed by Antoni Gaudí´s tremendous tributes to nature and his incredible designs at the apartment building Casa Milà “La Pedrera”, the famed, sandcastle like cathdral yet to be completed, the Temple de la Sagradra Família, and my absolute favorite, the Casa Batlló. This storybook apartment house, which was rebuilt by Gaudí, is the most wonderful piece of art I have ever had the privilege to walk through. I was enchanted, delighted and smiled at his love of nature, his sense of humor and his sheer design genius.
I then made time to stroll the marina and the crowded alleyways, view Barcelona´s gothic cathedral, illumined by hundreds of red glass candles as well as devout pilgrims and parishioners attending mass, walk through the fantastic fruit and vegetable markets where butchers slice meat directly off the leg of whatever meat you want to buy, visited Gaudí´s masterpieces, ate my fill of luscious local anchovies, the soft and strong Manchego cheese and discovered the most decadent chocolate and hazlenut covered waffles, yet feel I only scratched the surface of this artsy place. I also toured Monseratt, the monastery in the mountains about 50km north of here which is home to another much venerated Black Virgin.
The surrounding views and rounded mountain tops were more than worth the sometimes funny, interrupted journey to the mountain. Four days here was definitely not enough to see all Barcelona has to offer. My new friend told me her mother always said you must leave one thing to come back for, and in Barcelona´s case, it will be more than one, as the numerous museums, parks and surrounding areas are all great reasons to come back. Later I considered Sitges holidays as a chance to see the beautiful waters of the Mediterranean.
