Barcelona's Beauty
Trip Start
Aug 26, 2008
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66
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Trip End
Aug 17, 2009
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain and Canary Islands
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Our first day in Barcelona dawned sunny and cold--as always. We set off walking down the main boulevard from Diagonal Street toward the harbor. Along the way we passed numerous examples of Barcelona's unique architecture. A long broad promenade leads past the mideval and gothic parts of town down to the harbor. The promenade was full of vendors, resturants, and performers catering to the small groups of wandering tourists. We stopped and made our one and only contribution (0.50 Euros) to a costumed woman because she had the most elaborate and well-composed costume in all of Europe. We've seen costumed "performers" from London to Athens, and hers was the best. In return, she gave Jacy a small heart charm which was perfect for her charm bracelet.
Continuing down to the harbor, we snapped some photographs before getting lost in the maze of the gothic section of town. Eventually making our way out, we hiked back north to Diagonal street and explored the more immediate neighborhood of our hostel.
One of the best aspects of Barcelona are its numerous and extensive markets. Scattered all over town in unique buildings are large fresh fruit, vegetable, meat, and fish markets. Visit one, and it is easy to pick up everything you need for a healthy and tasty supper for very little money. The main market next to the city's primary walking boulevard is a little touristy and expensive, but the other markets--though smaller--are better priced and carry more than ample choice of produce, fish, and meats.Our second day was spent hunting for the pointy new church, also known as the La Something Familia. The construction supposedly began in the 1800's and is ongoing with a estimated completion date of 2020. After finding the church, we headed to the flea market, one of our favorite places of any city.Too soon, our time in Barcelona drew to a close. The city left us with a favorable impression of the southern coast of Spain. The hostel was pleasant, the city open but still walkable, and there were excellent markets and flea markets. Top marks.
