Everyone I’ve met who’s been to Barcelona has told me how
much they’ve enjoyed it. Now that I’ve had the chance to visit the city, I
understand why. The city is interesting, lively, clean, safe, and walk-able.
There is a great variety of delicious restaurants and cafes – both indoor and
outdoor. There is a lot to see and do. The people are hospitable and English is
widely spoken. On one level, it is a bi-cultural city mixing Catalan and Spanish
people and their distinct languages. Among the Catalan people there is strong
sentiment for independence from Spain. Barcelona is also a multicultural city,
with large communities from of many different ethnicities. It has a superb
transportation system of interconnected subways, buses, and trains. The weather
when I was there in late September was perfect – with highs in the high 70s.
The only downside that I could see was that it was swarming
with tourists – like me. Since it is such a terrific destination, it is visited
by over 18 million tourists per year. It is the beginning or end point for many
Mediterranean cruises. From Montjuic Castle overlooking the city, I could see
six huge cruise ships in the port.
I loved the cuisine in Barcelona. There is a great variety
of mouth-watering appetizers – Spanish tapas, montaditos (small open-faced,
single slice items like crostini, or small baguette sandwiches), and Basque
pintxos (also like crostini or canapes, but with a toothpick holding the
topping to the bread). In addition to the small dishes, I tried a number of
Spanish, Catalan, and Galician dishes. I took a tapas and pintxos walking tour,
and a paella cooking class.
Prior to my trip, I did a lot of research on the cuisine and restaurants, and received great advice from friends. So I had a number of specific dishes and restaurants to try. I had reservations at a number of the restaurants.
The Spanish wines were also very enjoyable and reasonably
priced. I took a winery tour to the Penedès region about an hour west of
Barcelona, and another to the mountaintop Montserrat Benedictine Monsastery and the
Ollmer del Mas winery, about an hour northwest of the city.
In the city, I visited four of the architectural wonders of
the creative genius Antoni Gaudí – the Sagrada Familia basilica, Park Güell, Casa
Milà/La Pedrera, and Casa Battló. I was so impressed, I wrote a poem to him,
which I plan to post.
I also visited the incredible La Boqueria food market, the
Cathedral of Barcelona, Montjuic Castle, the Gothic Quarter, and the Arc de
Triomf.
I was lucky to be there during the annual La Mercè Festival
in honor of the patron saint of Barcelona. I saw a fantastic parade, and great
outdoor dance performances.
I walked for miles in the city, and never felt uncomfortable.
There were lots of wooden benches where one could sit and relax, or people watch.
Pickpockets are reportedly a problem, so I was very careful to protect my valuables.
As gifts for family and friends, I bought delicious Torrons,
traditional Spanish nougats. I purchased them at Vicens Torrons, which has been
making them for 300 years.
I also succeeded in my hunt for men’s tie clips to add to my
collection. I found them at two places. The best was Militaria Barcelona, a
great military antiques store. The other was a booth at the Mercat dels
Encants flea market, the largest in Barcelona.
