Appreciate the modernistas! ...
by mssly
Appreciate the modernistas! All of them, especially Gaudi. Visit the Picasso museum, so you can see that he COULD paint in any style, but chose to invent a new one(co-founded cubism with Braque) Stroll the Ramblas from end to end, both by day and by night.
Do not fail to visit the Boquería market for a sensory overload on food! Eat octopus salad! Getting drenched in a downpour on the Ramblas at night...crying my eyes out in the museum part of Sagrada Familia as I saw what the place is really about...being there with Sarah in '89 and NOT staying at the pension next door to the 'New York Sex Club'
The guard with the sidearm at McDonald's saying that Americans are 'too trusting' and leave their purses in reach of thieves(OK, so I wanted a cup of 'regular' coffee!)See my Barcelona travelogue for more pix!
learn a bit of history...
by Tolik
learn a bit of history first…Pre-Roman coins found in the area of Barcelona suggest that the Celt-Iberian Laietani tribe may have settled here, but without any recognisable urban center. Around 230 BC the Carthaginian conqueror Hamiclar Barca, father of Gannibal, established a settlement here giving the city own name. Archeologists believe that this town have been built on the hill of Montjuic. The Romans arrived in Spain in 218BC. The heart of the Roman settlement lays within Barri Gothic. Remains of city walls, temple pillars and graves all attest to what would eventually a busy and lovely town. Barcino, as the Romans called it, was not a major center. Tarraco (modern Tarragona) was considerably more important. It became a capital of the Roman province of Hispania Citerior. From the 4th century AD onwards several waves of invaders flooded across the country. The Visigots arrived in 415 and under their leader Athaulf made a temporary capital in Barcelona. Nevertheless, Toledo became the real powe center. After the death of the prophet Mohammed in 632, Muslims swept across Asia Minor and all of North Africa. In 711 they landed in Hispania. Muslims made their way through the country into France, where only brought to a halt in 732 by the Franks at Poitiers. Barcelona was taken by the Frankish rule Louis the Pious in 801. The history of real Barcelona begins at this point. The area was populated by the people who by then could be identified as 'Catalans”. Their language was closely related to the lange d’oc , the language of southern France. By the late 10th century the Casa de Barcelona ruled an independent principality covering most of modern Catalunya. This was the only Christian state on the Iberian Peninsula. In the 11th century Catalunya launched its own fleet and the sea trade developed. This was te era of great Catalan Romanesque art. Barcelona’s trading wealth paid for the great Gothic buildings. The cathedral, the Capella Reial de Santa Agata and the churches of Santa Maria del Pi and Santa Maria del Mar were built in the late 13th or early 14th century. But sea wars with Genoa, resistance in Sardinia and the loss of the gold trade all drained the coffers and eventually Catalunia became part of Castilian state. The Catholic Monarchs banned Catalans from trading directly with newly established American colonies. Everything had to go through Sevillia and Cadiz; Catalunia continued to sink. The big break came only in 1778 when the ban on American trade was lifted.
Estrella
by bpwillet
The local beer is fairly good and is worth a try. I am not an expert on beers but it was palatable and didn't detract from the food in any way. You can either have it from the tap, in its own glass or you can have it from the bottle.
Wander through the crooked streets
by vivalasteph
The best part of the Barri Gotic is getting lost in the twists and turns, and then stumbling upon a square or a church that takes your breath away. The little (really little!) bars and cafes tucked into the old buildings make you feel like you've stepped back in time. Of course you're brought back to present day when a scooter comes racing by!
Shopping Mall
by Elainehead about Centro Comercial Glòries
Centro Comercial Glòries Virtual Visit
Centro Comercial Glòries is a semi-open air shopping mall so you can enjoy the beautiful weather. You will find everything you need here from shops (Zara, Mango, Levi's, C&A, H&M, Pepe Jeans, etc) to supermarket (Carrefour), restaurants, movies, etc.
It is big (more than 250,000 m2, 54,000 m2 only with shops and the leisure space), but there are lots of place to rest such as benches (outside) and sofas (inside).
Open hours
Monday to Saturday: from 10 AM to 10 PM.
Restaurants and leisure:
Monday to Sunday: from 10 AM to 1 AM. Usually cheaper than France.
Sign in with Facebook
the spires
Food counter inside the Market
Another page out of the Barcelona Diary.
Casa Batlló (Gaudi)
