Las Ramblas, Barcelona

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Las Ramblas is the street that certainly is the heart of Barcelona.

There is so much going on here, street theatre (the spanish are so good at this) stalls, cafe's, everything you would want.

Also there are many famous buildings here, the opera house and many more.

Take a walk, chill out, have a beer or a glass or four of wine :)

The famous Ramblas ... Barcelona's most famous street .... full of little shops, bars, restaurants and pickpockets !!!! Be on guard and when you walk down the Ramblas, don't let anyone get close to you and you'll be OK .... we noticed the typical tourist with there huge camera's, sneakers, and fanny packs walking around looking up at the beautiful building but not aware of the people around them .... don't get me wrong ... enjoy the street ... the scene is great just be careful .... We were there early in the morning so it wasn't crowded but in the afternoon the amount of people is incredible.

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Barcelona's most famous avenue, la Rambla, is also its liveliest. The centre part of this tree-lined avenue is pedestrianised, allowing for cafés, kiosks, mimes, florists, tourists and pickpockets alike to take advantage and to keep this circus-like thoroughfare busy around the clock. The avenue officially runs from the Mediterranean shore all the way up through Eixample to Avinguda Diagonal. However, the most celebrated section of la Rambla is the lower part, starting from Plaça de Catalunya to the port. Numerous historic buildings line la Rambla, which traces the shape an old filled river bed. In fact, the avenue's name is derived from the Arabic world ramla which refers to the sand in a dry seasonal river bed. Over time, the river bed was filled to become what we see today. Along this part of la Rambla is also some creative architecture as well as a few famous old-world shops with Art Nouveau details (see photos).

The Ramblas are (invisible of course) divided in 6 parts i.e. there are 6 different names, one for each part!

It is the most cosmopolitan straat of Barcelona, with the greatest diversity of people. There are passers-by, shoppers, tourists, civil servants, mimes, comedians, street musicians, vagrants, even prostitutes....

Originally the RAMBLA was a torrent (the word Rambla comes from the Arabic word "ramla" which means stream, torrent)

The plane trees, the most common trees in cities in warm countries (introduced here in 1859), stand out in this street.

The historical evolution has divided it into 5 sections: The Rambla de Canaletes, the Rambla dels Estudis, the Rambla de Sant Josep, the Rambla dels Caputxins, the Rambla de Santa Monica and last but not least the last part that was added the Rambla the Mar.

Barcelona has its Port but was not very interested in the sea.....it more or less turned its back to the sea but things have changed...

In 1992 the Olympic Games came to BARCELONA which was a sign of great changes and a great clean-up......

The Port Vell, La Barceloneta and the preparations of the Beaches as well as the construction of the PORT OLIMPIC, have opened the doors of Barcelona to the blue-green Mediterrenean.

The Ramblas got their 6th section: the Rambla de Mar.......

So now the Ramblas don't end at the statue of Colombus like it used to (I know it that way too!) but continues along a wide wooden bridge to the Moll d'Espanya (Port Vell), which since 1995 has an exceptional leisure value.

Their are benches to sit and rest and nice protections for the wind......nice shops and really a fine extension of the city near the sea!

The Ramblas, a former dried river bed, consists of 5 avenues forming one long meandering wonderful place for a "paseo" for locals and for tourists.

You can start at the Plaça de Catalunya and walk all 5 sections to the port and Colombus statue, some 2,5 km..

It is a shopping area, full of kiosks, shops, terrasses, people, mimes and more.

On the Rambla de les Flors are numerous flower venders and you will hear birds sing: many sell also birds who wait there in little cages......
On your right hand side (coming from the Plaça de Catalunya you will see this famous MERCAT and I urge you to go in!

It is a wonderful and tempting place: so much cheese, nuts, figs, fish, fruit and more, much more......I always buy my fruit there and....HERBS e.g. SAFFRON.

The name is MERCAT DE LA BOQUERIA, St. JOSEP.

A street of dreams, a street of action, a street of reputation. All of these descriptions fit La Ramblas, Les Ramblas, or Las Ramblas, all three names apply to the area that runs from the Christopher Columbus monument, near the sea, north to Playca Catalunya.

Restaurants that are ready for the tourists with food and prices to match, the grand market, closeness to the sea, the many shops that draw the tourist inside, and the mime artists, bird sellers and flower stalls that line the sidewalks make for a vibrant center of the city.

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The church of the God's Mother of Bethlehem was situated not so far from first hostel Rembrandt, so it was the first church facade I saw in Barcelona. It is typical Baroque style church in Barcelona, constructed in 1681.

Unique interior details were burned during the civil was in 1936, so church is quite empty one. At the entrance a couple were stranding, giving a wrap (for women) to put on to go to church. Later, of course, they wanted some money for a favor. A man from couple really wanted "to be friend" and told he is Slovak doing business in Spain :)