Barcelona is a Cosmopolitan Gem (2)

Tying everything together is Barcelona’s bustling and beloved La Rambla Boulevard which connects the busy square of Placa de Catalunya to the Monument a Colom, a tall column erected in honor of Christopher Columbus. It’s the first place everyone - visitors and locals alike - heads for and is considered one of the most beautiful streets in the world. Crowded with people from every continent, La Rambla boasts kiosks selling newspapers in every language, chic cafes, hotels and boutiques, the occasional tacky souvenir shop and the equally occasional and tacky Catalan Elvis impersonator. Properly speaking, La Rambla is Les Ramblas because it consists of five connected streets. On the Rambla de les Flors, a neo gothic arch beckons visitors into the Mercat de Sant Josep or La Boqueria, Barcelona’s most spectacular food market brimming with solid, colorful walls of fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, cheeses, herbs, sweets and edible offerings of every imaginable kind sprinkled with delicious small bite restaurants (click on Gastronomy for more on that subject).

Not to be missed on the seaside of Barcelona are the flashy redevelopments of Port Vell and the Vila Olympica, both of which are massive urban renewal undertakings that evolved around the 1992 summer Olympics. Until the late 1980s, the seafront was a collection of decrepit textile factories, warehouses and train yards. As a result of the Olympics, the area was transformed into a spectacular yacht basin and entertainment center including an IMAX theater, an aquarium, the Maremagnum (a complex with shops, cinemas, bars and restaurants) and the Port Olimpic, a further confluence of shops, restaurants, beachside cafes and clubs, topped with a gigantic Frank Gehry bronze fish sculpture.

If Barcelonians are serious about anything, it’s nightlife. From concerts to gallery openings, tapas bars and nightclubs, a dizzying array of options start early and run as wild and late as you want, often into dawn. Typical nights start with drinks, tapas and/or dinner around 8 or 9 pm followed by a music or concert venue around 11 pm and then a bar or two followed by dancing afterward.

The Barcelona Tourist Bus run by Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) provides an excellent way of acquainting yourself with the city. These ‘hop on, hop off’ buses give you the ideal opportunity of getting your first glimpse of all the major tourist attractions, familiarizing yourself with the layout of the city and perhaps bringing your attention to places you hadn’t previously considered exploring. The Bus Turistic is undoubtedly one of the best of its kind in Spain and offers so much more than just a sightseeing trip. Visit www.barcelonatravelogue.com for more details.

Foremost worth a visit among the areas surrounding Barcelona is the Monastery of Montserrat, the Catalan Holy Mountain that was a magnet for pilgrims during the Middle Ages. Also worth a visit… the tranquil wine region of the Penedes, supplier of the precious Catalan bubbly cava.

Your visit to Barcelona will be an amazing journey that will endear you to this magical, historically and architecturally rich city and beckon frequent return for experiences and memories to cherish!