We just got back this evening from several days in Barcelona… and we absolutely loved it. Thanks so much to everyone who gave us suggestions for this trip and who encouraged us to stay longer than we originally planned. We arrived at our apartment at 4 pm on Tuesday and left this afternoon (Saturday) a bit after 12 noon, so we had almost four full days… and could have used several more.
The architecture of this city is truly amazing. Nothing I had read prepared me for the impact of the modernista style. We loved everything Gaudi—the houses, the Sagrada Familia and especially the Park Guell. We toured the equally-spectacular Palau de la Musica. We wandered up and down La Rambla and were enthralled by the street performers and the living statues.
A highlight for my daughter (sorry!!!) was discovering a Dunkin Donuts on La Rambla. After eight months away from the USA, she was just thrilled to have a taste of home. I personally preferred the little sugary donut-type things (bunyats??) sold in the local bakeries. We also detoured by the big covered market—the Mercat de la Boqueria—every afternoon, captivated by the mouthwatering displays of fresh fruits and vegetables. (Kelly didn’t care for the displays of suckling pigs though!) I have never seen such large and luscious strawberries—just mounds and mounds of them. We had fresh strawberries every morning for breakfast along with freshly-squeezed orange juice. We sampled tapas and paella and had lots of sangria.
Our apartment turned out to be absolutely ideal and in a perfect location—two minutes to the Palau de la Musica and about five minutes to the Placa de Catalunya, La Rambla, Musea Picasso, and the Cathedral. We were right in the Barri Gotic on a tiny and very quiet alley-street. I’ll submit a review in the next couple of days.
We didn’t have any problems with pickpockets, though I never carried a purse with me and we weren’t out much after dark. I found the beggars more disconcerting—especially the women who came right up in your face holding a baby. My daughter and I were also a bit uncomfortable with some of the people hanging around in the otherwise-beautiful Place Reia, though we watched the police move some of them away. I think Barcelona is overall a safe place to be, but also one—like many big cities-- where it is important to be careful.
The only issue we had at all was shifting into Spanish after so many months of operating in French! We did find that Barcelona was extremely friendly to English-speaking visitors—signage, menus, friendly English-speaking waiters and shop people. We highly recommend Barcelona as a European destination and definitely plan to visit again.
Kathy
P.S. I believe this is actually my 500th post. Just a quick thank you to everyone who continues to offer help, suggestions and encouragement. The Slow Travel community means a lot to me!
Topic Closed
