The city of Barcelona is yours
AT SUNRISE
9.00. Big cities always stay up late, and even more so if it's the weekend. It's 9 in the morning on any given Saturday and I walk alone through the diagonal avenue . ** Barcelona is still stretching the last minutes before fully waking up ** and its streets are still preparing to be the scene of a pitched battle for do not share cobblestone.
I have the batteries charged one hundred percent after my local breakfast of Pa Amb Tomàquet . What is the plan for the day? Disconnect, talk to myself, reconcile with the world and that my only company is the Catalan capital (which is not little).
Without realizing it, enveloped by calm and anesthetized by the scent of spring, I arrive at my hostel: the Yeah Barcelona Hostel , in the Girona Street . Choosing individual accommodation may be the best option, but when I chose this luxury hostel I had my reasons. Lying 10 minutes from Vila de Gràcia and a little less from Plaça Cinc D'oros , seemed to me the perfect strategic point for my planning.
On the other hand, I was also convinced by the idea of share room with three other totally unknown girls, surely of other nationalities, with whom I can **socialize in one of my downtimes of the day (which will be few, be warned)**. At the reception you can already breathe the good atmosphere. I leave my things in the locker, and, without stepping into the room, I throw myself into the street. This is not the time to waste time with bureaucratic procedures.
10.00. I'm about to download Paseo de Gracia and to give my retinas a little modern beauty. First Voyeur Stop: The Casa Mila , popularly known as The stone . Their undulating facade hypnotizes me for a few minutes, is there any architect with a mind as great as that of Gaudi ? I put on my headphones and feel like the star of my own movie . And no, I don't need anyone else, I'm happy.
I'm going to walk without entering any tourist meeting point , you can do it if you don't know them, they are worth it. In fact, I am at the heart of one of them: the Discord's Apple . In it, **the spectacular trencadís of Casa Batlló** competes with the elegance of the facades of Casa Mulleras, Casa Bonet, Casa Amatller and Casa Lleó i Morera. But this time I am going to contemplate the colors that stain Casa Batlló on the outside and I am going to leave with the intrigue of knowing if its rooms are still as magical as ever.
The Apple of discord
“There is no greater prisoner than the one who hesitates between two open doors” , great phrase of the poet Benjamin Prado. This is how I feel when asked what my favorite area of Barcelona is, with a heart divided between Gràcia and Ciutat Vella. I can't say that they are the prettiest, but I do know that walking through its little streets full of shops, people, art, stories... I won't have not a single minute to miss anyone.
The Ciutat Vella district is like my compass , at its cardinal points I always find myself. when i lose my way , walking through ** the Gothic ** helps me to get my bearings; to the south, Barceloneta It attracts me with its salty perfume; to West , I am inspired by the culture and art of Raval ; Y To the East , in the neighborhood Sant Pere, Santa Caterina and the Ribera, the born makes me sigh with its medieval essence.
GOOD MORNING
And so, stumbling through the Catalonia Square , without being very clear where to go, in search of an inspiring place , Finish in Isidre Nonell Square . What's hidding? Surely you have ever seen the famous kiss photomosaic , to which Joan Fontcuberta baptized as The world is born in each kiss . There are hardly any people at this time, despite it being the weekend, and the morning light, which filters through the branches of the trees, gives it a special glow. After analyzing the tiles one by one (not all, I confess), and get entangled thinking about the divine and the human , I decide to get off my cloud and continue with my route.
11.00. I escape from the square and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia welcomes me to one of the most peculiar neighborhoods of Barcelona: ** the Gothic **. Its alleys and its medieval charm They seduce anyone. Although, ironies of life, not all of its buildings are of the architectural style that gives it its name. During the time of Noucentisme , many buildings were transferred from other areas of Barcelona to here and others They were built with the Gothic aesthetic.
A well-known example is the Carrer del Bisbe bridge , that unites the Generalitat with the Casa dels Canonges , build in 1928 and designed by the architect Joan Rubió. If we go under the photographed walkway, we can see a skull pierced by a dagger . The urban legends that run around the meaning of this figure are several: the most optimistic say that if you cross backwards, facing the skull, you will be granted a wish ; instead, the doomsayers believe that if you look at it when crossing under the bridge, you will have bad luck.
The enigmatic bridge of Calle del Bisbe
Mysteries aside. I continue wandering aimlessly through **the labyrinthine streets of the Call**, the jewish quarter of Barcelona , located in the Gothic. After losing myself for a while in the narrow streets adorned with garlands of lights , cute craft shops and stone facades, I arrive at the Royal Square . And they are neither your trapezoidal design nor the six-arm lampposts designed by Gaudí What I like the most about this square are the Palm trees . It may seem like a banality, but cities with palm trees have something special for me.
Plaça Reial, next to La Rambla
AT NOON
12.00. I go out to what we could call “the main artery of Barcelona”: The Rambla . Forming part of a flow of people that runs chaotically through its cobblestones, I end up at the roundabout where the Columbus monument. What a privilege it is to have the sea just a step away from the city! I walk through it Columbus walk and treat my lungs with a little sea breeze. On one side I have port vell and on the other a row of buildings that amaze me with their facades . It is believed that Cervantes lived in one of them during his stay in Barcelona.
Bordering the port, I reach Barceloneta . One of the mythical postcards of the city can be found here: the beach and the W Barcelona hotel as a security guard. Kick and snoop around the area a bit, sit on the sand for a while and breathe , breath deeply. And so I stay for a while, absorbed in my thoughts and looking at the sea, which has decided to dress in silver to conquer me.
Barceloneta
Before continuing on my way, I make a technical stop at one of the trendy bars in Barceloneta: Makamaka Beach Burger Cafe . Seems a little cabin brought from some surf paradise . If they told me that I am in a beach bar in Gold Coast , in Australia , I would believe it. I take a well-deserved drink on his terrace. If you want to snack on something, his hamburgers are explosive , and there is also vegan options . And at night, add to that romantic lighting, cocktails and harbor views. Assured success!
I set course to Born , passing through the imposing France Station , the first great monumental railway station in Barcelona. come to admire its luxurious interior design , here that your train suffers a delay seems less dramatic.
1:30 p.m. I arrive at Commercial Square , known for hosting The Born Center of Culture and Memory , another of the Ciutat Vella must-sees. He stays in it a medieval archaeological site in the old Ribera neighborhood , which was discovered by chance during construction work on a library.
I seem to start to feel something in my stomach, and they are neither butterflies nor homesick . I'm just in the ideal place to eat something without wasting much time. In one of the corners of the square, I am received with open arms by ** König ,** a chain of restaurants from Girona. ** His letter from him winks at the gastronomy of Germany ** (in fact, könig means king in German).
You can choose between a great list of burgers, sandwiches, mixed plates, salads, German sausages and tapas. Their four cheese potatoes are a classic! And, of course, they also have a selection of domestic and imported beers. The terrace is tempting, but I decide to sit inside. The place is bright and has a minimalist design that is at the same time original.
The terrace of König, in the Born
14.30 . With the battery full again, I kick to the Ciutadella Park . It is an oasis in the nerve center of the city. A girl reading under a tree, couples doing yoga on the pavilion in front of the mythical waterfall of the park, people walking and doing sports, a lake with boats , ducks and geese… You will find everything you expect to find in a green lung of this type. Or almost everything there is also a mammoth!
I don't succumb to the temptation to lie down on the grass and head across the Lluís Companys promenade , better known for being that wide road delimited by palm trees and guarded by the ** Arc de Triomphe **. Another of the iconic photographs of Barcelona.
I wander around the neighborhood again Sant Pere, Santa Caterina and the Ribera . I amuse myself discovering their museums, art galleries, vintage shops, cafes and those nooks and crannies that still speak of the Middle Ages. I notice that the names of some streets refer to craft trades of that time. While I continue with my interior monologue, which can only be interrupted by the chords of 'No Divide' by Sticky Fingers , I appear in the famous Santa Caterina Market , much less touristy than La Boquería.
One of the streets of El Born
But to check the truth of this statement, I cross the famous Via Laietana , one of the main avenues of Ciutat Vella, which connects the Ensanche with Port Vell , and which in turn It is the border between Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera and the Gothic , and walk towards the Raval.
3:30 p.m. I'm in ** La Boqueria , and, indeed, it is a hive of people who enjoy tasting tapas and choosing the most appetizing fruit salad (I include myself in the pack). El Raval is a great cultural shaker. Its labyrinthine streets have nothing to envy to those that Barcelona has taught me so far. ** El Raval has a bohemian air, it has a special way of whispering to me , to touch my sensitive fiber.
The courtyard of the CCCB, in the Raval
How can a neighborhood speak to me? Well, with his art, both with the street art as with his museums . In the Angels Square , the MACBA apart from being a fabulous Contemporary Art Museum , has become Barcelona's skateboarding mecca . And his neighbor, the CCCB (Centre for Contemporary Culture of Barcelona), hosts in its halls exhibitions, festivals, concerts, cinema, workshops... and offers us fabulous views of Barcelona from the viewpoint. Although if you look at the top of its glass facade , from the inner courtyard, You can see the buildings reflected and the sea in the background.
In the event that you have given yourself a small culinary pleasure shortly before arriving at the König del Born, you have not sinned in the Boquería, you have a lot of stamina or you do not follow the British meal schedule, here you have an alternative that 'is very cool'.
** La Rosa del Raval is a Mexican restaurant **, with a colorful interior decoration and with a small terrace (there are about four tables). If you have beginner's luck, you will manage to sit outside. Mexican beer, delicious burritos, some nachos with homemade cheese sauce that hook you, tacos, quesadillas, ceviche... To suck (literally) fingers!
Without further ado, I investigate the whereabouts of the popular **romantic messages spray-engraved on cans,** which are camouflaged on the walls of **Barcelona** as if they were clues to a game. Then I remember one that says “Meeting you in Porto” . I cross the board in search of it and reach the Vila de Gracia.
Marinated pork burrito with orange, achiote and spices (Rosa del Raval)
IN THE AFTERNOON
5:30 p.m. Before fully exploring every nook and cranny of Grace , I make a technical stop at the hostel. The room is bright, has a small balcony and the bunk beds are spacious and comfortable. I was not wrong with my choice.
The neighborhood of Gracia It is a wonderful network of alleys full of restaurants, bars, cafes and shops. The best plan to spend the afternoon here is to sit on a terrace or on the stairs of one of its squares. , and, beer in hand, let yourself be enveloped by the atmosphere. But I choose to keep curious.
In the Terol Street , catches my attention a cafeteria where cats flutter between the tables and rest on the armchairs. And even the most affectionate, let themselves be caressed by customers. Espai DeGats is the first cat coffee from Barcelona. Here you can have an infusion surrounded by felines, and if you fall in love with one, you can adopt it!
19.45. Back to my room, in the Carrer Torrent de l'Olla , the window of a pastry shop conquers me with sweets that are as instagrammable and original as they are exquisite. If you want to give yourself a dose of sugar in good condition, in the Gràcia neighborhood, ** Sil's Cakes is a little paradise.** They have a wide variety of flavors, but A safe bet is their cookies filled with Nutella, the carrot cake, the cheesecake and the super brownie.
You also have other great options like the sandwich cookie, the Nutella and Oreo croissants, or a fluffy brownie-filled cookie! All products are made on site, And if you go on a Saturday (the only day they cook salty), you'll be lucky enough to try their bacon cheese roll and their pizza roll. Warning: it will not be easy to pass by without tasting some of these delicious American pastries; And if you go in, be clear that, apart from raising your blood sugar just by smelling, the shop assistants will make you smile.
BOHEMIAN NIGHT
You can dine in any of the restaurants that are in Grace , from Mexicans like ** Chido One ** to tapas places like ** BarraVas ,** going through Japanese like ** Kibuka .** Even, in the Carrer del Penedès , very close to the Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia , there is a small place that will surprise you with its Homemade Italian pizzas to take away.
23.30. The sun is already lost on the horizon and the night brings with it a bit of nostalgia , but it is strictly forbidden to be invaded by melancholy. If you are tempted to look for a name in your diary, you like to break the rules or your day alone has come to an end, There is a perfect place to tell your adventure to whoever you want: El Ciclista Cocktail Bar.
It's a bar to give the occasional sip of your gin and tonic to the rhythm of the tick-tock of L.A.'s 'Stop the Clocks' , jump knowing glances with the melody of ** 'Qué bien' by Izal ** as a backdrop, Remember moments while it sounds 'Where We Used to Scream' by Love of Lesbian , fix the world leaning on a table that is a bicycle wheel and laugh so much that you don't hear the chorus 'Copenhagen' by Vetusta Morla .
And, above all, for say goodbye to the day in one of the most romantic and attractive bars in Barcelona . The dim light, the enveloping music, the delicately prepared drinks, the decoration made with recycled bicycle parts …everything works in perfect harmony here.
From Tuesday to Thursday there is indie music ; Fridays they do concerts in acoustic formats of author songs, which they have baptized as Gourmet micro-concerts ; and on Saturdays the songs are played by a DJ. Apart from the different artists who sing on Fridays at El Ciclista, the two guys who run the place, who are musicians and composers, also perform regularly.
Challenge completed. Not only have I survived 24 hours alone, but I have felt more alive than ever. One more time, Barcelona has welcomed me as if every day it saw me dawn. And I have no doubt that with you it will too. Merci!
The El Ciclista bar is wonderful