La Rambla

Barcelona exciting Mediterranean city

December 23, 2013 by David Herd

Barcelona exciting Mediterranean city

Barcelona exciting Mediterranean city is one of my favourite places in Europe, architecture, food people pigeons, Ok forget the pigeons. 😆

La Rambla is a street popular with tourists and locals alike. A tree-lined pedestrian mall, it stretches for 1.2 kilometres connecting Plaça de Catalunya in the centre with the Christopher Columbus Monument at Port Vell.

Plaça de Catalunya

Plaça de Catalunya is a large square in central Barcelona that is generally considered to be both its city centre and the place where the old city and the 19th century-built Eixample meet. The Eixample is a district of Barcelona between the old city and what were once surrounding small towns, constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Plaza de Cataluña

The open top bus in the background is by far the best way to see the city, buy a 24 hour pass and jump on and off as you wish.

Without a doubt AGODA is the best online Hotel booking site.

Casa Milà

Casa Milà, better known as La Pedrera, is one of Gaudí’s main residential buildings and one of the most imaginative houses in the history of architecture. This building is more a sculpture than a building. The façade is a varied and harmonious mass of undulating stone that, along with its forged iron balconies, explores the irregularities of the natural world. UNESCO recognised this building as World Heritage in 1984.

Old Customs building.

Port Vell literally in English ‘Old Harbour’ is a waterfront harbour in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, It was built as part of an urban renewal program prior to the 1992 Olympics. Before this, it was a run-down area of empty warehouses, railroad yards, and factories. 16 million people visit the complex each year.

Columbus monument

The Monument a Columbus was established in honour of the discoverer of America, Christopher Columbus. In 1493 Columbus was received in Barcelona after his return from America by King Ferdinand II. The monument is opened since June 1st, 1888.

In the background is Arenas de Barcelona

Arenas de Barcelona, with its beautiful neo-mujedar architecture, used to be a bullfighting arena but has now been converted into a shopping plaza which houses an excellent Desigual store.

Gothic Quarter in Barcelona exciting Mediterranean city

The Gothic Quarter is the centre of the old city of Barcelona. It stretches from La Rambla to Via Laietana, and from the Mediterranean seafront to Ronda de Sant Pere. This is where my hotel was, in fact I took the photo from the hotel window.

Barcelona exciting Mediterranean city

The Gothic Quarter is the centre of the old city. It stretches from La Rambla to Via Laietana, and from the Mediterranean seafront to Ronda de Sant Pere.

Despite several changes undergone in the 19th and early 20th century, many of the buildings date from Medieval times, some from as far back as the Roman settlement of Barcelona. Remains of the squared Roman Wall can be seen around Tapineria and Sots-Tinent Navarro to the north, Avinguda de la Catedral and Plaça Nova to the west and Carrer de la Palla to the south. El Call, the medieval Jewish quarter, is located within this area also.

The Barri Gòtic retains a labyrinthine street plan, with many small streets opening out into squares. Most of the quarter is closed to regular traffic although open to service vehicles and taxis.

Here is a link to book a popular two star hotel for around $90 per night.

Another link for a 2 star in a very good location.

Best food market I have ever seen.

The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, often simply referred to as La Boqueria , is a large public market in the Ciutat Vella district, and one of the city’s foremost tourist landmarks, with an entrance from La Rambla, not far from the Liceu, the cities opera house. The market has a very diverse selection of goods.

Do you like lollies?

Make sure Barcelona’s market is on your bucket list.

Sagrada Família

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family), is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Spain, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica, as distinct from a cathedral which must be the seat of a bishop. Construction of Sagrada Família had commenced in 1882, Gaudí became involved in 1883, taking over the project and transforming it with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926 less than a quarter of the project was complete. Sagrada Família’s construction progressed slowly, as it relied on private donations and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with some of the project’s greatest challenges remaining and an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí’s death.