SPAIN - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1410

Standhereandsurveysomeofyoursightseeingoptions:Atyourfeetarethe golondrinas
harbor cruise boats ( here ) . Across the harbor (though not really visible from here) is the spit
of land called Barceloneta, home to some nice restaurants and sandy beaches (see here ) . To
the right of the harbor rises the majestic, 570-foot bluff of Montjuïc, a park-like setting dot-
ted with a number of sights and museums (see here ).
ThepedestrianbridgejuttingintotheharborisamodernextensionoftheRamblascalled
La Rambla del Mar (“Rambla of the Sea”). This popular wooden bridge—with waves like
the sea—leads to Maremagnum, a shopping mall with a cinema, a huge aquarium, restaur-
ants, and piles of people. Late at night, it's a rollicking youth hangout.
• Your ramble is over. If it's a nice day, consider strolling the promenade and looping back
around on La Rambla del Mar. Or maybe explore El Born. Or, if you're truly on vacation,
walk through Barceloneta to the beach.
If you'd like to get to other points in town, your best bet is to backtrack to the Drassanes
Metro stop. Alternatively, you can catch buses #14or#59from along the top of the promen-
ade to Plaça de Catalunya.
▲▲▲ The Barri Gòtic: From Plaça de Catalunya to the Cathedral
(See “Barri Gòtic Walk” map, here . )
Barcelona's Barri Gòtic, or Gothic Quarter, is a bustling world of shops, bars, and nightlife
packed into narrow, winding lanes and undiscovered courtyards. This is Barcelona's birth-
place—where the ancient Romans built a city, where medieval Christians built their cathed-
ral, and where Barcelonans lived within a ring of protective walls until the 1850s, when the
city expanded.
Today, this area—nicknamed simply “El Gòtic”—is Barcelona's most historic neighbor-
hood. Concentrate on the area around the cathedral (since the section near the port is some-
what dull and seedy). The Barri Gòtic is a tangled-yet-inviting grab bag of grand squares,
schoolyards, Art Nouveau storefronts, musty junk shops, classy antiques shops (on Carrer
de la Palla), street musicians strumming Catalan folk songs, and balconies with domestic
junglesbehindwrought-ironbars.Goonaculturalscavengerhunt.Writeapoem.Takeartsy
pictures. This self-guided walk gives you a structure, covering the major sights and offering
a historical overview before you get lost.
• Start on Barcelona's grand, main square, Plaça de Catalunya (described on here ). From
the southeast corner (near El Corte Inglés), head downhill along the broad pedestrian
boulevard called...
Avinguda Portal de l'Angel: For much of Barcelona's history, this was one of the
main boulevards leading into town. A medieval wall enclosed the city, and there was an en-
trance here—the “Gate of the Angel”—that gives the street its name. An angel statue atop