Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the gate kept the city safe from plagues and bid voyagers safe journey as they left the secur-
ity of the city. Imagine the fascinating scene here at the Gate of the Angel, where Barcelona
stopped and the wilds began.
Today's street is pretty globalized and sanitized, full of international chain stores. Pause
atCarrerdeSantaAnnatoadmiretheArtNouveauawningat(another)ElCorteInglésstore.
• A half-block detour down Carrer de Santa Anna (at #32) leads to a pleasant, flower-fra-
grant courtyard with the...
Church of Santa Anna:
This 12th-century gem was one of those
extra muro
churches, with its marker cross still standing outside. As part of a convent, the church has a
fine cloister, an arcaded walkway around a leafy courtyard (viewable through the gate to the
left of the church). Climb the modern stairs for views of the bell tower.
If the church is open, you'll see a bare Romanesque interior and Greek-cross floor plan,
topped with an octagonal wooden roof. The recumbent-knight tomb is of Miguel de Boera,
renowned admiral of Charles V. The door at the far end of the nave leads to the cloister
(church hours vary but usually daily 9:00-13:00 and 18:00-20:00).
• Continue down Avinguda Portal de l'Angel. At Carrer de Montsió (on the left), side-trip
half a block to...
ElsQuatreGats(“TheFourCats”):
Thisrestaurant(at#3)isahistoricmonument,
tourist attraction, nightspot, and one of my recommended eateries. It's famous for being the
circa-1900 bohemian-artist hangout where Picasso nursed drinks with friends and first pub-
licly hung his art (in 1897, at age 16). The building itself, by prominent architect Josep Puig
i Cadafalch, represents Neo-Gothic Modernisme. Stepping inside, you feel the turn-of-the-
century vibe. Rich Barcelona elites and would-be avant-garde artists looked to Paris, not
Madrid, for cultural inspiration. Consequently, this place was clearly inspired by the Paris
scene (especially Le Chat Noir cabaret/café, the hangout of Montmartre intellectuals). Like
Le Chat Noir, Els Quatre Gats even published its own artsy magazine for a while. The story
of the name? When the proprietor told his friends that he'd stay open 24 hours a day, they
said, “No one will come. It'll just be you and four cats” (Catalan slang for “a few crazy
people”). While you can have a snack, meal, or drink here, if you just want to look around,
ask,
“Solo mirar, por favor?”
• Return to Avinguda Portal de l'Angel and continue down the street until you run into a
building at a fork in the road, with a...
Fountain:
The fountain's blue-and-yellow tilework depicts ladies carrying jugs of
water. In the 17th century, this was the last watering stop for horses before leaving town. As
recently as 1940, one in nine Barcelonans got their water from fountains like this. It's still
used today.
