Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ItisatellingcommentonBarcelona'scharacterthatonecanrecommendasinglestreet
- the Ramblas (
Rambles
in Catalan) - as a highlight. No day in the city seems complete
without a stroll down at least part of what, for Spanish poet Federico García Lorca,
was “the only street in the world which I wish would never end”. Lined with cafés, res-
taurants, souvenir shops, flower stalls and newspaper kiosks, and thronged by tourists,
localsandperformanceartists,it'sattheheartofBarcelona'slifeandself-image.There
are important buildings and sights along the way, not least the Liceu opera house and
the acclaimed Boqueria food market, but undoubtedly it's the vibrant street life that is
the greatest attraction along Spain's most famous thoroughfare.
TheRamblasderivesitsnamefromtheArabic
ramla
(sand),whichreferstothebedofasea-
sonal stream that was paved over in medieval times. In the nineteenth century, benches and
decorative trees were added, overlooked by stately balconied buildings, and today - in a city
choked with traffic - this wide tree-lined swath is still given over to pedestrians, with cars
forced up the narrow strips of road on either side. There are
metro stops
at Catalunya (top
oftheRamblas), Liceu(middle)andDrassanes(bottom),oryoucanwalktheentirelengthin
about twenty minutes.
The Ramblas splits the old town areas of Barcelona in half, with the Barri Gòtic on the
east flank of the avenue and El Raval on the west. It also actually comprises
five separate
sections
strung head to tail - from north to south, Rambla Canaletes, Estudis, Sant Josep,
CaputxinsandSantaMònica-thoughit'sraretohearthemreferredtoassuch.However,you
will notice changes as you walk down the Ramblas, primarily that the streets on either side
become a little less polished - even seedy - as you get closer to the harbour. The businesses,
meanwhile,reflectthemixedclientele,frompatisseriestopizzatakeaways,andstoresselling
handcrafted jewellery to shops full of sombreros, bullfight posters (“your name here”) and
football shirts. On the central avenue under the plane trees you'll find stallholders peddling
ice cream, flowers, plants, postcards and books. You can have your palm read and your por-
traitpainted,orwhileawaytimewiththebuskersandhumanstatues(thoughifyouplaycards
or dice for money with a man on a street, you've only yourself to blame if you get ripped
off). Drag yourself home with the dawn, and you'll rub shoulders with the street cleaners,
watchful policemen and bleary-eyed stallholders. It's a never-ending show, of which visitors
and locals alike rarely tire.
