Barcelona Revisited
Would it be appropriate to call it culture shock, leaving behind the vineyards, villages and mountains and being transported in a comparative instant to the international tourist maelstrom which is Barcelona’s La Rambla? Well it’s certainly a significant change of scene. The place is absolutely alive with people and activity in exactly the way we remember it, and Barcelona feels as joyous and energetic as ever.
It’s a fairly long time now since either of us have been to Barcelona, and we haven’t previously been here together, so this is a reacquaintance with different memories for each of us. Some things have changed down La Rambla since our last visits: gone are the shackled monkeys and the cages packed with way too many canaries, replaced inevitably by souvenir sellers, human statues and lottery ticket vendors. Many of the old style shops are now phone shops, tat shops and, wait for it, cannabis stores. Yet La Rambla retains every ounce of its verve, every inch of its stature, and strolling from the top down to the Christopher Columbus statue at the bottom is as exciting and fulfilling as it ever was.
The two ends of La Rambla, Christopher Columbus and Plaça Catalunya
Did we say phone shops? Yes we did, and one of them has breathed life back into my ailing iPhone – that’s one Gadget Curse issue solved, just the camera to go…
OK so here’s the real culture shock. You can’t get In anywhere easily. La Sagrada Familia? Nope. Parc Guell? Nope. Barcelona Cathedral? Nope. And the list goes on. Right, what we mean is, you can’t just bowl up, join the queue and buy a ticket…oh no, that time honoured way of life is seemingly long gone. It’s all “QR codes”, “apps” and “on line tickets only” now. And then you have to book a specific time slot for your visit and make sure you get there at the prescribed time – and, what’s more, everywhere is already sold out at least a day in advance. Having to make advance timing arrangements feels restrictive, especially with the distances involved between sites.
As far as I can recall, the last time I came here you didn’t even have to pay to enter Parc Guell at all, let alone pay in advance and then jump through a series of technological hoops just to get there. It’s a good job Michaela’s here to do all this stuff – I knew she’d probably come in useful one day…..(M: how rude is that!!).
To visit Barcelona is to enter the world of Antoni Gaudi. We will be doing a separate post on Gaudi and his works, to follow shortly.
And so, with Michaela having negotiated the app-and-download steeplechase, our visits are sorted, in spite of the restrictions. As it happens, we didn’t lose out by not snaffling visits over our first two days here, having had a 24-hour sickness bug which we copped in overlapping doses: each of us has been out exploring the city for a while as the other slept off the bug. Here’s a thing though, if ever you need to ease yourself gently back into eating after a sickness bug, little and often rather than full meals, then tapas is the perfect route…
La Rambla is a continuous river of human sound against the hum of the city, changing its moods through the times of day and only really falling quiet in the last couple of hours before dawn. Excited daytime chatter moves effortlessly into evening buzz, when spikes of the raucous laughter of a stag party or the excited chatter of a “hen do” bring peaks of noise. Slow moving traffic creates a steady baseline purr while guys with pan pipes repeatedly play El Condor Pasa, waiting for a few euros to drop into their upturned hat. Somewhere around 3.30am La Rambla falls quiet, though it’s only a short hiatus before the new day is heralded by the bangs and clatter of the street cleaning teams.
Through all this the bells of various churches herald each quarter hour, sometimes the dominant sound, sometimes no more than a subtext to the city churn.
Away from the bigger tourist hotspots Barcelona has much to explore. The lanes of the Gothic Quarter around the old cathedral, the grandly named Cathedral Of The Holy Cross And Saint Eulalia, open out into small plazas and tight squares where the occasional old school wood panelled bar serves tapas the traditional way – small tasty portions at cheap prices. Such corners of the city are quieter but still of course busy: Barcelona is a crowded, heavily touristed place.
You don’t have to wander too far from La Rambla to find prices much lower, particularly on the western side, away from the cathedral. Move a couple of hundred yards down these lanes and you’ll find decent eateries at a fraction of the cost of the main areas – and you don’t feel out of the vibe in the slightest, these places are still lively.
Take nothing away from Plaça Real though, which may be another tourist spot with its popular restaurants and street entertainers, but which remains a great place to be: its high buildings with shuttered windows only marginally taller than the numerous palm trees, a combination which gives this square its perfect, quintessentially Spanish look. Here too Gaudi’s influence is present: Plaça Real’s lampposts were his first ever official commission.
Half way down La Rambla, Mercado de la Boqueria, a food market dating from 1840, survives to some degree unaltered. Yes sure it knows it’s in a tourist spot and has morphed into something appropriate, but it’s resisted the temptation to give in to tat and souvenir stalls and remains 100% a food market. The produce looks fabulous, though we guess the clientele is more likely to be airbnb guests than Barcelonians, locals wouldn’t pay these prices when it’s so much cheaper elsewhere.
Strolling towards our QR coded, app-controlled pre-ordained visit time to La Sagrada Familia, we stumble almost accidentally on a beautifully finished, ornate building which from a distance could be a giant mosque. It is nothing of the sort – this is La Monumental, the theatrical, atmospheric traditional home of bullfighting in Barcelona. Inside, the ring and its stands remain intact and pristine, within the stadium is a small museum tracing the history of matadors and the pageant which this spectacle once was.
We understand all the opinions of the animal cruelty lobby, but bullfighting is a wonderful part of the history of Spanish society, an essential piece of its story. What an event, what a pageant it must have been at its height, when matadors were akin to film stars and every occasion was a sell-out attended by a gleeful, engaged audience. We all know why things have moved on, but it’s a huge shame when traditions die.
Late on Thursday night the sounds of La Rambla are joined by a slapping noise which starts to sound like rippling applause, but is in fact huge raindrops slamming on to the paving outside. Lightning flashes and the streets are soon awash. Revelry ends early as everyone seeks shelter, for once the evening streets are empty, but the bells still chime, on through the night. Right up until the bangs and clatter of the street cleaning teams herald the start of a new day.
22 Comments
HeyJude
I loved my visit to Barcelona in 2016 with my daughter, even though it was exhausting walking miles each day to see most of the sites. I had pre-booked everything before leaving home and worked out the exact route to reach each place so we didn’t waste time. It’s a wonderful lively city. I didn’t spot the bull ring, but one of our favourite places was the Sant Pau Art Nouveau site.
Phil & Michaela
It’s still as vibrant as ever, Jude. Loved being back.
Helen Devries
See if you have time to visit San Pau del Campo in the Raval area…..I think the oldest church in Barcelona with a lovely atmosphere. In my time it was free….goodness only knows now.
You’ve portrayed Barcelona just as I remember it from – very brief – visits. The whole gallimaufry of noise came back to me!
Phil & Michaela
Ah too late, we’ve moved on, but glad to have brought back memories. I like the vibrancy of Barcelona. It feels alive, so consequently so does the visitor. Loved being back there.
ourcrossings
Great post and so many amazing photos, guys! Barcelona is a city that almost everyone falls in love with and it is not hard to see why. I love its unique architecture, vibrant cultural scenery, access to mountains and sea, delicious food and beautiful people. My first visit was almost a decade ago yet I can still recall all the sites and attractions I had a chance to explore. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Aiva, it is indeed an exciting and vibrant city
wetanddustyroads
Ah, Barcelona is a place we still really want to visit! Oh no … we’re not so keen on the apps, QR codes and specific time slots 😬. But then – just look at those tasty tapas! And the beautiful Barcelona Cathedral and Plaça Real and … Spain is such an amazing country. Great photos!
Phil & Michaela
It was as great as ever. It’s a fun city.
Andrew Petcher
Thanks for the memory nudge. I agree with you about pre-booking visits. Removes all spontaneity. I remember Park Guell was once free admission, certainly when I first went there in 2004. I got robbed in Barcelona but that is all part of the authentic experience of the city. Returned in 2018, kept a firm grip on my wallet and have to say that my favourite visit of all was Palau de la Música.
Phil & Michaela
It was good to be back, even though the so-called progress irritates me!
Toonsarah
Great descriptions Phil, you really bring the buzz of Barcelona to life, aided of course by Michaela’s excellent photos. And oh that tapas!! I’m sorry to hear about the bugs, but that does sound a great way to ease yourself back into eating 😀 A shame everything needs to be pre-booked and therefore pre-planned, but you seem to be coping OK. I was only in the city once, in the late 1990s, when Newcastle played Barcelona in a very forgettable Champions League match (it poured with rain, we lost and their fans were boycotting at the time over ticket prices so there was zero atmosphere in 90% of the Nou Camp!) But I have good memories of the rest of our time there including a large scale impromptu kick about that took over the whole of the Plaça Real!
Phil & Michaela
That sounds like huge fun, you can’t beat a big impromptu kick about. Barcelona really does have a buzz and pizazz about it, you can’t escape it. And why would you want to!?
Mike and Kellye Hefner
Beautifully written! I can almost hear the noise from the hustle and bustle of La Rambla and smell the delicious tapas. So sorry you both had the travel bug, but I’m glad it didn’t last long. Barcelona appears to be a beautiful, culture-filled city, and I am looking forward to more of your posts.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Kellye, it’s a great destination, as long as you’re not a hater of crowds!
grandmisadventures
Definitely a different feel to this fast paced, little crowded, city then the slow and peaceful feel of the towns in France. But what a great city to get swept up in, even if it comes with being swept up in the crowds. Spain is at the the top of my husband’s list so I had to send him your post with the hopes that we will end up here in the near future 🙂
Phil & Michaela
Keep pushing, it’s worth it!
WanderingCanadians
It is a bit annoying how many of the main attractions in Barcelona are spread out across the city. But the good thing is that it tends to then spread out the crowds. I must say, being able to buy your tickets and reserve a time slot in advance is really nice. Looks like you ate well while in Barcelona!
Phil & Michaela
We didn’t really like the time-slot thing, it means you don’t fit as much in as you normally would.
WanderingCanadians
We found that even if we showed up earlier than our time slot, that most places would still let us in rather than make us wait.
Phil & Michaela
You get about 15 minutes at Sagrada Familia, but at Casa Battlo, absolutely no give, you’re not allowed In even one minute before your prescribed time.
WanderingCanadians
Wow!! Now I’m really happy that we made it on time for those places. We were able to enter Park Guell a few hours before our scheduled time slot and had some extra flexibility with timing at Casa Vicens as well.
Monkey's Tale
You’re lucky Michaela bought you tickets instead of leaving you behind! Barcelona looks hectic, crazy and wonderful all at once.