The Centre of Barcelona like in any major city is the Main Bus and Train Station. Called the Placa de Catalunya, it is somewhere at the middle of the town, and at the start of La Rambla. To the north, that portion of the city is called Eixample. To the right, Barri Gotic,to the left, El Raval and Montjuic and to the south, the Waterfront.
Where we stayed is right smack at the waterfront and our hotel has a lovely view of the Marina and the Mediterranean Sea.
The walk along Placa de Catalunya to La Rambla is a truly unforgettable one. The street is lined with pushcarts, there are lots and lots of pickpockets (I was one of the unfortunate ones who had his phone stolen literally right under my nose !). The pushcarts or pop up stalls sell everything from hamburgers, hotdogs, Barcelona FC T shirts (fake ones) and all manner of trinkets.
We stopped and went into the Jamon Museum where we saw how the pigs are reared happily for their meat and for how long are the meat cured before they are sold in the open market.
The highlights of this first visit must be the La Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell which I will write another couple of posts on. We were getting pretty familiar with the place and I recall putting on my running shoes early one morning and running all the way along the Waterfront road Passeig de Colom to past the World Trade Centre to some highway and return. Such was my passion those days that I brought my running shoes with me for our holidays and I tried to run everywhere we went.
Statue of Christopher Colombus pointing to the Western shores.
Mirador a Colom
Christopher Columbus was in fact of Italian origin. He was commissioned by Queen Isabella to go West and discover new worlds, in the late 15th century and he is credited in 'discovering' the Americas. Actually, there were already the inhabitants in the Caribbean Islands whom he thought were Indians.
The design should be that he is pointing Westward. The travel guides like to joke that he is pointing to the Red Light District of Barcelona !!
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