7 secrets of Barcelona
Our little adventure starts right in the heart of Barcelona, in the center of Plaza Catalunya. We will end in another place, but at the moment it is going to be a secret for you.
Today you will have to reveal 7 secrets of our beautiful city. They will not only help you to know Barcelona: every clue is a key that can be exchanged for a portion of healthy calories and gastronomic pleasure!
Yes, besides spiritual nourishment, we will find quite earthly food on our way: traditional Spanish snacks and even more traditional drinks!
First Secret - The Star
This is just an octagram, and nothing more! 8, by the number of streets overlooking the Square. 8, as the number of years that it took to build the Square.
The Star If you have already found a star, then it won’t take long: you only have to calculate the number of rays and figure out why there are so many of them, and what they correspond to!
Catalunya Square
Plaça de Catalunya is the largest central square of the city that connects the old Barcelona, where the Romans founded the city in the 1st century BC, to a new city that grew after the demolition of the wall in the 19th century.
If you look around, you will see the large avenues of the big city that enter into the central square.
There are 9 streets and only 8 rays. And you need to find the ray between El Corte Ingles department store and Portal de Angeles pedestrian shopping street. Look for Carrer Fontanella and then take the first turn to the right onto Calle Estruc. Go to the end of this street and then turn left. After you reach Laietana Street, cross it at the nearest traffic light, turn around the corner of a beautiful building decorated with drawings and figures of people (by the way, this is the House of Silk, the only guild house in Barcelona open to the public with guided visits).
Second Secret - Palace of Catalan Music
Amazing, isn't it? We are standing in front of the Palace of Catalan Music (Palau de la Música Catalana). This is one of the most remarkable works of Art Nouveau architecture. Look at the rich mosaic, elegant arches and a rough red brick, which serves as the basis for all this grandeur. Here it is - the best example of Catalan modernism!
The architect of the building was Luis Domenech and Montaner, a contemporary of Antonio Gaudi's. Art Nouveau came to Barcelona together with the money of the colonialists returning back home from the New World, and with the permission to finally demolish the city wall and expand the city. This is why everything outside the Catalunya Square is modern or post-modern. Have you noticed this?
This is one of the symbolic sights for the inhabitants of Catalonia. Even in the most difficult times, Palau de la Música Catalana remained faithful to its principles and continued struggling for the Catalan language and for the national spirit.
It's time to make a short stop. With your back to the ticket offices, move straight ahead along the narrow street.
Please note: we are looking for a hidden bar in the bowels of the medieval Born district. The map will help, but be careful not to miss the entrance!
A hint: we saw the theater a minute ago, and our bar is also in some way located under the wing of Melpomene.
If you did everything right, then you are now at the front of a cozy courtyard of Antic Teatre Cafe.
If they don’t let you in, it means that a performance is underway. Do not stress, but just go back the next day instead. The bar, which is also an open-air theater, is open during the week from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on Saturdays from 5 p.m. I suggest you drink a glass of red vermouth, a traditional Spanish liquor that we drink at any time of the year, diluted with ice and a slice of lemon or orange.
Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera
I hope you enjoyed your vermouth? And now it's time to leave: there is still a lot to see ahead! We move further along the same street. At the end we turn left and then in the second, turn to the right.
The Market of Santa Caterina is now in front of us. This is the heart of the district bearing the same name. We are now in the medieval part of the city. Barcelona started growing in this direction soon after stopping to fit into the Roman city now known as the Gothic quarter.
Here settled mostly artisans, uniting in guilds. Therefore, you will see many streets named after one or another craft.
The heyday of this area miraculously coincided with the years of the general stagnation and even decline - the 13th to 14th century - black death, total poverty… And still they built a whole city, which we can admire now!
Amazing View
Let's walk along the façade and find the building shown in the photo. This is the hotel called Barcelona Edition. Come inside through the main entrance and go up to the roof. Admission is free. If the receptionist asks where you are heading, just answer "terraza". In the elevator, select button 10 or The Roof.
The terrace is magnificent. It offers incredible 360-degree views of the city. You can have a glass of cava and enjoy the beauty of the old city.
The bourgeois palaces of La Ribera district.
We are looking for the bourgeois palaces of La Ribera.
Let's walk along the façade of the market again, go round its corner and move down the street. Crossing Princessa Street (second in a row), we will find ourselves in the fashionable La Ribera, where numerous designers, artists and young talents have settled. And in the Middle Ages, palaces of the bourgeoisie rose around. Here they are, behind the high walls on either side.
Follow the GPS until you reach the gate at Carrer de Montcada 20. In the evenings, there is a flamenco show organised here. If you want, you can come back later and enjoy the performance. The actors are great, and the space is incredible. In the meantime, just ask the receptionist if you can take a look at the yard - under the pretext that you will return later to the concert, of course!
How about a bite to eat?
To find food, just take a few steps further down the street and look for the El Xampanyet bar.
The schedule of El Xampanyet is as follows: every day, except Mondays from 12:00 to 15:30 and from 19:00 to 23:00 If you don’t gain admission, there are Bar Puntual and Tapeo nearby. You can also enjoy traditional Spanish snacks there.
Before you leave the tavern, I suggest you figure out what this food is called. You've heard the word tapa more than once, right?
Born Boulevard
Tapa means lid! Historically, tapa really performed a dual function: it served as a snack and protected the contents of the glass from dust and flies. They say that King Alfonso XIII was inspired by the idea and in any bar demanded to cover his glass the same way.
And I suggest we move further along the same street until we reach the pretty boulevard. It goes from the church to the building of the Cultural Center.
You may know that Spain remained neutral in almost all world conflicts. But it has suffered a lot from the Civil War that took place from 1936-1939.
After the war ended, the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco was established in the country, and this ended only after his death.
In memory of this terrible war, the cannonballs are scattered throughout the boulevard. Here they are, under the benches.
Santa Maria del Mar
Meanwhile, we are standing in front of the church. I suggest you look inside. Enter through the side door, bypassing the church on the left. Church opening hours: 9:00 - 13:00 and 17:00 - 20:30 (the schedule may change on holidays).
We are now in the "marine" part of the Born area. In addition to the representatives of various crafts that we already mentioned, sailors and fishermen settled here. Even the name of the church is translated as St. Mary of the Sea. After all, the sea is literally across the road.
In addition, such a dedication is a tribute to the sea itself. After all, Barcelona has always depended on the sea.
Plaza Reial
It's time to move on. Follow the GPS along Argenteria Street.
Cross the Via Laietana, pass through Llibreteria Square and turn right onto Carrer Veguer.
Stop when you see the building from this photo.
We are at the Square of a King. The name of the square comes from the building in front of us. It used to serve as a palace of the governor of the king's viceroy.
But even more remarkable, it was here that the Catholic royals Isabella and Ferdinand had a meeting with Christopher Columbus. The meeting ended with a decision that became crucial for Spain and for the whole world.
The royal couple sponsored a successful expedition. From that very time the dawn of Spain began, an empire that for a long time remained the most powerful in the world.
Paradoxically, the Spanish dawn became a sunset for Barcelona and for Catalonia. For the two long centuries, the Catalans were denied the right to trade with new colonies.
It's time to move on! There is very little left. With your back to the Royal Palace, turn around the corner to the right and then right again in front of the Cathedral.
This is the back of the Cathedral. Pay special attention to it: the dark stones, damaged over time. The gutters in the form of mysterious animals (By the way, a kind of marketing tool: they were installed by the guilds to demonstrate their products).
Passing by the high door on the left hand side, stick around for a second. This is the Gate of St. Ivo, for a long time it served as the front door for parishioners.
After you reach the end of the street, you will find yourself in front of the main façade of the Cathedral. This is our goal!
The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia
We stand in front of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, the main religious institution of Catalonia, a temple dedicated to St. Eulalia, who was tortured for the Christian faith at the age of 13.
Did you notice that the façade of the Cathedral is very different from the old walls that we passed earlier. The fact is that the construction started in the 13th century and was completed only at the beginning of the 20th.
At the same time, the first tourists started coming to Barcelona as a result of the World Trade Fair in 1929. The problem was that they did not dare to visit the old part of the city. Poverty, devastation, dirty streets ...
Therefore, at the beginning of the 20th century, the mayor of Barcelona planned a global restoration of the Gothic Quarter. And at the same time he completed the façade of the Cathedral. This is why today the façade of the main Cathedral of Barcelona is a perfect example of the Flamboyant!
That's all!
See you soon!
