I am so happy to be in España! To celebrate May 1st,
Josh’s birthday, we decided to spend five days in Barcelona, it is nice to settle into a city and get a feel for all the neighborhoods and also
feel that there is time to really relax and spend some time unwinding.
We are fans of skipping the standard hotel route when it’s
possible and instead renting rooms in peoples’ houses or apartments, which is
just what we did. We stayed with a few musicians in their artsy apartment in
the Poble Sec neighborhood, which was a nice jumping off point for the lovely
beach and the rest of the city to our north. It is always a little interesting
to stay with someone new, to be welcomed in by strangers and given keys to
their home and in turn leaving all your possessions with them. I choose to
think as positively as possible in these situations, because what else can you
do? Get a hotel I suppose…. But we’d miss those little quirky neighborhood
things, the things that are hard to seek out, but we’re glad when we find them…
Barcelona seems like a very livable city. The people are
nice (except for in the Raval area, sheesh), the food is superb, and the style
and the feel are vibrant and energetic. I dig it. Bicycles are everywhere,
which I love to see in cities. It shows a progression to being less dependent
on oil for transportation, one step forward, if you ask me. Plus bicycles are red hot and super fun! Of course we
rented nice bicycles from a nice guy near Barceloneta at a place called Born Bikes (go there!). Bikes are the best way to get around, it’s a big enough
city, and things are spread out a decent amount, that having two wheels is
ideal. There are nicely maintained and respected bike lanes on most major roads
and the motorists are looking out for us.
Of course we did the major tourist things, but I’ll assure
we do them in our own special way. Gaudi is Barcelona’s main man, and for good
reason. He was a creative designer with a look that is sometimes psychedelic
and complex, other times ornate and intricate, and still other times flowery
and colorful. And he’s got his stamp on each and every section of that city, so
nearly everywhere you look there’s something mosaic and funky, or sculpted of
stone and iron.
Another area we liked was the gothic area, near the sea and
stretching westward in many directions. There were hordes of people in some
places, basically on any main street, but what we loved was taking some random
turn, onto one of the many narrow alleyways, lined with tall stone apartment.
There were wine caves and funky bars or restaurants tucked away here or there.
We found a spot called “Nevermind: grunge is back” where they had one euro
beers all night and played Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Smashing
Pumpkins to name a few. The place was made out of old skate ramps turned into
booths and had skateboards for liquor shelves.
Then there was Manchester, the other rock bar, this time
more in the genre of Joy Division, Sonic Youth, The Cure, Bowie, New Order, and
the like. Also one-euro beers, and a better ambiance, if you asked me.
We noticed one afternoon that Of Montreal was playing that
same night and decided on a whim to go, why not? I wouldn’t say I was a huge
fan of them before, but now I am. What a show they put on, and my only
complaint was that it wasn’t long enough. It was fun to dance around with a
bunch of Barcelonians; I guess we’re all pretty much the same!
One of our favorite neighborhoods and the place we spent a
lot of time was Gracia. Lots of young people, lots of local/artisan food spots,
bicycles ruled the streets, street art galore, and that funky style was stepped up with loads of
dreads, tattoos, piercings, mini skirts, and ray bans. We fit in! We liked it
here and even ended up moving up to this neighborhood for our final night in
the city.
And of course, as with every city, there are just those things that make Barcelona so very "Barcelona" and unlike other cities...
la boqueria: then and now:
Still travelin' and still with love!
xoxo, nic
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