If you plan wisely, you may be able to experience all is worth – more or less – in Catalonia, the region in the south of Spain bordering with France.
Let’s start with Barcelona, the first leg of our trip. We tried to avoid the crowded tourist sites, as Casa Btllò or Sagrada Famìlia, and went to discover Barcelona through an unusual urban trekking in the town’s Gothic Quarter, led by a guide and photographer from Trip4real who showed us the most charming and scenic views of this area.
The following are the most interesting sites of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter:
- Plaça de Sant Just, where the oldest fountain in Barcelona is located, dated back to XIV century;
- Plaça del Rei, the King’s Square, where all prominent personality, including Columbus, were received by the monarch, and whose tower Mirador del Rei Martí was considered the highest building in the world in XV century;
- Carrer de la Pietat, historical street with many sinister views;
- Museu d’Història, with its Roman columns and whose most interesting part is definitely the basement;
- Plaça de Sant Felip Neri, the historical square where on the 30th of January 1938, during the Civil War, a bomb placed by the Franco’s militias destroyed the church’s basement;
- One of the Gothic Quarter’s most charming street, Carrer del Bisbe, connects the Cathedral with Plaça de Sant Jaume, and sports on one side the Cases dels Canonges – a series of gothic buildings dated XIV century – while on the other is the Palau de la Generalitat, where the regional government of Catalonia has its headquarters;
- Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, built between XIII and XV century;
- the Jewish Quarter known as Calle Major, inhabited until XV century by the Jewish people before they got expelled from the country.
There is no better way to experience Barcelona than sharing a meal with a true Catalonian family. This is one of the many activities available on Trip4real: to be treated as an old friend by a local family and be allowed to dig deeper into their habits and traditions.
And talking about food, why not learning how to cook proper paella? A three hour class with bcnKITCHEN will put in your hands any secret this dish may hide. The most important thing to prepare a good paella is having the right ingredients, and an amusing trip to Saint Catherine’s market in the old town is what is needed to get them.
During mealtime, it is unavoidable for Catalonians to talk about football: Barcelona FC is not just a football team, in town it’s a faith. If you have the chance, avoid visiting the empty stadium on a guided tour and attend a championship match. It is not always a simple task to get the tickets, especially for the most important matches, but the atmosphere during such a sport event will reward you for the efforts.
Accomodation
- chic&basic Ramblas – a very peculiar hotel: Sixties style, well refurnished and affordable.
- Erick Vökel BCN Suites Barcellona –comfortable and charming flats, detailed and affordable, in the heart of Barcelona.
