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RE: A CHARMING CITY OF BARCELONA

in #life7 years ago

All true! Been there many times. Barcelona never disappoints.

A visit to Barcelona would not be complete without a stroll along the famous Las Ramblas cobblestone street. Start at Placa Catalunya, and walk leisurely (don't forget to sample the ceviche and other fish specialties shown in the photo you posted). Watch the antics of the clowns and street musicians. Take a side street ramble (I think that's where the English word came from) through the Gothic Quarter. Guaranteed to lower your blood pressure.

Once you complete your stroll, continue to the waterfront area, built as part of the renovation for the 1992 Olympics. Barcelona is one place where the funds for the Olympics endured far beyond the extinguishing of the Olympic torch. Far too many Olympics (I visited the site of the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics, which left a desolate looking area, and let's not forget the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics which became a death zone during the Bosnian War) resulted in much wasteful spending.

Not Barcelona! You can easily spend a couple of days just in this area. Take in the beach area and the shops.

The cable car up to Montjuich, to visit the castle and park, is another must see. Just writing about these sites brings back fond memories.

Recently, there has been some political unrest in Catalonia, which is the area of Spain that Barcelona is nominally part of. The 2017 Catalan independence vote was overwhelmingly to secede from Spain. By the way, the street signs and public posters are in the Catalan language. Many tourists mistakenly think that they are in Spanish. It's better to speak English instead of Spanish in Barcelona. The Spanish parliament in Madrid forced the head of the Barcelona regional government to flee, and he was declared a traitor. So there may be a demonstration or two while you are there. I was in Barcelona during a general strike. As a tourist, no worries, just enjoy the scene.

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I think you're right. I sometimes get too influenced by the media. I should relax more. If I close my eyes and imagine a leisurely stroll along Las Ramblas, that should lower my blood pressure. Thanks for pointing this out.

It's always nice to share opinions 😊

Thanks for your comment! It looks like you really know and love Barcelona. You are right, there are soooooo many places to see in this city! However, I don't really agree with you that it's better to speak English than Spanish there. People shouldn't be so obsessed with politics, you know. What's more, Barcelona is a very cosmopolitan city and therefore is home to a lot of nationalities.