Spectacular Architecture, Artwork and Delectable Tapas Abound in this City by the Sea, Barcelona.
Barcelona is a feast for the mind, body and soul. It is a magical place, where ancient and modern blend harmoniously together. You can see the extraordinary architecture of Antoni Gaudí. The way that he combined natural elements into his architect was quite groundbreaking. To see, firsthand, the curves of his designs, inspired by nature, is quite literally breathtaking. The magnitude of his works and the emotions that they elicit are amazing. He managed to make each element of his work, both structural and symbolic. He is known to have said, "The sun is the finest painter", which is evident in the way that he was able to play on the sun's light so perfectly. The Sagrada Familia, Casa Batlló, and Park Guell are not to be missed. There were other extraordinary architects that have built other notable and exceptional buildings in Barcelona, like Lluís Domènech i Montaner (Palau de la Musica Orfeo Catalan) and Josep Puig i Cadafalch (Casa Martí). They are spectacular!
Pablo Picasso spent most of his life living in France, but he was born in Malaga, Spain, and spent the majority of his youth in Barcelona. This is where he spent his formative years and began his professional career as an artist. One of Picasso's first exhibitions was at a popular cafe where he and his artist friends would hang out, Els Quatre Gats (4 Cats). You can still enjoy this very cafe, where they still use Picasso's menu design. The Museo Picasso houses more than 3,500 of Picasso's earlier works, that make up the permanent collection. These works are absolutely necessary to understand his formative years and his relationship with Barcelona. The Museo Picasso also has temporary exhibitions, where you can experience other periods of Picasso's genius, currently Cubism, and next will be Portraits.
Being situated along the Mediterranean Sea, there is an abundance of incredibly fresh, delicious seafood. If seafood doesn't appeal to you, Barcelona has just about anything, in incredible, creative combinations. We saw, and tried things from duck, snails, rabbit, lamb, steak, poultry, and pork, paired with figs, nuts, green onions, and many, many fruits and vegetables. Their classic foods often have the essential ingredients of olive oil, garlic and tomato. Their traditional paella is outstanding, but you will also find many variations on it. To go with your meal, the sangria is absolutely delicious! I've always loved sangria in the US, but now it can't possibly compare to the authentic Spanish sangria that we enjoyed. Their cava (champagne) is also excellent.
While the official language in Barcelona is Catalan, Spanish is widely spoken. In fact, we spoke Spanish with every person that we met. Many residents do speak English. If not, they are very kind and willing to be patient and figure out a way to communicate or pull someone else into the conversation. We found the Spanish/Catalan people to be friendly, generous, helpful, and joyous.
The reason for Catalan being the primary language is that Catalonia was an independent nation from the late 9th Century, into the 1700's. In the War of the Spanish Succession, the Spanish took over Catalonia in 1714. The King abolished sovereignty and the customary laws and privileges of Catalonia. The Catalonian people are very proud of their heritage and many still wish to be a separate country and break away from Spain. In Barcelona, you will see the Catalonian flag on every single block, and much fewer Spanish flags. There is definitely a clear divide amongst some of the people. I spoke with locals who believe that the Catalonians should have their country back as they keep their region clean, safe, prosperous, and inviting to visitors. I also spoke with Spanish people from other regions that refuse to speak Catalan because "This is Spain, we speak Spanish!" Like anywhere in the world, differing perspectives are fascinating to me.
Like any other big city in the world, there is a seemingly endless amount of shopping to be had. In Barcelona, you can find large department stores, Spanish stores like Zara, Desigual, or Mango, and many, many quaint little boutiques. The choice is yours! We chose to check out all of the different types of shops. We loved their goods so much, that we had to buy a new suitcase to travel home with all of our new beautiful fashions. The prices were fabulous, as the winter wear was on sale, and the dollar is very strong right now compared to the Euro. For these reasons, we bought more than usual.
While we weren't able to swim in the sea in January, we were happy to have experienced Barcelona in their "off season". We saved a lot of money (flights were under $400 from JFK, NY and our magnificent hotel, Cotton House, was under $300/night). Perhaps more importantly, we enjoyed the city with it's inhabitants and got a real feel for the people of Barcelona. While the summer is spectacular, I'm sure, it is filled with throngs of tourists, and fewer Catalonians, as they are on their own holidays. There is certainly an argument for any time of year, I just think that it's important to weigh out what YOUR interests and priorities are. I vote for Barcelona ANY TIME of the year!
I am very grateful to have enjoyed a safe, beautiful, educational, gastronomical, extraordinary adventure in Barcelona!
