Barcelona is one of the world’s leading tourist, economic and cultural-sports centers, and its influences in commerce, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world’s major global cities.
From what I can tell, Barcelona is a city that never sleeps and has a deep-seeded love for all things beautiful.
EasyJet (one of the cheapest and easiest was to get around Europe) notified us that tickets for Barcelona, Spain were on sale during the holiday weekend of June 10th – 12th. We needed little to convince us, Barcelona offers amazing food, great night life, beautiful (man-made) beaches, and truly spectacular architecture.
We had quite a few foodies on the trip so we based almost all our days around meals, which was fine by me! I was a bit worried that the Spanish Tapas were no match for Italy’s fantastic pasta and pizza dishes from the weekend before. Little did I know the many wonders of European dining.
Our first day in Barcelona, we took a biking tour of the city to get our bearings and scope out the best parts of the city to visit later. The tour included three hours of biking and a few tapas along the way. The tapas left a little to be desired but the bike tour was fantastic! Our guide took us to some of the most famous buildings and parks in Geneva, along the beach, and into the immigrant neighborhood, El Raval. This section of the city was apparently known for its seedy bars and cabarets, as well as a red-light district, Barri Xines. But as with most of Barcelona, the Summer Olympics that were held there in 1992 forced (or maybe just suggested) the local government to clean the area up and reinvent its image. Since, El Raval has become safer and is now a popular hangout among artists and recent immigrants who enjoy its trendy bars and restaurants. Barcelona’s most famous market, La Boqueria, is located here.
One of the most beautiful sites to see in Barcelona is the Magic Fountain, or as the locals call it the Montjuic Fountain. The fountain delivers a spectacular display of color, light, and water acrobatics along with musical accompaniment. Below is a video of just how magical the fountain really is, there is really no use explaining and the video does not do it justice but I hope you enjoy nonetheless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9DC7U11gCE