La Rambla of Barcelona
We left our hotel and travelled by train to Barcelona city centre and got on the Metro to Plaza de Cataluña. We walked down the famous Ramblas. This street is is famous around the world and visited by all tourists to Barcelona. It is a large tree lined avenue which is full of shops, restaurants, bars and small traders selling newspapers and magazines or animals. There are many traders selling all kinds of animals like rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs but also more exotic animals like terrapins and lizards.
The Rambla started off as a dirty polluted waterway but when the city decided to fill it in many of the wealthy people in the city took the opportunity to build grand new homes along the new 1.2 km long road and it has remained a big attraction since then. It is full of street entertainers, mime artists and if youdo not keep your eyes open – pick pockets.
We walked to the end of the Ramblas to Columbus Monument, a tall column with Christpher Columbus on top pointing to the sea (actually in the direction of Africa but the message of sailing away is still clear!). Queen Isabella, the Countess Consort of Barcelona paid for Columbuses adventures and it was in Barcelona where he returned after ‘discovering’ the Americas.
Hungry fishes
From there we continued to La Rambla de Mar, a wooden walkway over the waters of the old shipyard. People were sitting by the edge of the harbour and on the wooden walkway enjoying the sun while hundreds of fish swan all around watching for any food that they might throw into the sea. As we continued along the Rambla de Mar we saw many Africans on the bridge and waterside selling sunglasses and fake handbags with brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. They lay them out on a large square of fabric and sit back to wait for a passing tourist to show some interest – then the bargaining begins! Of course this is not legal and it wasn’t long before the Police arrived. The street traders just grab the sheet of fabric, scooping up all the fakes and run away.
Illegal immigrants
We saw three of these Africans teasing an old Police man by running backwards and forwards while he tried to chase them waving a baton at them. For them it was just fun, as he tried to catch tem they just jumped out of the way. Then they hid behind some cars in the car park when some other police arrived. Of course as soon as the police arrive they come back out and begin trading again with any tourists that pass. If the Police make it impossible to trade in one place they just all walk off with all their good on their shoulder and find another part of the city to do business in.
We continued our walk along the harbour walls and had and turned away from the sea into what was once the oldest part of the city. We found the remains of the Roman walls from 2,000 years ago. We finally found a metro station, Jaume I, and decided to go and see the most famous landmark in Barcelona, the Sagrada Família.
Sagrada Familia
We paid €13 Euros to get in on a combined ticket that would also let us visit the architect Antoni Guadi’s house.
Barcelona
