Barcelona Day One

Date of this trip: April 18-21, 2013

In the midst of a long and dreary Scottish winter, a warm trip to Spain was just what we needed!

Welcome to Barcelona!

View of Barcelona from our hotel

I was very thankful that our hotel had a lift in addition to these neat stairs!

We started our first day in Barcelona walking Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas is a popular primarily pedestrian street lined with shops, markets, and filled with plenty of kiosks. At the southern end of the Ramblas is Port Vell (near the cruise port terminal). At the northern end of the Ramblas is Plaça Catalunya, a large square in central Barcelona. 

Las Ramblas is a must-see for first time visitors of the city.

It didn't take long before we stopped for a Catalunyan cream-filled pastry. 

La Boqueria was one of my favorite places in Barcelona!

It is basically a large public food market filled with the most amazing fruit I have ever seen.

The market is so photogenic.

The fresh fruit juice was amazing! They have just about any flavor combination you can think of. Be brave with your choices; it was worth it.

"The first mention of the Boqueria market in Barcelona dates from 1217, when tables were installed near the old city gate to sell meat."

We managed to snag a couple of tasty cod fritters. Thanks for the recommendation, Vicki!

So. Fresh.

Mark Twain describes this fruit "the most delicious fruit known to men." Maybe we should have tried one!  They are also known as "custard apples."

Clever serving dishes

Much of the produce was conveniently cut and packaged for immediate consumption.

The aisle after aisle could leave me wandering for days.

We left La Boqueria (with intentions of returning the following day) and continued our stroll down Las Ramblas.

Placa del Portal de la Pau

Catamaran Orsom

This Christopher Columbus monument serves as a reminder that Columbus first reported back to the king and queen in Barcelona after his first trip to the new continent.

Aduana building

Port Vell

Love the reflections on the water

James went to get a closer look at the water while I snapped more photos.

"Port Vell" in English is literally "old harbour."

Plaça Catalunya

La Barceloneta

Enjoying a pleasant stroll while watching the Spanish sunset

The beaches were very calm and peaceful. The following day was a completely different story. (More on that later...)

Barcelona's wildlife!

A bit of contemporary art 

We ventured over to the Palau Nacional in Montjuic to watch the magic fountain perform its colorful light display and water acrobatics. Unfortunately, the magic fountain only performs on certain nights so we had to plan on going back the next evening to watch it instead.

Nighttime in Barcelona

Placa Espanya

After spending a day warming up in Barcelona, we could already tell we loved the lively city!