As much as I loved his work, Barcelona wasn’t all about Gaudí.
There was also the majestic Palau Nacional, which houses the MNAC (Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya) but also boasts one of the best views of Barcelona. So, having had enough of art galleries for the time being, I chose to sit outside and observe the hustle and bustle of Espanya Square instead. And it was from atop these steps that I watched my first Spanish sunset and finished reading the second book in Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, my only constant company while backpacking across Europe.
I managed to behave myself in the artisan workshops in the Poble Espanyol (Spanish Village), but couldn’t resist the chocolaterie... No surprises there. I also saw an amazing glass-blowing demonstration which I happily captured on my brand new shock-, dust-, freeze- and water-proof camera. I had learned my lesson in Venice!
One of my favourite places in Barcelona was the picturesque Port Vell (Old Port). It has a bit of everything that the city has to offer – beautiful architecture, bustling restaurants, flowing palm trees, Jack Sparrow-worthy boats and the bluest of seas under a white hot sun. It also leads straight into the famous La Rambla, the place to go for shopping and tapas. I enjoyed the latter with a fellow backpacker (a German who spoke beautiful Spanish, as they seem to do with all the languages that they learn), and he told me the origin of the famous snack’s name:
One day, King Alfonso XIII stopped by a famous tavern in the windy Andalusian city of Cádiz where he ordered a cup of wine. To protect it from the beach sand, the waiter covered the glass with a slice of cured ham before offering it to the king. And so the tradition of serving wine with a cover, or tapa, was born!
My adventures in this lively city would not have been complete without a visit to the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria (La Boqueria Markets), which date back to 1217. And like all good markets – Melbourne’s Queen Victoria, Brisbane’s West End, Rome’s riverside and Athens’ Monastiraki just to name a few – they made me supremely cheerful.
So it was with a huge smile, wide eyes and itchy fingers that I squeezed from stall to stall, tasting local delicacies and letting myself get lost in the exciting buzz of exotic voices, fragrant smells and vivid colours...
Happy.
So it was with a huge smile, wide eyes and itchy fingers that I squeezed from stall to stall, tasting local delicacies and letting myself get lost in the exciting buzz of exotic voices, fragrant smells and vivid colours...
Happy.
