As you my already know from our blog entry, "Bandits in Barcelona", the five of us left for a four day adventure to Barcelona the day after Christmas. This entry picks up after the bandit incident, when fortunately our visit improved measurably!
Once we got the tire changed, we wound our way through streets we didn't know, following directions from a Spaniard we didn't really understand but miraculously we found our way to where our apartment was located in the area known as the Bari Gothica or Gothic Quarter.
Years ago, this area was called the "Cathedral Quarter". The great Gothic buildings, including a great cathedral, which marked the high point of the city and its culture during the Middle Ages are to be found here. We could only drive our car as far as the lovely Placa de Saint Jaume, shown below. This is a big plaza flanked by grand government buildings.
There was a special attraction in the center of the plaza-a wonderful and enourmous nativity scene of "santon"-like figurines in a country setting. There was a constant stream of people-young and old alike- walking around it all day everyday. Here are some close up photos....
No cars were allowed to drive further than the plaza until 9 pm at night(when they pick up the garbage) so we unloaded the car, left it under the watchful eye of a nice policeman stationed at the entrance to the police station which was also right on the plaza and walked the few blocks to our apartment. As you can see he was ALSO watching this woman as well!
The cobble stoned streets are very narrow making them sort of dark but they were nonetheless cheerful with lots of activity in the shops, cafes and markets. This was especially true at this time of year where each street had it's own theme of lights strung overhead. We have noticed lots of blue lights for Christmas lighting in Spain, as well as 'back home' in France.
The narrow streets always draw me in and call me to stay and explore. These streets seemed even narrower than those in Aix and perhaps a bit darker but the activity on the streets and in the shops gave us a safe, comforting feeling that just left you wanting to walk and wander. Which we did for the next three days....minus our suitcases!
After just a few minutes' walk, we arrived at our apartment, exchanged money for keys with a kind, young Spanish man, got some instructions on the apartment and we set about 'moving in'. This apartment had three bedrooms (which actually turned out to be one bedroom and two loft areas), two bathrooms, kitchen/dining room, living room and last but not least, a long hallway which Sarah loved scootering up and down whenever she could!
We chose to rent an apartment in this particular area of Barcelona on recommendation and for it's pedestrian character. Also, we really feel a part of wherever we're visiting in an apartment/home in a way that staying in hotels never does. Also, with an apartment, we can not only stay together but have that critical space to spread out as well.
After we were settled and unpacked, Nicholas, Nick and I set off to do a bit of sightseeing while the girls stayed in the apartment and enjoyed some down time. The Bari Gothica is located just to the right of the famous La Rambla, one of Barcelona’s main attrctions. The Rambla is a WIDE street with a large pedestrian strip down the middle and two narrow single lanes for cars going in either direction on the sides of the street.
We walked south to the bottom of La Rambla where there is an enormous statue of Christopher Columbus surrounded by large statues of lions. Seemed like everyone down there was having their photo taken on top of a lion so Nicholas decided to join in….
After viewing the statue, we wandered along the waterfront and saw some lovely big boats, including some old schooner types that were part of the permanent Maritime Exhibit and the Olympic Village where many athletes had stayed in 1992 during the XXV Summer Olympics. Dusk was upon us, so we headed back to check on the girls and get ready for dinner. While we were making our way back to the apartment, we happened to accidentally walk through Placa Reial, famous for the lamp posts designed by Gaudi as well as beautiful 14c Gothic buildings and an old iron fountain in the center. Here, we spotted one of the few restaurants that had been recommended to us, Les Quinze Nits! They didn't take reservations, so we planned to return later early enough to be sure to get in. They, like most restaurants in Spain, do not open for dinner until 8:30….and here we'd been thinking the French were late with 7:30! Easy to understand why they serve tapas all day….who could make it from lunch to dinner without a snack?!?
Here we are heading out for dinner on our street, Banys Nous. We loved their lighting!
When we arrived at Les Quinze Nits, a little after 8, there was already a long line of hungry diners waiting...at least we got a chance to really admire Gaudi's lighting AND knew we were going to have a wonderful meal!
While we were waiting, a nice, French family in line took a family photo-it's rare to get one of all 5 of us!
So, that's all for today.... we're sightseeing tomorrow!
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