Some cities attract us for the charm of their streets and buildings, or for the quality of their museums and monuments. But above all, cities attract us because it is our ecosystem. And what we like most is discovering charming and little-known places.
After hundreds of thousands of years of nomadism, man became sedentary and, shortly after, the first cities began to emerge, which had nothing to do with the current ones, but in his identity mark it was already written that they would end up being the «ecosystem »Human par excellence: our cities. Partly because of that, we are attracted to visit them and look for places to identify with. The usual routes of tourists in the most visited cities are often congested and in many cases do not convey the true image of their life.
Some of these cities, which are saturated with tourists, also boast beautiful and solitary places next to the usual routes that they usually propose in the tourist offices themselves. Barcelona is also like this. Just turn a street to the right instead of continuing to follow the human tide to find a beautiful and lonely place. Only 200 meters from the cathedral there are lonely alleys that lead to charming little squares and terraces to sit, even in the winter sun, have a drink and rest.
Charming little places
Despite having an orthogonal plan in the extension, for which it is well known, Barcelona has some neighborhoods that still have some charming squares. In the Gràcia neighborhood there are some of the most beautiful, in which there is tranquility, seating benches and trees, the Plaza del Sol, that of Virreina or that of Diamante are places that taste like a neighborhood, with families sitting on the terraces having a drink, kids playing ball on the street and a relaxed atmosphere where you can appreciate the normal life of the city.
Several centuries before these little squares in Gràcia existed, some were already in the Gothic quarter, and today few are those who visit them, however they love whoever goes and sees them. One of them is the Plaza de San Justo, one of whose facades is precisely the church that gives its name to the plaza, with a four-step staircase just ahead that, as a stage, some street musicians use to communicate with their music to people who enjoy a terrace having a drink. 200 meters from there another ancient nook and adorned with a piece of the wall that closed the city, is a space that has a very unique image and that can be enjoyed sitting on another terrace. And thus perceive another more pleasant and calm face of the city …
Behind the Boquería market, on the Ramblas, one of the busiest places in the city, is the Raval neighborhood. A beautiful unknown. A neighborhood that a few years ago was insecure and that today has Neapolitan images: streets with clothes hanging, characters from Fellini’s film and documentary houses painted in Mediterranean light. The Rubió and Lluch gardens are one of those spaces that not even the countrymen know. They were the old gardens of the Hospital of the Holy Cross and the House of Convalescence, dating from the fourteenth century. There is now the library of Catalonia. Just over 100 m away, another singular space, the Rambla del Raval, is like an elongated plaza with trees and plants and a giant, fat, metallic and very photogenic cat signed by Botero, who is surely the most famous inhabitant of the place.
You can’t miss:
Market in the Gracia neighborhood
. Some of the bars and restaurants on Enrique Granados street, which are good value for money.
. Stroll lost in the streets of Gràcia and its squares, sharing neighborhood life.
. Visit the Encantes to see a traditional street market in a place that has a curious and recent architecture.
. Visit the old Forum facilities, today the Forum Park, on the coast, near the mouth of the Besós river. The construction that symbolizes it still continues: photovoltaics.
Iberinbound, iberinbound@iberinbound.com incoming travel agency in Barcelona, specialized in Group tours if they are Educational, Students, Leisure , ad-hoc groups, Shorex, MICE Bleisure. Relaxing on the beach is not everybody´s favourite holiday activity, as some rather prefer spending their time with traditional and folkloric festivals full of color and perfume