Beginning of Barcelona Neighborhoods
It is crazy that to think that I have been in Barcelona for 2 weeks already and only have 2 more weeks here. While exploring a lot of the different tourists sites and beaches, it was hard to decide what neighborhood to start my blog with. Each week will show three different neighborhoods and I decided to start with the Exiample district.
This districts holds one of the most iconic attractions in Barcelona and our apartment and our classroom. Our apartment is just off the Gran Via street, which translates as the "great way". Within a 15 minute walk is the CEA main location which is where our class is. This district runs parrlell to the ocean along Gran Via all the way past Sagrada Familia.
Architectural Object- Casa Batllo. Casa Batllo was created by Antoni Gaudí who is a famous Spanish architect. His work is found all at almost all of the most popular places in Barcelona. This building was made for the Batllo family as they gave Gaudi freedom to transform the building. It is now a museum and on one of the busiest streets of Barcelona full of shopping and cafes.
Tourist Attraction- Sagrada Familia. This basilica is another of Gaudi's works, however it is still not completed. As you can see there are cranes working on finishing towers and they hope to complete it by 2026. It is a beautiful sight from nearby and can be seen from almost every high point in the city. The are many tours and also the opportunity to attend Sunday mass for free. The stain glass windows inside the building are unbelievable.
Most interesting place- Placa de Catalunya. This square includes the fountain shown above and is a nice open area surrounded by shopping. It also has many flowers in the grass and statues. Our class is across the street from this place and it is a great place to people watch. It is always packed with people and street vendors trying to sell anything to tourists.
El Born Barrio is a neighborhood with a lot of diversity and things happening. While the Arc de Triomf and Park de la Cuitadella are on the edge of the neighborhood crowded with tourists, the area has a lot of neighborhoods that are away from a lot of crowds. There are many squares and areas for kids to hangout and play near apartments and away from tourists. Between one of the streets, there is a community garden that is maintained by everyone that lives there and locals that need food are welcome to take what they need. The coolest thing about this neighborhood for me is the amount of companies that are doing great things to help the community and other people.
Commercial Business- Demano. This is a store that repurposes old sails or city signs and transforms them into bags. They limit use of new fabrics and create sustainable and colorful products.
Most Interesting Place- Mescladis. Mescladis is a restaurant in this neighborhood that hires immigrants or beginning wait staff and helps them learn how to cook, clean and run a restaurant. It allows people to move on to better jobs as they find new people. The also get all of their produce from the Barcelona area to help the local economy. All of their furniture is recycled or given to them from other places. It is a crafty restaurant with a variety of food from cultures all over the world that helps the community while making money selling their food.
Architecture: Arc de Triomf. It may not be the most famous Arc in Europe but it is still pretty and a major tourist site.
Tourist attraction- Park De La Cuitadell. It is just down the street from the Arc de Triomf and beautiful park with places to walk around and a few fountains. It is also a great place to run that is away from cars and it is not as busy in the morning. Also, the Barcelona Zoo is on the edge of this park.
3-Star hotel- Hotel Rec. Hotel Rec is a beautiful hotel with a rooftop view of the city. It is an adults only hotel just across from the Arc de Triomf. It is the perfect place for a get away and if you book in advance the price can be as low was 140 euros a night.
The final neighborhood of this weeks blog is the Montjuic area. Montjuic is a hill in the city that makes a great park with lots of different areas to walk around with freedom. Along with the park areas with lots of fountains, the Montjuic Magic fountain has light shows on the weekends in front of the Catalunya National Art Museum. There is also the Arena de Barcelona which had bullfighting until 1977 and is now a shopping mall. Most of the area around Monjuic is park filled with green parks and museums.
Tourist Attraction- Estadi Olympic. This is the Olympic stadium for the 1992 Olympic games and held the opening and closing ceremonies. It was originally made in 1929 for the 1932 Olympics but Barcelona ended up not hosting the games. It is still being used to host sporting events and concerts. Legends such as Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, AC DC and many more have preformed in the stadium.
Architecture- Montjuic Castle. This is an old military fortress that has historic museums and 360 degree views of Barcelona. Visitors can read about the military history along with educational history of Barcelona. From the top level, you can see the beach, Mediterranean Sea, Sagrada Familia and hills surrounding the city.
Most Interesting Place- For this part I decided to go with something unique that we basically walked over while exploring the area. Near the Olympic stadium are a bunch of circles with Olympians names and their shoe sizes. It is like the Hollywood Walk of Fame but for athletes feet. I think this a unique spin to having celebrities stars on the ground. It is very cool to be able to compare your shoe size to professional athletes.
Commercial Business- The Xalet del Montjuic. This is a restaurant near the castle with a wide variety of seafood and Spanish food options. While I was not able to go inside the restaurant, the best part is probably the view overlooking the city. There is indoor and outdoor seating and a revolving dining room to get constantly amazing views.
3-Star hotel- Aparthotel Barcelona Monjuic. This hotel has hotel rooms and fully equipped apartments. There is a peaceful courtyard in the center that makes you feel away from the busy city outside of the walls. It is located at the base of the Montjuic hill and very close to the fountains and Arena de Barcelona shopping area. Prices also vary for the different sizes of rooms and amenities but rates begin at 87 euros a night with a minimum of three nights stay.
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