Barcelona Day 1: Streets and Shops
The bus brought us along a major highway, through an arid landscape of dry grasses and concrete, and into an urban expanse of apartments that gave way to the grand boulevard lined with balconies that we came to know as Grand Via, a major thoroughfare dissecting the city the way that Central Park South separates NYC’s uptown and downtown. We veered to the right and around the Placa d’Espanya, catching a glimpse of the breathtaking facade of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya with its flight of steps and fountain leading up to an impressive dome. The water shortage meant the fountain wasn't running, and it was broad daylight so there was no light show to marvel at, but it was easy to picture its famed nighttime beauty lighting up the base of Montjuic hillside.
We continued along Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, dropping off more passengers at Placa Universitat. It was helpful to catch a glimpse of the plaza and surrounding buildings to get a sense of the scale of the city. Judging from a map alone, it had been hard to decipher how walkable a city Barcelona was and what sights were enough to see in passing from the bus versus what was worth returning to on foot. This neighborhood was one of the handful of the areas of this vast metropolis that would have to wait for next time around for closer inspection. It’s always good to leave something to come back for!
We veered right onto a diagonal street that led us around to
our final stop: Placa Catalunya. I kept my eyes peeled for the Cortes Ingles
department store, in front of which I expected to find the bus stop. Sure
enough, there it sat, next to clearly marked A1 and A2 signs. Got to love when
public transit works so beautifully! I was pleased to see how easy to navigate
this gridded part of the city was. A quick stroll up the Passeig de Gracia with
a jog to the right landed us at the Renaissance Hotel Barcelona, where we
checked our bags and set off to explore the neighborhood.
We meandered north and happened to pass Casa Batllo, which we had tickets to tour the following morning. Since we opted for the early morning tour, I was happy to discover its proximity to our hotel. An 8:30 a.m. timed entry seemed a tad ambitious, but we couldn't pass up that feast for the eyes. A couple blocks up, we caught sight of the curved stone facade of La Pedrera, an apartment block designed by Barcelona's famed modernist architect Antoni Gaudi. Its fanciful, twisted iron balconies stood in contrast to the straightforward vertical bars of the balconies that deck out nearly every apartment facade in Barcelona. The balconies on La Pedrera twisted and turned like seaweed billowing in the ocean. The waves continued their lines along the undulating walls of the building such that there was not a straight line in sight! The building seemed alive with movement despite its rigid building materials.
We wandered down the side street in search of the chocolate shop the birthday party dad had recommended. It did not disappoint! Colorful tins, boxes and bags of chocolate in every size and shape imaginable decked the walls of Chocolate Amatller. We sampled several chocolates, including one with a delightfully crackling crunch, a floral, a citrus, and an almond (surrounded in soft white chocolate and covered in cocoa powder). A delightful display of individually wrapped morsels provided our first souvenirs–perfect for bringing home a variety of tastes. What a delight to find a welcome kit when we checked into our hotel that evening, stocked with a bottle of red wine and even more of these chocolate confections.
Next, we strolled the breathtaking grand promenade of the Passeig de Gracia–Barcelona’s equivalent of New York's Fifth Avenue. Elegant boutiques lined the extra-wide sidewalks, and we popped into several with window displays that caught our eye. I tried on a brown dress with flowing puffed sleeves that was intriguing on the hanger but ultimately an awkward fit. My friend delighted in handbags whose embossed logo letters happened to match her initials as well as the fountain Diet Coke she bought from the fanciest McDonald's we'd ever seen. We pressed on through the late afternoon sunshine and found the next shop to be a winner; I could tell instantly from the leafy green outfits on the mannequins along the storefront. We both quickly chose several outfits to try on, including matching green dresses with small, organically shaped polka dots and scalloped, flowing short sleeves. I also picked out an elegantly pleated, floor-length dress in green and cream with a lovely sheen to the fabric and a flattering v-neck. My friend found a couple of fun tops, one a lacy shell to wear under a work blazer and the other a T-shirt with a unique corded tie at the waist.
We meandered south and turned left to find my mom on the terrace of her classy hotel, where we sipped sparkling cava and nibbled on our first tapas of the trip: crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside croquettes and pan con tomate–the Spanish equivalent of table bread that involves drizzling bread with olive oil, rubbing with tomato, and sprinkling with salt. Yum! The perfect amount of savory zest. We shared our shopping finds and swapped stories of our transit that day (via boat, train, subway, airplane, bus, car, and foot) that brought us together for this much-anticipated girls trip.
When the tapas bar we wanted to try had all its tables full
and another served only drinks until the kitchen opened at 8:00 p.m., we knew
we were in Spain–the land of late schedules and inviting sidewalk cafes.
Luckily, we found another inviting tapas bar a block north with excellent food.
We sampled vermouth (herb-infused spiked wine) along with gigantic olives,
stracciatella dip with bread, kale “cigars” rolled up with something
delectable, and a mushroom and truffle oil tortilla. We were grateful for the
proximity to our hotel because we quickly hit a sleep wall and craved a hot
shower and fluffy bed after an extended day of travel.
Read the full series here:
Spend More Time Doing What You Love (in Barcelona!)
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