Travel

It’s no secret that Barcelona is one of the admired towns of the Earth that ceaselessly attracts a great number of visitors every year. This is mainly traced to its position along the Mediterranean and stunning architecture. However, one little part of Barcelona that sometimes goes unnoticed is its neighbourhoods or referred to in Spanish ‘barrios’. Here you’ll find out a little about Barcelona’s barrios.

Barrio Gotic is a Roman wall once defended this quarter, the hexagon-shaped heart of Barcelona. With its frightening tangle of slender old streets and alleyways, the area is like Venice without canals. By day, the looming–th-century Gothic cathedral lures a steady stream of visitors, but come sundown, they head for Plaza Reial, where, it is thought, Ferdinand and Isabella greeted Columbus after his maiden voyage to America.

Ironically, the square, stuffed with soaring palm trees and Gaudi-designed lampposts, is often the 1st place that visiting Americans discover. Gold-painted human ’statues’ provide free dinner theater at the countless outdoor cafes.

El Raval In the’30’s, a considerably less good kind of entertainment drew crowds to El Raval, west of the Barri Gotic. The location for petty crime, brothels, and drag clubs, it seemed to be a cross between the Moulin Rouge and the pre-Giuliani Times Square. Though cleand in recent times, the streets round the port are still frequented by transvestites and thieves late. But as shops and cafs continue to open, El Raval appears poised to become the town’s hottest district.

La Ribera In the region north of the Barri Gotic there’s an collection of medieval palaces, five of which house the Museu Picasso. As the provoking houses and their yards suggest, La Ribera was once-during its golden age in the 12th century-considered an A-list address. Ribera means ‘waterfront,’ and although the shoreline has long since vanished, the area is still an urban oasis, thanks to the grand Parc de la Ciutadella-miles of grassy paths, a lake with rowboats for rental, and a zoo inhabited by Snowflake, a rare albino ape.

El Born The name of Barcelona’s liveliest neighbourhood, east of La Ribera, meant ‘joust’ back in the Middle Ages, but the sole jousting that happens here now is between fevered shopaholics who elbow each other while combing the racks at the tiny shops. Barcelona’s answer to SoHo, the traditional town’s original market-place is once again abuzz with art galleries, hair salons, and cool bars. All of the shiny enterprises seem unimportant in comparison, though, with the stained-glass rose window of the Gothic church Santa Maria del Mar. Barceloneta previously a fishermen’s town, the area south of El Born was transformed for the’92 Olympic Games and has become the address of choice , as well as a hub for seafood restaurants.

Diagonal Mar Next in the summer of 2004 played host to Forum Barcelona, a gathering of worldwide minded designers, legislators, artists, and urban planners. Almost 150 days of events relating to such themes as cultural diversity and world peace are scheduled to occur in the northeast end of the town near the Bess River. In the works: an esplanade, a convention center, and additional beachfront and parkland, as well as skyscrapers and hostels.

So get out there and see Barcelona’s fantastic and unique barrio’s that has something different for everyone.

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