Today's Snapshots

The Gothic Quarter or in Spanish: Barri Gothic is a lot of fun to discover. Since I was staying right on La Rambla - I was in Barri Gothic and walk though it on a daily basis. This is where the Roman Barcino colony was founded in the first century and whose roman wall dates back to the third century. Perhaps the period of the city's greatest splendor were the 13th to 15th centuries, in which most of this Gothic Quarter was built and today contains many of the city's most emblematic buildings. Streets in this district are very narrow. Its narrow, winding streets were not the products of careful planning and rapid execution, but have developed out of centuries of architectural and cultural mixing, from the early Roman through the medieval Romanesque and Gothic periods. In the Middle-Ages, this neighborhood used to be encircled by the city walls. The first day or two be prepare to get lost in the twists and turns of the narrow streets, often you end up stumbling upon a square or a church that takes your breath away. Many of the streets are packed with little shops, cafes and restaurants - you simply never know where you end up or what you discover as you explore this old, original part of Barcelona. After a while you start to get a hang of it and you know where you are if you stay there for while like I did. I found over there many of the Moroccan and other ethnic stores as well. It is also one of the most beautiful part of the city and real reason why so many tourists come to visit it. Sometimes you get a feeling you are back a medieval times as you look at old walls of many of the building around you. If you are there over a weekend many of the Placa's many have a outdoor markets with many of the local products or antiques as well.