The way he leaned in to kiss her, forceful yet playful, determined, and not bound by protocol, quickly but with a sense of classic restraint summed up within a flash of a minute the heartbeat of Barcelona.
The couple playfully sat in the sand of Playa de la Barceloneta, one of nine city beaches that line the Mediterranean coast for five kilometers (three miles) of changing city neighborhoods.
Beaches where families come to throw a blanket in the sand, children race up into the waves, and lovers clasp their hands together in timeless embrace.
And in their uninhibited affection, Barcelona emerges as a city of small pleasures trapped with dynamic feeling in its spectacular art and unique architecture. The capital of Spain‘s Catalonia region, where the language is their own, and so is the sense of beauty and pride.
This is the city of Gaudi and Miró, where the world came together for the 1992 Olympics, and where once a traveler walks its streets, the first thought is of when to return.
Walk
A traveler best captures the city’s understated intensity by walking its streets. One can start at La Rambla, the main pedestrian thoroughfare leading from the central Plaça de Catalunya, to Mirador de Colom, the Christopher Columbus statute on the waterfront. To the east is the Gothic Quarter, and the walking continues through the narrow alleyways, and down to the water.
Keep going north, along the waterfront, where you will come to the beaches laced in romance, and continue to the residential neighborhood of Poblenou, location of another ‘rambla.’ Rambla de Poblenou is a tree-lined street with a pedestrian park running down the middle where you can watch the locals chatting, playing with their children, or sitting quietly in contemplation.
A traveler can appreciate this small pleasure too. An unhurried, unaffected stop to take a breath, and stare at the trees.
History
Every twist and turn of its worn paths brings Barcelona home again. A permanent settlement since the first century, the city was always meant to be a place of trade.
Waves of occupiers could not ignore the potential, but it was the rise of the industrial age that created not just a modern city, but a prosperous and developed region.
Revitalized by the Olympics, the city re-emerged as a must-see spot on the global traveler’s list promising a mix of art, museums, food and culture that holds all imaginations.
Architecture
Barcelona is framed by its most famous landmarks especially Antoni Gaudi’s Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, perhaps the most visited construction site on earth. The sense of endless opportunity defines the Basilica site. A visitor can climb one of the towers and see panoramic views of the city, while wondering whether the church will ever be finished.
Descending to the other Gaudi site, Parc Güell, and take a look at parks and gardens that have no equal.
Art and Museums
The challenge with looking for art and history in Barcelona is to decide which one of the city’s museums to visit. The great artist ‘brand names’ belong to Museu Picasso and Fundació Joan Miró which should probably not be missed. But to see the regional art in its glory stop at Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) for a few hours. Football fans will appreciate the FC Barcelona Museum, and those who have seen every type of art may want a few hours at the Erotic Museum.
The choices are extensive and impressive. Adding to the hours one can spend walking in search of the essential value and dynamic of Barcelona.
Food
Like so many of the delectable culinary cities of the world wandering in to almost any open restaurant in Barcelona is bound to result in a decent meal. The traditions here will serve a traveler familiar favorites like jamon ibérico, paella and gazacho. But there are many Catalonian specialties, and if you enjoy seafood, select your meals with squid or shrimp. And of course, don’t forget the wine.
Beaches
Too cold for the relentless beach life of Rio, or too historical for the loose meanderings of Miami, but there is a pulse and style to Barcelona’s beach scene. The message, like that of the city, is to relax and just enjoy being. To feel settled and perhaps even a little complacent in the reality of the mood.
This is a city where walking down the street, downing a mouthful of soup or staring at a stylish building gives a wandering traveler a quiet thrill. A city of gestures and associations made real and everlasting against a backdrop of energy and gratitude.
For all its blessed offerings, Barcelona cannot be mastered, only absorbed, which is a delightful consolation for those who wish to return.
