Barcelona – Spain Travels Nov 2018

Spain Travels – A Land of History and Great Food!

Barcelona || Zaragoza ||  Daroca and Albarracin || Valencia || Cartegena || Almeria || Granada || Alhambra || Segovia and Madrid

Barcelona in the principality of Catalonia

Spain is a country rich in History, Culture and Food. Ever prominent are the ruins of Carthaginians, Romans and Moors. Sitting on the Eastern Shore of the Iberian Peninsula, Barcelona was first settled by the Romans and thier presense has been preserved in the Gothic Quarter. Barcelona is the second most populated city in Spain and has become one of the over-tourist destinations in the world. The 1992 Summer games brought much change to Barcelona with the development of the water front and started its time as a tourist destination. It was still very busy while we were there in the slow season. The existence of World Heritage Sites created by Antoni Gaudi bring many tourists here. His works include the Casa Milá built in 1905, Casa Batlló built in 1904 and the Sagrada Familia whose construction started in 1904 and is expected to be finished in 2026…

While in Barcelona we were shown around by our Spanish friend, Miguelo, who we met while they were skiing at Skeena Cat skiing. He showed us around for two days, one of those days we rented bikes and rode into a forested area Parc Natural de la Serra de Collserola. This is an area with many trails and roads where Barcelonians easily go to bike, hike and run. Barcelona also has corridors that are car free and amazing for bike commuting. Specifically the Avinguda Diagonal, which cuts the city in two, is 11km long and 50m wide car free corridor. Barcelona is a great city to see by bike. Our first night we walked through the famous La Rambla street and the Gothic Quarter. The next day we walked more in the old section of Barcelona with Miguelo, then ate Tapas with him and his wife Amelia. Our last day we rode the parc and the city.