My first impression of Barcelona was underwhelming. The drive in is quite frankly gloomy, littered with massive bland apartment blocks, all covered with graffiti. The feeling is weird, people look despondent, the buildings unattractive, a mix of old and new, with additions seemingly thrown on. It’s reputedly a grand old place but I don’t see it… I wait for the architecture or history of the city to shine through, everyone I know, loves the place… what am I missing?
In an effort to get a sense of Barcelona, we set out to explore and wander around. The streets are clean, relatively litter free but soulless and graffiti turns from street art to outright vandalism. It’s raw and gritty, not welcoming, not warm. The locals seem to go about their own business and don’t care for the tourists… who can blame them, it feels like we are intruding. By 9:30 we decide to join the locals for dinner, there’s families in abundance at Arosseria Gaudia restaurant so we take a chance the food will be good. We were wrong. Soggy paella, cheap wine, overpriced tapas. It does little to elevate our spirits.
Barcelona is all about Antonio Gaudi, and we’re staying near the giant basilica Sagrada Familie, his unfinished masterpiece. He merged Art Nouveau, Catalan Modernism and Spanish Late Gothic design, the result is complicated, detailed and amazing, but I find it’s all over the place and I’m struggling to piece together. Yes, he was a genius, yes, it is a work of art but I’m confused and at little lost by the whole thing!
In keeping with the Gaudi theme, we go to another of his much-admired projects, Casa Batlló, which was designed in Catalonia’s modernist style. Here Gaudi pays homage to the sea incorporating waves, shells and sea life through all aspects of the house. He was ahead of his time in terms of design evident in the trencadis on the balconies (he was recycling making mosaics from broken windows). Gaudi also included air flow and venting, then a new design concept. On the roof there are chimney pots decorated to make a feature, another area is arched and scaled which represents the dragon and Saint George, Catalonia’s patron Saint. It’s clever, weird and strange, yet, low and behold, on the roof top, we’re standing in the shadow of Paseo de Gràcia, a building from 1879. It’s butted up to Casa Batlo which was refurbished in 2004 complete with a two-story addition that now overshadows the Gaudi icon. Who allowed this to happen? Sadly, it’s evident all over the city, there’s no consideration for the beauty of the old buildings, impact on the surrounds or preservation of history.
I obviously needed help to understand the city, so we join a Tapas & Wine at the Hidden Bodegas tour of Barcelona’s Old Town and el Born Quarter, our host is Elisandra. She’s bursting with energy and local knowledge but the one thing she offers me is an insight into the Catalonian people. We hear of the Civil War, Franco’s dictatorship from 1939 which ends with his death in 1975, and the transition into a democracy that still rules from Madrid. None of this has been positive for the people of Catalonia, and it’s still evident today.
It makes sense that there’s a weariness to the people, they’ve been fighting for centuries to protect their identity. They are not Spanish, they are Catalonian, they want independence, they are passionate about their food, their wine, their language and their culture but history has not been kind to them. There are pro-democracy and pro-independence flags hanging from the bleak, grey unit blocks, there’s graffiti vandalising the city. It all points to a fiercely loyal Catalonian identity that is still a long way from being realised. Now I get the undercurrent in Barcelona, they are battlers, passionate but tired, proud but wary of outsiders… it’s understandable.
Meeting our tour at La Ramba we’re in the heart of the city. It’s low season yet the streets are crowded, there’s long lines for museums and tourist spots. There are so many people, I’d hate to visit in high season. Eli first takes us to the Mercado De La Boqueria, an enormouse market offering every sort of produce imaginable, fresh and vibrant, it’s one of the best I’ve seen. Eli assures us it’s where the locals go too, it’s not just a tourist destination… and on cue a granny arrives at the Formatgeria to order her cheese for the day. At the Jambon Iberico stall, the price, location, and meaning of the famous ham is explained, as is Rita Heyworth’s claim to Basque pintxo “Gilda” at another. We move to a Bodega that was opened in the 1920’s Bar del Pi. It has a fascinating history and was a spot where people hid in the cellars in wartime, hosted secret meetings under Franco to keep the Catalonian language alive and through all this the cava flowed freely! The same family still owns it and they are delightful, serving the best bombas I’ve had. At another bar we drink from the porron… like a glass jug but with one spout, you line up at your nose, tip your head back and make sure you don’t touch the vessel… the wine flows in and you do your best not to spill it. We finished up at Bodega La Palma with vermut, apparently the drink you have after church on Sunday when you’re waiting for lunch and having a chat… very civilised.
Barcelona’s food scene is thriving, and on a recommendation, we go up the hill to a spot overlooking the city, it’s Mirabe restaurant. The setting is divine, bright city lights shining below, perched on the cliff, white table clothes, well dressed waitstaff, it feels special. The food meets all expectations with vegetable croquettes, light and fluffy, superb wild salmon, tartare and octopus… large pieces beautifully presented, tender and sweet. The wine was a nice drop of Clos Farena 2021, the service was impeccable and with expansive views over the city, there was little left wanting.
Out of the Airbnb, we stay at the Almanac Hotel. It is located closer to the Barri Gòtic and heart of the city with an amazing rooftop bar… though a Monkey Gin and tonic at €20 a go is absurd, now that takes my breath away! I’m keen to see more of the Gothic Quarter so we walk to 14th century Barcelona Cathedral, and all is revealed. The Cathedral is gently lit up, the square is well preserved, old buildings, gardens, palm trees, cobble-stone roads, ornate tiles and charm in abundance. Wandering around the alleyways, marvelling at the structures, the deep baritones of buskers serenading with Spanish songs complete the picture. This is what I was after, it’s a true delight.
Feeling considerably up beat, we enter Dos Pedros, a restaurant that’s the creation of El Bulli’s old head chef which they say was a concept born from the desire to create something simple, Mediterranean and uncomplicated. It’s bistro style with an open kitchen, wood fire grill, mismatched dinnerware and a casual local feel. Immediately you know there’s something special about this place, and all that follows is superb. It’s tapas but not as you know it, they recommend a few small plates to share but explain the food… there’s real passion there. We chose the Vino del Poggio Navel Vino Rosso along with the menjar blanc with green peas, truly unbelievable, as is the mushroom rice and lamb special. The beef grilled over fire comes out salted and smelling divine, it was tender, smoky, authentic and flawless.
At the end of our time in Barcelona I couldn’t help feeling perplexed with what the city had shown us. There was definitely magic there…the food is superb, the people are proud, some of buildings are truly beautiful and it has a rich history of art and architecture. But in that same vein the incredible amount of graffiti (not to be confused with street art), the haphazard nature of restoration and the lack of commitment to parts of the urban landscape, is baffling.
