Europe

[Visited: December 2001]

A short walk from Barcelona's city centre, Barceloneta can seem a village in its own right. First, you pass along the old harbour, full with yachts and marine activity. The Gothic city centre can be seen through the many masts of the boats moored here. Then you can turn left into any of the many small streets of Barceloneta (little Barcelona). The perfect grid of the streets ensures that getting lost is impossible.
I walked around this area on a Sunday morning. The streets were quiet, and although I didn't see many people walking in the streets, I did hear women talking to each other from within their houses or from their balconies, across the street. There was a smell of detergent everywhere and I soon noted that there was a general laundry day with clothes hanging outside of houses everywhere.
When I reached the waterfront, the atmosphere changed completely. Here, people strolled down the boulevard, had a relaxing morning in the sun, enjoying the view of the sea and the lapping of the waves on the beach. Others were running, walking their dog or sitting in one of the many bars to have a drink. If there is a characteristic area of Barcelona which retained its own atmposphere, it must be Barceloneta.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Barceloneta (Spain). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Barceloneta.
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