Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Visiting Barcelona [Part 5/5]: Sunset on Barceloneta Beach

As the sun began to set on our last day in Barcelona it was time to visit a much sought after part of the city: the beach at sunset. The big city beach in Barcelona is located in a part of town called La Barceloneta. The neighborhood is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, the Moll d'Espanya of Port Vell, and the El Born neighborhood and even has its own flag. We were in for a last treat and I hope you will enjoy these final images from our Barcelona Travel Series.

This is only a part of a 5-part travel series to Barcelona:
Part 1: Sagrada Familia
Part 2: La Rambla, Old Town and Park Guell
Part 3: Montjuic Castle and Port Olimpic
Part 4: Casa Mila, Casa Batllo and Park Ciutadella
Part 5: Sunset on Barceloneta Beach

Barcelona Estació de França Station

Before we arrived at the beach we walked from the Park Cituadella which I have shown you in the previous part. This walk took us along the Barcelona Train Station named Estació de França. It is the second busiest railway station of the city after Barcelona-Sants in terms of regional and long-distance ridership. I entered it because its architecture caught my attention.



It's a very grand station, with trains spread out over 14 platforms. You can enter without having a ticket and roam freely and take pictures, which I enjoyed a lot. It is generally seen as the city's most beautiful station. It is worth seeing in its own right for the restrained mix of classical and more modern styles - complete with decoration in marble, bronze and crystal, and modernista and art déco motifs. Over the last three decades it has been eclipsed as Barcelona’s main station by the subterranean sprawl of Sants. Indeed, most other stations of Barcelona are at least partly underground.


Lunch in the Port

We had a great lunch in a Italian restaurant called "La Tagliatella". Some of us had pizzas, other pasta dishes and risotto. Very good food for a reasonable price, which is all you can ask for, especially in Barcelona where the prices can get steep very quickly.



La Barceloneta

La Barceloneta homes a satisfied quantity of small bars or clubs, where one can eat dinner or order a drink until the wee hours of the early morning. Upon arrival to the beach, the environment and atmosphere of La Barceloneta changes. Today, the cosmopolitan neighborhood reaches its maximum entertainment factor in the summer.




The Barceloneta was once the home of fishermen, people associated with the fishing trade and the metal industry, and is now one of the city's most visited and popular districts. In 1988, in pre-Olympic days, the decision was taken to demolish the old beachfront restaurants, known as xiringuitos, and public baths, heralding a process of opening the city up to the sea and the modernisation of an area which now offers first-class beaches as the main attraction for its visitors.



This part of Barcelona is considered one of the best places to try fresh fish or paella in Barcelona. A great selection of tapas are also offered off any menu. The most typical of the tapas of La Barceloneta would be called the "bomba." It is a ball of potatoes filled with meat and the selection of spicy sauce or the classic aioli. A "caña," a glass of beer from a barrel, is always served as well. Towards the beach, one might come across balconies with clothes hanging to dry, all types of shops, wineries, bars, and restaurants.


Located in the traditional fishing district, this is one of Barcelona's oldest and best-loved beaches. It is thought to have inspired Miguel de Cervantes as the setting for the fight between Don Quixote and the Knight of the White Moon. It was here that the knight errant was finally defeated and abandoned his quest.






The day came to an end and so did our stay at the beach. The weather wasn't too warm which made sitting at the beach enjoyable but also meant we couldn't take a swim which I was very poised about. Anyway, we went back to the hotel and next day it was time to return back home. Six wonderful days in Barcelona flew by and left were the memories of this amazing city on the Mediterranean.


Thank you all for visiting and reading this travel series. The response was really big which I'm very happy about. If you have missed previous parts you can view them through the links at the top of this post. It won't be long before a new travel series starts...

The End




24 comments:

  1. Your photos are gorgeous and captivating, Mersad! I love your perspective here. Thank you so much for sharing this fascinating and beautiful tour!

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  2. Definitely one of the cities on my places to visit list

    Mollyx

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  3. Another wonderful trip to a beautiful place

    Melody (ABC-W-team)
    20-S
    Preview Round 21

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  4. golden ripples in the sand, pink castles, everything is just beautiful and that train station is just plain AMAZING to me...

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    1. I have to agree, the train station wowed me as well.

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  5. Great pics of the station, though flying woman was impressive!
    ROG, ABCW

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    1. Yeah we got that shot on the second try! :)

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  6. Do you write for a travel company or website? I think you should! I always enjoy your travel posts and this one is no exception.

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    1. Thank you Michelle for your lovely comment. No I don't work for a travel company or website. This is purely a hobby which I like doing a lot. My real work is a bit different. :)

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  7. Stunning photos as always, Mersad. Barcelona in your photos look so inviting. I’d like to stroll around the Barcelona Train Station in person with my camera. I like the image of a jumping lady, which made my heart leap to Barcelona.

    Yoko

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  8. Hi Mersad.. I've just been back to part one and enjoyed your trip to Barcelona all the way from day one to your last day here, and what better way to spend it than on the beach! I think La Sagrada Familia must be the most amazing piece of architecture to see in person, incroyable! There's one thing for sure many years from now when you look back on your travels you will have the most fabulous visual images to remember them by. So where are you off to next?

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  9. It's been a fun, virtual tour.Thanks.

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  10. What a bright, airy station despite being so large! That beach is beautiful. Love the joy jumping photo. :)

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  11. What a wonderful train station! And loved all your beach photos. I just returned from a vacation in Hawaii and have lots of pics to share.

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    1. Oh wow. Can't wait to see them on your blog. Thanks for your visit.

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  12. What a fabulous train station! Beautifully caught! And a flying pig??? Well that's no surprise-- I mean look who we've got in the White House. Loved the shadows on the mini sand dunes. A super post, Mersad.

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  13. Thank you for this grand tour of such a lovely area. Your photos are some of the best. My point and shoot will not do this quality.

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  14. Lovely images, all. The train station is amazing.

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  15. Beautiful photos, Mersad! The one from inside the church is amazing! I can also almost hear the waves from the beach :)

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  16. I could have used your restaurant suggestion when I was in Barcelona. I had mostly good food but did run into one tourist restaurant that was lacking. Your Italian food looks far better. It is a shame that I didn't make it to the beach as I was there in summer.

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  17. A wonderful tour. Thank you. fun to travel and always nice to be home----until next time.
    MB

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