Summary

The article recounts a personal travel experience exploring the Barri Gòtic district of Barcelona, highlighting key attractions and cultural encounters.

Abstract

In October 2015, the author spent a day discovering the Barri Gòtic district of Barcelona, following recommendations from Rick Steves' walking tours. They visited the Barcelona Cathedral, admired the architecture, and interacted with street performers, including a headless man and musicians. The narrative includes personal anecdotes and observations, such as the significance of the 13 geese at the cathedral and the spontaneous dancing in Placa de Sant Iu. The author reflects on the vibrant atmosphere of the city, the preparations for the Mercat de Mercats, and expresses regret for missing the food and wine-tasting event. The piece concludes with the author hinting at future stories about other travel destinations.

Opinions

The author expresses admiration for the Barcelona Cathedral, noting its major architectural significance.
They find the presence of the 13 geese at the cathedral cloister to be a fascinating tribute to Saint Eulalia.
The author enjoys the street performances, particularly the guitar players and the A Capella group, but also notes the occasional nuisance they can cause.
There is a sense of wonder and enjoyment in the author's experience of the city's ambiance and cultural events, such as the Mercat de Mercats preparations.
The author regrets not staying for the food and wine-tasting event, indicating a missed opportunity for a richer experience.
The article ends on a positive note, with the author looking forward to sharing more travel stories, suggesting an overall positive sentiment towards travel and exploration.

My A to Z Favorite Travel Destination — Beautiful Barcelona

We spent one day in October 2015 exploring the Barri Gòtic district.

Walking down Portal de l’Angel in the Barri Gòtic district. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

In his Pocket Barcelona Rick Steves recommends three walking tours, all starting at Placa Catalunya, one of Barcelona’s main plazas. We took all three during our one-week stay in October 2015, including his tour of Barcelona’s Barri Gòtic district.

An alley leading to the cathedral’s bell tower. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

Steves’ directions led us shortly to the major work of architecture in the Barri Gòtic: the Barcelona Cathedral, also known as Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulalia. Locals simply call it La Seu. We visited the cathedral and also explored many of the alleys leading to the cathedral, each with treasures of their own.

Three of the 13 geese in the Cathedral Cloister. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

Our walk brought us to the cathedral’s cloister entrance and we were soon greeted by 13 geese. Why 13? Apparently, in tribute to Saint Eulalia, who died a martyr when she was 13 years old.

Sculpture by Josep Llimona in a cloister chapel. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

“L’enterrament de Crist” is a famous sculpture by Josep Llimona (1864–1934). You can find Llimona’s statues all over Barcelona.

We then walked through the cloister to visit the cathedral’s interior.

Barcelona Cathedral apse. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

Near the cathedral’s front steps my wife encountered a man without a head!

My wife and her headless friend near the cathedral’s front steps. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

Sometimes Barcelona’s street performers get in trouble for pestering the tourists too much. Notice the disapproving look on the market fair official’s face. I think she was ready to shoo him away.

Guitar players in Placa de Sant IU. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

Dancing to the guitar music. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

We came across some guitar music when entering Placa de Sant Iu. And some passersby were dancing! I don’t know if this was spontaneous or planned. But it was fun watching and listening!

Choir in Museu Frederic Mares courtyard. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

We then rounded another corner and came across a Scandinavian A Capella group singing their hearts out in the courtyard of the Museu Frederic Mares.

Preparing for the annual Mercat de Mercats in front of the cathedral. Photo by Jerry Dwyer.

We walked around the Barri Gòtic district some more and eventually made it back to the front of the cathedral and its large plaza called Pa de la Seu. We lingered a while, watching construction workers set up booths in preparation for the upcoming Mercat de Mercats, an annual market fair.

Oh, we should have stayed for the food and wine-tasting! I might have had a story for last month’s harvesting and food challenge on Globetrotters. Oh, well. We never made it back to this part of Barcelona. There was just so much to see and do in just one week!

I have written two other stories about our trip to Barcelona in 2015. You can find them here and here.

There are several other people on Medium writing about their favorite A to Z travel destinations. Sam Millichap started it all. You can read her latest story here.

Anne Bonfert is up to the letter I, which you can find here.

Adrienne Beaumont just completed her L story, which you can find here. She recently tagged Michael Rhodes and me. You can find Michael’s latest here. I completed my A story last week. You can find it here.

Now, let’s see, what places have I visited that start with the letter C? Stay tuned to find out!