Barcelona

As a neophyte to Spain, #thewinemaestro saw Barcelona like he sees Rome, a great place to fly into, but the whole point is to move on to a smaller city. The advantage of Rome over Barcelona, Rome has plenty of things you can see (from a historical perspective) just from walking around. There is no Coliseum, Spanish Steps or Trevi Fountain in Barcelona; sorry. Barcelona's main attractions, Sagrada Familia and other Gaudi attractions are all “pay to see inside”, which means you have to plan your visit, buy tickets, and schedule stuff. Same with the Picasso Museum. Let’s face it, #thewinemaestro is not a huge museum goer. I’d rather wander around town and see what people do and what they’re eating and drinking.

In terms of where tourists congregate in Barcelona, it’s all about El Born, Gothic and La Rambla (all of the world is on La Rambla). El Born and Gothic are neighborhoods with plenty of things to eat and drink. La Rambla is one big long street with a lot of humans and shops.

We stayed in Poblenou, a neighborhood nearly 2 miles away from El Born and an easy walk each day to see whatever sites interest you. I didn’t see a single tourist in Poblenou, or at least none that stuck out. Poblenou in the summer could be a great place to stay; the beach was a 10 minute walk from the apartment. In many ways, Poblenou was much like The Outer Richmond District in San Francisco that I lived in in the late 90’s; locals only, no tourist attractions, great neighborhood to live in, close to the beach, quiet and a couple miles from the hustle and bustle of the city.

I think after my stay, Barcelona, like San Francisco, is all about the neighborhood. Find ones you like and explore them. El Born and The Gothic will always be there, just like The Financial District and Union Square will be there when I return to SF. If and when I return to Barcelona, I’ll check out some different neighborhoods and skip the museums, I want to see how people are living today while enjoying a glass of vermut.