Beaches and Markets in Barcelona

Barcelona!

Sculture by the Hotel Arts pool.

I wanted to originally come and stay indoors to work for the most part of the trip, but unfortunately the wifi was unable to support my wishes and I was 'forced' to stay outdoors.

Barcelona Cathedral

In Europe, especially beautiful cities such as Barelona, internet is quite slow and it's understandable. Near-perfect weather coupled with picturesque locations mean that people are always going to prefer spending time outdoors. Wifi simply isn't Spain's primary concern.

It's a good thing.

I walked around the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, which not only has amazing architecture but narrow streets filled with small boutiques selling all kinds of trinkets. I did not include in the photos of all the unique perfume shops, clothing stores, and antiques due to no-photography rules, but they are all very cheap and worth going to. Most of the shirts and dresses were 20 euros and I scored a few 18k gold plated necklaces and bracelets for 25-45 euros each. Great bargain!

Streets of Gothic Quarter

Beautiful!

During August and early September, people flock to the beach by the thousands. The neighboring France is on vacation in August and the streets are filled with the French vacationers. Beach was nice to look at, but impossible to enjoy unless you enjoy fighting for an empty space of sand.

Beach overlooking W hotel

Super crowded!

Instead, I had some friends staying at the Arts Hotel which overlooks the beach and offers a nice little pool. I went to go tan a bit with servers walking around offering ice-cold drinks as well as delicious snacks. They have a gelato bar!

Pool

The Arts Hotel

More of that sculpture

A little bonus:
If you're not really into actually going into the pool, there's a little garden area set up just for tanning. It's less crowded and peaceful with all that green. I didn't know about this until I was ready to leave, such a shame.

 

 
Barcelona is also known for its amazing, fresh foods. The St. Josep Market called La Boqueria is worth a visit. It's got anywhere from fresh fruits to live seafood and of course, Spanish ham. It's considered the best ham in the world and the price tag to match. In this market the ham shops occupy most of the space. Ham is worth stocking up since it lasts a few months and you can easily store in the luggage as well as being half the price (10-20 euro per pack instead of 30-50) anywhere else in the world.

A gentle reminder of how much of a bargain is in comparison to luxury groceries in Paris that offer the same foods:

Fresh local peaches are 1 euro/kilo compared to 5 in Paris.
Famous ribeye of Galice is 20 euros/kilo compared to 70 in Paris.
Ham is up to 200 euros/kilo compared to 400 in Paris.

Fruits

Fresh juice vendors

Ham

Lots of premade food to be eaten while walking around

Nuts

Almond paste candy

Ostrich eggs

If you can't purchase perishable items from the market, you can at least taste them fresh off the shelves. A lot of vendors offer quick tapas, but there can be a long line in every food stand. I did manage to sit down at the restaurant along the market - not quite like the authentic ones inside, but at least I was able to find a seat. This one place specialized in ham - I was sold when they said 'spicy Iberico ham pizza.' The superior version of pepperoni pizza.

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Menu

Olives and ham! The tomato bread was extra crispy.

The gazpacho was especially good.

Iberico ham pizza with tomato salad. Ooohhhh the pizza. It was so hot it burned my mouth, but oh-so-fresh. Best thing I've had in the market.

Bonus: Sweets!
We found a great Spanish chocolatier that tasted like the French ones. The shop offers various chocolates that are made on the spot. You can see them work on the truffles through the windows on the side!

Be Chocolate! We came back 3 times to stock up.

So many varieties 

You can see a bit of the worker behind the cashier

Another gem: Manna Gelato!
It's surprising that such a small shop would be #1 food on Tripadvisor, but they make their own gelato fresh and they are really, really good.