My husband and I spent two weeks in Barcelona in a lovely apartment at the Placa de Catalunya end of Las Ramblas. We had been warned that it would be really loud and pick pockets would steal our wallets. People recommended that we eat paella and go see flamenco. This was NOT the Barcelona that we would come to experience. Perhaps it was the time of year – it was the end of spring and it was still rather chilly for the musicians to play their stringed instruments. Perhaps it was too early for tourists such that the pick pockets saw no point of rambling on Las Ramblas. Perhaps it was the lure of the tapas bars and late night clubs that prevented us from eating paella and watching flamenco. Maybe we found a different side of Barcelona because we took many wrong turns (and did not get our pockets picked).

There were a few things that we knew we wanted to do in Barcelona: (1) eat tapas at a bar; (2) see Gaudi architecture; (3) drink Suizo de la Granja Viader; and (4) stay up ALL NIGHT because if we couldn’t stay up all night in Barcelona – then we were real losers (Note – #1 & #2 were my husband’s goals and #3 & #4 – mine)! Those were the non-negotiables. I am proud to say that we successfully achieved our four goals. Of course, goals like that are easy to achieve. In addition, we visited amazing museums and galleries, shopped at the wonderful markets, discovered great local fashion designers, wound our way through endless streets and alleys, had delicious meals and drank LOTS of cava (at least I did – lunch and dinner).

Street outside our window in El Raval

As always, the thing that I like to do most is walk, walk, walk, eat, walk some more, stop at a café, walk some more, go home & rest, have a glass of wine (or cava, in Barcelona) then have dinner. Barcelona is perfect for that. We would spend a day or two in each barrio/neighborhood, exploring the sites, finding small shops, sitting on benches and watching the people walk by (my husband was crazy about the way women in Barcelona wear their hair – great haircuts with baby bangs and cool haircolors). On the last day, we were walking around and realized that we had landed in a barrio that we had not yet discovered. What did this mean? We would just have to return to Barcelona because there is so much more walking, eating, visiting, exploring to be done.

I can remember one day, it was a Sunday, and we had decided to explore the Barri Gotic. As we started out the day, we realized that the stores had changed their window displays to reflect the arrival of spring. Winter browns, blacks and grays were replaced with vibrant, whimsical colors. We turned the corner and came upon a group of singers performing opera in a square. After watching for about 20 minutes, we headed on our way. Just around the corner, there was another square in which the city was holding an environmental awareness festival with games, performances, crafts, and information. Within the span of an hour and a few blocks, we experienced the richness and complexity of Barcelona that continues to beckon me back.

The following are some websites that I find to be really for trip planning. Although there is some overlap, I have found it best to look at a few different sites in order to create a full picture.

General Guides and Information

• Barcelona Turisme is an amazing site that I just discovered after researching for several days!
• Barcelona Yellow
• Barcelona Tourist Guide Basic Facts
• Safety Tips
• Barcelona Card I am not one who purchases these cards but it is always a good option.
• Metro Map and Metro info

Neigborhoods and Maps

• Barcelona Tourist Guide Neighborhood descriptions
• Barcelona Tourist Guide Neighborhood map</em>
• Barcelona Tourist Guide Street map
• Frommer’s neighborhoods – I am a huge fan of Frommer’s, which I find to be very clear and easy to navigate. I also love their walking tours and itineraries, which are always a great starting point and resource.
• Streets & squares by Europe-cities.com

To provide an amazing context for your visit to Barcelona, I highly recommend the following book!

We had visited Western Canada on our honeymoon and fell in love with Vancouver (a post for another day). However, we had never considered Quebec despite the obvious connections between Acadians and Cajuns. So, we planned a two week trip that encompassed one week in Montreal and one week in ville de Quebec. Those two weeks transformed our lives. We have become Montreal Junkies!

To compare Montreal to Paris is like comparing carob to chocolate – something you just shouldn’t do! Although chocolate and carob share comments elements, they offer completely different sensations. Carob offers a sweet, earthy flavor while chocolate delivers rich, smooth, and bitter notes. Although Montreal is a French speaking city and has the charm of a European city, Montreal offers a unique and wonderful experience. Montreal’s charm takes over you in a subtle fashion. Without realizing it, you are lured in the Montreal lifestyle, which is engaging and earthy, sweet yet healthy. There is a pace to Montreal that allows you to simply become part of its community.

We have returned almost every summer since our first stay in Montreal. For the first 4 years, we rented a flat in Le Plateau, the really hip and happening hub. Our days were spent exploring the diverse neighborhoods, discovering great food, looking for super-cool Montreal clothes designers, shopping at the incredible Marché Jean Talon, and visiting the many wonderful museums, galleries, parks and gardens that abound in this super-sophisticated, yet down-to-earth, city.

Last summer, we decided to live in a neighborhood that was closer to the Jean Talon market so that we could start everyday with freshly boiled sweet corn-on-the-cob swathed with butter (breakfast of champions). This allowed us to discover new neighborhoods, that were much more working class, but equally as vibrant.

Our last visit simply confirmed my belief that Montreal is a vibrant, emerging city that will always have something new to offer. However, there is also a stability to Montreal, which ensures that certain things will always be there when we return. Montreal reminds me of the corny camp song I use to sing – make new friends but keep the old!

The following links are a few of the best links to get you started with your journey to Montreal. The other posts will feature “1wrongturn” destinations and favorite spots.

General websites: When getting oriented, I use general websites. I like those that allow me to identify activities, restaurants, etc., by neighborhood. Here are a few that I like:
www.tourisme-montreal.org – à la Montréal. The following pages are really helpful:
- Travel Information/Getting Around – GREAT neighborhood maps in PDF
- What to Do – activities, events, attractions by activity type and neighborhood
- Discover – general highlights of Montreal & GREAT ITINERARIES
www.sitebits.com. I really like their choice of attractions and restaurants.

Getting around: The metro lines shut down around 12:30 a.m., after which the system shifts over to night bus lines until around 5:30 a.m. The STM ticketing system uses the Opus smart card and one-trip magnetic cards. A single fare for the bus and metro is $2.75. Bus drivers don’t make change or sell tickets, but all metro stations have manned ticket booths. There is a tourist card that gives full access; day cost – $9 and 3 day cost – $17.
www.stm.info Metro and Bus info.
www.montreal.bixi.com. I have never used this. However, Montreal is very bike friendly and this looks like a great way to get around town.

Festivals: Montreal is the city of festivals.
www.montreal.com/tourism/festivals – This is a calendar of festivals for 2010.