La boqueria and the gothic quarter: Barcelona, Day 2

Day 2 in Barcelona: Gothic quarter, La Rambla, La Boqueria market, Barcelona Cathedral, and Ciutadella Park

My favorite way to get a feel for a new city is to dive into its streets.  The streets are where life happens and culture is formed.  All kinds of people are on the streets, mixing and living, buying and communing.  Our second day in Barcelona was filled with exploring the city on foot - streets, parks, and a market were all on the itinerary.  There are so many nooks and charming alleys in this city; you could walk around for weeks and still find something new and interesting.  It certainly was our most exhausting day. 

We got off the metro and made our way to the well-known La Rambla street, stopping first at Plaza Reial for a coffee and some churros.  We made our way to La Boqueria market - a bustling place with an appetizing variety of foods, meats, spices, and drinks.  We picked up lunch at the market with a plan to picnic at Ciutadella Park, but we got hungry before we could figure out our way, so we ate on the side of the street instead.

Making our way to the park, we roamed through the gothic quarter of the city, admiring the streets along the way.  We came across the Barcelona Cathedral and decided to go in - a digression definitely worth our time.  We finally made it to the park, which we circled, and then walked to the Arc de Triomph on our way to the metro.  Once we made it home, we crashed from all the walking, but I think you'll see from the pictures that it was all worth the energy.