October 26-31, 2015: For centuries, Barcelona was confined behind its medieval walls. When Madrid finally gave permission for them to go, in 1854, the city tore down the walls and expanded to the north. Starting from scratch, the area now known as L’Eixample was laid out with wide boulevards and plenty of light and air, forming a marked contrast with the cramped and winding streets of the old city. That was the result of planning, but the presence of three star architects of the Modernisme school (Catalan Art Nouveau) was pure serendipity. These days it is Gaudi who gets all the publicity, but Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Lluis Domenech i Montaner were designing beautiful and interesting buildings too.
Still, aside from mentioning two Gaudi houses – Casa Battlo and Casa Mila – and his Sagrada Familia, the guidebooks give the Eixample little respect. It’s the Ramblas, the long pedestrian avenue linking Placa de Catalunya with the port, and the Barri Gotic, the old city center, that get all the ink. Therefore, when I visited Barcelona in 2004, I stayed just off the Ramblas, and I did not, aside from the Gaudi buildings, find Barcelona very attractive. I was particularly disappointed with the Ramblas and wrote that the avenue was “mostly an opportunity for one group of tourists to sip over-priced drinks while watching another group parading past.”
But after visiting the Gaudi houses I ate lunch at Pastelerias Mauri in the Eixample, and noticed that the area seemed much more attractive. So, when I discovered that Icelandair didn’t fly out of Madrid at the end of October, and that flying home from Barcelona instead of Madrid offered better routes, I decided that I would revisit Barcelona but that this time I would stay in the Eixample. When I couldn’t find a hotel at a reasonable (to me) rate, I booked an AirBnB apartment on the Carrer des Balmes, two blocks from the Casa Battlo. I was delighted, both with the Eixample and the apartment. My opinion of Barcelona completely changed, for the better. I was also confirmed in my decision to only rent apartments from single women and couples – not only was this apartment well equipped and squeaky clean, there were plenty of towels, and the towels and sheets were pristine white. It had a sun-trap terrace with lounging chairs, too.
I did revisit the Ramblas, and the Barri Gotic. I liked the Ramblas even less this time, with tour groups marching along behind their leaders, and the market so clogged with people I didn’t venture inside. I made it all the way to the port, and regretted it when I got a close look at the Columbus monument. A glorification of colonialism, I particularly disliked the Native American, complete with feathered headdress, kneeling worshipfully at the feet of a missionary and gazing adoringly upwards. I did not take photos.
I preferred the old town, where I followed a walking tour from my guidebook. I thought about visiting the cathedral, but first it was closed, and then there was a line to get in, and after Burgos, Leon and Salamanca I didn’t feel too bad about missing it. Especially when I had bought a ticket for Sagrada Familia. Instead I visited the Casa de l’Ardiaca, the former Archdeacon’s residence that now houses the city’s archives. After admiring the charming Modernisme mail slot by Montaner on the outside, I very much enjoyed an exhibition of the work of Apelles Mestres, a multi-faceted artist I had never heard of.
I also spent time over on Montjuic, admiring the views from both the bottom and the top of the hill (although it was too hazy to really see Sagrada Familia) and visiting the Catalan Art Museum. Besides appreciating the art and the building, I ate lunch in the restaurant, with an excellent view over the city. But the Ramblas, the Barri Gotic and Montjuic were all secondary to my main interest, Modernisme. I had bought tickets ahead of time for three Gaudi sights: Sagrada Familia (timed entry), Casa Battlo (enter any time), and Casa Mila (preferential entry any time), as well as Domenech i Montaner’s Palace of Catalan Music, and I was also able to visit three more buildings and a museum of Modernisme. In the end, I was very glad the Icelandair flight hadn’t been available.
My fondest memory of Barcelona was hanging out with friends at Montjuic most evenings to watch the dusk. We were in our teens living in Pension Segura and couldn’t even afford to go into the Sagrada Familia but would walk across the city at all times at night just staring up at buildings. Some of the best moments of my life. Your posts are great as they uncover places not normally on the tourist trail like Eixample, really wonderful!
Thanks! Barcelona is a great city for walking – so many interesting buildings.
The first time I visited, all the way back in 1970, we tried sleeping on the beach, but got chased off by sand flies…
Looks like a beautiful city. Your photos are lovely.
Thanks. Lots more coming up.
Wonderful post, Kathy! We’re big fans of Barcelona, and like you we really love the Eixample. Love your view from Montjuic. Sounds like you had a great Air BnB experience. Glad to hear it. ~Terri
Thanks! Staying in the Eixample changed my entire view of Barcelona.
This apartment was very good, but I am not an unqualified fan of AirBnB. I can see the downsides for the residents of some cities – for instance Paris seems to be losing a lot of what should be long term rentals for locals to more lucrative short term lets to tourists. There was a disturbing piece in the NYT recently about “party houses”. I would certainly be upset if I lived in an apartment or condo building and found it was becoming a hotel.
I agree Kathy. When we lived in a condo on St. Simons Island the “party house” attitude became an issue. We haven’t used Airbnb yet, but we usually stay in apartments through other agencies. From your experience do you recommend Airbnb?
Interested to hear you had an issue on St. Simons! I think there are a number of initially hidden downsides to the so-called sharing economy, some having to do with exploitation of the “commons” (in this case peaceful enjoyment of a residential neighborhood).
The good news about AirBnB is that it makes paying simple. You can use a credit card, and the money is not released to the host until after you’ve checked in and decided to stay. Supposedly, if the place does not match the description AirBnB will find you somewhere else, I have no information on how well that works out.
The bad news is that the fees are high (IMO) and that I am not aware of any quality control. You need to read the available info very carefully. I’m not sure how useful the reviews are either, people may be influenced by the fact that they will in turn be rated by the host.
This was my fourth AirBnB rental, and the only one with no issues (although the 78 steps in Aix were my fault for not reading carefully enough). For the other rentals on this trip see my posts on Oslo and Pau. What agencies have you used successfully?
So far Kathy, I’ve had great luck with Home Away and Booking.com. Now I often look for an “organization” instead of an individual – that usually guarantees somewhere to check in instead of waiting for an owner to (hopefully) show up. Our biggest challenge of late was in Mexico where the owner failed to disclose crucial information – like there was no road in front of their house because it was under construction. After we backpacked for blocks over catwalks, ditches, and construction workers, the owner thought nothing was amiss. 🙂
Having read this I believed it was rather informative. I appreciate you finding the time and energy to put this short article together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile!