The journey cont'd

Day 2

City tours

The day started early with a tasty breakfast, after which the two of us got ready for the two tours.

Our first two-hour tour took both of us on a journey through time, starting from the vibrant and bustling La Rambla to the ancient Gothic Quarter, where the secrets, legends, and curiosities of the city's past are hidden.

As we make our way into the Gothic Quarter, we are transported back to the medieval era. Here, we are surrounded by ancient stone walls and narrow cobblestone streets. The first stop on our journey was Sant Jaume Square, where the Town Hall and the Palau de la Generalitat stand tall, a testament to the city's rich history. We then visit the Cathedral of Santa Eulàlia, whose mysterious gargoyles guard its secrets. As we walk through King's Square, we hear tales of the attempted assassination of Fernando “The Catholic.” The tour also includes a visit to the remains of El Call, the old Jewish quarter, where the history of the city's Jewish community can be explored. Next, we venture into the Born district, one of the most charming areas in the city. The street is lined with cafés, small boutiques, and cocktail bars, creating a vibrant atmosphere that is sure to leave a lasting impression. Our tour concludes with a visit to the mythical Cathedral of the Sea, a stunning structure that tells the story of the city's maritime history.

The tour guide, Pedro, is the founder of the company providing the tours: Barkeno Tours. He explains to us that he founded this company after discovering that his previous profession as a lawyer wasn’t a right fit for him. He named the company “Barkeno” after the original name Barcelona used to have: “Barcino”.

After bonding with him and having interesting conversations about the history of Barcelona and why he chose this job, he explains to us his philosophy: unlike other tour guides, he says, he never sticks to one specific predefined script for his tours, instead choosing what to explain and where to go based on the audience he has and what they are more interested in. Indeed, we noticed that he kept engaging with the audience, asking us to pick what to do and where to go, making the tour much more interactive, engaging and captivating. He also explained to us that he refuses to the same tour two days in a row, as the reason he picked this profession is that his last one was too boring. These revelations surprised us, especially in France, people often don’t tend to be particularly open to feedback or flexible.

opportunity to explore some of the city's most famous modernist buildings and learn about the history and culture of this fascinating era. The tour began in the heart of the city, in the Manzana de la Discordia. We had the chance to admire the stunning façades of buildings such as Casa Batlló and La Pedrera, designed by the famous architect Antonio Gaudí. We also saw the beautiful Casa Lleó i Morera, with its elaborate windows and majestic columns, and the Casa Amatller, a stunning example of the modernist style. After exploring the “Manzana de la Discordia”, we took the metro to one of the city's most iconic landmarks, the Sagrada Família. This stunning basilica was the greatest expression of Gaudí's modernist style, and we were able to admire its beautiful architecture up close. This journey through modernist Barcelona was truly magical.

Our tour guide for this tour, Alessio, was a great storyteller. Despite being originally Italian, he had come to Barcelona many years before and become an expert about the city, especially Gaudi’s architecture.

At the end of this day, we were quite exhausted but also filled with new knowledge about the city. We also had gotten to know each other much better: during all this time we had spent together that day, we had talked so much with each other, exchanged about our experiences and cultures, and learned so much together. Coming back to the hostel, the new people we met thought we had known each other for many years. We noticed we had become close friends after only two days.

During this journey, we also discovered and discussed many cultural differences between Barcelona and the places we were from. We had noticed the incredible diversity present all throughout the city, as much in architecture and culture as in citizens living in the city. This is something we had seen neither in Paris nor in Milan, despite both being cities also known for their rich history. Every building looked entirely different as if it had been taken from a different time period or a different country, with some buildings being thousands of years old and some looking like they came from the future. It seemed like every building had its very own story to tell. Despite this diversity, or exactly because of it, no building looked out of place.

The people we met also were also so kind and open, something that shocked Raphael, coming from the Paris region, much more than it did to Christian.