Barceloneta, Barcelona
Road Trip from Burgau to Barcelona
After almost a year in our Burgau house sit it came time to move on. With our caravan in storage just north of Barcelona we decided to head to where? Barcelona of course. As always we plan our road trip to experience as many of the major towns/cities as we can. In this case, we decided to stop off in the old city of Toledo just south of Madrid.
Toledo Stopover
We packed our own lunch (pretty much a requirement in Covid times with limited Motorway facilities) and headed off at around 8 am for the mainly motorway drive to Toledo. Took around 8 hrs with two or three stops for driver changeover and snacks.
Motorway tolls are in play in Portugal and Spain but are not as costly as in France. We spent approximately 45 euros on tolls through Portugal to the border with Spain and on to Barcelona. Toledo is just south of Madrid in central Spain.
Check out our visit to Madrid here https://anotherdaymeandering.com/2019/12/10/caravan-colares-aranjuez-madrid/
Toledo is a walled medieval city in central Spain with a 2000 yr plus history. The Romans were responsible for building the walls, public baths of course, and the water supply systems. We walked the usual hrs and stopped just behind the palace for a late lunch. For more information on this city click on this site: https://turismo.toledo.es/
Barcelona.
We had a hotel booking for a week in the centre of Barcelona so we could easily walk to all the interesting places to see. We loved the place so much that we decided to take an apartment for the month. After a week in the hotel, we knew that we wanted to be close to the port and beach district (Barceloneta, red dot) and that’s where we found a nice two-bed apartment.
Barceloneta, Barcelona
Natural light was an issue in the lounge and kitchen but is pretty standard for apartment buildings in Barcelona.
The apartment cost two thousand Euros for the month. You can see from the map above that Barceloneta (red dot) is ideally placed to take advantage of the Marina, Waterfront, City, and Port. It all happens at the waterfront.
Local Markets
There is no shortage of markets and supermarkets in our neighborhood of Barceloneta. Considering we just spent some ten months in a small village in Portugal where local taste centered around local tastes it was refreshing to experience expanded options. As we explored the different parts of the city we could see a variation in prices between the more upmarket suburbs.
Waterfront
The boardwalk is lined with palm trees, sculptures, and bars. In addition to the Mediterranean beachfront, there are fabulous restaurants to enjoy along the way.
the waterfront is only a short walk from our apartment. You can walk for miles along the boardwalk and we did. This was our daily fitness regime and it gave us time to reflect on what was happening in our lives and forward planning for the next adventure.
There was always something of interest happening during these walks from senior domino play groups to dancer groups. On the beach, volleyball was very popular with the younger generation.
Restaurants are scattered along the beachfront when thirst or hunger threatens. And yes we did participate. Walks were timed well for an early lunch or quiet drink. (they get pretty full by about 2 pm). Be Aware that anything in these beach cafes is expensive. Two coffees with two croissants cost around thirteen Euros and only three sixty in a cafe in the old town close by. That said there was a lot more sunshine on the beach than in the narrow alleyway of the old town.
Port Vell Marina
Another of our favorite walks was around Port Vell Marina, which is huge. There are different berths for all matter of vessels, from smallish all the up the superyachts of the rich and famous. With berths up to 190 meters in length and unique world-class facilities, it attracts the world´s most valuable superyachts.
It was built as part of an urban renewal program before to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Before this, it was a run-down area of empty warehouses, railroad yards, and factories. 16 million people visit this complex each year.
It is now a focal point of the city and a tourist attraction, containing a shopping center (containing shops, a multiplex cinema, bars, and restaurants). This centre also houses Europe’s largest aquarium containing 8000 Fish and 11 sharks contained in 22 basins filled with 6 million liters (1.5 million gallons) of seawater. A pedestrian walkway, Rambla de Mar, connects La Rambla (a large boulevard that runs through the center of the city) to Port Vell.[2] It incorporates a swing bridge, in order to allow ships to enter and exit the harbor.
Dilmar pictured below is listed as the largest privately owned superyacht in the world. Built at a cost of $800 to $1 billion. Owned by a Russian Oligarch, and was in Barcelona for refit while we were there.
The port of Barcelona has extensive superyacht repair/refit facilities. It is also a great place to station a vessel because of its proximity to the Mediterranean coastline. Monte Carlo and the french and Italian riviera are just a stone’s throw away. When we first saw Dilbar we thought it was a small cruise ship… it belongs to one person (wow) and his invited guests
And did you know that there is a super large statue of Christopher Columbus at Port Vell? Even though he was born in Genoa, Italy? Why? The statue is situated at the bottom of the La Rambla de Santa Monica.
Barcelona Commeral Port
The Port of Barcelona is Spain’s principal port for international traffic. More than 100 regular shipping lines connect it with more than 200 ports internationally.
The port is very busy and broken into three sections. Ferries, Passenger, and Commercial shipping. The cruise terminal is part of the world trade center and has nine berths. Did you know that you can catch a ferry from Barcelona to Genoa, Livorno, and Civitavecchia in Italy, as well as Palma, Tangiers, and Corsica? Very handy for those traveling with a caravan or motorhome. Sadly not really doable during pandemics, hope the world heals soon.
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