Barcelona

Looking for things to do near Las Ramblas, the famous pedestrian walkway in Barcelona?  Consider the Museu de Cera, a wax museum on a Las Ramblas sidestreet not far from the Christopher Columbus monument.

The Barcelona wax museum contains a hundreds of human-like wax figures representing historical and entertainment personalities.  Most of the characters only exist in our minds because we only see them in the movies or on the television.  The Museu de Cera brings the characters to life - and then makes time stand still.

Imagine seeing Star Wars characters in person.  The museum makes it possible.  The wax museum has realistic representations of famous Star Wars characters Chewbacca and R2-D2 alongside Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. 

The Museu de la Xocolata is a strange Barcelona museum - strangely delicious! 

You see, Xocolata means chocolate.  And to me, good chocolate is a key ingredient of a great vacation.  If you like chocolate, the Museu de la Xocolate in the La Ribera district of Barcelona will add to your vacation enjoyment.  

Rrrrrroarr!!!

The Barcelona Zoo has over 400 species of animals and 7,500 individual animals.  Many of these animals are on the endangered or threatened species list.  Besides a large collection of mammals, the zoo has an aviary, a bird center and a terrarium with 100 species of reptiles and amphibians.  The zoo features regular shows including a bottlenose dolphin show.

So there I am, in a Barcelona gift shop looking at the postcards.  I'm just about to leave Barcelona and have a few euros in my pocket.  Like a good tourist, I have to get a few postcards.  It is my duty.

I picked up 3 - as much as the coins in my pocket could buy.  It was so hard to choose.  I settled on these:

There are so many fabulous attractions to see on a tour of Barcelona, visitors often have a difficult time deciding what to do – and what to leave behind for another visit. No matter what attractions you choose, you aren't likely to be disappointed if you choose them according to your level of interest. Yet it isn't always easy to decide what you'll be interested in if you've never been to Barcelona!

Some places in Barcelona are natural attractions for almost everyone, such as Las Ramblas. In other cases, you may need to spend a little bit of time deciding what to do, and what to let go. This may be especially true of museums and architectural sights. In a week's time, you can't possibly see everything, plus partake of your daily siesta, take advantage of Barcelona's vibrant nightlife, and enjoy all the fabulous Catalan tapas you won't want to miss trying.

Barcelona's famous and popular street, Las Ramblas, usually has its share of street performers entertaining tourists each day. Here's a selection of some of the stranger entertainers.

Guy Losing Head

Jesus on Lunch Break

Casa Batlló is a famous Barcelona building designed by Antoni Gaudi, the same guy who design La Sagrada Familia, the huge unfinished church.

The interior of Casa Batlló, I think, is even more amazing than the exterior. Casually wandering around is fun. Everything seems to curve and it would take a lot of looking to find any straight lines. Gaudi designed the building with an organic flow - like being inside a cave.

(Photo by papalars)

When the topic of Barcelona churches arises, the first thought is La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's huge unfinished church. Let's look at a few other Barcelona churches.

After shopping in the large El Corte Inglés on the Plaça de Catalunya square (one of several of the chain's store in Barcelona), head to the top floor for both a quick meal and a great view.  From the windows, you can see Plaça de Catalunya square down below.

No habla Spanish?  The restaurant has a tourist-friendly self-service section where you get a tray and load it up with food items.

Another section of the restaurant consists of items ordered off of a menu and is attended by waitstaff.  For that, you'll should be able to at least attempt to order in Spanish.

Try to get seating near the windows of this El Corte Inglés restaurant. The view is spectacular above the Plaça de Catalunya square.

I really like Barcelona. The city has a great atmosphere. It is an easy city to navigate without knowing much of any Spanish or Catalan. One of the many popular destinations within Barcelona is the Port Vell area of the waterfront.

The Barcelona waterfront provides a peak at the Mediterranean Sea while keeping visitors busy with a variety of attractions. A lot of people walk the Ramblas store-lined pedestrian walkway from inland. Then, they pass the Columbus statue and then proceed to the waterfront at Port Vell. Others see the waterfront as a good place to jog or ride a bicycle.

On Port Vell is this artsy structure, a small shopping mall, IMAX, and an aquarium.

After lots of walking, many people take breaks on the benches. Others walk to the Maremagnum, the shopping mall, on the left in the distance.