First stop: The streets of Barcelona.
Barcelona bustles day and night. It is a walker’s joy, with wide, tree-lined promenades, frequent watering holes for the hungry and thirsty, and fascinating architecture in styles that span the ages.There are people out walking their dogs at all hours; the old and the young ramble up and down Las Ramblas, patronizing the streetside bars and noshing on paella, tapas, beer, and wine; tourists from around the world abound, taking pictures and devouring guidebooks in search of the auténtico flamenco show or the absolutely best restaurant in which to find Botifarra amb mongetes (Catalan sausage and navy beans). A medley of languages floats in the air among the crowds on Las Ramblas: Was ist das? Španělsky pivo je v pořádku. Du klev på min tå! Ne oldu? A qué horas empieza?
![La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona Sagrada Familia: Ever under construction](https://zihrena.net/wp-content/uploads/083-BCN-20130906.jpg)
Basilica de la Sagrada Familia: Designed by Antoni Gaudi, construction began in 1882 and continues to this day.
![Mysterious Barcelona Mysterious Barcelona](https://zihrena.net/wp-content/uploads/001-BCN-DSCF0595.jpg)
Mysterious Barcelona: The alleys and passageways of the Gothic sector.
![Dia de Catalunya Dia de Catalunya, Barcelona](https://zihrena.net/wp-content/uploads/025-BCN-20130911_171830.jpg)
Dia de Catalunya, Barcelona. September 11th. A human chain kilometers long petitioning for Catalunyan independence.
![Plaza de España Plaza de España, Barcelona](https://zihrena.net/wp-content/uploads/027-BCN-20130911_185715.jpg)
Plaza de España, Barcelona, with the Barcelona Fair installations in the foreground and Montjuic and the Museum Nacional de Arte de Catalunya (Catalonian National Museum of Art) in the distance.
![National Museum of Catalonia Art, Barcelona National Museum of Catalonia Art, Barcelona](https://zihrena.net/wp-content/uploads/031-BCN-DSCF1033.jpg)
National Museum of Catalonia Art has been housed in the Palau Nacional (National Palace), Barcelona, since 1934,
![Night in the streets of Barcelona Night in the streets of Barcelona](https://zihrena.net/wp-content/uploads/055-BCN-20130913_212608.jpg)
Night in the streets of Barcelona
![Gothic architecture Gothic architecture](https://zihrena.net/wp-content/uploads/057-BCN-20130913_220523.jpg)
Gothic architecture
![Barcelona and Sagrada Familia Barcelona and Sagrada Familia](https://zihrena.net/wp-content/uploads/059-BCN-DSCF1174.jpg)
Barcelona with the Sagrada Familia in the distance
![Museo Nacional de Arte de Catalunya Museo Nacional de Arte de Catalunya](https://zihrena.net/wp-content/uploads/065-BCN-20130914_192834.jpg)
Museo Nacional de Arte de Catalunya
![Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona](https://zihrena.net/wp-content/uploads/067-BCN-20130915_125930.jpg)
Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona. The spacing between the central columns is the widest of any Gothic church in Europe.
![Spectacular architecture Spectacular architecture](https://zihrena.net/wp-content/uploads/079-BCN-20130916_153413.jpg)
Spectacular architecture
![Palace of Music, Barcelona Palace of Music, Barcelona](https://zihrena.net/wp-content/uploads/081-BCN-20130916_172508.jpg)
Palace of Catalonian Music, Barcelona (Palau de la Musica Catalana)
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