This was part of A Taste of Iberia - Day 2 🇪🇸 🔗.
I was able to make it to Plaça de Catalunya just in time to join the 11:00 AM Gothic Quarter Free Tour of Barcelona. Our guide was Giada from Italy. We started our walk on Las Ramblas, with Font de Canaletes being our first stop. Giada told us the urban legend that anyone who drinks water from there is sure to return to Barcelona; so, of course, I had to do just that. Our next stop was the Via Sepulcral Romana, which is an ancient cemetery from the Roman era.
We saw the Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi in the heart of the Barri Gòtic, famous for its giant proportions and simplicity. Then we visited Plaça Reial, a large square surrounded by uniform buildings. The Font de les Tres Gràcies (Fountain of the Three Graces) is the centerpiece of Plaça Reial.
We walked past Plaça Sant Jaume, defined by two massive buildings: Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya and Casa de la Ciutat. There were still visible signs of the protests from the previous night, with a noticeable presence of people and police.
We continued to Plaça de Sant Felip Neri to see the Església de Sant Felip Neri, a beautiful example of Baroque architecture. Our last stop was the Cathedral of Barcelona (Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia), which features a stunningly ornate Gothic facade.
It was a wonderful way to spend two hours walking around; Giada kept us all informed and engaged throughout the tour.