Barcelona, Spain: Las Ramblas and Plaça de Catalunya

As our last afternoon in Barcelona quickly approached, we strolled through Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas is a long street in central Barcelona known for its shops, restaurants, bars, and various kiosks that sell flowers, souvenirs, and handmade art.

Las Ramblas is near el Barrio Gótico and in between Plaça de Catalunya and el Mirador de Colom, which was discussed in a previous post. The street is constantly crowded, as tourists know this is the place to be. We walked to the end of Las Ramblas on one side, which brought us to Plaça de Catalunya.

Plaça de Catalunya is said to be the city center of Barcelona, and it is where all of the city and tourist busses come to make their pick ups of those anxiously waiting to get around the city. The center is surrounded by shopping centers, hotels, financial institutions, and beautiful fountains and sculptures.

As we walked back to Las Ramblas, we came across the Font de Canaletes (Canaletes Fountain). It is said that if you drink the water from this fountain (which gives this area of Las Ramblas the name of Las Ramblas de Canaletes), you will return to Barcelona. The inscription in Catalan (the most spoken language in the city) states translated to: “If you drink water from the Font de Canaletes you will always be in love with Barcelona. And however far away you go. You will always return.”

I drank from this water nearly three-and-a-half years ago, and apparently it worked because I was back! So naturally, I drank from it again this time, and here’s hoping I’ll be back in Barcelona one day soon. (Here’s also hoping I come across a fountain that allows those who drink from it to access cheaper plane tickets).

Las Ramblas, Font de Canaletes, and Plaça de Catalunya