The Rambla

The crowds seethe and dawdle. Couples sit at café tables no bigger than tea trays while nimble-footed waiters dodge traffic, bringing trays from kitchens. Peddlers, kiosk owners, parrots, and parakeets along the Rambla dels Ocells (Rambla of the Birds) create a cacophony of birdsong and catcalls that clamors over the din of taxis and motorbikes. Here, in busy Barcelona, the Rambla is permanently filled with squads of revelers, often more animated at 3 am than at 3 pm.

The Rambla's original riverbed flowed down from the Collserola hills along the ramparts that encircled the Gothic Quarter. When in the late 13th century the walls were demolished, the open space outside was left as a mid-city promenade. For nearly a thousand years the Rambla has been a forum for peddlers, workers in search of jobs, and farmers selling produce or livestock. These days, visitors from all over the world have joined them.

From the rendezvous point at the head of the Rambla at Café Zurich to the Boqueria produce market, the Liceu opera house, or the Rambla's lower reaches, there is always something for everyone along this vertebral column of Barcelona street life.