Barcelona Market

This last visit to Barcelona, I finally managed to visit the Mercat de la Boqueria, a huge food market that sits right off of the Rambla. Don’t make the same mistake I did and go to Barcelona twice before making the market a stop on your third trip! This place is a veritable paradise not only for foodies but for photographers as well, with colorful displays of food that are artfully presented. Between the sights, sounds, and smells (not all of them nice) be prepared to for your senses to be overloaded when you walk into the market. Unfortunately, the hotel I was staying at (NH Barcelona Centro) did not have kitchen facilities; otherwise I would have been able to get into real trouble here in terms of purchasing all sorts of good food. As it was, I settled for a treat at one of the many pastry vendors, and stopped at a spice vendor. In addition to every kind of ground pepper you could imagine, they also sold large quantities of saffron at VERY reasonable prices. I bought a small 2 inch box jam-packed with it for all of 5 euros as a gift for my father, the cook in the family.

As a side note, if you are looking for reasonable accommodations in Barcelona, NH Barcelona Centro is a very good option. Though lacking in kitchen facilities, this hotel provides reasonably priced rooms in a centralized by (fortunately quiet) location on a side street of the Rambla. Anyone who has traveled in Spain before knows that the Spanish love to carouse till all hours of the night. This hotel provides you the opportunity to be close to all of the action, but still be able to sleep!