Livin' in the City

Even though Montpellier is our first love, we are finding new things to love about Barcelona with each passing day. When we arrived on Friday night we made our way down to the Ramblas which is like a much bigger version of Government Street at the height of summer. It's a 1 km pedestrian stroll with all kinds of vendors and street performers along the way. Today we spent more time in the Barri Gotic which is the old Gothic area. Amazing building facades and narrow side streets. We visited the Picasso Museum today and gained some insight into Picasso's process and insight.

What I'm recognizing most, though, is how different urban living is compared to living in the country. One of the things I appreciate is the amount of choice there is in products. Here, we have also found the presentation of wares to be so much more appealing than at home. Everywhere we go, there are amazing shops selling all kinds of products, many very different from what we have at home. There are very few mega-stores and very many stores that specialize in one or two things . . . And they are plentiful (especially bakeries). We love the charcuteries, and green grocers, and seafood markets, and especially the gelato parlours.