Barcelona's Vanity Fair

The Rambla is a tree-lined historical avenue three-quarters of a mile long that pulsates through the center of Barcelona.

It’s a seemingly endless parade of flower stalls, cafés and street performers where one can buy anything from Russian hamsters to dancing Simpson figures. The street dissects two of the city’s oldest areas: Barcelona’s aesthetic Gothic Quarter on the east and the slum-turned ethnic enclave, the Raval, on the west.

The Rambla derives its name from the Arabic word “ramla” meaning sandy ground. However, the people-infested street makes up for its lack of actual sand with colorful displays of Barcelonan culture. It is by far one of the top attractions in the city.

The Rambla is so large it is divided into six sections, each named after a close-by building or landmark. The Rambla de les Flors, for instance, was the only place in 19th century Barcelona where fresh flowers were sold and the Rambla dels Estudis was named after a nearby mid-15th century university building that no longer exists.

Today the street maintains most of its quaint charm. The avenue pulsates during the daytime with the murmur of European languages, the incessant blaring of mopeds and the guttural chants of gipsy beggars. Roosters crow from animal stalls, waiters serve sangria to patio clients and human statues dressed as everything from soccer players to the Grim Reaper line the walkway. However, the Rambla loses a bit of its charm at night as artists and flower vendors give way to the rendezvous of drug dealers and ladies of the night. According to the Barcelona Reporter, 20 percent of prostitution in the city occurs in the Raval, which borders the southern half of the passage. Still, the area is often teeming with late-night partygoers enjoying the Barcelona nightlife until daybreak.

Towards the northernmost end of the Rambla is the Plaza Catalunya, a nerve center of the city. Halfway down the avenue is the Boqueria, a huge farmers market selling everything from dried figs to squid tentacles. Here there are more tourists than actual grocery shoppers, but the color and smells of the place are enough to veer anyone from a Rambla stroll.

A walk to the end of the avenue leads to the Port Vell, the original harbor of the city constructed in medieval times when Barcelona dominated the Mediterranean trade scene. A 197-foot Columbus monument signals the end of the Rambla journey with a giant figure of Christopher Columbus pointing across the Mediterranean toward the New World.

The Rambla is dotted with crude drinking fountains looking like old-fashioned water spigots. The fountains aren’t the least bit drinker-friendly, yet like all things on the Rambla, even these have their charm. According to folklore, whoever drinks from them is destined to return.

Published in University Star, October 15, 2008, Volume 98, No. 21