Barcelona off the beaten path

The following day we were at the gate of Sant Pau del Camp, the oldest church in Barcelona which contains a sweet little Romanesque cloister. We had the complex to ourselves, enjoying the serenity before we headed into the "belly of the beast" i.e. the Gothic Quarter. It was indeed mobbed, with both sidewalks and streets already clogged. But everything quieted down once we made it inside Santa Maria del Mar, the medieval guild church that boasts a glorious rose window. The soaring gothic structure was filled with light, but that rose window was the real showstopper. Next we headed to the wonderfully weird and magical Museu Frederic Marès. This is basically two museums in one. The bottom two floors are an outstanding collection of medieval art, impressive even in a town with the MNAC. But it was the top two floors that stole the show. Frederic Mares was a COLLECTOR, and his museum's upper stories are filled with ... well .... everything! Pipes and hatpins and automatons and keys and toy soldiers and fans. It is quirky and eye-popping fun. Close by is the Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc, a meeting place for the artists of the Modernista movement, including Gaudi himself. Head in and tuck around the corner to the right, and you'll find a room filled with books, art, and an honor bar to help yourself to a coffee or a soda. Sit and imagine Gaudi with you as you soak in the moment. From here we caught a slow-moving bus #19 (traffic was getting worse by the minute) to Recinte de Sant Pau de Barcelona (Also called Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau)—the largest art nouveau complex in the world, and a World Heritage site. I know lots of sites compete for attention in Barcelona, but this is a must-see. The campus is beautiful and crammed with detail at every turn. Most of the buildings are in use as actual offices, but a few are open, and of course all are visible on the outside. A terrific way to end the day.

The V5 bus took us to our next destination in the suburb of Pedralbes. Once again we were struck at how traffic and gridlock are coming to define Barcelona, but eventually we made it to the Monastery of Pedralbes, which was founded by one of the queens of Aragon in 1327. The convent is massive and there are many aspects worth exploring. But the treasure for us was the Chapel of St. Michael, the home to several fresco paintings that bear an uncanny resemblance to Giotto. Most scholars agree the chapel represents some sort of a connection between the artists. BTW, fun fact as you travel to or from Pedralbes -- you'll spot a parklike entrance that bears the strong markings of Gaudi. That's because it was one of his first commissions -- the so-called Pavellons Güell. We didn't bother paying the cover charge to go in, but the dragon gate is quite striking and free from the outside!

For the final day we headed to the Maritime Museum of Barcelona. Big kudos to this place, including the full-size replica of the 1568 Royal Galley, the largest at the time. The building too is amazing, dating back to medieval times. It is quite wondrous when you think about it -- we are used to cathedrals and castles, but how many medieval factories (which is basically what this was) still survive?

You may have noted I haven't said much about food. We did eat in Barcelona. A lot in fact -- tapas (of course); Indian in the Raval District; as well dining around town including sushi; Korean; Italian; Thai. Overall, they were all ... okay. Just okay. We wondered if the ever-expanding tourist universe might be weighing on the city in subtle ways -- dragging the city's restaurants to the safety of the middle, rather than risk-taking and innovation. Just a theory.

Trip report continued in comments

There were two places in the Sants neighborhood that broke the mold: Pizzeria La Briciola by an improbable Youtube star named Pino Prestanizzi which serves outstanding Italian food including pizzas; and Bomboneria Pons, a chocolatier that had sinful, wonderful boxes of tasty treats prepared for Sant Jordi's Day, a sort of Valentine's Day.

Also, let me address the elephant in the room -- safety. We were not assaulted or pickpocketed, but we were also extremely careful, and as noted, were avoiding major tourist sites anyway. There was a heavy police presence at Sants train station and multi-language warnings about pickpockets playing in the subway.

Barcelona has some great sites if you want to steer around the crowds, at least in April. My guess is that as summer goes on, the city becomes less and less navigable, and charting any path becomes difficult. We loved everything we saw, but won't be back to Barcelona. Still, a great way to end our major Spain trip.

Yeah recently the restaurant scene in Barcelona can be a hit or miss, even for locals, many restaurants just cater to tourists nowadays so they are not too worried about return customers. I've found it's easier to eat well in smaller neighboring cities like Tarragona or Girona. Were you guys able to try out that Colombian restaurant in my old neighborhood, curious to see if it was any good?

Glad you guys liked the Hospital de Sant Pau, in one of those fantastic modernista buildings is where my mum used to work as a biomedical engineer when it was still a hospital. Her office overlooked the courtyard.

We had El Arepazo in our back pocket, but it would have only made sense after the Hospital, and we just weren't ready for a meal just then. But how cool your mom worked on that campus. I thought many times how neat that would be as we walked around.

History Traveler, I have very similar feelings about Barcelona but am glad I've seen it twice now but no more. We, too, love off the beaten path. The best restaurant, by far, in Barcelona for us was Terra Mia! The food was outstanding and was on our way to Park Guell. Try to sit outside if you can. It was sweet. The rest of the restaurants were mainly tapas restaurants, crowded and with the same fare--just so-so. I felt validated by Carlos' remark because I'd feared that we'd just chosen the wrong restaurants--some were recommended by RS.

I much preferred Girona to Barcelona. Girona is ancient with the twisty-windy narrow streets that I love.
Blanc Restaurant in Girona was also outstanding if you visit there.

I was in Barcelona in February of 2014. I was there some days before and on the RS Barcelona Madrid tour. It was somewhat overcast and cool that time of year but it was sure great not share the sights with the multitudes. I agree about the art museum, it is wonderful and many, many beautiful pieces to savor.