How does Catalonia's capital make every visitor immediately fall for it? Our reporter looked for reasons: on lively beaches, in tapas oases and cheerful pubs.
No longer just for Olympic swimmers: the Piscina Municipal den Montjuic
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Ground 1: Piscina Municipal de Montjuic
I do my laps in the 25-metre pool. A thousand metres, then I let myself dry on the hot stones. Barcelona spreads out before my eyes: on the right the beach, on the left the hills of the Serra de Collserola, behind the Sagrada Família, in front a mosaic of roofs, aerials, washing lines. That's how it always is when I descend here. The more than 80-year-old outdoor pool on Montjuïc mountain is like a viewing platform above the city - close to the centre, but far from the hustle and bustle. Probably the most beautiful panorama a sports arena in the world has to offer.
Av. de Miramar 31; bus or cable car from Barceloneta, www.picornell.cat
Ground 2: Els Bandolers de Grácia
Souvenirs from Barcelona don't necessarily have to be printed with Antoni Gaudí motifs or designed in the Barça club colours. I prefer to buy souvenirs that you can eat and drink. "Els Bandolers de Gràcia offers only Catalan products. Laura Martorell stands in the shop, Roger Badosa grows organic vegetables and fruit outside the city. Wine, sangria, olives, salt, honey, jam, preserved apricots, mushrooms, lentils or figs, tapenades, cheese, sausage ... The prices are affordable, a litre of organic olive oil costs 5.90 euros. Everything comes from the local area. Except for beer and kiwis, which are imported from France on the other side of the Pyrenees, but from the Catalan part. On Wednesdays it gets crowded, then there are a hundred packed bags ready: The principle of the "organic box" is also known in Barcelona. The pretty shop is located in one of the busiest streets of Gràcia, an alternative, almost village-like quarter that was once known for its free spirit and did not want to be incorporated into Barcelona.
Carrer de Verdi 12, tel. 0034-93-217 27 85; closed Mon
3rd reason: Bar Mendizabal
There are places that make a foreign city seem familiar. Since my first visit to Barcelona years ago, I have always gone to the "Mendizabal" bar. There used to be one on every corner, but today it's one of the last traditional outdoor bars, almost 90 years old. You stand outside at the counter that separates the street from the small café kitchen. A coffee standing up, a chat with the neighbours before you face the day. "Mendizabal" host Carlos serves what are perhaps the best bocadillos in town. My favourites among these toasted sandwiches: Brie, mango and Serrano ham, and feta plus anchovies. I like it especially for second breakfast. It's also served sitting under umbrellas across the street. The bar is only two minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the Ramblas, on the edge of the Raval district. At weekends, you'll see colourfully robed extended families of Indian or Pakistani origin passing by on their way to a wedding.
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Carrer de la Junta de Comerç 2
Bar Mendizabal has become an institution between the nightlife district of El Raval and the Ramblas
© Fernando Vázquez Miras/Contributor/Getty Images
4th reason: Parc del Laberint d'Horta
A sign appeases in Spanish: In this labyrinth you don't need a ball of wool like Ariadne once gave to Theseus. All right, the maze in the "Parc del Laberint d'Horta" is not Knossos on Crete, nor is there a Minotaur to hunt down. But without the proverbial Ariadne's thread, I immediately go astray on narrow paths between cypress hedges. I end up in dead ends, pass the statue in the middle half a dozen times, Cupid, whose arrows, however, I gallantly avoid as a married man. At the end, I am back at the beginning, find a bench in the shade and read a book. The "Parc del Laberint d'Horta" is my favourite place to escape the hustle and bustle of Barcelona's streets for a few hours. The neoclassical garden complex, laid out in the 18th century over three terraces on the slope of the Serra de Collserola hill range, separates Barcelona from the hinterland - with temples, pavilions, water basins, the hedge maze and mossy benches under large, old trees.
Horta-Guinardó district, near the Olympic cycling stadium, Metro L3 to Mundet station, http://capdesetmana.bcn.cat
Ground 5: Boca Chica Bar
Why are the Spanish, of all people, the biggest gin drinkers in Europe? I don't know, I prefer beer. But I know the place where the beauties of the night in Barcelona drink their gin. Around 11 p.m. I end up at the "Boca Chica", a bar in the Eixample district frequented almost exclusively by Catalans. Animal skulls, skins and elephant tusk replicas hang on the wood-panelled walls. British safari look with chandeliers and deep lounge chairs, from which the ladies in their tight minis can only get out with the help of the men. Bartender Sergio leads me on a cocktail safari through his gin shelf with more than 25 varieties. I remember "Bamboo" - London Dry Gin with Manzanilla sherry, so dry that you get pneumoconiosis. And a drink after which I left indecipherable notes in my notepad. All I know is that it contained absinthe.
Passatge de la Concepció 12, tel. 0034-93-467 51 49, www.bocagrande.cat, evenings only.
The Boca Chica bar knows what it's doing, and young and old Catalans appreciate that.
© Boca Chica Cocktail Bar