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There are no small number of choices in this area of where to stop for a bit of tapas or some wonderful Mediterranean coffee, but my taste buds for the wonder of Spanish pastry had already been wet in Costa Brava, and I was in search of somewhere that sold what looked like a nice selection.

We ended up at a place called Cafe Schilling, which was crowded, but not as crowded as many of the other places along the street, which all seemed to be filling up with likewise thinking visitors.

It was a nice little place with comfortable seating and a nice atmosphere. The waitresses spoke virtually no English, but they at least made as much of an attempt as we did at Spanish, and we happy to comply with the pointing we did at what it was that we wanted.

There was a nice selection, and the coffee was excellent. The service wasn't top-notch, but not at all bad for Spain. It was a great little spot to stop and rest our very weary feat, have another look over our guidebook, and decide what we had time to do before catching our train back.

It's a nice little place, and if you get a chance, stop in for some coffee and pastry.

Before I bought my guide for Barcelona, I wasn't even aware that they had an arc, which I find amazing now having seen it in comparison to some of its more famous cousins. It is somewhat oddly situated in an area of town that other wise feels rather like the outskirts. We came around a corner and suddenly, directly in front of us, stood the impressive and imposing red Arc de Triomf, which, in true Catalan style, wasn't raised for any particular triumph. They just thought they should have one.

Personally, I think this Arc is more visually stunning than the one in Paris. The stone work is beautiful--the bright red of it shines in the Mediterranean light and, to me, seems the very essence of what a city like Barcelona stands for. It's beautifully (and conveniently) situated on a long walk way that even in the off-season was full of people meandering along and kids riding skateboards around its base.

The long rows of palm trees lining the walkway up to Arc make for the perfect entrance to the feeling of the city, and if you are coming up from one of the smaller coastal Spanish towns, I recommend that you start Barcelona at this end of the city. It's a really nice start to the sights, and not far from the ocean.

It's free, and a really stunning piece of workman ship. Great for photos and a place to catch your breath before diving further into the depths of Barcelona and her many sights. Well worth seeing.

A trip to them is often a must, and I don't want to discourage any Barcelona visitors from quenching that particular travellers thirst in the form of Barcelona's renowned Museu de Picasso. Particularly if you like his work. But, I can't possibly in good conscience give this museum a good review, as it almost single handedly tainted my opinion of Barcelona. I will explain my experience of it, and more than likely a traveller who wishes to experience European museums first hand will take one of two things from it. Either ignore it entirely, and if that is the case I wish you the best of luck in your visit and hope it goes better than mine did. Or two...you will go in to it expecting my experience and it will either be a warning, or you will be surprised if it is better than I have noted. Either way, I hope it's useful to you if you indeed intend to go. If, however, you are on a tight schedule and not too bothered by another museum, I would recommend a pass on this one. There is just so very much to see and do in this city, and it would be a shame if this took up time that kept you from seeing other parts.

I was at the end of my first frustrating day travelling around Barcelona when we decided to end the day with a trip to the Picasso Museum. The walk to it almost makes it worth while. It's down a beautifully windy set of streets to a building rather artfully worked in stone and glass. It's a beautiful walk as sun sets on the city. But for me that was where the enjoyment ended. The staff of this museum went beyond certain cultural differences in courtesy to flat out rude. The security guard actually taunted my friend for not speaking Spanish, and treated us like children who had snuck into an adult meeting. He was Really, Really rude. The ticket takers were a little better, and be wary, they Do Not Take Credit Cards. The tour itself was pricey (and more than was listed in any guide book) and the art rather dull and all of the guides hostile. It was a real shame.

As I've mentioned more than once in this review, Barcelona can be a rather tricky place to navigate if you try to do it in a hurry, or rely too much on guide books for assistance, and so as I made my way around the city, trying to take in the sights, shoot as many photos as possible, and still keep track of where I was going, I often found myself doubling back towards La Rambla, which is in no way a bad thing.

I think it is the flow of people in the city that gives La Rambla the feeling of being the true heart of the city. Almost where ever you go, there is a stream of people rushing past you, and if you let yourself be turned and fall into their ranks, you will almost certainly find yourself standing in the market centre of this city.

If you come to Barcelona with kids, this is certainly a place to keep an eye on them. The amount of people moving about this little area, along with all of the performers and vendors it's very easy to get separated from people. I highly recommend that when you get there, before you start to browse, you set up a meeting place for if you get separated. It's just good sense. But once you have done that, the street is your oyster, and it's one ripe with pearls.

Most market streets I have been to in the world have the disappointing affect of actually having the same things you find everywhere else. And most of it being of little interest. So many times I have wandered up to local markets hoping to find something a bit different and walking away feeling let down. Completely not the case with La Rambla.

It's a long and busy stretch of street packed full with vendors for just about everything you can imagine. There's no point in having in a look unless you allow a couple hours for browsing, there is just so much. And some truly excellent street portrait artists as well. It all feels like a slightly tamer version of an ancient Mediterranean market place, and is well worth stopping to have a look at, an excellent place to pick up trinkets to take back home.