A brief visit to Barcelona: The Gothic Quarter and Sunset in the Port

Sunset in the port of Barcelona looking out to sea.

Barcelona was a city I was most excited to visit on this holiday. Unfortunately, the weather put a slight damper on the day trip we planned - a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter. Not only was it raining, but also bitterly cold with my hands frozen solid from holding the umbrella. These circumstances were not very conducive to photographing at ease. I captured most of the photos from Barcelona with my phone, and I didn't take many. You can even see the dark clouds looming at sunrise in the photograph below.

Sunrise in the port of Barcelona

View of the city of Barcelona on a rainy day.

View of Barcelona

City of Barcelona

View through a rain drop covered window of steps leading toward a building.

Rainy view through a window

Portal de l'Àngel

Cathedral of Barcelona captured underneath a pine tree on a rainy day.

The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia

Tympanum on the Cathedral of Barcelona

The photos of the Barcelona Cathedral and the panoramic view of the city are the only ones I took with my camera while in the city. It was a short excursion that lasted only a few hours, and we were back on the ship by around lunchtime. At first, I was a little disappointed I wouldn't get to see the more famous sights such as the Sagrada Família, Park Güell, or Casa Milà.

Despite the weather, we enjoyed some of the charms of the Gothic Quarter, and stopped to enjoy some churros at the end of the trek. Barri Gòtic is full of narrow medieval streets and is part of the district of Ciutat Vella, numbered District 1. The name means "old city" in Catalan and refers to the oldest neighborhoods in the city of Barcelona.

Plaça Reial

Passatge de Madoz

Rambla de Catalunya

Carrer d'en Rauric

Looking up at an archway with a hanging light and balconies above on Plaza Reial in Barcelona.

Archway on Plaça Reial

Mercado de La Boqueria

Looking up at a pine tree and building facade on Plaza del Pino.

Plaça del Pi

Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol

Barcelona enthralled me regardless of the weather or the lack of photographs. The gloom certainly suits the Gothic look and atmosphere of the heart of the city. The last section of images, quickly captured with a smartphone, sums up some of the well-known places we visited. We walked on La Rambla, a tree-lined, over 1 km long pedestrian street. We saw many squares in the Gothic Quarter, such as Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol, Plaça del Pi - Pine Tree Square, and Plaça Reial, close to La Rambla. The Royal Square is the only arched square of Barcelona. We also saw the entrance to one of the city's biggest tourist landmarks - The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, or simply La Boqueria. It being a Sunday, the market was closed.

View of mountains from the port of Barcelona, Spain with containers in the foreground.

Mountain view from the port

Balearic Sea

The Symphony of the Seas docked in the port of Barcelona in October 2018.

Symphony of the Seas @ 4 p.m.

By the time we returned to the ship, the weather had improved. This collection of photos hardly looks like taken on the same day. The cruise ship remained docked until after sundown, so we enjoyed the sunshine from the deck, and admired the views surrounding Barcelona from the port. The day ended with a glorious sunset, even if surrounded by industrial scenery.

The Symphony of the Seas was docked behind us. I took photos of this massive ship before and during the sunset. It is the largest passenger ship in the world, five times the size of the Titanic. Its maiden voyage departed from Barcelona only a few months before, in April 2018.