Tugboat at Port Vell in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

After a long day of walking around the beautiful city of Barcelona I found myself at Port Vell. This part of the city is a fun place to gather as there is a marina for yachts, seaside pedestrian walkways, an entertainment centre known as the Maremàgnum, a wooden pedestrian bridge and the Barcelona aquarium (Europe’s largest). Before the 1992 Olympics this part of the city was quite run down and had everything from garbage dumps to empty warehouses. This is one of the benefits cities receive when they host the Olympics, the urban renewal of districts in need of restoration and overhauls. After all the whole world will be watching and you want to make sure that your city looks world class. Within walking distance (depending on how much walking you like to do) are the Columbus Monument, La Rambla, the Arc de Triomf and National Palace. I’ll have some photos of each of those places to show you in future blog posts.

When I arrived at the area where the ferries to Spain dock at Port Vell, the sun was just beginning to set and I wanted to take advantage of the magical light knowing that I didn’t have too long till it was gone. Not knowing the area I just basically meandered around till i found something interesting to photograph. I’m surprised that i don’t get into trouble doing this since at times I find myself in places where there are no people and I’m not really sure if I’m allowed to be there. While I can read the signs in English and French speaking countries I have no idea what “no trespassing” is in any other language or “minefield” for that matter. Come to think of it, that would be a good thing to look up before my next trip. While I’m pretty sure I was allowed to be where I took this shot, it was one of those places where no one was around. As I look at the photo now it takes me back to a peaceful moment in a beautiful city by the sea. The next time I visit Barcelona I will make sure to take the time to enjoy Port Vell a bit more than I was able to on this trip, hopefully that trip will be sometime soon.

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