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Markets in Barcelona

Barcelona City has more than 40 markets. Each district may have between one and three fix markets, I’m talking about special buildings constructed for this purpose. In the last years the City has made an effort to improve the old facilities and convert them into bright and beautiful buildings, full of light and nice aromas where buying fresh products becomes a pleasure!

When I first heard about Gay’s second round on To Market, to market… I thought… Yes, I’ll take my camera and take a tour through the city’s nicest markets and show them to the world! But you know that one thing is the intention and another thing is the practice… The event has only 4 days left and I only could shoot two markets. So, I’m “stealing” some pictures of the city council’s web to show you all how Barcelona Markets look like.

First one is LA BOQUERIA. The most famous in the city and now maybe around the world. Here is the place where fantastic cooks, as Ferran Adriá, come to buy best quality products. The location of the market makes it easy to find… in the middle of the Ramblas!

This is how it looks inside. Nowadays you can find anything you think of in this market. They have all world products and it can be really expensive if you stop and buy in the first shops you face. My advise is… before buying anything take a look around and compare prices, you will probably find what you want a lot cheaper in the inner shops :D

Next Market is a down town and old one that has been reborn: SANTA CATERINA. I still haven’t been there but seen pictures of the final result and starting with the roof… it’s a beautiful building!

It’s near the Cathedral and the old city streets. If you come to visit, there’s segways for rent that will tour you around. I should be a tourist in my own city! I would love to do the segway’s visit :D

Next Market is SAGRADA FAMILIA, this is my neighborhood market! I was living 50 mts away from the it for 30 years aprox.

I still remember the old building and going there with my mom to buy fish was not one of the most pleasant memories I have: it was dark and the ground was slippery and didn’t smell that good. She would always stop for a coffee in a little bar in a corner and I didn’t see the time to go back home! Back in those days, there was no hurry for anything and my mom would chat there for a while before deciding to leave the building. Today the Market and the public Library share the same building; the red part is the market and the white is the Library.

The next one is BARCELONETA, very near the sea and the port, an old fisher men’s neighbourhood with narrow streets and hung out clean clothes that go from one side of the street to the opposite; the distance might be really short… 3 to 4 meters. This is also a new building, I’ve never been to the old one nor the new one. This area is full of nice restaurants and it’s a delish to walk and visit the port, or have a good dip in the sea!

EL MERCAT DE LA CONCEPCIO is one of my favourites, also a new building with tones of natural light inside and tones of flowers outside… this market is also called “el mercat de les flors” The flower market. It has all these multicolored flowers just by the street outside the market. Also old tradition flower shops surround the building and they are open all day and all night through. Bunch flower’s emergencies can be attended any time!

Now take a look at the products we have in our markets that I thought might be a bit different from yours.

I hope you enjoyed the tour! But if you still want to know more, here is a link to the City’s Markets, I’m afraid it’s in Catalan… but you are such a bunch of smart girls and boys that I’m sure you’ll get to see what you want!!!! A funny tradition all markets have is that when is time for Carnival all people working there choose a theme and work the carnival days with their costumes on… really funny to see!

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05/07/2008 · 11:40 h by Jen of A2eatwrite

Oh, Nuria, I LOVED this post! I love markets – they just make me happy. Now I want to visit Barcelona even more – and maybe even just the markets would entice me!

05/07/2008 · 15:32 h by JennDZ - The Leftover Queen

Great tour Nuria! How fun and beautiful your markets are. These are places we need to visit whenever we get to Barcelona! :)

05/07/2008 · 16:02 h by Bellini Valli

Yes I did enjoy your tour Nuria. And yes your markets are very high style and in beautiful buildings…quite unlike ours here which consist of stalls erected every Wednesday and Saturday mornings.But I;’ll take what we can get:D

05/07/2008 · 17:36 h by Judy @ No Fear Entertaining

Nuria you are sooooo lucky to have so many great markets. We are very deprived here in Florida!

05/07/2008 · 18:13 h by Núria

Girls: Jen, Jenn, Val and Judy, buy an air ticket and get over here!!!! I’ll be happy to show you more than this :D. Before I got in the foodie bloggers community I thought that markets were all over the world… and that our “way” was the “normal” thing!
I feel really lucky now that I know you don’t have them!!!

05/07/2008 · 18:49 h by Peter G

Thats a lot of mercados (I hope that’s the right word!) in Barcelona. What a great choice! I see lots of tripe in the pics and I especially love the flower one…open all night! Who needs the travel channel when we have you Nuria?

05/07/2008 · 20:11 h by Peter M

This IS the best way to shop and I wish we had more of this but our climate limits this.

Thanks for showing us Beautiful Barcelona.

05/07/2008 · 21:23 h by Ben

One of the things that I miss the most from Mexico City are the markets. Of course, they are not as beautiful as the ones from Barcelona, but the flavors, aromas and colors are just the best experience. Thanks for this tour. I just read La sombra del viento and fell in love with your city :)

05/07/2008 · 22:54 h by Mallory Elise

I miss barcelona! even though i was only there for three days :) but i love that market! its still my favorite big one in all of europe.

05/08/2008 · 1:05 h by glamah16

Thanks fore the nice comments on my blog. It is hard to keep up with everything .I have yet to visit Spain , and the more I see on your blog, the more I want to visit.

05/08/2008 · 1:59 h by Psychgrad

Great post Nuria! I would love to do a tour of the Barcelona markets.

05/08/2008 · 7:49 h by Núria

Si señor Peter! That’s the word! Mercados in Spanish and Mercats in Catalan :D… You are so nice to me boy :D. Your sweet comments, among others, keep my blogg going!!!

It’s such a pity you don’t have markets all year round, Peter! So different from Greece, right? I guess that mediterranean countries are more or less the same. Maybe you should come over here more often :D

Hey Sweet Ben! Que maravilla que hayas leido La Sombra del Viento… I’m reading the new one and I’m liking it!!!
I bet your markets in Mexico are wonderful and beautiful too!!!

Ai Mallory, I still have to visit your blog…. hopefully later today :D. La Boqueria should be one of the World Seven Wonders!!!

Hey Courtney! Just whistle hard and I’ll pick you up in the airport!!!! :D

You are so welcome Psychgrad!!! It’s so much fun :D

05/08/2008 · 17:46 h by bee

what a great post!!! thanks for the tour. here’s something for you.

http://jugalbandi.info/2008/05/meme-usus/

05/09/2008 · 7:21 h by Núria

Thank you Bee! You all have a good reason now to travel to Barcelona :D

05/09/2008 · 14:05 h by We Are Never Full

as much as i want to say this post make me feel good, selfishly it’s making me sooo sad! i want to be you nuria! i want to live in barcelona. seriously, jonny and i talk about it all the time when we’re feeling low. it’s as if everything would be better if we were there! there was a chance we were coming in july for a four day trip, but because flights are so expensive w/ rising fuel costs (and the euro is still so high against the dollar), we had to cancel. so i’m even more bitter!!

BUT, this was a beautiful and insightful post. nothing beats the markets of france, spain and italy. i can not WAIT till we’re back in barcelona. i’ll be printing this out and carrying it in my pocket.

05/09/2008 · 14:41 h by Jonny

soy muy triste que no conseguimos visitar cualesquiera de estos mercados cuando estábamos en Barcelona. me siento muy estúpido! pasamos la mayoría de nuestro tiempo que gozaban de la arquitectura asombrosa de su ciudad. debemos combinar los dos en nuestra visita siguiente – quizás después año – e ir al bocqueria y al santa caterina.

tambien somos muy envidioso que la sagrada familia (el mercado y la iglesia) son tan cierre que su casa!! que maravillioso!!

i hope you can understand my poor Spanish, and thank you for the Arte y Pico Award!! muchisimas gracias!

05/09/2008 · 14:48 h by Núria

Hola sweethearts! Please don’t be sad!!! Have you thought about boat trips? Are you sure cheap flights are not available? Aaahhh too bad! Keep on saving money… the day you come over I’ll treat you as king and Queen ;-)And you’ll need an extra bag for food souvenirs :D

05/09/2008 · 15:23 h by Núria

Hey Jonny! Lo hablas muy bien!!!! Seguro que pudisteis hablar con todo el mundo cuando estuvisteis aqui :D
Santa Caterina and Boqueria are the best choice for your next time! Y si, tengo mucha suerte de haber vivido tan cerca de la Sagrada Familia y del mercado tantos años!
You are so welcome :D

05/09/2008 · 15:37 h by culinarytravelsofakitchengoddess

What a wonderful looking market and what wonderful produce. I wish I was there.

05/09/2008 · 16:01 h by Núria

Hi Goddess! So glad we share this “weakness” for markets :D

05/10/2008 · 16:37 h by katiez

Sigh, you make me farsick for Barcelona!
I always bought a few things at La Boqueria when we were there… Just couldn’t help myself!

05/11/2008 · 6:55 h by Núria

Katie, you are not so far away!!! Organize yourself ;-) and come over here for a weekend!!!

05/12/2008 · 18:39 h by The Landers

nuria

very nice indeed. come up to the zona alta and i will show you around Galvany mercado. not the cheapest in the city but great produce and cafes and very good for watching the pijas and their chicas in action

05/13/2008 · 8:19 h by Núria

Hey The Landers! Welcome to Spanish Recipes and thanks for the offer!!!! I’ve never been to Galvany before but I took a look at the picture in the Mercats web and it’s soo impressive!!! The only one I know from the Pijos zone is the Sant Gervasi :D

If I ever go up there, I’ll let you know, would be fun to meet :D

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