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Spain
Las Ramblas Barcelona Main Street
Las Ramblas Barcelona Spain First Impression
Las Ramblas Barcelona Main Street is a famous tree-lined pedestrian street stretching for just over a kilometre. Las Ramblas connects Plaça de Catalunya in the town centre to the Christopher Columbus Monument at Port Vell.
Las Ramblas marks the city boundary between the Barri Gòtic and El Raval areas. Many historic buildings are on this street, such as the famous Liceu Theatre. La Boqueria market joins Las Ramblas, one of the city’s most famous tourist landmarks. From our office in Port Ginesta, you can arrive in Las Ramblas by train or car. Travelling from our Network Yacht Brokers Barcelona office, the simple way to arrive is by taxi and train direct from El Prat International Airport.
History of the road
The name Las Ramblas originated from the Spanish verb “Ramblar”, meaning to ramble. This road has five sections, and each has its history and personality. Las Ramblas is known so well because of its rich history. The first three areas are called Rambla Font de Canaletes (The Canaletes Fountain), Rambla dels Estudis (Jesuit University), and Rambla de Sant Josep (also known as Rambla de Les Flors), an open-air flower market. The next area is called La Rambla dels Caputxins. Formerly the site of the Capuchin monastery, where the Liceu Opera House now stands. Lastly, La Rambla de, once the location of the Convent of St. Monica, has become an Arts centre.
A busy place; visit with caution.
A busy place during tourist season, Las Ramblas Barcelona Main Street gets very crowded. It has changed significantly since the 19th century; it is well worth visiting. We recommend a stroll in the morning before it gets too busy. There is plenty to see, from flowers to mime artists and acrobats.
The area does suffer from pickpockets who love tourists. Late at night, it becomes a little more of a red light district,” and we do not recommend walking around as a tourist alone. Plenty of police monitor the city, but the authorities in Barcelona appear to be in denial about the need for a CCTV system in the city centre.
Dangerous or violent crime in Barcelona is very infrequent. However, the petty crime of pickpocketing has almost become a way of life. The pickpocket evil can be avoided by ensuring that your valuables are safe.
Places to visit
It was once said by the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca that Las Ramblas was “The only street in the world he hoped would never end”. To the east of Las Ramblas is the Barri Gòtic or Gothic Quarter, the centre of the old city of Barcelona. The Barri Gòtic remains a fascinating labyrinth of streets and small squares, many connecting to Las Ramblas.
Plaça Reial
One sizeable connecting square is Plaça Reial, a lovely 19th-century square with palm trees and lighting designed by Antoni Gaudí. The entrance to Plaça Reial is down a short passage, just off Las Ramblas del Caputxins. A little further into the Barri Gòtic is the Cathedral of Santa Eulàlia. Nearby, Plaça Sant Jaume houses the Generalitat de Catalonia and the Ayuntamiento – Barcelona’s City Council. These are the rival Catalan and Spanish Governments entities of Catalonia.
To the west of Las Ramblas is the somewhat different El Raval quarter. They were once situated outside the city walls. Initially, this area was the site of various institutions. In later years, factories and buildings appeared with housing for the workers. Hectic nightlife, lounges, and prostitution are widespread in this area. Today this part of the city retains a degree of ‘edge’ late at night. In Barcelona, though, these places quietly sleep when the sun shines.
Further back in history
Las Ramblas was initially a muddy stream, used as a sewer and filled with rubbish. It was often dry in summer, but as a drain, it was essential to cope with the heavy rain which flowed from the Collserola Hills in the spring and autumn. In the 1400s, the stream was diverted to avoid the city centre. The wide strip of land became the town centre spot for markets and public gatherings.
In 1703, the council planted elm trees to line the street to make it more attractive.
Conflicts over the centuries took their toll on Las Ramblas religious buildings, most notably on St. James’s Night in 1835. Revolutionaries burned down the monasteries and churches and then murdered all the occupants. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), anarchists controlled Barcelona, which targeted religious buildings and massacred the monks and nuns. Artillery fire and air attacks by pro-Franco forces during World War II also caused severe damage.
Today Las Ramblas is a busy commercial centre and one of the most visited places in Europe; we get around 30 million tourists a year.
Please talk with us to know more about this area.
Valencian Community is on the South-Eastern coast of Spain. One of the oldest cities, beautiful and the third most populated in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona. However, the Mislata neighbourhood in Costa de Valencia, Spain, is Spain’s most densely populated area. It was conquered in 138 BC by the Romans and later occupied by the Visigoths and the Moors. In 1982, with the Valencian Statute of Autonomy, the province was integrated into the Valencian Community. Costa de Valencia, Spain, is a City of Arts and Sciences, full of history but some futuristic spots in its structures, with an interactive museum, an oceanarium and a planetarium.
A boat ride on Lake Albufera Park, walking trails and a wetlands reserve is one of the many activities you can find. Valencia is one of the greatest cities in Spain regarding climate, with beautiful beaches to enjoy the experience of renting a nautical charter in Valencia to
The drink in Valencia is Agua de Valencia, and its ingredients(freshly squeezed orange juice, cava, vodka, gin, and lots of ice) have nothing to see with the name. Horchata is also super popular but natural, made with chufa (aka tiger nuts). This tubercule grows in the fields of Alboraya, a small village to the north of Valencia. And I do not forget the Mediterranean Diet: The famous Paella Valenciana.
Valencia shows off extensive UNESCO listings. Flamenco, Human Tower, Festivity La mare de Deu de la Salud, Mediterranean Cave Art Paintings, The Mistery Play of Elche, The Palm Grove in Elche, Las Fallas Festival, The Water Tribunal of the Plain of Valencia, Wine and Vineyard Cultural Itinerary trough Mediterranean Towns, and the Mediterranean Diet.
Another national celebration is in July, The Flower Battle. Next, on Agosto La Tomatina. A fighting party that tub the small town of Buñol in tomatoes. On October 9th, it commemorates the entrances to the city of Valencia of King Jaime, the Day of Valencia Community, and Sant Dionis Day, the local version of Valentine’s Day.
Sant Carles Marina is owned and operated by MDL, a British leisure and resort company. The only Marina they own outside the UK is a treasure for boat owners during the long summer months of Mediterranean warmth. This Marina is a couple of hours south of Barcelona. It’s not a huge Marina but has a good mix of power and sailboats.
A modern-quality autopilot is worth its weight in gold (as they say). If you are sailing short-handed, then it is almost essential on a reasonable-size fin keel yacht. I can argue an exception if you sail a long-keel yacht. It is possible to set sails, add a little weather helm and keep on trucking(as they say). Locking the helm will require navigational input over time, but it’s great fun!
I selected reverse when sailing for years to save wear and tear on my yacht gearbox. They said that the components inside the gearbox are fixed and wearing (sounds reasonable) because the prop stops spinning. They also say that a fixed propellor creates less drag than a free-spinning prop (no idea about that). Then I met some people who sailed the Atlantic having to replace a gearbox on a reasonably modern yacht. Selecting reverse to lock the propellor over long periods puts a strain on the gearbox clutch that can cause It to wear out (wow, I never knew that). The solution, if you are concerned, is a folding propellor. It’s a lovely thing to have, and a buyer for your yacht will be happy you invested money in one.
Perhaps the Dyson fan will work well in smaller boats, but Air conditioning with a reverse cycle heat setting will transform the pleasure of sailing when you can hook up to shore supply. Lots of Mediterranean Marinas do not charge for electricity. They see it as part of a package deal. So from the moment you arrive until you depart, you can keep the yacht chilled to a perfect temperature if you are in a marina. Just like heating, Air conditioning will transform your boating experience.
Before you buy a yacht, you must know that ff you plan to spend a lot of time at anchor and are spicing up a new 15-metre-plus yacht, then a factory fit generator might be on your list of extras. It only made my list because I wanted to comment on the difference between fitting a low-cost aftersales unit and a proper factory-integrated unit. A Lot of research is needed if you are going down the generator installation route. In my experience, few companies can save money on a factory-installed unit.
Clients often ask me about how quickly a yacht might take to sell. This is a very sensible question but rather complex to answer. However, I can first answer by comparing yachts against powerboats.
Let me explain the thinking behind the statement above. For example, let’s take the Hamble in the UK. This is a place where buyers can find every type of boat. However, if I was interested in buying a racing yacht, the Hamble in England might be a good starting point to investigate racing yachts. The Hamble is the centre of the UK Marine industry and where many companies support sailing as a sport. On the other hand, if I was looking to purchase a superyacht, I might contact Yach Brokers along the southern French coast in or around Monaco.
We hadn’t been open for business long in Spain when an enquiry came in from North America. I was fascinated by a young Canadian couple’s mindset. They inquired about a 15-metre sailing yacht we had just put for sale on brokerage in Barcelona. They planned to fly to Barcelona (they said it looked like an easy place to get to with lots of boats). They would buy a one-way ticket and sail the yacht back to Canada after first learning to sail in the Mediterranean, where sailing was easy. Wow, the logic was astonishing. Look at the Globe and the Mediterainina was nothing more than a big lake. Plenty of places to visit. Perhaps they would spend a summer in Europe before crossing the ocean. Put that way, It sounds fantastic!
We have a beautiful 