Barcelona is definitely a city I didn’t do justice to the first time I came through. The way of life here is truly incredible, along with the food, nightlife, architecture, layout and just about everything. I will have many fond memories of this visit, walking along Las Ramblas, dancing with Portuguese pals in Port Vell, playing Portuguese drinking games in Oveja Negra in Barri Gòtic. And the women there are absolutely gorgeous.
Upon arriving from Valencia by train, Charlie and I booked into the Windsor, a hostel on Las Ramblas at which he had stayed two years prior. The owner even gave us a reduced rate as return customers. We had a private room with a balcony overlooking Las Ramblas and were just around the corner from Paseo de Gracia (Passeig da Gracies), with the Gaudí masterpieces La Pedrera and Casa Batlló. With our late arrival (around 21:00), we soon headed out to Plaça Catalunya to soak in the nightlife. After a caña and a quick trip to a nearby cyber café, we wandered the streets of Barri Gòtic and had a pint at Molly’s Fair City Irish Pub, where I had ran into lots of Aer Lingus staffers and a good time on my previous trip in 2000. This time, however, it was a bit dead and a mostly older crowd, so we headed off in search of some ‘marcha.’
Before long, we stumbled upon the fabled Oveja Negra, a rustic drinking hole reminiscent of Sevilla’s carbonería. The crowd was decidedly younger than at Molly’s and were ready for a good time, if not already thoroughly engaged in one. Halfway through our first jug of sangría, we befriended a group of Portuguese travellers (plus one venozolana), who spoke castellano and English perfectly. Things got a bit rowdy as we began playing Portuguese drinking games, and the sangría, a super-sweet, potent brand of it siphoned out from antiquated wooden barrels, was flowing freely.
Around 2:30, we headed to Port Vell for a good night at the free clubs down in Maremagnum. At 5:45, we staggered the 2 km back up Las Ramblas through Placa Catalunya, under a full moon through quiet streets.
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