Getting to Know the Neighborhood

(Plaça Rovira by our apartment)

Today we took a casual walk around the neighborhood again, as we have been doing for the past few days. This particular area, Gracia, was a small town in the 19th century that was encircled by the city as Barcelona grew, but it retained its small-town feel. So we have the best of both worlds: small, winding streets and neighborhood shops with lots of character and the city center about only 4 stops away on the metro.

We have everything close to us, more or less. It just depends on what day you walk by and whether the shop is open or not. This could be the carniceria (butcher), pollastreria (poultry/eggs), supermarkets, alimentació (delis), flower shops, etc. Today, we discovered a poultry shop where we can buy roasted chicken on the spit right around the corner from where we live. We never noticed it before, and only happened upon it as there was a long line outside the shop (that is, a hole in the wall with a metal grate as the door) and people hungrily waiting to take home their main meal of the day. We also got a glimpse of about 20 chickens rotating on 4 different spits.

We also happened upon a florist open on a Sunday. We asked about what kind of plants we can put in our patio in the back and the windows out front that would survive the winter. We didn't think we had much choice, but we were wrong again. There were many choices, but the vendors said they really needed to come to our place to see the amount of light we get and the layout and create a plan for us. Mind you, they do not charge for this service -- only the plants you buy! As we looked around for furniture for Isabel's room, many stores emphasized that they must come and measure first to make sure what we order will fit correctly. Vendors here have no qualms in coming to your place for a consultation. Our cable guy has come back three times to fix settings. No problem. He gave us his cell number from the very start.

Today we also discovered the type of plaza I was looking for only three blocks away. Plaça del Nord is full of trees, a young children's playground, a patisserie/bar at one corner, and a community center right on the plaza where children go for an assortment of classes from 5-9 pm, and where plays, concerts and neighborhood festivals are held.