Monica Murphy is a student at The College of New Jersey and an ISA Photo Blogger. She is currently studying abroad with ISA in Barcelona, Spain.
Barcelona is a hustling and bustling city full of rich culture and historical sights. However, it is often forgotten that the city is built onto the Mediterranean Coast. Barceloneta, or Little Barcelona, is a relatively new area that was remodeled for the 1992 Olympics. As a result, the beach culture in Barcelona is booming with surf shops, coastal bike riding and water sports quickly gaining popularity. In between my classes, you can usually find me laid out on the sand reading and eating a bocadillo.
The Maremagnum is a shopping and dining hub with lots of open air dining.
The streets lining Port Vell are filled with seafood dining and markets.
In addition, Barceloneta is home to lots of different street musicians that play a variety of instruments and genres.
Finally, we made it to the playa! The W hotel is a Barceloneta landmark that was designed to mimic a sail going into the sea. The mirrored effect on the windows help the building blend in to the coastal background.
Surrounding the coastline of Barcelona are mountains. On a clear day, you can see the peak of Monserrat.
Even in the winter months, the sea stays at around 50◦F and is always a crisp and clear blue.
Barceloneta is one of my favorite and most visited neighborhoods while studying abroad here. It has the perfect dosages of culture, food and sunshine.
The world awaits…discover it.