| 'Els
Encants' is an open-air market specialising in objets both of little value
as well as collector's items and antiques. It is held in the Plaça
de les Glories on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from sunrise
to sunset. Near here, in Dos de Maig street, there is an area given over
to the buying and selling of new and second hand furniture. On Sunday mornings
there is a stamp and coin market in the Plaça Reial. Also on Sunday
there is a little market selling books, video tapes, cassettes and other
second-hand objects located near the Sant Antoni market in the Ronda de
Sant Antoni.
There
are modern department stores in the Plaça de Catalunya, Portal de
I'Angel and the new part of the Diagonal, while the most typical are to
be found in Pelai street, the Ronda Universitat and the Rondes de Sant
Antoni and Sant Pau. This whole area, between Old and New Barcelona, is
full of clothes shops, furniture shops and those specialising in household
moods and textiles.
Barcelona
has many food markets. Perhaps the most central and most popular are La
Boquería (La Rambla), Concepció (Aragó street), Ninot
(Mallorca street) and Santa Caterina (Avinguda de la Catedral). All these
markets sell fish, meat, eggs and vegetables.
Another
typical aspects of Barcelona are 'los colmados' (grocer's shops). These
are usually found in El Ensanche and sell anything from wine, sausage-type
meats, cheese, fruit, eggs, tinned foods, biscuits and the like. There
are bakeries in every district, and in the area of Forn there are a great
many shops selling dried fruits and nuts, vegetables, cereals, salted cod,
biscuits, 'torrons' and cheese. Good herbalist's can be found in the streets
of Mercaders, Vidre, Xuclà, Princesa, Travessera de Gràcia
and many more.
In
the Plaça Nova a 'Gothic' market selling antiques is held every
Thursday, and there are also good antique shops in El Call street and in
the area around the Cathedral, a large part of El Ensanche and the new
part of the city. Rosa Boulevard (Paseo de Gràcia, 55) is yet another
important area.
For
those who want to buy gifts and souvenirs, the main areas are La Rambla,
Ferran and Princesa streets, and around the Cathedral. Pottery, glassware
and imitation jewellery can be found near the food markets, in the 'Poble
Espanyol", in the Santa Maria district, around the Plaça del Pi
and the lower part of La Rambla and the area of the Sant Antoni Market.
Other
general shopping areas, apart from Old Barcelona, are the Passeig de Gràcia
and El Ensanche, Aribau and Muntaner streets, the Diagonal and all the
main thoroughfares in the city. |
