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The streets of Barcelona

Stalls at La Boqueria. Picture: Ray Jordan

There are many things to like about Barcelona. Unfortunately the famous 1.2km tree-lined pedestrian mall that is La Rambla is not one of them. However the secret, when you walk down this former sewer - and regardless of what you think of it, you really do have to take the stroll - is to look off into the side streets. That's where you get a better appreciation of some of the attractions of this wonderful old city.

Whether it's 7 o'clock in the morning or 7 at night, it seems there is always something happening there, as restaurants of dubious quality with expensive price tags and souvenir shops ply their trade, while women of equally dubious quality - I don't know the prices - ply their trade as well.

And the pickpockets are very good. My friend Deb had her watch lifted without realising it until getting back to our digs.

My mate - I'll call him Husband of Deb to protect his identity - was even given the old Christmas grip as the sun was coming up while he hunted for our morning bread and cold meats. Well, that's what he said.

The Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca once said that La Rambla was "the only street in the world which I wish would never end". He obviously had a poet's eyes for ignoring reality or perhaps he was referring to it simply as a means to get to some of the surrounding features.

La Rambla runs south from the large Placa de Catalunya, pretty much central Barcelona where old city meets new. To the east is the Barri Gotic or Gothic Quarter, where real Barcelona, with its maze of narrow streets, reveals its many secrets and distinctive old buildings such as the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia.

To the west is El Raval, an area changing though still with the stigma and warnings from the locals that this is a place of crime and prostitution together with nightlife and restaurants. I didn't find it anywhere near as intimidating as the locals suggested so it is well worth a visit.

La Rambla finishes at the imposing Christopher Columbus Monument and Port Vell, which is the old port of Barcelona, though now largely for the floating toys of the very well-heeled. This is where Old Chris returned from the Americas and while you might think he is pointing to the New World, he isn't - he's apparently gesturing towards his home in Genoa. Even navigators get homesick, it seems.

It is here we found one of the hidden jewels of the city, next to the Maritime Museum.

Though the museum was sadly closed for renovations when we visited, an excellent tour guide who had taken us through the Barri Gotic had told us about a little restaurant in the tranquil courtyard next to the museum that was just about the best-kept secret in this city.

For 󌌺.50 ($16) you get a three- course meal and a drink - beer, wine or soft - and the food is good. Apparently the concept is they recruit some of the locals more used to picking your pockets than serving your table and give them a chance of redemption by putting them to work.

The menu changes daily and the service is friendly without being slick. And the garden, with its cooling ponds and birdlife, is perfect if you have been battling the masses through the streets.

About halfway down La Rambla and just off the main drag is another must see - La Boqueria, one of the best-known markets in Barcelona for tourists and locals alike. All manner of food and smells assault the senses: sweet things, spicy things or just plain smelly things, with presentation as important as taste and smell. This is a great place to pick up something on the run - try a cone of jamon - or, if you can find a seat, sample some tapas with a glass of cava or rioja.

And just remember to keep your valuables close to you - hey, Husband of Deb.