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It is a telling comment on Barcelona's character that one can recommend a single street - the Ramblas - as a highlight. No day in the city seems complete without a stroll down at least part of what, for Lorca, was "the only street in the world which I wish would never end". Littered with cafes, shops, restaurants and newspaper kiosks, it's at the heart of Barcelona's life and self-image - a focal point for locals every bit as much as for tourists. There are also important buildings and monuments along the Ramblas, visits to which can punctuate a stroll from end to end. But it's the street life itself which is the greatest attraction - one to which you'll return again and again. The Ramblas bisect Barcelona's old town ( La Ciutat Vella ), which spreads north from the harbour in an uneven wedge and is bordered by the Parc de la Ciutadella to the east, Placa de Catalunya to the north and the slopes of Montjuic and the Eixample neighbourhood of Poble Sec to the west. Contained within this jumble of streets is a series of neighbourhoods - originally separate medieval parishes and settlements - that retain certain distinct characteristics today. Some of these old town neighbourhoods are accessible by diving off the Ramblas into the side streets as you go - like the Barrio Chino (or Raval ), the city's still functioning but reduced red-light district, or the area back from the harbour around c/la Merce. But by far the greatest concentration of interest is in the cramped Barri Gotic , which curls out from around the cathedral. Here you'll find the city's finest medieval buildings and churches tucked into jumbled streets and alleys, along with several museums (a couple decidedly offbeat), and the surviving portions of walls and buildings dating back as far as Roman times. East of here, across the broad Via Laietana , the old town streets continue in La Ribera , encompassing two of Barcelona's most favoured sights: the graceful church of Santa Maria del Mar and the showpiece Museu Picasso .
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