My Top 5 Fake Barcelona

The saying goes "no es oro todo lo que reluce" and in Barcelona, as in any other town, there are monuments that visitors (and locals) considered to be "authentic" when they are just fakes. You are bound to see and take a picture of them as you stroll down the old town, so be aware!

Fake aqueduct remains

Real aqueduct remains

• ROMAN AQUEDUCT: The remains of an aqueduct you can see next to Casa de l'Ardiaca in Plaça
  Nova were built during Franco's dictatorship (I have been said it was meant to be a compensation for the pains the city had endured during the war!). But don't be sad, if you want to see the real remains of the Roman aqueduct that brought water to Barcelona, you may see the remains of the original archs just a few meters ago from the fake ones. 
• CATHEDRAL GOTHIC FAÇADE: The building of the Cathedral took many years, and it was not until the 20th century that funds were collected to built the façade. Manel Girona, a local banker, provided the funds and the façade was built following 19th century plans in neogothic style. But don't be disappointed, there are older parts in the Cathedral, check for instance Santa Llúcia's chapel. 
• GENERALITAT GOTHIC BRIDGE crossing to Casa dels Canonges. Thousands of pictures are taken of this bridge, but it is not Gothic but Neogothic. The bridge was built in 1928 and it was strongly  criticised by Barcelonians of its time. Here is a very interesting article explaining the possible meaning of the skull in the bridge. Unfortunately, there is no English translation.

  

  Fake Gothic Bridge

• ROSE WINDOW IN SANTA MARIA DEL MAR: in this case maybe it is too hard to consider it fake. The original rose window suffered serious damages in the earthquake of 1428 and, some years later, the new rose window was built. 
• DISPLACED BUILDINGS: This is also a special case. The buildings are not fake, but they are not located where they originally were. In Plaça del Rei, for instance, is Casa Padellàs. It fits perfectly the surrounding buildings but, originally, it was were now is Via Laietana. When the avenue was built (in the 1930s), it was moved to its present location. Another building moved to a different location is Església de la Concepció, a worthwhile visit in the corner of Carrer Aragó with Carrer Roger de Llúria.

JAMÓN IN LAS RAMBLAS or HOW TO HAVE A DECENT BITE IN A TOURIST TRAP

If there is a fetish food to Spanish people, that is JAMÓN and, among the different varieties of JAMÓN, the king is JAMÓN DE JABUGO. So, if you want to learn about the culture of Spain, you

The bar in Jamon Experience: you don't have to take the tour to enjoy it

have to learn about Jamón.

For a foreigner, it may not be easy to tell the difference between Jamón varieties. You see that prices range from very affordable to incredibly expensive. Why? It is just a matter of the shop where I am buying the product?

Well, no. There is more science in the matter than that. Different pig species, breed systems, maturation of the meat and, even the way Jamón is cut have an influence on the quality (and price) of the product you are eating.

All this is explained in the tour of JAMÓN EXPERIENCE. For about 20 euros, the tour includes a detailed explanation, plus a taste of six different kinds of Jamón with a glass of cava, wine or beer. You may check for more details at their website: www.jamonexperience.com

From our point of view, it is even more interesting to visit their bar overlooking Las Ramblas. They are almost in front of La Boqueria and the bar is an outstanding balcony to see people going up and down the avenue while having a decent drink with some excellent food. Prices are quite acceptable for the area. Say you have a coca (flat bread) with Jamón ibérico de bellota: that is 5,90 euros. Add some olives (2,9 euros) and a glass of red wine (1,50 euros). Where in Las Ramblas would you find that quality at that price?