A neighborhood sustaining life
Barceloneta beach is always packed, all year long. With tourists getting a tan with temperatures locals consider freezings, swimming, playing volley ball, tennis. There are some fishermen, musicians, groups of friends having lunch on a terrace, people passing by, jogging, etc.
This neighborhood of Barceloneta is an old one in the city of Barcelona, where the sailors who worked in Port Vell used to live, as well as the people who had been expelled from their houses in order to build the Ciutadella park next to the Gothic Quarter. The narrow streets look like an Italian neighborhood, with clothes hanging out the windows, people on the sidewalk watching TV because it is too hot in their house, or because they prefer being there to talk to the neighbors. It looks like it sustains life, independently from the big city 500 meters away.
There is a subway station to get there, and various bus lines, to Hospital del Mar or Barceloneta. It is one of the first neighborhoods out of the old part of town and has its own market, various shops and a dynamic life. The beach stands serve beer and sandwiches. There is also a Spar and small supermarkets. It is the ideal beach to arrive at midday and have a picnic after having visited the rest of the city and get to know people to go partying with at night.
