It is said that it is typical for children to buy cones filled with chickpeas as an after-school snack. Personally, I have never seen this. I turn left and take the first alley on the right. The neighborhood has developed in the last few years from the immigrant communities and it is possible to find typical village bakeries next to halal butcher shops or exotic fruit stores. Anything goes for this neighborhood and multicultural city. And if you are close to one of the gems of this Catalan city, even better. Upon arriving at Calle Sant Pere Més Alt and turning to the left, I come across a huge crowd of tourists with their respective guides (either human or paper) admiring the building on the corner, surely a cultural stop on their “Barcelona tapas tour”. It is no other than the Palau de la Música Catalana, a masterpiece of Catalan modernism that still today leaves me astonished. I don’t even want to think about those who are seeing it for the first time.

I turn back towards Born by Via Laietana to return to the heart of Born. Another option would be to go in the opposite direction on Calle Sant Pere and visit the Museu de la Xocolata, where you can discover history from the perspective of this delicious sweet. It is worth entering even if just to breathe in the aroma of cocoa. But if you do choose to enter the museum, apart from discovering the history of the traditional “Monas de Pascua”, you can eat your entrance ticket, literally, because when you buy the entrance to the museum they give you a chocolate instead of a paper ticket. But today, as I have mentioned, I turn toward the heart of Born which is no other than the church of Santa María del Mar. A gothic-style church from the 14th century, it was funded by the dock workers and sailors, as opposed to the Cathedral built around the same time but associated with the nobility, monarchy, and the clergy. The residents of Born therefore built their own “Cathedral”. After a brief visit, I recommend visiting “La Botifarreria” on Calle Santa María. This business began more than a century ago as a delicatessen, but it was the current family that transformed it in the 50s to what it is today. Simply entering this place full of regional delicatessen is a pleasure for our noses and, if you make a purchase, a pleasure for our palate. Here, you can find all types of catalan butifarra sausage. The traditional, with apple and curry, mushrooms, goat cheese and a long etcetera. You can also buy different cured meats. My personal favorite is Xolis, although there are all kinds of chorizo, fuet, national and international cheeses. Oh, and this place is always full.

I exit the store to the right taking Calle Montcada and, after a few steps, I make a stop at a typical and legendary place of El Born and Barcelona, El Xampanyet. In this small bar decorated the same as it was decades ago, you will find one the most unique atmospheres of Barcelona where you can take it all in with a local wine like one from Priorat or one of the wineries of Penedés or even a cava or a rarity of its own production. A sparkling wine called xampanyet is the reason for the name of the bar. “Bueno, bonito y barato” as they say in Spanish. Afterwards, you can always choose to visit the Picasso Museum of Barcelona since it is located on the same street.