El Mercardo

Every suburban block supposedly offers residents all the variety of shops they need for their daily lives – a bar, a restaurant, a newspaper stand, a hardware store, a hair dresser, a bread shop and a fruit shop. The corner store (even if not on the corner) is alive and well in these older parts of Barcelona. You don’t need a car to go shopping – you can just walk around the block. Every day when we walk a different way somewhere we discover yet another local supermarket or fruit shop but the most interesting place to shop is at the markets.

El Mercat Boqueria in central Barcelona is probably the biggest fruit and veg market I have seen. There a stalls selling every type of fresh and processed food fruit, veg, fish, meat, sausages, cheese, bread, dired herbs, even one whole stall selling chillies of every size, shape and colour. All the veg and fruits are stacked in steep mountains just amazing that they don't all fall down.

Then there are stall of the most tantilising chocolates, sweets, nuts, breads and pastries.

The meat stalls are very daunting, the whole animal is there, skinned and ready to be cut up depending on what part you ask for. I couldn't even recognise the internal organs (brains, intestines, tongues, and hooves perhaps) that were for sale too.

Due to the season and some over-production in the area, there is a glut of strawberries at the moment, so a kilo only cost 1 eruo (about $1.60). Do you know how many strawberries you get in a kilo - a lot! Strawberrries are cheaper than potatoes and onions! This market also did some very nice mixed fruit juices and containers of a variety of mixed fruit salads all ready to eat with a spoon included.

The prices are generally lower, there is more variety and a livelier atmosphere than in the local supermarkets.