A good way to get close to a city is knowing what has been said about it. These are the Barcelona quotes said by local and international artists that best define the essence of the city and, of course, its main street.

La Rambla is a special street, we will never get tired of repeating so. Neither the best-known artists and geniuses in history have resisted its charm. Many of the most famous Barcelona quotes talk about this emblematic walk. These are some of the most popular ones. Are we missing any?



“Porque es tan fuerte que solo podré vivirte en la distancia y escribirte una canción. Te quiero, Barcelona”


Translation: “You’re so strong I can only live you in distance and write you a song. I love you, Barcelona”. Catalan band Giulia y Los Tellarini was the soundtrack to Woody Allen’s movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Their catchy way to say Barcelonaa is known around the world. The director of Annie Hall changed the streets of Manhattan for La Rambla, Sagrada Familia or Park Güell. Many people criticized how he portrayed the city but the point is that he fell in love of its magic . Moreover, he said that the city’s charisma had rejuvenated his cinema.


“Everything here is like France.”

Hans Christian Andersen said this when he was in Barcelona as part of the travek book he was writing about the country, In Spain. The author of The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling stayed at Hotel Oriente and lived Las Ramblas great flood in 1862.  What’s more, he also wrote about them in his book: The waters dragged the wooden huts, the merchandise, the cars and barrels: everything they found in their path (…) people were fleeing, crying, shouting.

historia de barcelona
Placa en honor a Hans Christian Andersen en el Hotel Oriente.


“Rambla pa’qui, rambla pa’llá, esta es rumba of Barcelona”

 

Translation: Rambla here, Rambla there: this is Barcelona’s rumba. Singer Manu Chao composed La rumba de Barcelona in 2002. Such is his love for its streets that near La Rambla he has a ‘secret’ restaurant, El Mariachi.

manu chao frases de barcelona

“That little wind from La Rambla has the capacity to turn the most superficial part of our body into the deepest part of our existence”

Josep Pla is considered the best writer in Catalan language. He was a master in finding the right words to describe whatever he want. Las Ramblas, of course, did not escape his literary charms. He wrote an entire chapter to describe the breeze that goes through the walk in Barcelona, una discusión entrañable.

josep pla

 

“The happiest street in the world, the street where the four seasons of the year live together at the same time, the only street on Earth that I wish would never end, rich in sounds, abundant of breezes, beautiful of meetings, ancient of blood: Rambla de Barcelona.”


Federico García Lorca pronounced what is, undoubtedly, one of the most popular Barcelona quotes. The poet was in love with La Rambla and its flowers. What’s more, they inspired his work Doña Rosita the Spinster.

lorca

 

“Les floristes de la Rambla sembren flors a tots els vents i si a l’estiu no els venen ja els vendrana l’hivern.”


Translation: La Rambla’s florists sow flowers everyday. If they don’t sell them in summer they’ll do so in summer.  This is how the song that Catalan singer Joan Manuel Serrat dedicated to the florists of La Rambla begins.

Joan Manuel Serrat.