Today is Blue Monday. According to experts, the saddest day of the year. What can La Rambla do to solve it? Pay attention to this.
If you’re having a bad Monday, don’t worry: the universe is not conspiring against you. Today is Blue Monday, the saddest day of the year. Why precisely today? According to psychologists and scientists, it is because of the so called ‘hard-January’, the freezing weather, the nostalgia of Christmas, the distance of Easter holidays and the fact of realizing which New Year’s resolutions are not going to be accomplished.
There are two options to deal with Blue Monday: the bad way and the good way. The first one consists on self-pitying and  hating humanity, which is not very healthy. The second one is doing all you can to end the saddest day of the year with a smile. The best place for that is La Rambla, a street with a lot to offer. Here are some of our suggestions.
1. Enjoy hot chocolate with melindros at Rambla Café
Chocolate has an antidepressant and stimulant effect that makes us feel euphoria. Furthermore, if you accompany it with a sweet caprice, the effect increases. Rambla Café, Palau Moja’s foodie corner, is a good place to have a dose of positivism and yell bad thoughts to piss off. Rambla Café not only makes you feel like in the living room of your home, but also it is a great place to get educated by discovering the heritage of Catalonia. Feed both your stomach and your brain.
2. Have some tapas at La Boqueria
Take a relaxing walk through the stops of the best market in the world and enjoy their quality products. It can be in the form of a tapa, natural juice, ice cream, ration … The question is to be seduced by its multiple smells and colors while you discover what La Rambla tastes like.
3. Discover GaudÃ
The works of Gaudà are so unique and colorful that it is impossible not getting excited with them.Few people know it but before becoming the father of Catalan modernism, the architect started working in La Rambla. Some examples of this are Plaza Real streetlights-one of his first assignments- or Palau Güell. What is more, in this original building, Gaudà first applied trencadÃs, the technique that gave him fame. The terrace of Palau Güell is one of his least known creations and, therefore, one of the most interesting. Moreover, if you love Gaudi, you should definitely visit Colónia Güell and discover the Gaudi crypt, the project in which he tested the techniques that would be applied in Sagrada Familia, his masterpiece.
4. Let yourself be portrayed by an artist
La Rambla is the street of flowers, colors and artists. It has been frequented by geniuses such Salvador DalÃ, writer Josep Pla or Joan Miró. This creativity is still present today in the shape of living statues and portrait painters that give personality to the crowdest street in Barcelona. Have a laugh with a funny caricature of yourself and smell the creativity of this part of Barcelona.
5. Lose yourself in Port Vell
If none of these plans rise yourself up, keep fighting. Blue Monday is not winning this game. Walking through Port Vell while watching the boats and the Miraestels-sculptures representing a man looking at the sky-has relaxing effects (really!). You can also cross Rambla de Mar – the footbridge that connects the Maremágnum shopping centre with the rest of Barcelona – and ,if you like boats, have a look to  Museu MarÃtim de Barcelona.
