/ Barcelona's huge food market along the Rambla, the Mercat de la Boqueria, comes to life very early, starting from 6:00am when the first merchants arrive and a few coffee counters open inside the hall and just outside along the Rambla, making this about the only place in town available for a pre-dawn caffeine fix, if you happen to wake early and want to get a head-start on the day.
Even if you are not an early-bird, don't need any food and have no interest in architectural history, simply walking through this market is an adventure for your senses, passing row after row of perfectly displayed fruits and vegetables arranged by workers who really care about visual impact, color and aesthetics, while at the same time you are immersed in the bustling atmosphere of busy shoppers and merchants calling out their specials in booming Spanish tones to grab your attention. Odors fill the air with a constantly changing palette as you walk from cheese to fish and on to the fruits and veggies. So you are getting sight, sound, color, motion, aroma and taste, for an experience not to be missed.
Mercat de la Boqueria is fully up and running by 7:00am and stays open throughout the day, making this a great place to hang out for a while, watch the colorful action, get a coffee and maybe pick up some snacks for your busy day ahead. Several small counters offer excellent, quick meals and a chance to rub elbows with some talkative locals. Eating at a simple café like this is a refreshing contrast to the long wait for table service in a typical restaurant, because everything happens immediately in front of your eyes when you sit on that stool, especially when they are not crowded.
While most of the market's products are meant to be brought home and cooked, the intrepid traveler can certainly find fruits, nuts, cheese, breads, sweets and other great items for snacking during the day that will cost less and be more convenient than meals purchased in a restaurant. There is a lot to be said for munching on simple foods pulled out of your pocket while walking along sightseeing, and so far, no medical reports have suggested there is anything unhealthy about eating while you walk. Of course you are going to want to sit down and enjoy some great meals but not necessarily every time you get hungry, especially outside normal meal hours when your appetite and slumping energy level call for some attention.