The Herculean City of Barcelona

One of the oldest paradise cities has something for everyone

The mighty Hercules captured the hellhound Cerberus, slew the multi-headed Hydra and stole the man-eating horses of a giant, but did you know he also founded the city of Barcelona? According to legend, one of his ships got lost on its search for the Golden Fleece, and when Hercules found his men on the beautiful Catalan coast, they asked him if they could stay. Granting their wish, Hercules and his men founded Barca Nona, which would become present-day Barcelona.

The story has as much basis in reality as a Kardashian series, but it highlights the diverse cultural history that energizes Spain’s second city. Foreign rulers have included the Carthaginians, the Visigoths, the Moors and the Charlemagne-era Franks, and Julius Caesar once governed the country. Traces of these cultures remain with ancient Roman ruins and dense concentrations of Gothic architecture, while national hallmarks include late 19th-century Moderenista works like Antoni Gaudí’s La Sagrada Familia church. Surrealist painter Salvador Dalí is associated with nearby Figures, but the country’s other art icons, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró, both spent time in Barcelona soaking up its ethos.

Many impressive sights are found in Ciutat Vella (“Old City”), whose sections include the once-sketchy El Raval (think NYC’s East Village), the trendy La Ribera and its medieval heart, Barri Gòtic, featuring the famous pedestrian street La Ramba. The coastal La Barceloneta neighborhood, whose Mediterranean beach landed ink in Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote, recently inspired National Geographic to name Barcelona the No. 1 beach city in the world.

While the culture and architecture span many eras, Barcelona’s commercial profile is modern with dynamic clubs, restaurants, bars, fashion boutiques, wine havens, chocolate shops and gourmet markets. Likewise, within an hour’s drive, visitors can enjoy Roman-style thermal baths, the prestigious Penedes wine region, the Hamptons-style Sitges, the mountaintop Montserrat monastery and El Cellar de Can Roca, currently rated the No. 1 restaurant in the world.

Barcelona sounds hot, but is it blazin’? According to the Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC), Barcelona ranks fifth on its list of the world’s top cannabis travel destinations. America’s premier financial network, whose love of green apparently extends beyond Wall Street, directed smokers to Barri Gòtic hot spots like La Rambla, Carrer Escudellers and Plaza Real, the latter of which is the starting point for cannabis-themed walking tours. Down the way from Carrer Escudellars, George Orwell Plaza (a.k.a. “Plaza Trippy”) was a top smoke spot until officials installed a 24-hour video surveillance system to establish more control over the area. Clearly that is as darkly ironic as President Choom Gang cracking down on medical cannabis, but Barri Gòtic makes up for it with the Hash Marihuana Cañamo & Hemp Museum.

Barcelona is also a major convention destination, and this includes cannabis-themed expositions. For several years, the city hosted the Highlife Fair, one of the largest cannabis events in Europe. Spannabis is currently the top annual event in Barcelona, and it will celebrate its 12th anniversary next March. The Highlife folks are giving them competition, though, launching the GROWMED medicinal fair last year in Valencia. Other national events include Spannabis Malaga and the Expo Cannabis in Madrid. The country even has an annual Medical Cannabis Bike Tour from Madrid to Valencia to raise awareness about medicinal use.

Spain was one of the first European countries to decriminalize cannabis, and those who wish to medicate in Barcelona will find the city has first-rate plants from Morocco. However, Spain’s laws against trafficking are severe so never take stashes in or out of the country.