Barcelona's vital artery, full of colourist stands of painters or bird sellers; place for meeting, walking or simply standing still.
Its, moreover, place for culture (Liceo theatre) or shopping (La Boquería market).
The word Rambla comes from the arab and means dry river: Until the 18th-century, La Ramblas was that, a dry course of water where every now and then water ran down to the sea and beside which there was a small pathway near the rampart.
From its beginning, beside Catalonia square, until it arrives to the monument to Columbus, the street has diverse names:
Rambla de Canaletes, with its popular 19th-century fountain. It's said that whoever drinks water from this fountain will come back to Barcelona; it's a popular place for festive and Barça's triumphs celebrations.

Las Ramblas is always an animated zone. Picture Guiarte.
The next section is the Rambla dels Estudis, in memory of the Estudio General or Barcelona's University, supressed by Philip V and converted into quarters. The building was demolished in the 19th-century.
Then you'll arrive to the Rambla dels Flors or de Sant Joseph, in memory of an old convent. The popular Boqueria market is sited in this area.
The next part is the Rambla del Centre or de los Caputxins, name due to the old convent of this religious order. It's a high interest zone, it begins beside the Liceu theatre, it passes by the Güell palace, another neogothic Building by Gaudí, and it has the magnificent and animated Reial Square, constructed in 1850, with lamposts by Gaudí.
The last section - first if you come from the sea line - is the Rambla de Santa Mónica, it owes its name to a church. It ends in the monument to Columbus. The admiral watches on top of a 60 metre tall post. The monument was constructed in the 19th-century for the Universal Exposition of 1888. It points the place where Columbus landed and visited Elisabeth and Ferdinad after his arrival from America. There's a lift to get visitors to the top and ejoy the beautiful view of the port and the city.
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