Housed in a space the size of a football field, the market is an olfactory playground. It's easy to understand why locals searching for fresh dinner ingredients frequent La Boqueria. For travelers, the market's prepared grub is a slice of gastronomic heaven. Maureen says as we exit the market and squint at rays of dwindling sunlight. She can be very persuasive.
Every traveler needs a savior.
In Barcelona, ours is an elegantly precise personal concierge named Julian. I tell Julian that we want excellent cuisine, chic atmosphere, but nothing terribly extravagant. Julian's eyes narrow. He grins like a Soviet spy. Julian leans over a marble countertop that he lords over each day.