A beautiful post office!!! The US should model all post offices after this one. There's a…read moreself-service kiosk to submit why you're there, and like the DMV, it calls you when they're ready. Very efficient! The building itself is a sight to be seen, whether or not you need to use the post.

Why, oh why would I get excited about a post office? Perhaps because it is in a lovely, historic…read morebuilding? No, the landmark post office in Manhattan would send me into panic attacks. Perhaps because of the fine correos system here in Spain? Hahahahaha. That's certainly not it. Perhaps everyone likes to get a package in the mail. Could be . . . No, because this was my first dealing with a Spanish beaurocracy that was, well easy. Every time I go to pick up a parcel, I get an enormous sense of self satisfaction. The building is always cool and while there may be a few people ahead of you, there is a number/ticket system so you can spend your idle 10 minutes sitting on a bench or enjoying the architectural details. Naturally, NOBODY speaks a lick of English, however, they will be exceedingly patient with whatever level you speak. They will smile, speak slowly and get you what you need. (Also, they were all thrilled to have my little dog visit as well.)

Ugh. Catalonian bureaucrats. Come in. Take a number. Sit…read more Wait. Wait. Wait... This brightly lit post office wasn't as good as many post offices I've been in. When I came to a teller, we explained in Spanish that we needed stamps to send postcards to the USA, and how I'm a stamp collector and I'm looking for smaller denominations of stamps so I could use multiple stamps to send a single postcard. The teller looks at us blankly, like why would anyone want to collect these stamps? He gets confused, or there's a mistranslation, I dunno, but we ended up with only one stamp per postcard, which we later found out was inadequate postage to get to the USA. He sold us the wrong stamps. I had to use two of them to cover the postage, leaving me with fewer postcards' postage than intended. The whole transaction got fumbled, but the postcards I put the stamps on made it back to the USA. The post office was clean, and the numbers were clearly displayed on a computer screen to indicate when it's your turn to speak with a postal employee. It was conveniently located. Once I figured out the postage amount, it was a bummer that the clerk sold us the wrong stamps. This post office does not sell sangria, wine or beer. And what kind of post office closes at 2:30 every day? These lazy postal punks...

Corrupt - STAY AWAY The postal service in Spain/Madrid is a…read morehorrible and corrupt organization. STAY AWAY from shipping to SPAIN. Tried shipping a used bike for my son, living in Madrid, they charged a 350 euro FEE to deliver it to him, and told him they would destroy the bike if not paid. This is ridiculous, and no one there seems to care. I am sure somone in the Spanish customs department is now riding around on my son's bike. The fee was almost the total cost of the bike, which was several years old. I plan on letting everyone I can know about this horrible system. with the hope that it may help change it and at the least help others avoid the same issue.

The Gothic Quarter is the oldest section of Barcelona. My husband and I hired a guide to take us on…read morea private tour of Barcelona, and one of my favorite parts of our tour was walking around the Gothic Quarter. We enjoyed seeing the remains of a Roman wall, the Barcelona Cathedral, the Mercado de La Boqueria, the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, cobblestone alleyways, public squares, stores, restaurants, and more. If you are planning a vacation for Barcelona, then I highly recommend that you stroll through the Gothic Quarter.

Most of my adventures through the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona were of historic buildings and…read morechurches which are surrounded by retail shops and unique tapas and cafe eateries. The wife and I got the pleasure to take a four hour food and wine tour throughout the Gothic Quarter providing us the opportunity to taste true Barcelona at four different locations. The area has a dark, wet and slightly unsettling gloomy atmosphere with lots of unsanctioned wall graffiti, although gave it added character to the area.