ROUTE THROUGH BARCELONA BY CARLOS RUIZ ZAFÓN

This year full of losses, disappointments, lost routines and hugs that make us wait too long, is the year chosen by one of the great voices of Spanish literature to leave us. Yes, we are talking about Carlos Ruiz Zafón, who left us in mid-June.
And although his loss is irreparable, we would like to contribute to his memory through a route through his dark Barcelona. The one that builds in its pages, and that is full of mysteries, and at the same time answers.
We hope you enjoy this adventure, which can be done entirely on foot, or by combining public transport with the pedestrian route.

1. France Station.

It is the first stop of the day. Partly because we think it has a certain romantic air to start a trip in a station, but also because it is the starting point of the protagonist of Marina, and one of the epicenters of Barcelona life.
This immense station, so full of hurried travelers, as well as modernist details and marble finishes, is recognized as a Cultural Asset of Local Interest, and is without a doubt, the most beautiful train station in Barcelona.

2. Santa Monica Art Center.

This building appears to be the one described as the famous Cemetery of Forgotten Books.
Located on the Rambla, it is one of the main creative centers of Barcelona, its varied and innovative cultural offer can be a good incentive to lose ourselves inside. Although as regular readers of Ruiz Zafón, we understand perfectly that some of you do not want to see a very different interior from the one that remained engraved in our soul, after the first reading of the Shadow of the Wind.

3. Las Ramblas.

This Barcelona icon, an unmistakable artery that brings together the city's tourist traffic, appears in almost all of Ruiz Zafón's novels, in some it is only mentioned, in others, with a certain weight in history, in any case, we cannot deny that It is one of those streets with character, one that we cannot miss on a trip to Barcelona.

4. Barcelona Athenaeum.

At this point, halfway through the route, we invite you to walk the corridors of one of the most recognizable places in the Shadow of the Wind. The Ateneo, with its nineteenth-century style and classical lines, almost seems to whisper to us the misadventures of Beatriz, and those of Daniel, searching for her within its walls.
Currently, and if you feel the need to explore its interior, it is possible to take a guided tour that will take you through the most emblematic halls, and will teach you to appreciate a place that was key in the development of the city.

5. Carrer de Santa Ana, 27

Obligatory stop. We have arrived at the doors of the Sempere bookstore, the one at the top of which Daniel's house was located, and which saw him grow up and become a lover of literature.
And although little remains of the street described between its pages, if we know how to look, we will find vestiges from the beginning of the century, such as the Alonso glove shop. One of those traditional shops, with a neat window display, elegant accessories, where we can find objects that seem to have been discontinued from modern life. And even if only for a few moments, its window gives us the gaze of the curious Daniel, the child, who still did not know what life had in store for him.

6. Tibidabo Avenue, 32

Although at this point along the way, you will surely be tired, this stop is worth it. Not only because it will force you to explore the main streets that define Barcelona today (either on foot or by public transport), but also because it is one of the highlights of Ruiz Zafón's most read novel.
A place full of shadows and mysteries, in which the reader surprisingly sees the light, and discovers many of the mysteries of the novel. Yes, we are referring to the Aldaya mansion.
In real life, this building, built in the 1920s, not only has a dreamlike exterior and a certain frequency of visits from Shadow of the Wind fans; but shortly, it will become a luxury hotel, where a lucky few will be able to rest, while contemplating the city from another point of view.

7. Jesuit College of Sarriá

The Jesuit school of Sarriá, close to our previous stop, is one of the crucial settings both in the novel “Marina” and in the life of the author himself, since he himself studied in these facilities.
Currently, this school is still in operation, and although it is not as isolated from the city as Ruiz Zafón's narration seems to suggest, it does preserve the original structure, so it will be very easy for you to fall under its influence, since In addition to its spectacular size (it occupies 85,000 square meters), it is a work of incalculable value in school architecture, being the only building of its kind preserved in the city.

8. Tibidabo Park.

The truth is that we could include it because of the many wonders it houses and that can be directly or indirectly seen in the late author's novels. But if we have decided to include it as the culmination of our day in the Barcelona imagined by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, it is because it is a recommendation that he himself made to those who asked him, usually saying that it was one of his favorite places, and that it could not be forget on our visit.
In addition, we are sure that the old automata that are exhibited in its museum will bring back memories of some of its pages.