Barri Gòtic: the cathedral and the Roman walls
The cathedral geese, the Temple of Augustus columns, and the quietest square in the old city. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Catedral de Barcelona
Go in for the cloister, not the nave — thirteen white geese live there, one for each year of Saint Eulàlia's life, and they have been honking under the palms for centuries. Early, before the queues form on the *plaça* (square).

2. Plaça de Sant Felip Neri
A small square off the cathedral side, with a fountain and a church wall still scarred by shrapnel from the civil war. Sit on the bench for a minute; you will likely have it almost to yourself.

3. The Call
The medieval Jewish quarter — *carrers* (streets) so narrow two people barely pass. The Sinagoga Major on *Carrer de Marlet* claims to be among the oldest in Europe. Wander without a map; the whole *barri* (neighbourhood) is only a few blocks.

4. Plaça de Sant Jaume
The civic centre of the city — the *Generalitat* (the Catalan government) on one side, the city hall facing it. This was the Roman forum two thousand years ago. The square fills for *castells* (human towers) on big festival days.

5. Temple of Augustus columns
Duck into the courtyard at *Carrer del Paradís* number 10 — four Corinthian columns from a first-century Roman temple, standing inside a medieval house. Free, often empty, and easy to walk straight past.

6. Plaça del Rei
A near-perfect medieval square, closed on three sides by the royal palace where, the story goes, the monarchs received Columbus on his return. The stone amplifies sound; come early and it is silent.

Barri Gòtic: the cathedral and the Roman walls