Barcelona, baby!

I just spent a few fantastic days in Barcelona. I confess to being totally ignorant about the city before my arrival. I didn't realize what a distinct culture and history it has from the rest of Spain -- or that there are gorgeous beaches just a few minutes from the downtown area!

 But my ignorance did allow me to experience a pleasant series of surprises. The narrow alleys of the Gothic Quarter, where I stayed, were full of cute cafes, shops and the ubiquitous gelato shops. I spent lots of time strolling around the city; walking around, the sunshine and the humidity combined to make me feel like I was back in summer. It was lovely while strolling along the beach, with a nice breeze coming off of the Mediterranean Sea. The humidity was less pleasant when I had sweat literally streaming down my face while waiting in the metro at quarter to seven yesterday morning, carrying my backpack on the way to the bus station. That’s 6:45am – dripping with sweat! Not so nice.

Barcelona's boardwalk

In the Gothic Quarter

The harbour is full of ships of all sizes -- including giant luxury yachts.

 

It was also quite intriguing to learn about the history of Catalonia – that’s Catalunya in their own language. I hadn’t realized how distinct this northeast region of Spain – to the point that was independent at different points in history and is now a semi-autonomous region with various realms of control, particularly over education and social development. There also seems to be an ongoing movement for full independence – at least according to a scattering of posters around the city. The protection of the Catalan language has been a key goal, which seems to have been successful. Many of the signs in the city – particularly at tourist sites -- are trilingual, in Catalan, Spanish and English. Even graffiti is often multilingual: a message in a toilet stall outlined a person’s views on vegetarianism in all three languages.

Plaza de Catalunya

 

Notice the Catalonian flags hanging from balconies -- a common sight.

Inside the Sagrada Familia (Sacred Family) Cathedral

  

The only negative event in my stay in "BCN" didn't affect me directly, but a fellow Canadian I met at the hostel where we were both staying. On his last day in the city, Dan went for a final walk along the beach before heading to the airport. He turned his back for a quick minute and his wallet was taken; this didn't just mean lost money, but also a lost passport, so no flight home! And it means a few days wait, until the embassy can process a replacement passport early next week. It was a wake-up call about how easily something like this can happen, even to a careful person. It's also a reminder of the value of my precious passport!

Anyway, all in all, I would absolutely recommend Barcelona. There were quite a few tourists, even in "off" season -- but for good reason!