I put up some pictures on Facebook, but I wanted to write down some of the cultural things from the city before I forgot them. The city itself is beautiful and I always enjoy experiencing other cultures. A few notes if you decide to go:
- Dog friendly: Barcelona is probably the most dog friendly city I've seen. If you're on the boardwalk and beach, most dogs are off-leash. They play with each other, jump in the sea, play fetch, or run alongside their owners. Further in the city, they sit wth their owners at cafes, join them on the Metro, and walk alongside them on the sidewalks. I even saw them inside restaurants.
- Bad directions: we got lost quite a few times, and I'll be honest, I was getting frustrated. There are no street signs; sometimes there are plaques on buildings that indicate which street you're on, but not always. Sometimes there are tourist signs pointing you a certain way, but they don't say how far away the destination is and there may not be another one even though you have to turn somewhere. Some of the streets are pedestrian only, so if you ask directions and they say three streets and a left, does that include pedestrian streets or streets for cars? Overall, very confusing. The Metro was nice; it was once we got off of it that we got in trouble.
- English music: all of the stores and restaurants play music in English, and there's no rhyme or reason to it. I think some of the shop owners don't even know what they're saying in the songs, but it was oddly comforting to hear.
- Sewage smell: you never know when it's coming, and you can't predict it, so it's always a surprise, but you will get hit with a sewage smell. It dissipates after a few seconds.
- Speak English not Spanish: Barcelona is in the Catalonia region of Spain, and they speak Catalan. Which is not Spanish. I tried to speak Spanish, and people couldn't understand me. I got farther speaking English than I did Spanish. They do say "hola" and "que tal" and "gracias" (pronounced "grathias") and some Spanish words, but for the most part, it's not Spanish. Most people who work in shops or restaurants speak a little English, so you're okay, but I thought I would be more comfortable than I was. I might as well have been in Italy for how much good my Spanish did me. :)
- Eating, cooking methods, and menu del dia: Barcelona eats a small breakfast, a large lunch around 1-2pm, tapas around 5-6pm, then dinner around 9-10pm. I don't think I ever got used to that. For lunch, most restaurants have a menu del dia (menu of the day) which is predetermined and usually two courses and wine. It made it easy because it was a special and there weren't too many choices, but honestly, I was glad I couldn't see most of the cooking methods. Washing knives in between was non-existent. Same with cutting boards. Even washing hands between tasks was rare. I never got sick from it but it's one of those things where you don't want to know. Spain isn't Mexico so we didn't have tacos or quesadillas, but they do have some delicious food from all over the world (yummy Italian, Irish, American, Chinese, you name it) besides local cuisine.
- Safety: Barcelona is the second worst city for pickpocketing (behind Paris, and they go back and forth) so I was extremely nervous about the city. But honestly, there wasn't a time where I didn't feel safe. I bought a travel bag that was slash-proof, had RFID blocking pockets, locking zippers, etc., and I was glad I had it, but I'm not sure I needed it. Don't have your phone out all the time and identify yourself as a tourist, be aware of your surroundings, and you'll be fine. I never felt unsafe, even on the Metro, even at night. That was a nice surprise.
We did experience something interesting with the terrorism attacks on Paris; after they occurred, we saw vans full of police officers, heavily armed, patrolling the areas. They weren't being intrusive or anything, but their presence was definitely known and felt, and Greg said it was new because he hadn't seen them before. Honestly, they made me feel a little safer knowing they were there, and I didn't feel too nervous being in Europe after that happened. I'm grateful that God kept us safe and we still had a great time.
Check out my pictures on Facebook and let me know if you have any questions. These are just some of my observations of my time in Barcelona. We didn't see anywhere near everything the city has to offer, and it's a beautiful place. It's not high on a lot of people's lists for places to visit, so I think it's a little bit of a best kept secret. They did just vote to secede from Spain (the Catalonia region) so it might get a little worse as far as political discourse, but it's a wonderful place to visit. :)
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