Barcelona, Spain; First Impressions

I packed up very early in the morning after one of the most wonderful weeks of my life in Madrid, Spain and headed off to the city of Barcelona, the BIG city that is. I didn’t realize how comfortable and lovely Madrid really was until I arrived into the hustle and bustle of Barcelona.

First off, the Barcelona airport makes you feel that you are entering into one of the most wonderful places on earth. It is large, modern, clean and full of beautiful people from all over the world. Welcome to Barcelona! The Metro train was not in the airport but another train called Renfe brought me in, then I had to transfer to Metro. Later, I learned that there was also a bus or I could have stayed on the Renfe into the city. It was a bit complicated. A super sweet German couple helped me understand the map. Side note: Germans are the nicest, most knowledgeable and most efficient travelers that I have met so far. A Barcelona man was helpful but a bit scatter brained (or on drugs) because there were so many ways to enter that he couldn’t commit to one to recommend me. Once I understood the map, I just went the way that seemed easiest.

During the subway ride into the city, I sensed that I wasn’t in Madrid anymore. It wasn’t as clean or friendly feeling. Regular local people stared more, looking me up and down, which happens in Buenos Aires. Probably saying to themselves, ‘there is another potential victim’. This seems to happen in cities or areas that aren’t safe, I think because the locals feel responsible to protect visitors.

FLASHBACK TO MADRID…….So, The first day I was in Madrid, I asked, “so, where can’t I go?” my response from everyone was that there wasn’t anywhere I couldn’t go. Wow! “nowhere??” I said. That is amazing. The people would continue to think and repeat again, “you can go anywhere, it’s super tranquilo”.

Here in Barcelona, I have been told to be careful on more than one occasion.

Barcelona is a big city. It is busy, crowded, the cars are fast and lights for the pedestrian cross walk are unforgiving, like Buenos Aires but with a beach and IKEA products. The architecture is well preserved and historic, Gaudi being one of the most famous, which makes it so popular to tourists. The street, Las Ramblas is a popular tourist street and I don’t understand the attraction. In fact, it’s totally boring. They sell, to be perfectly blunt, crap. People sell beer, you can drink on the street and there are with a few ice-cream stands. BORING! However, surrounding Las Ramblas in the back streets is an amazing twist and turn of old streets that you can get lost in with old bars, shops and restaurants, some renovated and some not, the oldest is 200 years old (Absinthe bar).

This area is the area that I am told to be aware of pickpockets. When I told someone that I lived in Buenos Aires and was from Chicago, they said, “Well, they won’t use a knife or a gun, so it’s saver than what you’re used to.” But apparently, it’s not the locals that are the criminals; it’s the outsiders, so the Barcelona people are very protective. Side note; I have joined up with a friend who is from Newcastle and he knows this area, so we walked around and it was mostly Muslim. So, I think that the Spanish could be a bit racist. It wasn't scary. It was like Devon st. in Chicago.

At the end of the long, boring and rather irritating walk down the Las Ramblas you pop out to the grand harbors of Barcelona and just north of there (about a half hour walk) begin the wonderful beaches. If you are a beach bum, this would be a great place to bum around. There is interesting people watching and gorgeous beaches; crowded (especially during peak seasons) but they get less populated the farther north you go. You can even take a Renfe train north if you really want to avoid the crowds.

So far my favorite thing about Barcelona is the coffee, architecture and the mountains that surround the town. Really pretty view of the mountain top from city and I’m finally caffeinated properly. Unfortunately, there was a kink in my travels because I a tiny bit of bad salmon the night I arrived to Barcelona. I am feeling better today and off to see Park Guell.