Ratings
- A Guiri’s Take on Barça
(5.00 out of 5) - Barcelona Through the Years (5.00 out of 5)
- US Thanksgiving 2009 (5.00 out of 5)
Americans in Barcelona
Walking out of the Barcelona airport, it is hard to tell what country you are in. Signs are posted in a mix of Catalan, Spanish, and English, and your ears are bombarded by what seems like a million languages being spoken in the street. The wide variety of people are dressed in an even wider variety of clothing types, some attractive, some…. not so attractive. Already, Barcelona seems like a different planet, rather than a different country.
Upon arriving at your accomodation (whether it be a hotel, apartment, or house), you will immediately notice the size difference from the U.S. Everything in Spain seems smaller, and squeezing between the toilet and the shower can be a struggle at times. The beds are short, pushed together (even though you asked for two twin beds, assuming they would be separate), and sometimes hard as rocks. Good thing that you won’t be sleeping much during your time in Spain.
Make sure to memorize your address, because the roads are complicated enough even if you think you know where you are going. Most streets have street signs stating their names, but.. some don’t. This makes traveling very interesting, and you should always plan on taking extra time to get anywhere. Barcelona is set up in a series of square blocks, which appear small and easily walkable on the map, actually turn into miles and miles of walking. Comfortable shoes are a must, as even the metro requires more walking than expected.
Luckily, most restaurants offer menus in English, since the items on the menu don’t look familiar at all. The wide variety of foods available in Barcelona makes eating out easy, and more affordable than expected. Unlike New York, or other big cities in the United States, Spaniards believe in eating well without spending much money. Meat, fish, pasta, pizza, and vegetables.. all are easily found within walking distance anywhere in the city, especially in the city center. Las Ramblas, for instance, is jam-packed with restaurants of all types, from typical Spanish to French to Italian to Japanese. Even picky eaters can find something to eat in this city.
The biggest shock for Americans traveling in Barcelona may be the strange things that take place in the streets. Walking down Las Ramblas, day or night, you will pass by people dressed in extravagant costumes, standing for hours in the hopes of getting some spare change from generous tourists. Dragons, gargoyles, fairies, and cavemen are only a few of the costumes you may see as you walk around the center. Then come the street performers. Magic tricks, dancers, acrobats, and jugglers always gather large crowds, often stopped in the middle of the street, causing a bit of a traffic jam for passersby. To add to this chaos, at night, men stand around offering six packs of beer for 1£ per can, often being fairly pushy to sell beer to unexpecting tourists. Beer, light-up glasses, rings, and toys, and roses are just a few of the available purchases you can make on the street, in bars, or even in restaurants. A simple ‘no’ doesn’t always work, and unfortunately you may have to resort to just ignoring the vendors.
As you can see, Barcelona is an overwhelming place to be at times. However, you can certainly never say the city is boring. There is always something to do, somewhere to go, or someone to meet, and the people are much friendlier than you would expect from a big city. Don’t hesitate to ask for directions, ask for descriptions of something on the menu, or just say ‘no’ to street vendors. For such a busy city, Barcelona feels very safe, and if you are cautious about the occasional pickpocketer or scam artist, you will get along just fine. Make sure to take advantage of the cultural diversity in this very European city, as there are very few places like it.
FC Barcelona…
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