Places To Go Before You Die: Barcelona, Spain

I have a love/hate relationship with the city of Barcelona. I love the city itself and what it has to offer, but I'm not crazy about the people. Nevertheless, Barcelona-- affectionally known as the BCN, is somewhere you must visit before you die.

My first encounter with Barcelona was in the summer of 2003. I decided to travel there on a whim with my cousin for a few days. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and wished that I had had the time to explore more of the city. The weather was wonderful-- 28° - 32° Celsius, sunny and dry with a beautiful Mediterranean sea breeze everyday! The famous Gaudí architecture was evident in almost every neighbourhood and the city was incredibly easy navigate-- even by Canadian standards-- and very scenic. My cousin and I (maybe me more than my cousin) had a field day shopping. I believe that Barcelona has some of the best shopping in Europe by a mile. Leather goods are very reasonable and shoes and clothing are one of a kind (this is where I began my love affair with Zara and Mango-- both stores are native to Barcelona).

There was plenty to see in Barcelona as well. As I mentioned before, Barcelona is an architect's dream. Parc Güell, La Pedrera, Casa Botlló and La Sagrada Familia are places to get your art history jollies. If you like the beach you could always go to the Barceloneta or drive a few miles to the resort town of Sitges to work on your tan. There was no shortage of concerts, plays, street theatre and movies to go to. If you're into clubbing and dancing you'd be exhausted at the variety of places to kick up a leg. And of course if you're a soccer fan, you would be in heaven watching the famed and hallowed FC Barça play the game live before your eyes!

The second time I was in Barcelona was when I was attending the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona. It was at this time that I realized how different it is to see a city through eyes of a tourist versus the jaded eyes of a resident. While food and clothing is quite reasonable in Barcelona, real estate is not. Very few people in the BCN actually own any property because it is so expensive. A very small bachelor's apartment in Barri Gótic-- a chic, up and coming neighbourhood-- can easily run you about €900 (CDN $1440) per month. Another thing that became somewhat of a nuisance was the fact that many people in Barcelona speak Catalán and refuse to speak Castellano (standard Spanish). Catalán is a language closely related to Provençal, a dialect of old French that was spoken in Southern France, mixed with Spanish. I can't say that I was particularly crazy about the native Catalonian cuisine either. Much of it was bland and they tend to eat a lot of seafood, which I tend to avoid (octopuss anyone?). Barcelona has a bit of a gypsy problem. Barcelonians don't treat them well. You're constantly seeing restaurant and shop owners shooing them away as if they were vermin. Many of the older generation of Barcelonians are still getting used to the idea of immigrants and immigration. I noticed that anytime there was a petty crime committed or the influence of North America crept into the consumers market, it was inexplicably blamed on the immigrants-- specifically Moroccans and/or South/Central Americans.

Despite many of its pros and a few of its cons, Barcelona is a must visit city. I just wouldn't live there.

Pros:

Great weather, very scenic

Not too expensive for North American tourists

Great architecture

Great shopping

Lots of entertainment and sports appreciation

Plenty of good quality international cusine

Excellent transportation system

Cons:

High cost of living for residents

Bad local cuisine (pass on the Tapas restaurants)

Some people don't/won't speak standard Spanish

Some evidence of xenophobia

Drunk British tourists