The Capital of Catalonia: Barcelona, Spain

Gaudí's Sagrada Família

City: Barcelona, Spain

Length of Visit: 1 day

Primary Language: Catalan. I know. You think it would be Spanish, but it's not. However, if you do want to speak Spanish most people know it and will communicate with you.

Known For:
Being the capital of Catalonia as I mentioned in the title of this post, Antoni Gaudí buildings (most well known is La Sagrada Família), Camp Nou (the largest stadium in Europe and also home to FC Barcelona), and having the busiest European passenger port, for, you know, cruise ships and stuff.

Notable Places:
La Rambla and Plaça de Catalunya, Gothic Quarter (the old city center), Arc de Triomf, Plaça de Espanya/Palau Nacional/Font Mágica. I hate to be redundant here, but La Sagrada Família, Camp Nou, and the Port of Barcelona (which contains Maremagnum, the only mall open all days of the year) also make this list.

Plaça de Catalunya

City Atmosphere:
It was... Magical. I thought Barcelona had the perfect blend of local flavor and tourist attractions. It balances the historic with the modern, keeping hold of its rich past (home to many World Heritage sites) while still allowing people to live in the age of today, as seen by its up-to-date airport, bustling port, and many shopping centers. In the three weeks I spent in Europe, and of all the places I visited, Barcelona was second only to Monaco when it came to the cities I thought most beautiful.


Cuisine:

Chocolate milk + cañas

Unfortunately, the one day I spent in Barcelona was a Sunday so many of the local shops and restaurants were closed. And since I only spent one day, I didn't have that much of an opportunity to try the food. However, I will say that pastries, like croissants, cañas, and baguettes were extremely affordable and delicious. They have a lot of great deals involving a coffee and croissants. I was also able to try a candy bar: the Kinder Bueno. According to one of my friends who was studying abroad there, Kinder Buenos are extremely popular and can be found in almost any vending machine at transportation locales like metro stations and the airport. They're cheaper if you buy them from a supermarket, but not any less delicious!

Spanish omelette

Kinder bueno bar :)

As for actual food, the one meal I ate in Barcelona consisted of paella and tapas. I had a Spanish omelette and a sausage of some sort. I'm not sure if other restaurants had been open whether I would have eaten there or not but thank goodness for Café Tomate. It being Sunday, everything was closed. Luckily I was able to find an open restaurant, with English menus, and even got to watch some of a Switzerland vs. Ecuador World Cup match. Plus it started raining shortly after I sat down so this place was like a little safe haven in an unknown world. It was very tourist friendly, and at that point, it's exactly what I needed.

People:
Since it was a Sunday, there weren't too many people out and about. For the most part, people minded their own business. There were a bunch of Swiss soccer fans in a restaurant I was in (see "Cuisine" above) who were a bit on the loud side, but it was World Cup season so I can't really blame them.

One thing I want to note is that the hotel staff was extremely accomodating. The original hotel I was supposed to stay in had some plumbing problems and was too full what with moving all the existing guests to dry rooms. However, because it was a chain of hotels, the front desk attendant had me upgraded to the higher end hotel within the company. Kudos to Sunotel for their excellent service and management of an unfortunate situation. Plus the new hotel had a rooftop pool :)

Public Transportation:

Camp Nou, easily reachable by Metro

The metro is a great way to get around and provided easy transport to and from my hotel and destinations. However, some of the lines can get a few confusing because they are train lines and not metro lines. If you're trying to transfer lines to certain locations, make sure to read the map carefully. And if you know you're transferring from metro line to metro line but encounter a need to exit the metro area to transfer, you probably have the wrong line. Take a second peek. Naturally, most metro, subway, and underground frequenters know that transferring doesn't require you to exit, but for those of you who are unfamiliar or who are traveling with companions who don't understand how these things work, keep this in mind for some of the larger stations you go to.

Weather:
I'm really not joking about this umbrella thing (see entry in "Cuisine" above).

Favorite Place(s):
Due to the shortness of my stay in this city, I don't think I could really tell you what my favorite place in Barcelona is. However, my favorite experience was the Font Màgica show by far. In the summer seasons, this show runs Thursday to Sunday nights starting at 9pm. And lasts 2.5 hours. If you get there early, you can park yourself somewhere with a good view. Another option is to arrive a bit later and take the spots of those who left due to the sheer length of the show. Either way, it's a great production with water, light, and music... definitely worth checking out.

Font Màgica

Like I've already mentioned, I only had the opportunity to spend one day in Barcelona, so the things I got to see were very limited. In addition, my travel companion was less than willing to stand in lines or pay for attractions so that also limited what I saw. However, had I had the time and a more adventurous escort, and visited on a day when things were actually open, I would have taken the advantage to go inside La Sagrada Família (and some of Gaudí's other works), take a tour of Camp Nou, walked around the Gothic Quarter more, visit a few museums, and hit the beach. Only then would I really be able to accurately tell you what my favorite place was.


Tips:
The meal times tend to be a little bit later than traditional American dining hours. Also, if you can, try to visit the city not on a Sunday. If you do go on a Sunday, make sure you stay until Monday so things actually open up. Most of the tourist attractions are still available, but finding food proved to be a little difficult.

Palau Nacional

Before my trip I was told that Barcelona had a lot of pickpockets. I didn't have any trouble during my one day there, but I guess this is just something to be aware of. Unlike Paris, they don't have signs everywhere you go. Basically as long as your smart about it, don't put your wallet in your back pocket, don't leave your purse dangling in a restaurant, keep all of your bags in front of you in crowded places, etc., you should be just fine.

Lastly, Barcelona (and Catalonia as a whole it seems) is very proud of their independence. Just take note of that cultural aspect and don't assume that just because Barcelona is in Spain that all customs are the same. Maybe learn a few phrases in Catalan too. It will definitely help you read the street signs.