Everything Barcelona

A City with Everything!

The most impressionable visits to a new city for me are when I come to it without any expectations! Embarrassed to say that I don’t have much knowledge about life and culture in Spain. Hence, the interest in visiting! How surprised was I to find how much art and “individuality” influences this city. Barcelona is the largest city in the Catalan region. Catalan is another surprising culture within Spain that I did not know about! So how lucky am I to have a cultural history lesson using all of my senses??? Art, Culture, Food, Sport, Open-air Museums, Beaches, and Nightlife! ALL in Barcelona!

Art
Crazy or Genius? I used to think Picasso and Dali were the former… but now I think they are genius! For me to come to this conclusion involved me going to their museums that exhibit their works the way they would like it and preferably with a guide.

Culture
Derived from the art history and strong Catalan pride, you wouldn’t really know what that all means until you visit. It sounds like a cop-out but isn’t that how you experience “culture?” Walking through thousand-year-old streets, looking at buildings that go from Gothic to modern and finding yourself in prime fashion shopping districts makes you forget how you even got there!

Food
Tapas! And my new favorite… Catalan food! Another unfortunate thing as a lone traveler is that eating alone is a reality. However, the wonderful thing is meeting new people to eat with! I really didn’t get a true taste of as much as I wanted because my last day in Barcelona was when I really tasted traditional Catalan cuisine in the best way possible… with friends outdoors. Something to try… Pa amb tomàquet

Sport

How can we forget that there was the 1992 Olympic stadium erected here. Like many modern Olympic stadiums of the past… it becomes transformed into a ghostly “museum.” More interesting is the sports complex in the center of town. I happened on a free World Woman’s Beach Volleyball competitions. Under the hot sun, I watched the Spanish women play their Japanese competitors.

Open-air Museums

Not to be missed is the open-air opportunities! Famously, Gaudi’s civic park design Park Guell is a must. Art you can touch and be fully encompassed. Your sense of hearing gets a fill from all the street musicians that obtain permits to play through out the park finding places where their music can be best expressed. In an amphitheater or outdoor concert park, you can bask in the beauty of Barcelona!

Beaches
Swim the Mediterranean! Again lucky to meet people to enjoy the warm waters not alone! The 1st dip into the Mediterranean off of the shores of Spain were with 2 PhD students (1 German, 1 Belgium) I met at the hostel! We jumped waves and swam in the most beautiful water that I had EVER seen! Yes! Why? It sparkled! As if some fairy magically filled the water with shimmery fairy dust! We were further East along the shore away from the party seen. The waters much cleaner and less infected with people! Although several days later I did spend a couple hours in on the busy West end of the beaches. And as expected… crowded and dirty.

Nightlife
Bars, Clubs, Cafes, Outdoor markets, & Street Shows! A European town open late with lots to do and see! Foreigners don’t feel lonely here as one can find parties with locals, transplants, and tourist from all parts of the world.