In the last chapter I will tell you more how I spent my free time.😎
Barcelona was without a doubt a priceless and lifetime experience. Including when I almost lost my mind searching for a decent and relatively cheap place to stay. Mostly because renting a room for around 500 € per month is regarded as a good option.
La gatita "helped" me with cooking :D
I explored Barcelona all around. But what made my experience so much more rich were the people I met and all the "adventures" we had together. When I was in the mood for a walk or a run I was impressed by the views from the nearby mountains and the discovered city suburbs.
The English speaking Catholic Community in Barcelona is amazing. Enjoyed so much at Potluck Lunch at parish Maria Reina. What a delicious array of food from all over the world! 💗
Girls just wanna have fun. ^^ At "Montserrat trip" organised by IESE MBA students.
I've learned a lot about Argentinians too :D
Sunset at the Bunkers ^^
Since I cannot do without athletics I joined athletic club KNLTS. We trained mostly at the stadium CEM La Mar Bella. It's my favorite and the most beautiful stadium I've ever been to. Blue track, surrounded with palm trees just about 100 m from the sea. Also the gym next to it is pretty nice, just a little small. But hey, they have a glass wall with the view of the sea.
The stadium ^^
My Catalan vocabulary was improved mostly because KNLTS' middle distance group
I also traveled to the north and spoiled my taste buds with traditional Spanish food, like pintxos. I could say I had just adjusted to living in the city, and then my internship came to an end. But still I experienced a lot and I am so grateful for it. And here is a short "to do" and "not to do" list when you end up in Barcelona. Use it wisely :D
Walking along the "the Great wall of Girona"
Let's start with the lucky 13 "things to do":
1. Before you go to a Spanish speaking country first do at least a short course and learn some basic Spanish/Catalan (Hello/Good morning/Goodbye/Thank you/Please/I would like/Can I/ I need/Where is…?/Do you speak…?) words and some easy sentences.
2. Take the public transportation - The metro is the best option if you want to travel from one side of the city to another .
3. Exchange 2 kisses when introduced. Not more. 😗😗
4. Get used to people crossing the street despite the red light and the flickering traffic lights.🙅
For those who really like the flickering traffic lights, you can enjoy it here. Well, in Slovenia we don't have that kind of system yet, but I know for some people who would desperately like to include it.
5. Validate your ticket every time you enter the bus/train.
One thing that might bother some inhabitants or tourists is that you have to validate your ticket every time you enter the bus/tram. Besides using the Ferrocarils trains, which are faster and with less stops, you have to validate the ticket also leaving the train. And if you buy a 3-month ticket like I did, this tiny piece of paper ends up in a pretty bad shape. So that's why I needed to ask for a duplicate of my 3-month card.
6. Participate in local events, become a volunteer...
Like I mentioned in my previous posts, Spanish people do have a lot of bank holidays. Especially in autumn, there are many and you can easily take part in some festivals. For example there was one big one on the 24th of September called La Mercè. It is the annual festival (in Catalan called "festa major") of the city of Barcelona. Very Spanish, the festivities begin a few days beforehand. It was my first time seeing the fireworks going on constantly for almost an hour. When they celebrate a festival, they do it all the way.
Volunteering at Cottolengo del Padre Alegre was such a rich experience. This place welcomes abandoned, mentally affected and mostly needed people.
7. Try Catalan specialties (Cava; Cacaolat; Pa Amb Tomaquet; Romesco, Crema Catalana; Arròs negre, Patatas bravas; Churros..). Not much to say. You have to try it! :P
8. Get used to the different meaning of “punctuality. A half an hour delay is quite normal.
9. Take a spontaneous walk in Park Güell. Guess what, at the end I was really lucky with the location of my apartment. I took me just 15-20 minutes walking to enter Park Güell. Priceless.
The view from Park Güell
10. Beach volley. I planned to do it more often but in the end I did it just once. But it was a great experience and when visiting BCN it is a must.
11. Negotiate the price at Souvenir shops.
It makes me smile even when I just read the sentence above. I realized that negotiation is kind of my thing. I enjoyed improving my negotiation tactics when buying souvenirs, that even my friends noticed I was good at it.
12. Run in the park Cuitadella.
During these 3 months this was the park where I spend most of my time. Usually running there with my friends from the athletics club. With a few laps it's big enough even for a 10 km run.
13. Be impressed by the architecture.
Barcelona is so big that you need at least one week just walking to observe the awesome architecture. When you don't have that much time an easy walk through the Gothic Quarter is also a good choice.
💀💀And now, 12 things you "should not do/ no need to be surprised by"💀💀 :
1. Eat in las Ramblas.
Unless the money is not an issue.
2. Leave shopping for Sunday. There are really very few stores open on Sundays, so don't count on it.
3. Go shopping between 2 and 4 pm.
It's time for SIESTA.
4. Keep your phone or wallet in your back pockets!
The thieves are waiting for you everywhere. But mostly at the beach, on the metro, in parks or elsewhere.
5. Drink alcohol in the streets.
It's forbidden by the law.
6. Enter the bus using the second or third entrance. Like in Slovenia, the entrance is just at the front door.
7. Cross the street once the green light begins to flicker.
Take into account that the traffic won't wait for you.
Take into account that the traffic won't wait for you.
8. Be surprised by the cultural diversity in Barcelona!
The easiest way to observe the cultural mix in Barcelona is when you see what people are wearing. On the same day, some of them wearing a coat, scarf, boots or even gloves, others still enjoying the summer outfits. Well, usually I found myself something in between. But I was absolutely in shock when I noticed ZARA and H&M started with coats, boots, scarfs at the end of September. The temperature during those days was still around 28° C.
9. Expect warm apartments when living in an old part of Barcelona. I was so wrong about surviving with mostly summer-autumn clothes for the fall in Barcelona. The weather in the second part of October and on some days in November was really shitty. Lower temperatures, thunderstorms, lot's of unexpected rainfalls. When staying in BCN in Autumn you have to be aware that apartments (especially the old ones) are not made for rainy and cold days. The walls are thin and they start heating the apartments only in December, so until then, it' up to you to make yourself a warm home ;) So I needed to buy myself a lot of winter clothes and stuff like that. Also as locals say the weather has changed a lot over the past few years. They are not used having so many rainy days and they are not prepared. Neither are the streets.
10. Worry too much about anything.
Spanish people are very understanding. Whatever happens, even though the nature of speaking is sometimes very rough they don't usually mean it. But they have a strong character, that's very true.
When the kitchen at Natural Machines turns to a messy, dirty, sometimes even smelly place and we don't care.
11. Shopping on Black Friday except if you are ok with too many people and a low level of oxygen. Give yourself a Green Friday instead. Explore some green areas Barcelona offers.
Beautiful lake in park Cuitadella
12. Take photo with an artist dressed as a clown/decorated with flowers unless you want to pay for it. When visiting the city center you will meet a lot of artists, especially in front of the cathedral, Plaza Nueva is full of them. But it's nice to just sit down there, enjoying lunch or just a coffee with a pretty unusual view.
I will finish off here. Well, this is my last post about Barcelona, so I will sum up my Spanish story with one phrase: Los momentos mas simples son los mejores de la vida. Barcelona, you treated me well!
Comments
Post a Comment