Barcelona: vibrant city with famous architecture and seaside

Arrival and first impressions

As I arrived at the train station in Barcelona, I had the feeling that I was at an airport and had just landed. But no, it was “just” the main train station, similarly to Madrid, it looked like an airport. I contacted my host to see if I can already go to the Airbnb, which was just a few stops by subway. I already experienced some culture shocks, although I wasn’t new in the country; but I quickly realized that it was not the same culture as in Madrid. People didn’t speak Spanish, but Catalan, even in the subway! They weren’t so well-dressed as in the capital city, they were rather like the people in Berlin. In fact, the whole city reminded me of the German capital city where I lived for more than a year. But Barcelona also seemed to be a huge party to me. People were loud, they played music all the time in the subway, everything was vibrant, day and night… The neighborhood of my Airbnb wasn’t so good, the streets were dirty and there were some strange people, it wasn’t nice walking around. But I only walked to the supermarket or to the subway station there and rather spent as much time as possible in the famous parts of the city. My Airbnb was okay, nothing special. All in all, I had the feeling that this city is totally overpriced because of the lot of tourists. Even public transport was much more expensive than in Madrid. At least they speak English basically everywhere, so you don’t have to worry about the language in this city. Just be prepared that in the subway, you’re going to hear only Catalan…

The famous architecture of Barcelona

On the first day of my visit to Barcelona, I went to see some famous Gaudi buildings. It was at the weekend, so the famous places were quite crowded. The weather was relatively warm and mostly sunny, it was of course a bit different than in Madrid, as I was so close to the sea! The best part of the sightseeing was the visit to the famous Basílica de la Sagrada Família where I had purchased a ticket before my trip. I recommend you buy your ticket as soon as you know, when you’d travel to Barcelona, because this place is incredibly popular, and no wonder why. I haven’t seen such a church in my life, even though I had visited the basilica in Cologne and in Milan. The architecture of La Sagrada is very special, both from outside and from inside. Some people might say that it’s too much, but it is indeed a very special feeling to walk around in this huge church, with so many colors and decorations. I also had to sit down – as most visitors did – to have a closer look at the ceiling. After having spent an hour inside the basilica, I realized that there was a museum under the ground, and it was also included in the ticket. There I could read about the construction process of the church, about its architect and its architecture, design, etc. By the way, did you know that the construction hasn’t been finished yet? It is also a very interesting fact about the place. Later, I went back to the basilica when it was already dark, to see it with the illuminations. One night, the weather was rather cool and windy, it was the middle of the week, so there weren’t many people outside. Someone played beautiful violin music in front of the church, and it was a very special feeling to be there, to look at this masterpiece and feel that time has just stopped for a bit.

The beach of Barcelona – in January

I was so excited that the sea was so close that I went to the seaside several times during my one-week-long stay in Barcelona. The first time was during the day, around noon, between my morning and afternoon lessons. It was a sunny January day, although very windy, especially near the sea, but the sun was strong and warm. First, I was walking along the port and observed the many spectacular ships which were there from different countries. I was amazed by the palm trees, the big ships, the whole promenade. And it was just the beginning! As I walked further and crossed the street – with busy traffic – I could glance at the sea, the beach. My first feeling was that I had missed it so much! It was a little bit like a ceremony to get closer and closer to the sea, to enjoy the warm sunshine on my skin, to feel the wind on my face and to enjoy that spectacular view. I was so lucky to walk along the water, in such weather, in January! It was funny to see that some people were only wearing shorts and T-shirt (I even saw a woman in bikini), some were wearing winter coats – just like me, coming from Hungary and travelling from Madrid to Barcelona. Many people enjoyed the January sunshine at the beach. I just wondered how this place looked like in the summer, in the peak season. Well, I was lucky to be there in the winter, it was crowded enough for me. The sun was so strong that my sensitive eyes hurt a bit, even in good-quality sunglasses! Anyway, I went back to this place two more times, and it became one of my favorites of the city. No wonder, as I love the sea so much!

Some more places to discover

There are some famous places in Barcelona that are must-see, if you visit this city. One of them is the Park Güell, which I couldn’t visit, unfortunately. Somehow, I hadn’t thought that I would need a ticket to visit a park…, and when I walked up the hill and wanted to enter the place, I was told that all the tickets had been sold out for the day. Well, I could have gone back on one of the days, but I was quite disappointed and found the ticket too pricy anyway. I decided to visit many other places in the city, where no ticket was required. For instance, I went to the well-known and popular market of Barcelona, the Mercat de la Boqueria. It was beautiful and so colorful with the many different products such as fruits, oils, different types of spices, traditional food, etc. I also bought a few things as gifts for my family. If you want to bring home something special from Barcelona, I recommend this place to buy gifts.

Besides these places, I also visited the Olympic Park as well as some other parks, squares and the main shopping street in the downtown. I really enjoyed walking around there, even if I just bought some postcards or something small. In Barcelona, you can see palm trees everywhere, also in such a street or in the middle of a roundabout. As there are many restaurants and different places there, I went back to this place several times during my visit. Friday was my last day in Barcelona and the city was already crowded with tourists. I didn’t mind teaching in the afternoon and then leaving the city early on the next morning.

Flying home and conclusions

It was very early on Saturday, when I had to go to the airport. Luckily, I only had to walk a bit and there was a direct subway which took me to the airport. Be careful, because you need an extra ticket for that ride! Although I’ve been flying quite a lot in the last years, I have never experienced something like that at Barcelona airport: there was the same line for all the Wizzair flights and people were lining up with their check-in bags in long lines, without knowing how long it would take. There were no staff to ask and no self-baggage drop-off options.  They opened two other check-in counters for last-minute destinations and constantly change which destination is that one. It was just incredible! I lined up for one entire hour, and when I asked the staff about the security and my worries that it would take so long, the man told me in a super relaxed way not to worry, as I still had plenty of time. Well, I was honestly lucky to leave this chaotic country, even if it was interesting and beautiful. But you definitely need strong nerves to travel there! All in all, I liked Madrid much more than Barcelona. I know it might sound surprising, but for me, Madrid was safer, tidier, more European than Barcelona. In Barcelona, I was quite shocked how dirty the streets are, the air didn’t feel clean, the people were strange, and I didn’t feel very safe when walking around on my own, especially in the neighborhood where I stayed (and it doesn’t count as a bad neighborhood). For me, everyday culture was also similar to the one in Berlin. Both cities are very liberal, people are easy-going and careless, everything is possible. That can be good, but for me, it was rather too extreme, in both cities. Madrid reminded me of a typical European metropole and capital city. It was just normal but spiced up with the Spanish culture

Some tips, if you visit Barcelona

Plan what you definitely want to visit and buy your ticket online to the La Sagrada Família and eventually to the Park Güell.

It’s worth buying a 10-ride-ticket for the public transport, although you might not need it, if you stay in the downtown. But the distances can be long, and the subway system is good, you can basically get everywhere by subway. I only used this type of transportation during my 8-day-long stay. You need a separate, more expensive ticket from and to the airport. You can easily purchase your tickets at the automats of the subway stations.

People do speak English, but you might only hear Catalan while using the public transport. Don’t worry, just follow the signs and use Google Maps! 😊

Everywhere will be loud and people will be very open. They might crash into you and not say a word. Don’t be surprised, for them it’s normal and they don’t say sorry.

You will have dinner later, usually around 9 p.m. (or even later, if you want). Most of the places only open at 8:30 p.m.

It’s worth booking a table if you want to eat out, especially at night. The places I visited all had the option of online reservation. It’s easy and convenient. Just search for it on the internet!

And finally, be prepared that the whole city is like a huge party. Don’t expect a peaceful, restful holiday, but a lot of fun. Try to enjoy the vibes of the city! 😊