It’s been over a week since I’ve left Barcelona now, but it remains unbeaten as my favorite city so far on this trip. The most obvious thing to like about Barcelona is that it is just really beautiful. The city is known for its architecture, and if nothing else the buildings are stylistically very unique. The modernist style that sprouted in the early 20th century has left Barcelona with iconic structures (many if not most from Gaudi) like the Palau de la Musica, Casa Mila, Casa Batllo, and of course the Sagrada Familia. The city layout also makes for a very pleasant walking experience. Barcelona has charming narrow shaded side streets that are a pleasure to walk in especially when the Mediterranean sun becomes overbearing, but even the thoroughfare of La Ramblas, perpetually crawling with tourists, still has an indisputable charm.
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| Clockwise from the upper left: side streets, traditional “shitter” figurines… I don’t understand it either, La Ramblas |
Shaping a big part of the Barcelona city culture is its Catalan identity. Many residents swear by Catalan as their mother tongue, and some even desire a clean split with Spain to form an independent Catalunya. For many overseas tourists (i.e. me), it is initially disorienting to have come expecting Spanish but see all the street signs and labels in Catalan, and have the yellow and red striped Catalan flag far outnumber Spanish flags. The Catalan people seem to hold on to a pride of a rich legacy in which the Aragonese Empire (which was eventually incorporated into the Spanish Kingdom) had once been a (perhaps the) dominant presence in the Mediterranean. However Barcelona is undoubtedly also forward-looking. It is one of the earliest and most industrialized cities in all of Europe, and today also seems to be a leader in fashion and artistic taste. I couldn’t help but notice that people here not only dressed well, but also were very trendy. I think the utopic Mediterranean climate might have a hand in allowing Barcelonans to be more fashion forward.
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| A seemingly spontaneous Sunday swing dance session in a public square in Gracia |
Speaking of the weather, it’s hard to stay away from Barcelona’s beautiful sandy beaches (even though the sand is imported) since everyday here seems to bring perfect sunny beach weather. It’s hard to beat getting some seafood paella by the sea, and then soaking up some sun and maybe taking a dip in the water. However, if you want to avoid the locals, it seems like the beach is the spot. I heard English, French, Italian being spoke, but it seemed like not one local was in the sand, or they were just very quite and the tourists are much more obnoxious. As I walked back to the metro, I happened on a very sleek looking office building just overlooking the beach. I was surprised to find that it housed a biomedical research park! It gives me hope that I can maybe one day do my postbac or a sabbatical here…
A special mention must be made for the Sagrada Familia. As cliche as it sounds, the Sagrada was the highlight for Barcelona for me. This was unexpected because I actually thought the church was quite strange-looking and even ugly, with its famous facade that seemed like it was a living bed of dripping moss. However, once I made it inside the church, I completely changed my mind. Gaudi’s masterful plan for the lighting of the basilica interior is splendidly realized, and it’s probably the most breath-taking church I’ve ever been to.
So moral of the story, if you ever get the chance, don’t miss out on Barcelona!
Jack Wang 