A Solo Walk Through Spain: Reflecting on Barcelona

Hola Readers:

I am now on a train – writing offline - whisking me from Barcelona to San Sebastian. I’m about half way into the 5 ½ hour journey, and have enjoyed the opportunity to relax, read my book, take in the scenery and reflect on my days in Barcelona.

What a city! Having visited many major cities in Europe I can say with some confidence that Barcelona is truly a great blend of so many elements that make a European city intriguing (to me at least) – big, but not too big … deep historical roots, but with many modern elements … walkable … cultural, with great art, architecture, music and food … just great. Two of my former staff members at Ramah have a father who is a university professor/administrator, and who is a bit quirky. He won’t talk or think about experiences as he’s living them, but needs to wait until they have passed to reflect. While the concept of this blog is a clear sign that I don’t fully work in that way, I still thought, that with Barcelona now behind me, I would take a few moments to reflect on the highlights.

Top 10 Observations from Barcelona

The city is totally walkable! I am proud to share that during my entire stay I did not take one single taxi or metro ride, and that I did not use the bus either (outside of the tour bus used for the narration and the bus that dropped me off on day #1). It was great to walk – to feel alive and truly get a feel for the city, street names, etc. in a way that only happens on foot.
Travelers going solo, on a budget, or looking for a more authentic experience should certainly give thought to Guest House/B & B accommodations. My stay at Casa de Billy was particularly wonderful. It’s location on a main street, proximity to the train station and attentiveness of Billy and his assistant were much appreciated. While it lacked the full privacy of a hotel room, I was perfectly comfortable sharing a bathroom, enjoyed staying in a real Barcelona apartment and enjoyed the overall extra space (kitchen, dining room, etc.).
Definitely read The Shadow of the Wind while in the city. First off all, it has been a marvelous book so far and I am again thankful to Joel Stern for his recommendation. Second, it is just so cool to read a book that took place in Barcelona during the mid 20^th century with such clear references to streets and neighborhoods. I can really picture the action more accurately.
La Boqueria rocks! I have enjoyed my daily visits, and just can’t overemphasize how fantastic I find the wide selection of freshly squeezed juices … each for about one Euro (about $1.35). The juice is a perfect thirst quencher and a great way to taste local fruits at a wonderful price.
Love the wine and its price. I still can’t get over the fact that a glass of wine costs about the same as a bottle of water in most restaurants that I visited. ..and it’s good too.
The city and her neighborhoods are so diverse. I was awed by how each section of the city has its own distinct personality. The Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter) is certainly old and winding with much history, Eixample is a bit more upscale with a couple of streets that are the Park Avenue/Beverly Drive/Champs Elysees of Barcelona, La Rambla/Raval is definitely the happening spot for tourists similar to 3^rd Street in Santa Monica and Ben Yehuda in Jerusalem and when you enter Barceloneta you are immediately transported to a marina/beach environment like Santa Monica, Venice or Yaffo.
The art – both in museums and in architecture – has been wonderful. Granted I’m a particular fan of Dali and Picasso, but I’m more impressed with the overall artistic feel of the city. Due to the architecture art is truly not restricted to a museum. Park Guell is a fantastic case in point, and a great place to walk around and get lost in the world of Gaudi.
The dining has been wonderful, despite my restrictions with kashrut and being a picky eater. Sadly these challenges don’t really allow me to take advantage of the whole “tapas” scene, but I have been quite happy with the range of fish dishes I’ve eaten. I definitely recommend that future travelers stop by Manuela Can in Barceloneta, Café d’Libertat in Barri Gotic & Fonda Gaig in upper Barceloneta.
I am quite impressed with Barcelona’s attention to conservation and the environment. First off, there are public trash cans all over leaving little excuse to throw litter onto the ground. Second, their public recycling system is quite impressive. Most streets have a set of enormous color coded bins on them where people can take their trash and sort according to paper, plastic, food, etc. I understand this system is recent, but that is unimportant at this point. Third, I was pleased to see that several restaurants have bathroom lights that are either controlled by a sensor or are typically off unless in use. Great!
The language issues I anticipated are not panning out, and have been replaced by an odd habit I’ve developed. I was expecting to really struggle to communicate since I don’t speak Spanish (surprising considering my extensive use in these postings). I really haven’t been challenged since typically someone in most restaurants speaks English, and a lot can be communicated through gestures on the streets. I was expecting to bump into some sort of regular stream of Israelis traveling the country and speaking Hebrew, and have been surprised by the rarity of these run-ins and the few times I hear Hebrew used when eavesdropping on conversations. Where are the Israelis (outside of the one who worked at Ramah one summer and the two who sat next to me to Figueres)? At the same time, I’ve developed a habit of allowing Hebrew to fly out of my mouth when I’m trying to communicate with the locals. I guess my brain simply processes that it should not send English out of my mouth, so Hebrew emerges as the next best thing. Seriously – I am more inclined to say “ken” or “lo” than “si” or “no.” Very bizarre.