The Final Week

A small post here just as I continue to exhibit insomnia.

As this is my final week, the countdown has begun, to try to do everything else that I haven't yet been able to do; to perhaps visit one of the coastal towns at some point; to eat at all the restaurants I have yet to check off on my restaurant list, including Cerveceria Catalana, a somewhat-mythical hotpost that was recommended to me a long time ago, and seemingly every day I plan to eat there (with no success).

I also have begun reflecting on my time here, and I realize that I am very ambivalent about going back home.

Barcelona is an amazing city with a system of parks and public spaces which rival anything in any city around the world. One of the people on the CELTA course said that they "fell in love" with the city when they looked down on the skyline from the top of the MNAC terrace in Montjuic, and to be sure, there are only a few cities which are designed to provide vistas of the surrounding area in such a spectacular way. San Francisco (among places I've visited) is one which comes to mind.

Like many cities in Europe, but perhaps to a greater degree, Barcelona blends its history with more modern city districts and amenities. It feels a little a musty and stuffy in the Gothic Quarter, but nowhere else.

So I am definitely going to miss walking up and down the Passeig de Gracia or along the beach.

But I can't say that I'm ready to live here, and so unlike some of the people I've met who have had to leave or are devestated at the thought, I will be glad to be going home for at least a little while.

Barcelona is an international city, but only in the sense that if you don't speak the language you are only "a little" fucked, as opposed to a lot. That said, if/when I come here again I'd hope to have a much better working knowledge of Spanish, so that I can actually converse with people here. This is certainly not a city where the population at large is welcoming to tourists. Especially living in the Gothic Quarter, I had to try to figure out how to avoid the ample tourist traps which overwhelmed the area.

Speaking of tourist traps, this just isn't a very safe city, and that's not something I can overlook. Every city has its bad neighborhoods, but this is the first city I've been to where in almost ANY neighborhood you have to be constantly vigilante and on guard with your belongings, or else they WILL be stolen. This is a problem in many European cities but it's something of a joke here.

 In Albany, I lost my wallet in the middle of a giant mall, and recovered it at the police station with nothing missing, down to the last penny.

In Sydney, I lost my wallet on a bus and was able to track it down to one of the stations later on that day, once again with nothing missing.

Here, I have had to CHAIN my wallet to my pantspocket because every time you take it out its an opportunity for somebody to snatch it, and there doesn't seem to be many people here who are willing or concerned enough to stop robberies from taking place. If you can't find your wallet here, don't bother looking in the police station. You're better off searching for it in a sewer along the Ramblas.

This isn't as major a factor as it sounds, anyway, though. I can deal with robbery attempts because I have dealt with robbery attempts (sort of).

Ultimately, I just don't think I find that I fit in with the culture of Barcelona, and even the expat culture as well, to really want to stay here for more than I have. Maybe I'll try explaining it in a later post.