Now this was my favourite trip. We spontaneously booked flights while they were cheap and found an Airbnb hostel that was even cheaper. We decided to spend as little as possible on accommodation because we were all aware of how expensive Barcelona would be in comparison to Huelva. We landed in Barcelona quite late on the Friday night so we went straight to sleep ready for a full day of being tourists.
My friends knew some great brunch places, so we had our first meal in Brunch & Cake. This place is an instagrammer’s dream, the food was not only delicious but absolutely stunning. From here we wandered towards La Rambla, the main street, to have a look around the shops and restaurants. A quick stop at Sephora and then we headed for the food market. The market was packed full of people so it hard to see all the different food stalls but what we could see was amazing. There was such a diverse range of food and so many vibrant colours.
After this, we explored the older part of Barcelona before heading to Park Güell, the home of some of Gaudi’s work as well as a panoramic view of the city.
While I could talk about how beautiful this spot was for ages, I need to highlight something that happened after. We had been using the metro since we had arrived, and we were all completely aware that Barcelona is the pickpocket capital of the world, so we were being extra careful with our belongings. We all held our bags to our chests and looked out for each other. However, these pickpockets are real professionals. I recall a moment, while travelling to Park Güell, when a woman was attempting to get onto the metro as the doors were closing and a friend trying to help her. We all looked at them thinking ‘what on earth are they doing?’ but really thought nothing of it. Little did we know this was a distraction technique and while this was going on someone took my purse from my bag. Brilliant. We had gone around the whole of the park and it wasn’t until we returned to the metro station that I realised it was gone. I was gutted, but it was more annoying than anything because I had all sorts of cards in there (drivers license, NTU ID, hostel key card, debit cards) but absolutely no cash. So, I spent the next few hours cancelling cards and ordering new ones. I tried to enjoy the rest of the evening (we had the nicest dinner in Pasta Market, a small restaurant where you make your own pasta dish, choosing the pasta, sauce and toppings) and prepared myself to go on a night out, taking my passport as ID (not ideal).
However, when we returned to the hostel, on the glass door there was a note for us to go straight to the desk. We honestly thought we’d done something wrong and were prepared for a telling off. But you’ll never guess what. Someone had found my purse, with all its contents, and handed it in to lost property. ‘How did they know I was at the hostel?’ I thought. The hostel key card was in my purse! I was relieved. I spoke to someone in lost property on the phone and they said it was found on a metro platform (one I had never stopped at) and that it’s normal for pickpockets to throw purses and wallets as soon as they’re done with them to get rid of the evidence of their theft. LESSON – be extra EXTRA careful with your bag/phone when you’re in Barcelona and try not to carry cash. I had my Spanish debit card as well as a Revolut card and a Monzo card, which you can use freely in many different countries (I recommend getting one of them). It’s basically unheard of to get your stuff back in Barcelona so I’m very very lucky.
Anyway, after that drama, we went on a night out. It was so funny to be surrounded by stag dos, hen parties and groups of people from around the world. I had really high expectations for this night out because in Huelva they only ever played reggaetón and I needed some music in English. We waited an hour to get in and paid €20 entry (the most I’ve ever paid to get into a club) but it included a drink. We actually had a really good night and we went crazy when some classic British songs were played.
The next day we collected my purse from lost property and then made our way to another brunch place. Our aim for this day was to see the Arc de Triomf, the Sagrada Familia and go to a viewpoint called Los Bunkers. We had a really relaxed final day and were able to see everything we wanted to. We ended the day with a meal at a Mexican restaurant in the city centre and prepared for our flight in the morning.
One of the nicest things about this trip was being able to act like a tourist, taking lots of pictures, eating out for every meal and being able to speak English. From a language student point of view, I was fascinated by seeing and hearing the regional language of Catalan. It looked like a mixture between French and Spanish, which made it very easy for me to translate. But trying to interpret it was much harder. It sounds a lot different to Spanish. Regardless, it was really interesting to experience another dialect.
I would recommend Barcelona to anyone and everyone who wants to eat some good food, see some cool tourist attractions and be right on the beach. Is it the best place to practice your Spanish? Not at all. But did I have a great time? Absolutely.
Jess's year abroad blog 