Balance of first week in Barcelona
I have been in Barcelona for one week now. It has been a hectic week, with very long hours at work, a bit of walking through a cold city (well, cold when you come from the southern summers of Australia and Argentina) and a wealth of new “things” (smells, sounds, lights, etc).
What to make of this city? It’s ecclectic, busy, very busy and quite alive. It’s hard to put Barcelona in a catalogue of some sort. I think that there are many Barcelonas in one. A bit like Bellingen but just in a completely different scale (remember: Bellingen’s population: 2,600) 
I dare to make this comparison mostly because of the its ecclectic nature too. Ok, it might be pushing it a bit, I admit it (or maybe a lot).
On Sunday (the first day I was here) I wondered around the city, walked for around 5h (oh! now that I think about it, the same amount of time I spent walking today) mostly because the internet connection at the apartment wasn’t working, so instead of working I decided that I should spend some time wondering around because I might not get much opportunity to do this after Monday. I was right.
What I discovered from Barcelona that day is that there’s a lot of people here. It’s really, really busy. Maybe it’s because we’ve been living in the country and we are no longer used to seeing so many people but I was really surprised by the never ending flow of people, especially throughout the “old city” which is where I am staying.
The languages I heard spoken most were Spanish and Català of course but I was surprised to hear a lot more French (why should I though, it’s so close to France) and then English.
The light is also very different here than in Australia. It’s so much softer (funny note: I typed “software” instead of “softer” and I had to correct it twice. I really need to spend more time away from my computer! ). I left my sunnies back in Argentina as I thought I wouldn’t need them but if this had been Australia, I would be complaining. The combination of winter and probably the layers of smog, help keep the light very pleasant and endurable for a whole day without getting any signs of sunburn or discomfort.
In order to feed the millions of people (locals and visitors like myself), there’s tons and tons of places to eat. From small joints (“a hole in the wall” type place), to luxurius tapas restaurants, all the way to McDonalds and other food-contraptions. What I haven’t seen is the same level of clustering that you find in Sydney, with large neighbourhoods with specific types of cuisine, for example Leichhardt for Italian, etc. I guess I haven’t been much outside of the touristic areas of Barcelona.
I was saying at the beginning, it’s a very lively city. There’s always something happening it would seem. The cold doesn’t seem to deter street performers, musicians, etc. I am not sure if it’s due to the start of the “carnaval” season (which started yesterday, as far as I could understand) or if it’s just like that. Whatever the reason for it is, it’s nice to be walking around the city and always find something to stop for and watch or listen to for a while.
In contrast with the buzzing Rambla and Passeig de Gràcia, you can find completely desolated and empty streets in El Born, which is the neighbourhood where I am staying, which late at night, are a bit scary to be honest. I can barely imagine how it would have been before public lighting.
All and all, I am loving Barcelona. Unfortunately I am spending way too much time working and not enough wondering around however in just over a month I will be back with Danielle and Zeek, still for work, but with them I will be able to balance work and life better and spend a bit more time, in a warmer Barcelona too, wondering around, discovering museums and other fantastic amenities that Barcelona has to offer.
Tragedies from the distance
I have been in Barcelona for a couple of days now and from the distance I have been following the tragic news about bushfires back home, in Australia. It’s hard to believe that some of those fires could have been started by arsonists … what sort of sick mind could devise something like that? Like probably most people in Australia, it makes me very angry to think about that possibility.
It’s difficult to understand bushfires of that magnitude from a European winter though, with temperatures of 11ºC and gentle winds.
I actually started this post with more ideas in mind and I really don’t want to just write about the sadness and anger caused by the possibility that some sicko started fires that destroyed lives, houses, ecosystems.