10 Interesting Facts About Barcelona

When I posted the second part of my Paris photo diary {Paris State of Mind » Simple Pleasures} two weeks ago, many of you requested to see Barcelona next. My guess is that this desire had something to do with Lionel Messi. 

Being the good person that I am, I obeyed. For those of you awaiting a continuation of last week's topic, don't fret. I thought I would give your brains a rest this week and discuss a less controversial matter.

Barcelona was the twenty-third stop on our European adventure last summer. I'm sure I'll get some hate for the following sentence, but I have to be honest. I was not very impressed with this city. I imagine the scorching heat played its part. Another theory is that I had exceptionally high expectations after hearing over and over and over again about how amazing Barcelona is. I cannot argue its appeal: beaches, nightlife, architecture and shopping are all valid points, but there just wasn't that initial connection like in Paris or Cinque Terre or Dubrovnik. So while the city is, indeed, beautiful, and we had a lovely time during our stay, Barcelona is not on the top of my "most amazing cities ever" list. I will say, however, should the opportunity present itself, I'm willing to give this city a second chance.

So we stayed for four days with a friend of a friend of a friend. The upside of this arrangement was that it provided a more authentic experience of Barcelona. In seeking advice about where to go, what to see, etc., we learned a lot of surprising and interesting facts about Barcelona, and I decided to bestow this knowledge to you.

1. Surprising as it is, Barcelona is not Spain, but Catalunya, which is an autonomous Spanish county that is considered a separate nationality. In fact, many Barcelonians take great offense at being referred to as Spanish. This fact was a bit shocking to us ignorant folk, seeing that we were under the impression of having arrived in Spain.
2. Bullfighting is banned in Barcelona. Locals despise it, and it only appeals to ignorant tourists {of which I am one}. Go to Madrid for bullfighting. Unfortunately for us, we visited Madrid before coming to Barcelona and were unaware of this little fact ahead of time.
3. Flamenco is typically thought of as a traditional Spanish dance. Surprise, surprise – it is not traditional, nor well known in Barcelona. Go to Madrid for an authentic flamenco experience. Again, this information came to us by way of busted hopes and dreams. {Sensing a pattern here?}
4. Barcelona beaches are some of the best ranked beaches in the world. Ironically, I was unimpressed. Other than the herds of topless bathers, they were not very different from Florida beaches, and that, my friends, is not a standard to aspire to. {No offense to my Floridian readers.} 
5. In May of 2013, Barcelona's famous Columbus Monument, located on one of the most popular streets in the city, was chosen by Nike to unveil the new Barça jersey as part of a publicity stunt. It just so happened that at this time we were on our way to the Barcelona port to board a 14-day Mediterranean cruise. Needless to say, {but clearly I'm going to say it anyway}, it was a strange sight to see such a historical figure in a soccer jersey. {Talk about effective PR…}
6. Tapas bars are one of the most popular cuisine options in Barcelona. Known in the U.S. as "small plates," tapas offer a wide variety of snacks or appetizers served on small plates and accompanied by wine. Just be prepared to pay a pretty penny for it, as the average small plate starts around 10 euros. The least expensive option is a stand-up tapas bar. The next least expensive option is a table inside a restaurant. The most expensive option is a table outdoors. This price structure is typical in most food establishments across Europe.
7. Shops in Barcelona do not open until around lunchtime, if not later. We found this out the hard way – we spent nearly three hours, luggage in hand, waiting for a store to open so we could buy a SIM card, so we could contact a friend, who would then contact her friend, who then contacted their friend and asked if they would take us in. I'm all for spontaneity, but in that moment I definitely questioned our sanity.
8. The fashion brand MANGO was founded in Barcelona. There are at least seven stores in the city alone, plus the most amazing MANGO Outlet in the history of outlets. Too bad we had no extra space in our two tiny suitcases.
9. The majority of tourist attractions in Barcelona were created by the same person: Antoni Gaudi. While I like to think of myself as somewhat of an art connoisseur, the following sentences will probably have you thinking otherwise. Once you've seen one of his works, you've pretty much seen them all.
10. Barcelona, much like all of Europe, has an alarming number of gypsies whose mission in life is to haggle you to death. All I can say about this is, "I wish you the best of luck! Don't make eye contact."

I must confess. This post took a far more negative approach than I initially intended, so I feel the need to reiterate that Barcelona is, indeed, a beautiful city. If you happen to be planning a trip there, I will be happy to offer advice {I promise to keep my negativity to myself.} I realize I initially promised 10 interesting facts about Barcelona, but I just thought of one more! Contrary to popular believe, the Spanish {as opposed to the Catalans} pronounce "Barcelona" with a "th" sound, as opposed to an "s" sound.

Have you ever been to Barcelona? Do you want to go?

And while we're at it, which city would you like to see highlighted next? Let's see, here's what I have left: Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Brussels, Rome, Pisa, Amalfi, Madrid, Porto and Zurich. What's your vote? To explore my other travels, head over to the Travels page.