What I Wish I Knew Before I Lived in Barcelona

No matter how much I planned or how much research I did, there were somethings that I simply missed before I moved to Barcelona. Some are things only the locals know, some are things that I should have known but didn’t, either way I felt that I should share them with you so you don’t get left out in the proverbial cold on your own Barcelona adventure.

T-10: Riding the Metro is the fastest way to get around the city and compared to the rates Americans pay for similar services its down right cheap, but depending on which ticket you choose you could end up wasting a lot of money. The T-10 card is by far the best option, even though you might be tempted to get a T-50 for long-term travelers, don’t it’s a waste and if you lose the ticket you’re out of luck. Whatever you do though don’t be suckered into buying a one-way ticket…

Language: A big reason I went to Barcelona was to learn Spanish and live near the sea, I only accomplished one of those feats. While Spanish is understood and spoken in the city, the first and preferred language is Catalan follow distantly by English and Spanish depending on where you are in the city. Case and point the minutes it was discovered I spoke English that was the only language spoken to me. If you really want to learn Castellano, go to Madrid.

Theft: While Americans are warned time and again about thieves before going to Europe we still manage not to listen. The fact is the theft here is on another level and good thieves make a nice living off unsuspecting tourists, even locals fall victim. Although nothing happened to me (as I was already hyper-sensitive to theft thanks to Paris) many people I knew had something of theirs taken while riding the Metro or walking in tourist packed areas.

Huelga/Vaga: These words both mean the same thing, strike, and you should make absolutely sure you know them before going. Whenever a strike takes place the Metro doesn’t shut down it simply runs at a lessened capacity, which means you’ll wait 3x the amount of time plus pack yourself tighter than a sardine can. If you’re claustrophobic you might want to stick to walking, as most of the city streets will get blocked in some up in some form.

Technology: If you find yourself needing a new laptop or camera be warned its going to cost you way more than it will at home. Not only will it cost quite a lot more the technical specs will also fall far short of what your used to getting. Some deals can be found (try Les Encants) but for the most part you’ll never find a good deal. Don’t think about having friends ship you goods from the US either as you’ll actually end up paying more in shipping and taxes then you would have if you simply bought it from Miro.

Sunday: Spain is a Catholic Nation and Sunday is still held as a family day even for those who are no longer practicing Catholics. What does this mean for you, well for one the city basically shuts down meaning if you need to get to the grocery store you should probably do it on Saturday. Most places in the city center are still open but the tourist zones usually charge far more than what is reasonable.

Interior Rooms: This is a term I never heard before I moved here, but you’ll get used to it in no time. The Interior Room is one on the inside of the apartment, which means that while it may have a window that window will open up into an elevator shaft meaning fresh air and natural sun light will never grace your room. What you will get is unending noise from people shambling in at all hours of the night and a stale musky air that’ll waft in from time to time. Do yourself a favor a pay the little bit extra for a room that gets a little sunlight.
Manners: The Spanish are an extremely friendly bunch, but are also very short. This usually comes across as rude to most Americans but you shouldn’t concern yourself with it. The please and thank yous really will never come out and the wait staff will usually prompt you with “dime” (tell me), but it’s just their way. Although you should be ready when they do ask because if you aren’t it’ll take forever for them to get back around to you.

Holidays: This one I am still trying to figure out, but to make things simple Spain has tons and tons of national holidays, as do each of the individual region and this includes Catalonia. Basically you need to have some friends in the know or else you’ll find yourself locked out of many buildings on a random Tuesday afternoon.

Siesta: I knew about the siesta long before I ever made it to Spain, but I really didn’t understand what it meant. It sounds like a wonderful thing that in the middle of each day for a few hours everyone takes a break, the only problem is that when everyone takes a break at the same time nothing is open. This problem will happen every single day, so if you were hoping to get something done around 1-4 (it really depends on the business) you’ll just have to suck it up and wait it out.