I am not
gonna tell you how beautiful Barcelona is. I believe you know it well. I am not
gonna tell you how nice and fun loving Spaniards are because this I believe you
have also noticed. What I would like to
tell you is that Barcelona is not so happy with your visit. Nope,
this is not a joke.
Recently I
came across few articles about the bad effect a mass tourism has on the Catalan
capital and how much locals are pissed
off of it (link to this articles you can
find here: Bloomberg and here: Economist). I am not a person that
easily believes in written words but this is what I found out when I was in
Barcelona for a weekend:
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| Barcelona, 2015 |
You might
think it pissed me off, because I am a tourist. I came to Barcelona for a lazy
weekend to see some nice things, eat some good food and buy some crappy
souvenirs. They should be happy to get my money that I have spent on food,
hostel, public transportation and so on.
But
honestly this message didn’t even upset me. At least not that much. Before I saw this sign I was already able to notice that mass tourism is in fact destroying
Barcelona. No, not killing it, because it
gives the city the other, second life:
loud, chaotic and commercial. In the city center it is easier to find Burger
King, KFC, MC Donald’s, Starbucks or Costa than a place to get some decent Spanish
coffee or churros. Fast food chains are ubiquitous and full of people. All day and night the main tourist routes are bursting
at the seams. Some visitors are incredibly annoying, loud, drunk and rude. Market La Boqueria is so crowded that buying
something is actually quite a challenge...
Each time I visit a new city I like to sit on a
bench with a cup of coffee or a solid portion of ice-cream and try to feel the place, just watching people and
their everyday-life-struggling.In Barcelona finding a bench is a tall
order – if you find some it would probably be occupied. If somehow you will
find a good spot hordes of people will pass by you and make you feel uncomfortable, anonymous, insignificant and almost invisible.
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| Barcelona, Plaça Reial |
How is the
true Barcelona? Does it still exist? Does it look like in a movie "L'auberge
espagnole”? I have to say I don’t really know... After all I have spend there only two
days. Despite the fact I may not be welcome there, I really wanna come back,
because the city is worth discovering. No matter how many people will try to unable this, you can still feel the city's vibe… And take some "mental pictures" that are perfect to recall when winter wind is gonna hit you between the eyes.
People
playing music in a subway passage. Kids playing football at the time they
should already be in bed. Couples kissing on the balcony under the Catalan (not
Spanish) flag. Warm, wooden pier, perfect to take a nap. Sun rays on my face. Tibidabo hill.
And colours, loads of colours, mosaics, murals and fairy tale constructions.
Don't go to Barcelona... at least without me ;)
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| Barcelona, 2015 |
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| Barcelona, 2015 |
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| Barcelona beach | |
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| Barcelona, 2015 |
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| Barcelona, 2015 |
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| Barcelona, Casa Batllo | |
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| Barcelona, 2015 |
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Barcelona, Casa Mila
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| Barcelona Cathedral |
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| Barcelona, Barri Gothic |
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| Barcelona, Park Guell |
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| Barcelona, Park Guell |
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| Barcelona, 2015 | | |
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| Barcelona, Casa Gaudi |
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| Barcelona, Casa Gaudi | | | |
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| Barcelona Park Guell |
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| Barcelona, Park Guell |
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| Barcelona Park Guell |
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Ach... Barcelona!
ReplyDeleteB.N.