I'm going to Barcelona
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Topic: I'm going to Barcelona
Posted By: mosni lamf
Subject: I'm going to Barcelona
Date Posted: June 13 2009 at 14:58
As of yesterday, I am officially leaving my hometown of Québec City on June 21, taking the only flight to Europe (Paris) that its modest airport has to offer and connect to Barcelona to arrive there the next day, where I will follow an intensive Catalan course from June 25 to July 22.
This is partly an exploratory trip for me, as I am planning to come back to Barcelona to pursue my master studies in about 1 year, but at the moment it also bears its share of nervosity. I am going alone, leaving in just a bit more than 1 week and I have not yet settled my accommodation details. I have contacted the Collegi Sant Jordi residence hall, which seemed to offer the best services and greatest flexibility, but from the website it was not clear they would have any availability for the Summer period. There's also the fact that my stay overlaps with their academic year there, which ends June 30.
This topic is a disguised call out to all people who have lived or travelled to Barcelona before, or anywhere else abroad! What are the best options for intermediate stays (slightly more than 1 month) at reasonable costs? If I am in trouble, what about youth hostels? or finding and sharing a flat? Is there anything I should absolutely be aware of before I get there? or city addresses I should have written down? Will I enjoy the city as a bike adept? Does the water taste good?
As a starter, I have taken Spanish classes before, so I guess I could manage a semi-decent conversation with strict Catalan-Spanish bilinguals...
------------- -Hitler was a vegetarian.
-Bring me coffee or tea.
-Why don't you eat carrots?
-Eat that question.
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Replies:
Posted By: JJLehto
Date Posted: June 13 2009 at 15:37
Ah, lucky. Spain is one of the countries I want to get to so bad! Well, I have no advice for you so enjoy!
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Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: June 13 2009 at 15:50
I've never been to Barcelona, but I know many people who have (Italy is quite close, you know), and they absolutely love the city. As far as I know, it is a very tourist-friendly place, and the fact that you'll be practicing the local language will help you a lot. I've heard they don't like speaking Spanish too much, preferring their native Catalan (which is very similar to Italian, btw). As regards accommodation, I think your idea of sharing a flat is great, especially if you could find any fellow people who are taking Catalan courses.
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Posted By: akamaisondufromage
Date Posted: June 14 2009 at 10:37
Hi
When I went to live in Spain I found accommodation on the notice board at the University. You may be lucky and find something medium term (Somr courses start or finish at odd times) but it is worth a try. Again the difficulty is the time of year you are going.
Fantastic place Barcelona - remember they often speak Catalan fiirst though.
Have fun
------------- Help me I'm falling!
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Posted By: akamaisondufromage
Date Posted: June 14 2009 at 10:47
Sorry I didn't read your post properly you are doing a course in Catalan.
Don't remember what the water is like in Barcelona. you can drink it these days of course.
'Bike adept' ?
------------- Help me I'm falling!
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Posted By: mosni lamf
Date Posted: July 06 2009 at 08:15
I guess an update is overdue.
I arrived in Barcelona as planned on June 22 and spent the first full week in a youth hostel. There I met people from various places around the world and with whom I spoke mostly English (most were young travellers enjoying a short stay in the city). As soon as began my quest for a flat, I found myself dialing some 25-30-digit numbers, armed with a pre-paid phone card in public phone cabins on noisy streets, trying to mumble words in a scattered Spanish. If you have seen the movie L'auberge espagnole, what I have gone through is quite similar, except that there are no line ups at phone cabins because everyone owns a movil (cell phone) in Spain nowaday. Although Barcelona is a large city, outside touristic places people speak very little English. Catalan is dominantly spoken but Spanish suffices for being all-around understood when you go at the grocery store or at a service desk. After a couple of days, I finally found a piso (flat) to share with 3 other Spanish-speaking people and which is located on la "Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes".
Trying to learn Catalan while strengthening my Spanish proves challenging and might ultimately drive me insane. Spanish is not even my 2nd language but my 3rd, after French and English. That I can even line up words to make up coherent Spanish sentences appears to me like a feat, but instead I get reprobatory screams from our (very latin) Catalan teacher anytime I accidentally let slip a Spanish word during our oral practices. Catalan and Spanish are so alike I have a very hard time sorting them apart in my mind. Of course I can distinguish one from another, but what I mean is that if I wish to become a fluent Spanish speaker, I have to view Catalan as a strictly academic language (which is of course not the will of the teacher). Attempting to practice Catalan orally outside of the classroom would turn out deadly for my progress with both languages.
Putting linguistic issues aside, Barcelona is a very lively, colorful and diversified city! With the beach, the old Barri Gotic and its very narrow streets, Montjuïc (a verdoyant hill where most of the infrastructure for the '92 olympics were built), the excentric, daring architecture, the many museums and the mountains taking the backseat of the city (natural reserves are virtually a footstep away from the metro lines), I think it's fair to say that Barcelona has something for everyone's taste. People here seem somewhat calm and serene, but I'm starting to wonder if that might just be the physical mark of the hot temperature, as they too avoid stairways like the plague and seem to opt for the elevator any time possible. In the 2 weeks that I've been here, we have had a total of 1 hour of rain, on one evening. What appear to me like threatening clouds often shape up in the late afternoon, but if I had to guess I would say that the Catalan language has no word for "couldbursting".
------------- -Hitler was a vegetarian.
-Bring me coffee or tea.
-Why don't you eat carrots?
-Eat that question.
|
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: July 06 2009 at 10:23
Sounds great, I've also wanted to visit Barcelona sometime but never managed to. What would you say to convince me to go? And second, what advices would you give anyone for a trip in Barcelona?
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Posted By: mosni lamf
Date Posted: July 15 2009 at 07:42
Well, if you live in France, I would say that geographically speaking you nearly have a foot in. Barcelona is very close to the South of France, and at most touristic places I go to I hear a lot of French spoken.
I'm probably not very apt for giving advice as this is my first such adventure, but unless you have a very reckless temper I would suggest not to take intensive Catalan courses while trying to learn Spanish.
Most other advice I could give would probably apply to non-Europeans rather than non-Barcelonians. Still it's good to know that in Barcelona you can eat a meal quite complete (meaning a drink, first dish, second dish and dessert) at cafeterias or restaurants for less than 8-10€. Other than that most people I've encountered were very helpful and virtually all people I've met spoke very good Spanish (i.e. Catalan unilinguism is not a reality here) BUT few outside those who interact with tourists speak well English.
------------- -Hitler was a vegetarian.
-Bring me coffee or tea.
-Why don't you eat carrots?
-Eat that question.
|
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: July 15 2009 at 09:04
Thanks! In the meantime I've decided to spent one week worth of vacation in Barcelona, during early September. I don't have anything planned yet, for now I only know I want to walk a lot and admire/feel the city. I'll start digging information about the local museums and other attractions. The one thing I know for sure is that I want to get tickets for the first football match of the season, happening on August 31. Attending a match of Barca's on Nou Camp is a man's dream!
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Posted By: mosni lamf
Date Posted: July 17 2009 at 12:52
There are still lots of places I wish to visit before I leave, but if you stay for one week and enjoy walking, I'd say that the barri Gotic and the nearby Ribera quarters have a lot to unveil and feature some neat museums as well. I strongly recommend to stray away from the Rambla de Catalunya which is in my opinion too flashy and seems to fulfill a touristic vocation strictly and discover the narrow streets nearby.
If you like walks in more natural settings, Montjuïc and Parc Guëll, and to a slightly lesser extent Parc de la Ciutadella are all three very impressive and easily accessible from metro stations. Many people take the teleferic from the port to get on top of Montjuïc but it's good to know that it's easily accessible by walk from Plaça Espanya as well (which in itself constitutes an architectural marvel, it was there that I got down from airport bus and the feeling of being there was awesome), plus you'll probably get to see a little more that way.
I would not venture too much with museum recommendations as I have not visited many, but a stop by the Museu de Picasso proved for me very instructive and the building in which the museum was built was equally impressive.
Other than that there's also all the famous Gaudi monuments: la Pedrera, another "casa" whose name I've forgot but that's also located on Passeig de Gracía, and of course la Sagrada Familia.
------------- -Hitler was a vegetarian.
-Bring me coffee or tea.
-Why don't you eat carrots?
-Eat that question.
|
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: July 17 2009 at 15:28
^ Thanks! I'm taking notes
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Posted By: Luca Pacchiarini
Date Posted: July 17 2009 at 18:23
You should see Casa Battlò (the casa whose name you forgot...) and Casa Milà...
BTW, did you eat tapas? nice :)
The general tip is to avoid the most tourist-like traps, and to concentrate on the typica, characteristic places...
edit: Did you see strange people offering you red cans? don't buy them
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Posted By: NotAProghead
Date Posted: July 17 2009 at 19:28
Spanish brandies are excellent, worth trying.
------------- Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why... (D. Gilmour)
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Posted By: mosni lamf
Date Posted: July 18 2009 at 04:31
Casa Milà is the other name of la Pedrera and the terrace on the roof is truly surreal, but Casa Battló I have yet to see...
People offering red cans?... Do you mean the Estrella Damm brand bear cans? There are a lot of outdoor relatively quiet places where I've sat for doing Catalan homeworks or whatnot and within 1 minute a guy would pass by solliciting me to buy a beer... a little annoying.
I've eaten tapas but sadly it was not one of these places where the beer is "all-you-can-drink" and you only pay for the tapas. I've heard these places are more common in Andalusia (south of Spain) or even Madrid.
-NotAProghead, what do you mean, "Spanish brandies"?
------------- -Hitler was a vegetarian.
-Bring me coffee or tea.
-Why don't you eat carrots?
-Eat that question.
|
Posted By: NotAProghead
Date Posted: July 18 2009 at 14:45
mosni lamf wrote:
-NotAProghead, what do you mean, "Spanish brandies"? |
Perhaps I had to spell "Spanish Brandy". I meant something like these:
Very special and very good. As I know they are made in Jerez province (Andalusia), though I guess it's not a problem to find them in Barcelona.
------------- Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why... (D. Gilmour)
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