Barcelona might be my favorite city that I have ever visited; it is also the first non-American city that I have ever lived in. I spent roughly 5 weeks in this magnificent city immersing myself in the culture. I will never forget the experiences and people I met there.
When I first got to Barcelona, I was still traveling with a large group. We participated in several tours of the city and ate a serrano ham dish. After finishing the group travel, I moved in to an appartment with a host family (as it was the next part of my program); one of my friends from the group also happened to move in with the same host family. Together, we attended a Spanish language school in downtown Barcelona. Every day, we would skateboard to the metro stop and take the metro to school where we had Spanish language and grammar classes. At the school, I met other kids my age from countries around the world including the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, China, Saudi Arabia and many more.
While I was in Barcelona, I visted many of the city’s hallmarks. I saw the Sagrada Familia, a arquitecturally beautiful church that took hundreds of years to build. I also visited the beach several times although it was too cold to swim in. Finally, I climbed to the top of Montserrat, a mountain overlooking the city. At the top, I could see Spain, France, Andorra, the Meditarranean Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean. That view definitely made the two hour uphill hike worth it.
Barcelona is one of the most intricately designed cities in the world. There are no street corners; every block is built more like a hexagon. If you look at an aerial view of the city, you would understand its architectural ingenuity. The city also has two official languages: Spanish and Catalan (although many people speak English too). Catalan is somewhat like a mix of Spanish and French and the region of Catalonia (where Barcelona is located) continues to advocate for its independence from Spain.
I will never forget my time in this wonderful place. It was the longest amount of time that I had ever spent in a foreign country and I enjoyed every second of it. I loved all the cultural differences but also felt at home. If there is one place in this world that I would suggest visiting, its Barcelona.
I absolutely love hearing about architecture and foreign cities look aesthetically. I’m also super jealous that you got to live abroad and that you knew enough Spanish to attend school in Spain!
I am so interested in going to Spain. I myself will most likely be going to Madrid because I have a lot of friends there. I think it seriously so cool that you were able to have that experience.