I am going to surprise you by what I have to say about Barcelona;
don’t go there.
Yep, that’s right but let me explain that a bit later.
The journey from London to Barcelona was one of the smoothest I’ve had. Airport security at Gatwick airport was fast, smooth and efficient, the airport lounge was quiet, welcoming and had good food, the boarding was quite easy and the flight left on time. In fact the 2 hour flight was completed in only 1 hour 40 minutes, so we arrived at Barcelona airport early.
Make it easier for visitors to transfer from airport to city
It was a bit of a hair-raising ride in the pre-booked taxi from the airport to the hotel but that was the only negative part of the whole journey from home to hotel. They do seem to drive fast in Barcelona; zipping from red light to red light or, if there is not a red light, to the back of next traffic queue. I cannot say the taxi journey was cheap or even reasonably priced;- heck, it was expensive for a basic taxi. When planning the transfer, though, I discovered that the trains from the airport to the mainline station did not run at the time (mid evening) our flight landed, the airport buses did not seem to drop passengers near to our hotel and the metro would involve 2 or 3 changes. If anyone from Barcelona city transport reads this, I hope it prompts them to sort this out and make it easier for visitors to transfer from airport to city.
Our hotel was close to Barcelona Sants station, a little way from the city centre but within walking distance and also close to metro lines. The hotel is part of the H10 group and had been recently rennovated. The outside looked modern, so too did the lobby and bar area. It had a nice area to the back, which had outdoor and covered seating plus a raised swimming pool. The guests area, rather than the public area, was a little less modern looking. Clearly this was an old building which had been rennovated outside, even so, the guest areas were clean, if a little dark. My room was on the small side but still perfectly adequate, with enough storage, a comfortable bed, and a good sized television. It was a little tight for two people to walk around the room but that was of little concern. The bathroom was excellent; it was a large room with a shower over the bath, a fine selection of toiletries and a pleasant decor. The biggest let down in the room was that it faced the front, so sleep was constantly disturbed by traffic noise. Perhaps the hotel could invest in better glazing (the window frame did look old) and maybe triple glazing.
One of the unusual aspects of Barcelona, perhaps of Spain as a whole, is that the restaurants do not seem to open until 8 or 9 in the evening. If you go out for a meal at, say 7 or 7.30, as you might normally do, you are likely to find the eating establishments still closed. This is what I found when I set out for an evening meal shortly before 8pm.
Graffitti
Something I noticed while walking the streets on that first evening was, I am sorry to say, how rundown parts looked. I know the financial crash of 2008 hit hard in a lot of cities and countries; Spain was particularly badly hit, but I had not anticipated the depressed nature on view in the city. What drew my attention to the issue was the graffitti which was almost omnipresent throughout Barcelona. In a city of highly creative and imaginative art and architecture from Miro and Gaudi, I had not expected to see such extensive graffitti, perhaps people in the city aspire to be another Miro but, based on visible evidence, they are deluding themselves.
Barcelona has a lot to offer …
Barcelona has a lot to offer visitors. It has unique architecture by Gaudi, fine restaurants, La Rambla (if you like shopping, even window shopping), artistic and cultural venues, history (visit the gothic quarter), a cable car or two (expensive and looking pretty ricketty in one case), and a beach. That last one was a surprise to me. When I first visited the city, it was known as the city which turned its back on the sea but, nowadays, it seems to embrace the sea with an extensive clean sandy beach.
… but it may take more from you than you expect.
Barcelona also has a reputation, a bad one.
Before going on this trip, I had been warned on several occasions and by different people to be aware of thieves and pickpockets. I will admit, I shrugged these off and thought to myself that you get thieves and pickpockets in many cities around the world. Why should Barcelona be any worse?
Well, it seems I was wrong and I was proven wrong when I had a bag stolen. This bag not only included money but also a mobile phone. I can tell you that once I realised it had been stolen, it was extremely distressful. It was made all the more distressful when having to report it to the city police.
What made matters worse is that the theft took place in the hotel. Yes, outside on the streets, you might expect to be a target but not in your hotel. In the hotel, you expect security and hotel staff to prevent people wandering into the building, stealing guest property and walking out again.
I reported the incident to the hotel and also to the police. Neither of whom seemed able or willing to do anything about it. At the police station, there were other visitors who were reporting similar incidents. So it seems that Barcelona’s reputation for theft and pickpocketing is well deserved.
An absolutely fantastic experience
The highlight of the Barcelona trip was undoubtedly a visit to Sagrada Familia. This cathedral designed by Gaudi, is an absolute masterpiece of creativity, imagination and archetectural design. It is well worthy of spending time here. You may have seen photographs of the outside of the building, for a long time that was all you could see, but the interior is absolutely stunning. The building is a testament to Gaudi’s archetectural genius and visitors cannot fail to be impressed. It is, of course, still under construction and my understanding is that the completion date is estimated to be 2026.
However, you may want to weigh up whether visiting such a masterpiece is worth the distress of having property stolen, especially as the city and its officials do not seem to care. Which is why I suggest you do not go there.
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