First day, arrive in a haze, of course, no surprise there. Already excited about the Spanish all around me and how I´m actually understanding a little bit. SO glad I learned some before I came - I would´ve been so overwhelmed and intimidated otherwise.
The metro seems to be an endless maze of tunnels and stairs. Maybe I should've taken a backpack after all! Dragging suitcase all over metro and looking like a touron. Classic. However, despite the difficulties, I like getting lost and found again, getting to know an unfamiliar city, it makes me feel alive.
First couch surfing experience is a huge success - Rosi and Arthur, the couple I'm staying with, are very welcoming and warm people. She's from a town somewhere between here and Madrid, he's German, both interesting and fun to talk to. She's actually a Spanish teacher! How perfect for me! Their apartment is cute and peaceful, and the couch is comfy, which I discovered immediately as a nap was in order.
I´m staying in Raval for the first two nights, right in the city center, so a lot of sights are right around the corner. I started out at the Hospital de la Ste. Creu Biblioteca Catalunya. Old stone building, so European, and makes you feel so...scholarly. Picture below is my view from the bench I was relaxing on :)
The same night, there was a weekly Couchsurfing Barcelona meetup going on, which apparently gets a huge turnout every week. Just hosts and surfers that are in town that all like tapas and drinking. Sooo there were about 30 people there and I was told it´s even more in the summer. This is a good start!
The bars were in the Gothic quarter - narrow curvy roads, people everywhere. Stone walls. Everyone was friendly, open, and chill. I´m immediately getting a sense of laid-backness in this town, even coming from socal.
The metro seems to be an endless maze of tunnels and stairs. Maybe I should've taken a backpack after all! Dragging suitcase all over metro and looking like a touron. Classic. However, despite the difficulties, I like getting lost and found again, getting to know an unfamiliar city, it makes me feel alive.
First couch surfing experience is a huge success - Rosi and Arthur, the couple I'm staying with, are very welcoming and warm people. She's from a town somewhere between here and Madrid, he's German, both interesting and fun to talk to. She's actually a Spanish teacher! How perfect for me! Their apartment is cute and peaceful, and the couch is comfy, which I discovered immediately as a nap was in order.
I´m staying in Raval for the first two nights, right in the city center, so a lot of sights are right around the corner. I started out at the Hospital de la Ste. Creu Biblioteca Catalunya. Old stone building, so European, and makes you feel so...scholarly. Picture below is my view from the bench I was relaxing on :)
The same night, there was a weekly Couchsurfing Barcelona meetup going on, which apparently gets a huge turnout every week. Just hosts and surfers that are in town that all like tapas and drinking. Sooo there were about 30 people there and I was told it´s even more in the summer. This is a good start!
The bars were in the Gothic quarter - narrow curvy roads, people everywhere. Stone walls. Everyone was friendly, open, and chill. I´m immediately getting a sense of laid-backness in this town, even coming from socal.
Glad that was a bench you were relaxing on and not spending the night on!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're posting!!!
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