Halloween in Barcelona

Hearing people speak Spanish seems so strange to me after spending a month in France. I find myself constantly saying “bonjour” and “merci” when I know I should be saying “hola” and “gracias.” However, everyone here seems to speak fluent English, so communicating is much easier than I anticipated. Between the tourists I pass on the street or meet in the hostel and the tourism industry personnel, I think I actually hear more English than Spanish. Because I speak no Spanish, I am thankful that it is so easy to converse, but I miss the challenge of foreign language immersion.

The hostel where I am staying is called Barcelona Gardens. Located in the heart of the new city, about a five-minute walk from the old city, the hostel is small and intimate with clean rooms and a very friendly staff! Matilda welcomed me upon arrival my first day. She gave me a map of the city and a thoughtful and personalized explanation of what to see, do and eat. I am extremely grateful to Matilda for this since I had done very little research on Barcelona before coming. Her recommendations made a huge difference!

[TIP: I also found out that the hostel offers a discount on rooms if you work for an NGO. Must make note of this for future travel plans!]

I spent my first afternoon visiting the Casa Batlló (see Gaudi Barcelona post), a beautiful and architecturally significant building designed by Gaudi. On the way back, I wandered the glitzy streets of the new city, past Chanel, Dior, Tiffany & Co. I came across four impeccably dressed, well-groomed, attractive, somewhat effeminate-looking men, each with a small carry on glider. They had clearly just emerged from the metro and were looking around in dismay. When they saw me approach, one of them asked in a thick accent that I couldn’t place, “Do you know where is Louis Vuitton?” Although they looked like lost little puppies, these were clearly models trying to get to their big-brand gig, and I found the whole situation highly amusing. Unfortunately, I did not know where to find Louis Vuitton. Les pauvres!

My favorite area of Barcelona, however, was the gothic quarter with its winding alleyways, historical street markings, niche boutiques and Boqueri Market. In addition to the meat, produce and baked goods, the market has a number of juice stands that sell pressed juices of every flavor imaginable for one or two euros (depending on the time of day you visit). I tried mango-coconut my first day and was hooked! I had a second one right away (raspberry-orange, I think?) and returned the next day to try passion fruit-coconut.

At the hostel that evening, I met some American travellers who were checking in for the weekend. We all went out for sangria at a little restaurant around the corner (recommended by our hostel staff). I was delighted to discover that not only was the sangria the best I had ever tasted, but one of the two travellers had graduated from LMU and knew two high school friends of mine! Now he currently works and lives in Amsterdam. His brother, the other traveller, is also from California but is going to school in the Philippines! What are the odds that we would run into each other?! I continue to be astonished by these small world connections.

One of the great things about hostels is that they bring together people of all backgrounds who share the same excitement about traveling, learning new cultures and meeting new people. At Barcelona Gardens, I met two other solo travelers: Ben, an engineer from Pennsylvania, who came to Berlin for work and is visiting Barcelona for pleasure; and Stephanie, an environmental engineer from California taking time off of work to play. Ben and I visited the Sagrada Família together (see Gaudi Barcelona post), and since I’ve been doing most of my sight seeing solo, it was nice to have a travel companion. Following the Sagrada Família, we found an awesome all you can eat sushi lunch special (desert included), which we took full advantage of! Seconds, thirds, anyone…? Then, Stephanie and I visited the magic fountain together where we delighted in taking silhouetted portraits against the colorful background of the fountain lights.

My most unusual experience in Barcelona, however, took place on Halloween! After a wonderful walking tour (free except for tips!) through the gothic quarter, I found a quiet tapas bar to unwind. In Europe, it is common to sit down and stake your claim at any empty café table, but after working three years in a fine dining restaurant where reservations are essential, I always feel the need to ask the waiter first. A friendly Hispanic gentleman noticed my hesitation and waved me over to join him and the Catalonian women he was with. I took a seat at the table next to the couple and found myself in a very engaging conversation about our different life experiences. Both were in their late 30s.

The woman was a professional flamenco dancer and instructor in Barcelona. She had received classical ballet training in New York city, but decided later in life to learn flamenco. She talked about how the cliquey and tight-knit flamenco circles in Barcelona can be hard to break into if you are considered an “outsider.”

The man, Enrique, was a restaurateur in London, visiting Barcelona on holiday. Born and raised in Mexico, he immigrated to the U.S. to find work. After living on the streets of New York city for a couple of days, he struck up a conversation with a stranger who then invited Enrique to stay in his apartment until able to find a job. Enrique did find various restaurant jobs, working his way up to high-end establishments where he met the likes of George Cloony, Quentin Tarantino and Scarlett Johanson. Following his girlfriend at the time, he eventually moved to London where he opened up an upscale, authentic Mexican restaurant and bar. He refused to describe it as “hipster,” but that’s exactly how it sounded to me! Although, he confided in me later that his real passion lies not in the restaurant industry, but in film. Supposedly, he is an amateur director, and he gave me his business card to prove it!

I had all but forgotten Halloween until the two invited me to a private Halloween party their friends were hosting. Although I wasn’t really in the mood to stay out late (a night out in Barcelona doesn’t start until 11pm or midnight!), I didn’t want to miss-out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After some convincing, I agreed. The next step was to find Halloween costumes. The next four or five hours were spent running around the city in a hilarious, but ultimately futile search for costumes. In the end, we all chose something out of our own wardrobe. With a very limited selection, I dressed as a “cowgirl” in flannel, ripped jeans, boots and pig tails.

It turns out that Barcelona LOVES Halloween. As an excuse to get dressed up and party, I suppose this isn’t all that surprising. The event was hosted in a small concert venue with a live DJ spinning a mix of top 40s and Spanish techno. I have to admit that after dancing to Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off,” I became a huge hit with the girlfriends and wives of Enrique’s guy friends. There is nothing quite like bonding over T-Swift.

Despite leaving the party early, I made it back to the hostel at 4 am, reeking of smoke (my biggest complaint about Europe). But did I regret the night? Not a bit!

#photo #barcelona #spain #halloween #architecture #dance #europe #gaudi #wine #juice #hostel