Barcelona, Spain
I could take over the room of a friend of mine in Barcelona for the entire month of August. I’m trying to transition into a slower travel style by having a base for at least a month somewhere, so this opportunity was perfect. A friend I met initially in Morocco last year was out of the city for a month because the heat is quite crazy sometimes during this month. It was hot indeed, but I’m used to it and prefer it to being too cold.
It wasn’t my first time in Barcelona—no, it was my third or fourth time. So, I already knew a couple of people I had met this month, for example, a friend from Tunisia or another friend from Slovenia. Barcelona is international, and that’s what I like about the city.
Barcelona has vintage-style e-scooter rentals via the app. I love driving around with them, so I rarely use the metro. Especially in the warm summer months, this is perfect. I left my apartment almost daily to go to an office space called wework. I got a monthly membership there and could go to all of the spaces they have in the city, which are a couple. I mainly went to work in a district called “Poblenou” in the east of the city. I loved returning to a daily routine in a city I’ve enjoyed since day one. During the week, I focused on work and, on the weekend, exploring with friends. That was the plan for the entire month.
On the first weekend, some events were happening in the city. A friend of mine and her brother joined me in visiting. It was the same as I saw around a year ago in Tarragona. They also had it in Barcelona or later in another nearby town: human towers and parades.
Girona, Spain
The next day, my friend and I left the city and drove a bit north to a student city called Girona. There we discovered the old city centre and went for food. A day later, another friend joined us by car to see a bit of the countryside, and we went for some small hikes into a green vulcano crater (Volcànica de la Garrotxa) close to the town of Olot.
Sitges, Spain
Another weekend, I went to a beach town called Sitges with my friend. It’s famous for its white sandy beaches. Many people from Barcelona go there for the weekend to enjoy the sun and relax outside the city. We went there early in the morning to avoid the big crowds. We arrived there, went for breakfast and started exploring a bit. Afterwards, we went to the beach to relax a bit. Since we arrived early, we also returned not too late to get into the full trains with all the others. My friend lives in Reus, approximately an hour South of Barcelona. I also went there for the night to explore another new city.
Montserrat, Spain
One weekend, I took the train from Barcelona and drove towards “Parc Natural de la Muntanya de Montserrat”. My Catalan friend and her brother waited for me there. We got into the cable car and got up to Montserrat Abbey—a mountain sanctuary with a great view. There, we could walk to a viewpoint and visit the church. After our mountain workout, we went down the valley again and ate at a local restaurant my friend recommended. I definitely had to try some local dishes.
Igualada, Spain
The next stop was a Catalan city an hour North of Barcelona, reachable by train. The friend I spent the last couple of weekends exploring lives there. They had an upcoming traditional festival that lasts at least one week, so she invited me to come over and join her and her friends. I love such special occasions to see new places and to do so with local friends. The city isn’t very touristy, so I was able to experience the real traditions.
My friend lives right in the centre of the city with her brother (both joined me in Montserrat the week before) in a newly renovated house. It was a perfect location to see the festival—everything was walkable and quick at home. I arrived just at the beginning of the first attractions on Friday evening after finishing my work in Barcelona. On the first weekend, there was a march at night, and we passed by our house in the city. That was quite fun, right in the middle of the attention.
They had many interesting events during the day on the weekend or in the evening during the week. For example, they did a race with a watermelon, meaning they had to run a particular trail carrying a watermelon. Young and old took part in this traditional race. Another attraction was going through a parkour with water and hey.
On another day, they had parades with giant mascots (El Gigantes) on the street. They usually walked from square to square and danced on those. They also stopped at old or essential buildings within the city. There were other groups which performed different dances on the street. Some of my friend’s close friends were in those groups, and we made sure to watch them. It was a lot of fun, especially when you know some people. So everywhere we went on the streets, we knew people. My friend was a great guide and told me about the history and traditions. She also introduced me to all her friends, so I was part of them. I felt very comfortable, and it was a lot of fun.
And since I’m in a Catalan place, they do human towers, as the name says. A vast tower made up of humans of different ages and sizes. Spectacular and dangerous as well.
During the week, they had some more events planned. Every evening, another group organized food and the show at a square. One evening, there was also a group of my friends in charge. Since she introduced me to everyone, I was part of the group as well. So they gave me an organizer shirt, and here I was, the guy who couldn’t speak the local language, helping. It meant a lot of preparation for this one evening. During the day, preparation for the food was done, and in the afternoon, we went to the venue (square) to prepare the desks and chairs. It was great, and I loved helping as part of them. The evening show was also fun, but since everything was in Catalan, I couldn’t follow the topics. I thought I’d go home earlier, but the people were so friendly and welcoming. Trying to speak in English with me, I stayed pretty long.
