Interesting things I learned in Barcelona

When I’m in a new country I enjoy observing all the little and big differences from what I am used to. Coming from Germany, I am used to a very different, orderly, predictable way of life, but I certainly had to adapt a little when I moved here.

Barcelona is very Latin inspired, shown in their habits of taking siestas and generally being pretty care-free.  Spanish people in Barcelona, generally in Catalonia, often refer to themselves as Catalan. They are very proud of their culture and distinct traditions.

A very important word you must learn is puente. This is one you may hear a few times a year when there is a holiday on perhaps a Thursday and so they will give everyone the Friday off as well, because they know people might want to skip work or school to travel during the long weekend.  Around Barcelona there are so many places you can easily travel to, you’ll want to take advantage of these days and know when they are.

During your puente or holiday, you might experience what is called botellon if you go out with some Spanish people. Bótellon basically augments the word botella, or bottle thus meaning ‘big bottle’.  This is a tradition in Spain where young people go out and drink in the streets for a few hours. This is one way that students save money on expensive bars. Here people do this before going clubbing, for example. It is a word you may hear a lot, but if you experience it you should know some people look down upon it and it can be unpleasant as well so make the right decisions when having fun!

For now those are some things I found interesting to share about what I learned in Barcelona, but there will be more to come!