A Man Walks Into a Barcelona...

Mediterranean paradise. A much needed vacation. An unexpected stop over before leaving the EU. One of the most memorable cities.

I realized I had 2 weeks left of the EU allotted 3 months. Barcelona was intended as a respite to plan out my travel further than 3 days. I had heard great things about the city. I knew its legacy of artists. I knew it had good food, but how much more could an urban metropolis offer any other urban metropolis?

I was sceptical, to say the least. New cities, as I've found, tend to be consistently the same. A Starbucks here, an Urban Outfitters there, giant class and steel buildings everywhere. Barcelona, regardless of its history dating back to Roman colonies, is a new city. It has various quarters from different time periods, but Barcelona became whole during the last century and a half. Civil planners were tasked to figure out how to attach all of the different sections together for a rapidly industrializing city.

Amidst turmoil of clashing politics, the government allowed futurists, artists and engineers keys to the playground, inspired by the massive civil restructuring of Paris under Napoleon. Antoni Gaudi is, perhaps, the person most associated with this. His modernist architecture is organic in shape, and has woven its way into the cities DNA, from the iconic Sagrada Familia, to Guell Park.

Maybe its just the stark contrast to Italian cities, but I found Barcelona to be a near model city. The roads were orderly, safe public transportation is bountiful, traffic followed signals, people were helpful and kind, large open walking parks crisscrossed the city, providing liberal walking areas that connecting the important Gothic quarter, to Eixample to the Gracia quarter to the beach.

Most important of all is Barcelona's ability to still hold onto its culture. Rampant consumerism hasn't entirely changed the face of the city. There are still craftsmen and entrepreneurs focusing on skill instead of profit. Every small square has a wealth of independent shops providing a unique concept, skill or meal. Artists create in old Gothic houses, and top quality cafes nestle between cathedrals. In the middle of it all is a very active market that attracts visitors from all over.

Barcelona is in some ways a very successful experiment. The city gambled with what it could do to define itself, and made itself an even stronger cultural hub.

I couldn't help walking away from the city, knowing that I would return.