Barcelona – City of contrasts!

After living and studying Spanish in Barcelona for almost 3 months now, I am really starting to realize that this city has it ALL!

It doesn’t matter how, when or who you are in Barcelona, the city always has lots of things to offer!

People from all over the world meet up here, studying, working, travelling and most important of all; creating the international, cosmopolitan atmosphere that you can’t find anywhere else! It is truly the city where two extremes get along perfectly, where you can go from the trendy, bohemian neighbourhood of Raval to the more posh and elegant Eixample in 5 minutes. Where you can have a 2 euro shawarma for lunch and a glass of Dom Perignon champagne in the evening. Where the old Catalan traditions are mixed with modernistic architecture into a glowing, colourful melting pot!

Since I am kind of bipolar myself, it is the perfect city, especially now during Spring time! What can be better than to stroll down Las Ramblas during the day and watch the crowd of street artists, tourists, Spaniards, poets and other Las Ramblas residents enjoying the boiling hot sun, or maybe spending the afternoon shopping ‘uptown’, in Paseo de Gracia, where the Haute Couture shops like Armani, Chanel and Louis Vuitton, are struggling for attention among the famous, fantastic Gaudí buildings!

I feel so lucky, because my Spanish School is perfectly located just in this area, in the heart of the city with everything Barcelona has to offer just around the corner!

Another perfect thing is that the beach is just a short metro ride away from the school! You can even walk! Now that the summer is getting closer, it’s perfect to go directly to the beach after class and just hang out with my friends and practise my Spanish. It feels amazing to be able to take a break from the hectic ‘Big City Life’ and just chill out at the beach, knowing that I am still in the city AND getting a tan! Before I came here, I imagined Barcelona being more of a city where you go for holidays, but what I like the most right now, is that it is where I live my everyday life!

Just getting up in the morning and getting ready for school is never as boring as when I am back home in Sweden where it always a battle between me and the alarm clock. On the contrary; here it feels fabulous to put my sunglasses on (and some clothes of course!) and walk the short way to my school (10 minutes, 13 if I am wearing heels, 17 if I make it to Starbucks on my way) from my student residence, which is also located in the very centre of the city.

It feels so nice to know that a city like this exists. And not only does it exist…, it’s only a plane ride away!

When I was here a couple of years ago, I was only lucky enough to stay a few days. But this time, I am telling you mister; I am never leaving this town again!

Michaela (Sweden)