Work Experience in Barcelona!

You know the saying: “What a small world?” It might be a bit of a cliché but it does occasionally prove itself to be true! I have been in Barcelona for approximately five weeks now and two days ago I met a guy, who, as it turns out, lives in the same city in Germany as I do!

He is doing a very similar work experience to the one I am doing here in Barcelona.

The only difference is he is going home in a few weeks whereas I will be able to see the city out-of-season, as I will stay here until the end of the year! I haven’t really started doing the ‘touristy’ things yet, but when my various friends and acquaintances do come here to visit (it is interesting to see how many people suddenly have time to visit if you offer them a free stay in a “cool” city), I might just make a start so that at least I have pictures of myself in and around the city’s many sights.

Read more…

¡Bienvenido a Barcelona – my tips for your course!

There are a few things that I wish I had known before I arrived in Barcelona.  The first thing that would have really helped me was if I had known that a building’s 1st floor is actually the 3rd.  Sound confusing?  Well let me explain.  There is ‘la planta baja’ (ground floor), ‘el principal’ and THEN ‘la pisa una’ and so on.  Armed with this knowledge, it would have been much easier to find exactly where my host family lived (although it was quite amusing to knock on a complete strangers door and explain that I was going to be staying with them for a short while!)

Read more…

Exploring Barcelona during your Spanish course

I have been four times to Barcelona and I think I have seen a lot. Of course not everything, that’s quite impossible! Barcelona is such a big and interesting city that you perhaps don’t know where to start. But don’t worry, you will find your way easily! Let me give you a few suggestions…

I would suggest you start your sightseeing on Las Ramblas, the heart and touristic centre of Barcelona, which is just a few steps from the school. There are many pubs, restaurants and souvenir shops and you can admire the street entertainers and living statues as well. If you throw money in a box in front of them, they start moving and you can take a picture. Don’t miss to go to the Boqueria, a huge market hall where a great variety of fruits, vegetables, meat and fish, but also delicate confectionery is offered.

Read more…