Barcelona

I spent past few days in Barcelona. I had a really good time. It is a very vibrant and beautiful city, buzzing with life. Its busy streets are a stark contrast to where I live. But with all the excitements and activities going on, the pace of life is considerably slow. It seems people there have time for everything and perhaps they enjoy life more this way. They take long coffee breaks and extended lunches, they stop and chat for long times, and they create week-long weekends by “bridging” their mid-week holiday to the weekend! And almost everyone takes the whole month of August off practically shutting down everything.

Their character and culture is very close to us Iranians in some aspects, they are hospitable and warm, they enjoy talking, and their relax and somewhat lazy attitude toward work is almost at the same level. They are different in some aspects too. They seem much calmer. You rarely see angry outbursts or harassments (not considering the pickpockets!) in the streets the way you might see in Tehran. They drive much more calmly and orderly too, and they love dogs! They share their little apartments with their four legged friends and walk them in their narrow sidewalks where it has becomes even narrower by parked cars and motorcycles.

If you ever get to visit Barcelona, besides seeing all the historical monuments and amazing buildings, and Gaudi’s famous architectural marvels, experience the busy streets of Barcelona and see street performers in Ramblas too.