wednesday krus

Barcelona

wednesday krus
Barcelona

I love Spain. I want to move to Spain. I love Madrid. I love Barcelona. I loved our recent visit. I want to live there forever.

 
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I love wandering the streets. Binging on tapas, jamón iberico, and Rioja. With the occasional glass of delicious Spanish vermouth. 

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I believe Barcelona is the perfect city. The temperature stays warm (enough) into the fall. Beaches line the city. A gorgeous hike is never too far from reach. The architecture is astonishing, with just the right amount of grungey. There’s a great design scene. The outdoor dining culture pairs so well with irresistible Spanish food & wine. The city is relaxed and fast paced, all at the same time. There are great little low key neighborhoods, overflowing with things to do and to eat and to see.

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On the surface, all of these ideas are what makes Barcelona so perfect for me. But once night came and the protests really picked up, we came face to face with the true Barcelona—and we don’t know how to feel. 

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Catalonia, the northeastern region of Spain housing Barcelona, was at the beginning of a tenacious battle to maintain their autonomy. I always find myself rooting for the underdog, but when it comes to a matter of globalism vs. nationalism—I have a very hard time rooting for the nationalist underdog. If the story is spun a certain way, you can get the sense that wealthy Catalans don’t want to financially contribute support to the rest of Spain any longer, and that Catalans fear their history will be diluted. This explanation sent some really creepy shivers down my spine. Sounds eerily familiar to some recent US events and ideologies that I refuse to even acknowledge.

But on the other hand, you can hear reports of the Madrid’s oppressive governing, stripping Catalans of their rights and civil liberties. They feel a complete abandonment, a lack of respect for their ideologies and education systems, and mistrust with the system as a whole. Is the nationalist accusation a post-truth argument used to paint Catalans in a negative light?

At night, the streets would clamor with the noise of hundreds of pots and pans banging, unstoppably. Little old men perched on their fire escapes banging along. Crowds, with Catalonian-flag-capes carrying the noise, block by block by block. Flares and small fireworks being lit off in the middle of crowded areas. 

It is a very complicated matter and I don’t know that I can whole heartedly support either side. But from what I’ve read, my takeaway is both sides seriously fucked up to let the situation get this bad. 

We weren’t in Barcelona when the real protests started to erupt, but my heart is still with Barcelona, both sides or neither side, or maybe those caught somewhere in between.

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Sorry vegan and vegetarian friends. I whole-heartedly believe cooking with offal is the most responsible way to consume meat. It curbs food waste (and it's delicious.) 

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We stumbled onto a crowd doing the cutest choreographed dance ever. 

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Our apartment had so much character. I couldn't resist taking a million pictures. 

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