Barcelona. First impressions.

Arriving in Barcelona, one of the first things I noticed looking out from my bus were the amount of flags at the windows of all the apartment blocks. Sure the Spanish are patriotic, but a majority of these flags were surprisingly that of the province itself, Catalonia. The flag of Spain notably missing. Before coming here, mis amigas Madrileñas had told me about the political manifestations, resulting from a majority of Barcelonans actually wanting to be an independent Catalonia. To separate themselves from Spain. It's an issue that is weirdly captivating for me and I bring it up in almost every conversation whenever I meet someone new in Barca.

Barcelona es la mejor ciudad en el mundo. I didn't expect it to be. How it could beat my perfect experiences In Madrid and Zaragoza I'm not quite so sure. It's a pretty bold opinion for a first impressions post too. But Barca is the place in Europe I will one day live in! There is also this (not-so) friendly rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona. And not just in football. I've been trying to keep a sort of mental tally between the perks of each city in the back of my head. But today we walked those old streets that are typical in the standard image I have of Spain. We stopped every once in a while to taste the cheeses and sausages being sold at the markets. And enjoyed seafood paella and a long siesta at the beach. They sell mojitos, sangria and coconuts right there too, which I found really strange. I think all that just does it for me. Barcelona has practically everything  I loved about Madrid, just with different (though so far equally awesome!) people. The same wonderful language that I'm loving more and more. It also has all that vibrant culture and street life that's always attracted me most to Europe. Plus there's a beach. 

Again my host family is absolutely amazing and ridiculously friendly. It's a big family and we live in a huge (four story!) house towards the forests of Barcelona. It's the typical Spanish-style house and I have an amazing view from the window in my room. Apparently wild boars actually lurk out at the forests at night. One of Cristina's brothers always tells me about them. He's 12 and loves speaking Englishy Spanish with me. Pretty much the coolest kid ever - youtubes the National Geographic channel about dangerous animals in his spare time. Need I say more? Spanish kids are so much cooler than normal kids.

I have this real temptation to extend my stay! Or more realistically, come back to Sydney for a bit to drop off everything and say hi and catch up with everyone, then jet right back.