One of my favorite ways to spend my leisure days in Barcelona was in the sand watching the waves roll in. In the United States, I live in a land-locked state, so I don’t get to go to the beach unless I am on vacation. The opportunity to go to the beach whenever I wanted was something I took advantage of as much as I could. I enjoyed the beach in different ways: to sit and think, to spend time with friends, and to observe the people around me.
Some of the beautiful things about Barcelona are the warmer climate and the peoples’ love to be outside. I noticed that people would be congregating and enjoying the beaches no matter the time of day and thought this reflected the slower speed of life in Catalan culture. One of my favorite things I witnessed on the beach was a group of older boys playing soccer with their team. To me, the beach seemed to be an unconventional place to play, but I had an amazing time watching them skillfully maneuver their way through the sand. I always brought my visitors to Barceloneta because I wanted them to see both the sea and mountain sides of Barcelona. One day, I even got into the Mediterranean and was freezing, but it’s something I will never forget.
The time I spent at Barceloneta beach reminded me to slow down and take in as much as I could during my time in Barcelona.
Madison's Catalan Culture Experience 