Why you should move to Barcelona

Travelling and living abroad is a goal and dream for many of us. As a languages student, it's not just a goal but a necessity.

Holidays are great and relaxing but more often than not we're looking at the location where we're at with rose tinted glasses. There isn't a true appreciation for the culture or lifestyle just endless enjoyment for that set amount of time. Though, holidays are a great way to have first contact with the place you're planning to move to before you make any decisions.

Studying Spanish meant that I needed to find a Spanish speaking country to move to for my year abroad. There are a plethora of beautiful places to pick from but if your criteria aligns with mine, you should pick Barcelona.

My Criteria:

	1. Somewhere in Europe
During a normative time, this wouldn't be a requirement but due to the pandemic I wanted to stay closer to my family in the case of an emergency, I would have been able to somewhat easily go back.

	2. Access to the beach/ Hot climate
No brainer! The beach is my favorite place to be and I wanted to be somewhere similar to my home country.

	3. Big city
I adore them. Being in a big city for me was a must because I wanted to be able to do a lot of things, explore different restaurants, monuments, activities etc. 

Barcelona is unique in the fact that it is part of Catalunya which prides itself in it's autonomy and unique cultural features. While everyone speaks Spanish (Castellano), the regional language is Catalan.

Catalan is most closely related to Occitan language of southern France and Spanish thus there are some similar words like manger or parlar as an estimated 80% of the Catalan lexicon is shared with the French language. It is spoken in eastern/northeastern Spain, the Balearic islands and the Roussillon region of France. Catalan is also the official language of Andorra.

Unlike most of the Christmas celebrating western world, Catalunians do not put up a Christmas tree or a nativity scene. Instead, there is the Caga Tio or Tronca. A hungry fun loving, gift giving log! Children will leave plates of food offerings and the Caga Tio will poop out gifts by Christmas.

There is also La Mercè which is a three-five day festival during September and an official holiday in Barcelona since 1871. It is a local government organised program of special activities to observe the Roman Catholic feast day of the Lady Mercè (Mercy). Some highlights are the correfoc (fire run), the parade of Los Gigantes (the giants) and the human towers which parade through the streets.

Apart from all the festivities of which there are 12 Catalan national holidays, Barcelona is also very much wheelchair accessible with almost all stations having escalators and lifts. Most of the main city area has wheel chair accessible lanes on the pavements especially going along the coastline.

Barcelona is a lovely city. There is a perfect balance between city and nature, I would heavily recommend paying it a visit even if its only for a couple of days but here are some helpful tips below!

MY TOP TIPS FOR BARCELONA

1. Get a library card! 
It is free and gives you free access to Parc Guell and discounts to other establishments like Cosmo Caixa.

2. Save Museum Trips for Sundays! 
On the first sunday of the month, most council run museums and galleries are free for entry.

3. Abuse Student discounts! 
Most places offer student discounts, just ask but have your student card with you. ESN events are also open to others as long as you know someone who is with Erasmus.

4. Get a 3 month travel card!
If you're staying for an extended amount of time get the 3 month travel card (€80) that gives airport access and all mediums of public transport unlimited. 

5.Keep 10 Eyes on your belongings! 
Theft is not a joke. It is like magic, one minute your wallet is there, the next its not.