So, why pick up and move to Barcelona? If you’ve ever been to this city you might understand, theres some indescribable magical element about this city. Me and a friend have joked it’s something about being surrounded by beautiful mountains on one side and the Mediterranean sea on the other. (see the picture above for reference) The first time I experienced Barcelona, I knew this was a place that I was going to come back to. I had this unexplainable pull to the city, I still don’t even know what it was about this place that just felt like home to me..instantly.
Barcelona is so wonderful, filled with history, culture and so much energy. I feel so lucky to have been able to live in a city like Barcelona.
As I mentioned there is something magical about a city that has the sea on one side and mountains on the other…You can go take a walk up a mountain or you can go take a walk along the beach, whatever you wake up feeling like doing, it’s there. Or you can sit on the beach and stare at the mountains… Not to mention that both the mountains and the beaches are so breathtakingly beautiful.The sunsets are incredible, so bright, colorful and they seemingly get better each day.
Then there’s the old part of the city, you turn a corner and can walk past an incredibly old yet beautiful building, filled with so much history and so many stories. There are so many new places to explore, and even the places that I have already explored I always found myself returning to. It’s no surprise that I’m a city person, I need the energy and life of a city. I get bored easily, I need all the endless options the city has to offer, the constant stimulation. And Barcelona certain does not lack in that at all. Any type of cafe, restaurant, bar, club, store, anything, you have countless options here in Barcelona. I love this city and it certainly felt like home to me…but it also makes me happy to know that I can make such a foreign city feel like home so quickly.
What led me here…
My first trip to Barcelona was in January 2014, during my senior year of college for a study abroad program. It was one stop on the 6 week trip, traveling through Spain, only 6 days spent in this city..but wow those 6 days made such an impact on me. Before coming on the trip I had toyed with the idea of one day living in Spain… it was just something that never felt like it would be a reality. Kind of like a thing when you’re 5 years old and say you’re gonna be a pop star like Britney Spears when you grow up. Something that seems like it would be great, but would never realistically happen. Soo the idea of living in Spain was somewhere in the back of my mind during my trip, but never fully as a realistic thought. I came to Barcelona, and it was just game over. I knew that there was something about this city that was soooooo so right for me. Well, maybe it didn’t help that I was also very sick and delirious and had no clue what even was going on.. but I think that might have added to it, being so sick and having that negative experience yet feeling so good about this place.
On my return home I was discussing with Maggie how awesome this place was. Well ironically enough, she had been researching teaching abroad, specifically in Spain. She mentioned a program that she saw in Barcelona. I thought to myself this is it, not only do I get to go back to Barcelona… but I could go and live there for a year. That sounded magical, ideal and just utterly perfect to me. So we both applied to the program, got accepted and bought our one way tickets to Barcelona. Yes a one way ticket. When I was clicking purchase the amount of emotions that I experienced were all over the map.
I had the ticket, I had the plan, and yet it still didn’t feel like it was really happening. I packed all the things I thought I could possibly need into 2 big suitcases, and even as I was packing a years worth of clothes it didn’t feel real. As I said goodbye to all of my friends, it still didn’t feel real. As I said goodbye to my mom in the airport, it STILL did not feel real. Even on the plane, still had not hit me yet. Not until I stepped off the plane and into my magical city did it really hit me and feel real.
Attached are some of my favorite photos of Barcelona.. Sometime soon I will write more about specific parts of Barcelona.. stay tuned..
