Roadtripping With Gina
Barcelona
Barcelona, In My Opinion
Having lived in Spain, one thing has become clear to me…if I’d chosen a university in Barcelona, I would’ve flunked out. I probably did the smart thing, choosing my education over a fascinating, world-class city, beautiful beaches and incredible parties. But was it the right thing? I don’t know. I had a great time and made lifelong friends in Valencia. But there’s only one Barcelona…and I missed it. Looking at these videos, I realize now more than ever that when I decided to do my Junior year in Spain, I should’ve picked Barcelona. I don’t know what I was thinking, moving to Valencia. Not that there’s anything wrong with Valencia. It’s just not Barcelona. And if driving in Barcelona is anything like driving in Valencia or anywhere else in Spain, they drive way too fast down way too many itty bitty streets in tiny cars that look like little shoes to me. You get used to anything in time, but never once did I take a cab in Spain without wondering if I was gonna get out of it alive. They drive like maniacs. So let’s get that straight. The people recording these tour videos are foreigners, not locals. This is not what riding around Spain actually feels like in real life. Residents don’t drive like this. So if you go there, just know that the rules of the road are a lot different than they are in America. Every time you jump into a taxi, you should pray first.
Exploring Barcelona
One of the coolest things about Spain is that the cities are so incredibly old…some of them dating back to the Roman conquests. The Romans brought arches and aqueducts to Spain’s architecture and infrastructure. But more importantly, they pioneered the technology of road systems. Everywhere they went, they built intricate roads and wide thoroughfares. Roads didn’t need to be wide because until the early 20th century, everyone rode horses. Even when the rich began to drive motorcars, horses were still the way most people got around…or they walked everywhere. So the streets are incredibly narrow in the oldest parts of any Spanish city or town. And like the Romans, they paved them with cobblestones. It wasn’t until people began to drive cars that these narrow, cobblestone streets became an issue. With homes on either side, there’s just no way to widen the roads. So to accommodate these narrow streets, you’ll notice that you don’t see a lot of SUV’s in Spain. They drive cars that don’t take up a lot of room on a narrow street, and not just for the obvious traffic reasons, but because people still do an awful lot of walking. Barcelona, and really all the cities and towns in Spain, are some of the most walkable in Europe. And that’s a really good thing for the people because all that walking makes for a healthier population. And as a tourist, it’s great because you can do a tremendous amount of sightseeing on foot. The city is wonderfully picturesque and there are lots of shops, festivals and street performers, so don’t be so quick to jump in a cab. You’ll want to take your time getting from here to there.
Walk The Neighborhood
Move the mouse on top of the little gold man on the map. Hold down the left mouse button and you’ll see blue lines appear. Those lines are streets. Drag and drop the little man on top of the street you want and let go of the mouse button. The picture on the right will change to show you a view of that street along with the street name. Click the arrows on the street to “walk” around. Or you can double-click the street to walk if there’s an arrow under your cursor. Roll the middle mouse button to zoom in and out. That’s all there is to it. Now get out there and explore!