First Month Impressions
Nearly a month has already gone by though it feels like we just arrived. We continue to get settled in and figure out how to live in Barcelona.
Some impressions so far:
The public transportation system is so easy to use, and so clean. We buy one card, and it works on the subway, tram (or what they call “light rail” in Phoenix), and the bus. There is little to no pushing to get on and off, even during the busy times, people generally will wait for everyone to exit before filing on. Also, it is much quieter than subways in the United States. It is uncommon for anyone to blast their phones without headphones, or to have loud phone conversations on their speakerphone, or just be loud in general. And I have not seen anyone leave their litter behind. It’s a refreshing change.
Getting the phone situation arranged is a little tricky. We need to keep our US numbers for the time being, but also need Spanish numbers. We did get unlocked iPhone 13s while still in the USA, because they have a physical sim card slot, and got our US number ported over to T-Mobile, which also provides international service. So upon arrival, we automatically had data, messaging, and phone coverage with our existing US numbers. Then, we had to get an e-sim from Vodafone, as that is the only provider in Spain that supports e-sims for iPhones. That was tricky, as the process involves going in the store, getting a physical sim card, but then activating it with a QR code to install as an e-sim, so you never actually even open the package containing the physical card. The downside is, the stores only get so many physical sim cards each day, so it took us three tries to finally hit a store that still had cards available that day. But now that we have them, this is a great solution as we have both our US and Spanish numbers active on our iPhones, and don’t have to carry around two phones, a US phone plus a European phone. This was quite a conundrum to solve.
People do not text in Europe, instead they use WhatsApp. In fact, our service with Vodafone only includes calls and data - no texting is even included. Why this is, I am not entirely sure, but my guess it that back in the early days, texting was charged per message, while WhatsApp is free, so everyone just used WhatsApp. I could be completely wrong though. Last night I met a guy from Ukraine and he was telling me they primarily use Telegram there, so he had to start using WhatsApp upon moving to Spain. When I said most people in the US just text, he was surprised. But it is a great change to have everyone on the same platform and no longer have to deal with the goofiness around Apple vs Android having different messaging standards.
Homelessness in Barcelona is common, but it is not nearly as bad as what I have seen in Los Angeles and Phoenix.
Barcelona is amazingly clean. There are armies of people working for the city constantly cleaning the sidewalks, plus I have not seen anybody littering at all. In comparison, most US cities I have been to are filthy. The worst issue here is dog poop. You have to be aware to avoid stepping in it, which leads to the next impression….
There are an unbelievable number of dogs here. This is definitely a city that loves dogs. There are also plenty of dog parks, including a very nice one a couple blocks from us, which Farrah thoroughly enjoys visiting. The rule of thumb regarding whether a place is dog-friendly or not seems to be the reverse of what we experienced in Phoenix: if there is no sign, then assume it’s dog-friendly. Usually there is only a sign if dogs are prohibited, instead of signs saying “dog friendly”.
Barcelona, like Phoenix, is experiencing a terrible drought. But the reaction here is largely opposite: for example, nearly all the fountains in the city have been turned off and drained to save water. Also, in our gym, the showers operate by button, so you push, and the water runs about twenty seconds before shutting off. So no leaving the shower on for ten minutes letting the hot water spray. We are now in the habit of doing “submarine showers”, as we also see everyone else at the gym doing: get yourself wet, then while the shower is off, soap up everywhere, then run the shower to rinse. Meanwhile in Phoenix, growth continues at a ridiculous pace, nearly every home has its own private pool, and no restrictions have been put on water use. It is refreshing to see a city acknowledging the reality of drought and taking actual concrete steps to respond.
Smoking is much more prevalent here. This is one of the few changes I do not like. Although, I have only seen smoking outdoors, so it is manageable. I am not totally certain but I believe smoking is now prohibited indoors, as I have not seen any smoking even in bars. Or maybe people are just more conscious of not smoking inside? No idea but this is definitely one of the few things I like less about Barcelona.
Not having a vehicle is glorious. A monthly pass for the public transportation system, including subway, tram, and bus, is less than we were paying for a SINGLE tank of gas in Phoenix. Then add in car payments, car insurance, oil changes, maintenance, repairs, valet, parking, washing, new tires…. I hope to never own a vehicle again. We have not felt limited at all since the public transportation is so great here, not to mention having access to a high-speed train network.
I feel much safer. Gun violence is just not a thing here. The most anxiety-inducing concern is not being pickpocketed, and that is easy enough to guard against. Not to mention, we regularly see gay couples in public being themselves, and nobody bats in eye. Contrast that to our experience in the US - merely holding hands has had people in supposedly progressive cities in the US call us “motherfucking faggots” among other things. The comfort level here is just so much higher. Still, now and then I’ll see someone with one of those clip-on-belt cell phone holsters, and my brain will immediately register it as a gun…. then I remember that no, that does not exist here. The only guns I’ve seen are being carried by the police. Those ingrained anxieties will take a while to shake off.
Christmas is low key here. The city has put up decorations, shops have decorations, and we are starting to see lit-up Christmas trees in apartment windows, but it is not over-the-top. We do hear “Christmas” music being played here and there, but it is not totally overwhelming and inescapably ubiquitous. The pooping Christmas logs are for sale, and special Christmas treats too, but it is not the overwhelming celebration of consumerism that we were used to in the US.
Going back to not having a car, but having access to good public transportation: daily life is much more convenient and low stress. The other night, Jim started cooking dinner and realized he needed a couple lemons. In Phoenix, that would have meant getting in the car, driving, parking, so on so on so on. Here, I just went downstairs, out the front door, and popped in the little market next door to pick up a couple lemons. Easy-peasy lemon-squeezy.
Food is ridiculously cheap, compared to what we are used to back in the United States. And it is fresh, quality food. Being healthy is a lot easier just by default, between the easy, cheap availability of good food, and all the walking we are doing.
Needless to say, we are happy with nearly all the differences in living here versus our lives in Phoenix. The lifestyle is so different, but has been easy to adjust to because it just feels like “yeah, this all makes sense, this is the way to live.”.