Barcelona…there’s no place like home.

Let me preface this post by saying that I am extremely biased when it comes to Spain, and my second home, Barcelona. I love the shit out of this city. Back in the day, I participated in a student exchange program here and ended up staying two years. Whenever I get a chance, I annoy my friends and family by waxing nostalgic about Gaudi, the chilled out lifestyle, jamon serrano and of course, FC Barcelona. Even now, I try to come back every few years to visit friends, indulge in delicious tapas and party my face off. So when TD and I decided to postpone South America and have a European summer, BCN was calling my name.

While TD headed to a community in Southern Spain, I caught up with a few friends in France before basing myself in Barcelona. I’ve never met a person who had a bad thing to say about the city. I mean, it’s got amazing art/architecture, multiple beaches, great food and unparalleled nightlife – what’s not to love? The interesting thing for me is to see how its changed over the years and to talk to my Catalan friends about their perspectives. When I first arrived, Spain wasn’t on the euro, Barça was a losing team and the city felt like the epicenter of all things cool and edgy. Fast forward to 2010 – it’s a well-trodden tourist destination with the prices and crowds to match. My local friends try to avoid the center (especially Ramblas and Barri Gotic) whenever possible. They say that Barcelona is becoming a bit like Disneyland, where tourists have taken over and driven up all prices. To make matters worse, Spain is suffering acutely during the economic crisis with an unemployment rate of 20 percent. And the average pay here is only around 1000 euros per month. Not exactly a king’s ransom.

But all is not lost! The dodgy streets of El Raval retain their grimy vibe, bars and clubs abound and that great quality of life still exists (you just might have to pay a little more for it). For those of you into electronic music, the SONAR festival might make you wet your pants. The program is more eclectic for the day events, while the nights have a nice mix of lesser known and established names on the bill. I rocked out to the Chemical Brothers, Dizzee Rascal and others until 7 in the morning. A friend also tipped me off to underground events on the beach and even one on the rooftop of an abandoned building (shut down by the cops, boo!). Fun times. If you hang out in the neighborhood of Gracia, you’ll be surrounded by locals who frequent the chill restaurants and bars in the area. You’ll even hear most people speaking Catalan instead of English, German, French or Swedish. We were also lucky enough to be around for La Merce, a huge festival for the patron saint of Barcelona. Not only are there traditional Catalan displays but also tons of concerts, dance, theater and light spectaculars.

Basically, I’m not going to be one of these haters that says, “Oh, it was SO much better ten years ago.” Go to Barcelona. There is a reason why its so popular. It is fucking amazing. Take it from a girl who thought about marrying a local in order to stay there.