Today’s Culture with Travel guest post is by Paul Calderon

I am a huge travel lover, who really think that the whole world is like a book, and people, who do not travel, read only one page. I have visited more than 20 countries to date, but what can I say now, is that “mi corazón le pertenece a Barcelona” forever. Moreover, I am considering moving to Barcelona one day, although I understand that life of expats in Barcelona is not that easy. Why will I do this? I do not have one simple answer; I can only describe the feelings I had, visiting this picturesque city for the first time. Here I have a list of things which have impressed me the most:

• Language
  Once I have landed at the Barcelona Airport El Prat, I immediately plunged into the colorful Spanish culture and I can say that this was the love at first sight. Spanish people are very passionate and temperamental, thus for me, being quite a conservative person, it seemed like they were screaming all the time because of the pitch, intonation and the tempo of their voice. Nevertheless, I got used to it very fast, and now I am willing to master la lengua Española and speak it fluently because the main problem of Barcelona live is that nobody wants to speak a foreign language.
• Cuisine
  Cafes and restaurants are not that cheap in this city as it is the second popular city after Madrid, thus the cost of living in Barcelona is quite high. But when you are trying paella, tortilla, gazpacho, patatas bravas, turrón and other national dishes for the first time, you immediately forget about the price and money because of the rich taste they give you. I will recommend you visiting Mar de Cava, Green & Berry, Buenas Migas and Trópico if you really want to try something special, but if you are tight on budget, you can always buy some drinks in the local pubs or cafes and get free tapas (small snacks) as a bonus.
• Culture
  Barcelona is a very popular tourist destination, thus more and more people consider relocation to it as an option for better life, although living in Barcelona can sometimes be too noisy because of tons of tourists you meet everywhere. I prefer walking along the narrow streets of the city and meeting ordinary Spanish people, but I know there are guys, who must visit at least 20 places to say that they really have seen everything. If you are one of those, then you should add these places to your must-visit list: the Sagrada Família, Park Güell, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Casa Batllo.

In my mind, the best place to live in Barcelona is Eixample neighbor, which is one of the most beautiful areas in the city. There you can find many famous buildings, created by well-known architect Antoni Gaudi, I am speaking of Casa Mila and the Sagrada Familia, one of the most visit places in all Spain. The Ciutat Vella is also located not far from it, as well as amazing Park Güell where you can have long walks with your closest. The purchasing of real property in Spain is very expensive, so I can only dreaming of renting a small flat, where I can sit on the balcony every morning with a cup of aroma coffee in my hand, admiring the view in front of me. If you are not afraid of expat life Barcelona can offer you, then you must at least visit this mysterious and unique city and live the life of an ordinary Spanish with all those benefits in the form of siesta, slow pace of life, forever summer and constant fiestas.

Paul Calderon is a dreamer, talented writer and traveler. He has obtained a Bachelor degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri, the USA and currently works for https://australianwritings.com.au. He likes volunteering, reading books and learning about people’s culture all over the world.