Language use and other Barcelona, Spain Local Custom Tips

Outside the tourist areas, it didn't seem that Barcelonians spoke more than Spanish and Catalan. I found some minimal knowledge of English and German but found it easier to speak what Spanish I knew and fill in the gaps with Italian. When I spoke pure Italian, people seemed to get kind of the gist of what I was saying, but corrected me in Spanish each time, which helped me improve but also kept my ego in check.

In tourist areas or areas of interest, it seemed that facilities catered to speakers of French or Spanish, Catalan of course. English, Italian, or German? "If you must". Beyond that, very little effort was made to present things in minor, Central or East European languages. No effort at all was made for speakers of Asian languages that I could see.

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Wine is about as Spanish as bullfighting. Not only is it cheap, but it's good. I found the best place to buy wine was in the local grocery store, where bottles could sell for as low as .89 euros. I didn't buy any that cheap, but for three euros you can get a bottle that is really very drinkable.

Some of the vintages are a bit foreign, meaning made from grapes that aren't quite standard to the main markets, even if most people will recognize the names. Tempranillo is excellent, but I also liked anything that came from the Rioja. Jumailla is another vintage which is unique to Spain, but there are many more, including an obscure favorite of mine called Yecla. Don't ask me about white wine, I hardly ever drink it. I tried a glass of cava (champagne) and found it great as well.

If you want a sure thing without being adventuresome, try Torres, which is a very standard, very affordable line of table wines. They also make brandy. You can find Torres wines in just about every restaurant, store and even rest stops on the highway. Quality wise, I rate it above average, and it retailed for about four euros in the grocery store. I realize this is the equivalent of encouraging stateside visitors to try Ernest & Julio Gallo, but I really did find Torres wines to be very affordable, widely available, openly consumed, and consistent in quality.

Sadly, during my visit to Barcelona, I couldn't synchronize a visit to the true corner wine shops with the afternoon siestas, Sunday closures, and sightseeing. It will have to wait for next time.

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Paella is the signature dish of Catalonia. It comes in all sorts of different styles, my favorite being seafood. It is essentially rice cooked in a large shallow pan with different ingredients blending into a sauce.

VT's labeep (no longer on VT but infinitely willing to assist visitors to Barcelona) informed me that Thursday is paella day, and that most neighborhood restaurants will carry paella on that day. She also says that many places won't put much seafood in it to save money. Most people told me that for old school paella, you need to go to Barceloneta. When I went there, everything met my expectations. I should add that the shrimp they used was extremely fresh even by European standards. I hadn't tasted anything that fresh since, quite literally, waiting on the pier and buying shrimp off the fishing boat as it came in.

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All through Barcelona, and indeed throughout Catalonia, you will find high quality bakeries. Very often they also serve sandwiches, but pictured here is Miyuki's favorite, the chocolate croissant. Some actually have both ends dipped in chocolate instead of being drizzled over the top, but all are filled with chocolate. According to Miyuki, chocolate of every variety tended to be of very high quality in Barcelona.

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