The Beach

Hanging out on the rocks

Getting a little sun at the beach

I always knew that I wanted to study in Spain when I went abroad.  I just was never sure I knew where exactly in Spain I wanted to go.  So when it came down to deciding, I had to choose between Madrid and Barcelona.  One of the main reasons I chose to study in Barcelona instead of Madrid was because of the beach.  Back at home in Chicago, I live right next to the beach, and I couldn't imagine not living near the water while studying in Madrid for the semester.  That is how I knew I needed to come to Barcelona.  As it turns out, the beach in Barcelona is a big part of life here.

A perfect sky

There are so many things to do on the beaches in Barcelona.  The beach that is close to our apartment is surrounded by a large park filled with grass and trees.  Many people congregate on the grass when it is warm to play soccer, eat food and drink with friends and family.  There is also a small skateboard park that I have enjoyed living close to.  It is always fun to go down to the water and skate in the ocean breeze.  There are also many things to do on the beaches themselves.

One of our first trips to the beach

The beach that is closest to us is actually a gay beach, but we didn’t figure that out for a few weeks.  I’m sure people might have looked at us a little funny when we went down there in groups of about 10 people.  Once we figured out, we stopped going to that beach as frequently and went to the one that is a little closer to Opium Mar and that area of town.  It is more of a cove, surrounded by rocks.  Because the rocks protect from heavy waves, there are often many people windsurfing out on the water.  On the beach itself many people play soccer and sand volleyball with friends.  One thing that is a lot different from American beaches is that there are many people on the beach trying to sell beer and souvenirs, as well as drugs sometimes.  Also there are Asian women who walk around and try to offer massages for 5 Euro, which is something that doesn’t happen in the states ever.

One of the beach bars I like

 

 

 One other thing that is great about Barcelona is that the beaches have many bars on them to get a drink if you get thirsty from being out in the sun too long.  They offer many refreshing drinks, both alcoholic and non as well as tapas.  They also play music pretty loud that is nice to listen to when you are hanging out in the water.  The bars on the beach make Barcelona feel much more like a tropical island than an actual city where people work and live.  Some of the bars stay open past dark and allow people to dance in them.   One of those bars that is very upscale and nice is located outside of Hotel W, a very famous and expensive hotel in Barcelona.

The bar area at Hotel W

The beach outside of Hotel W