{"id":827,"date":"2023-11-10T22:51:51","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T20:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laszlo8360.com\/?p=827"},"modified":"2025-10-15T22:15:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T20:15:16","slug":"barcelona-2023-november-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/laszlo8360.com\/en\/barcelona-2023-november-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Barcelona, 2023 november 10."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A naps\u00fct\u00e9s ingyen van. |
The sunshine is free. |
Le soleil est gratuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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November 10, 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WAKING UP AND THE ROUTINE<\/strong>
I generally enjoy slow mornings. The only downside is that it requires an early wake-up if I want to leave on time. Well, that didn’t happen today either. Spontaneity meets routine – after a long sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the budget, I’m not meticulously scrutinizing it today. Nor am I examining the accumulated bills. Of course, I save where I can. I plan the activities on that particular morning, sitting on the toilet. Not before. Within a few hours, it will turn out that it’s just a draft, much like the budget pre-written for the next two weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s good this way. There are plenty of experiences. That’s why I come, right?! Let them take me away!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHOPPING STROLL<\/strong>
It turned out that several of my favorite clothing stores are in the city. The two-story Desigual store is a spectacle, with its slide sized for adults between the two floors. I haven’t seen a Primark with a five-story selection anywhere else. Springfield didn’t bring a significant range to this store. Now I just need the extravagant shirts from Coton Doux and the individually tailored bottoms from Yamamay, and I’d be well-dressed.
Primark is actually an excellent compromise. Never bad design, never bad prices. Nothing more. Nothing extra. I bought autumn shoes, a thin sweater, and jeans for fifty euros. By the way, my similarly worn-out, four-year-old sweater hasn’t lost its quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have my coffee in the pedestrian zone, on the square in front of the cathedral. Plus a pastry because, well, drinking coffee, but with style and grace\u2026 \ud83d\ude42 Meanwhile, I observe that the beggars here are quite creative. Some dressed as clowns, some in beautiful traditional costumes, take joint selfies with tourists. Then they hold out their hands. This is still better than sitting on a rock, waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SUNSHINE IS STILL FREE<\/strong>
Well, I didn’t go into the cathedral this way. The entrance fee is fourteen euros. If it had been around five, I might have checked out another Gothic cathedral. No wonder. Supply and demand move prices. That’s how a healthy market works, I think. Where even the forty-euro (almost twenty thousand forints) tickets have people lining up, if the experience were given for free, the commotion would be so huge that it couldn’t be handled. The high ticket price filters the audience and provides funds for regular and thorough maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, around the corner, I get an experience for free. She wasn’t a street musician because she only sang. I think the woman is a professional opera singer. She sings operettas and opera pieces so cleanly that even the cold sends shivers down my spine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Gothic quarter, it should be noted that these houses probably didn’t exist in the original Gothic era, but tourists love to photograph them, and in this city, that’s the main measure of success. Inside the district, I even run into a peaceful protest. I would have been curious, but I didn’t feel the large crowd was safe enough. I turn towards the market instead, which is a more peaceful crowd, just without a protest. Next time, I’ll arrive on an empty stomach. Firstly, then I won’t be bothered by the price level, and secondly, all the stalls are inviting. You have to imagine a place the size of the Great Market Hall in Budapest, but with five times as many vendors. So, you can go around it in half an hour. Unless your son’s hobby is gastronomy. The huge shopping crowd has a huge advantage: everything is always fresh, and what’s fresh is desirable, crispy, beautiful. Directly around the building, a row of buffets surrounds it, but I would probably prefer to eat at the market because it’s more stylish and reliable, where you can see the chef at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve already talked about La Rambla; it’s about the main walking route for tourists. The constantly bustling atmosphere is captivating. So captivating that I can’t warn myself enough: pickpockets have the most creative profession. Besides, they have such delicate hands that\u2026 I wish I had a girlfriend like that someday\u2026 :-).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The painters! There are many among the street vendors. There are two who completely enchant me. They use vivid colors so impressively that I get lost between them for twenty minutes. At this point, I specifically regret not having my own home because I wouldn’t have regretted the eighty euros for the painting, but then, where would I put the picture?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PARTY ON THE BEACH, IN THE CITY, AT THE HOSTEL<\/strong>
Wherever I go, sooner or later, there’s a bar everywhere. All are almost full – it’s Friday night. And those who aren’t inside are looking for an entertainment venue. This city is very alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my hostel, a group of fifty has just arrived, which means two entire floors. Each has a box of alcohol, some topped off with a bag of snacks. They could do this at home, within four walls. For my part, I’ll go out now, check if I’m not in a candy store. But it seems I’m not the only one. All the open ice cream shops overflow with people. Both the young and the old want to have fun, relax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People want to live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SANGRIA<\/strong>
There’s a bartender girl whose hand easily fetches eight euros for a sangria. She makes it with rum and ginger. However, her assistant should learn a few hundred more years. Not for nothing, cocktail making is a kind of art. An example is the guy in the Born district, who dances behind the bar, switches disco lights, and for nine euros, prepares a cocktail that is already captivating on its own. His trick is to mix slush with sangria, not icebergs. Looking back, I remember that only level one tourists ask for sangria. The others opt for quality wine or a decent cocktail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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