It's winter. It's colder and grayer and windier. I caught a cold which lasted for three solid weeks, and the snot and the cough are still lingering. After four months of being tough, adventurous, and positive, I'm going to let myself wallow in the negatives today. Here are a few things I don't like about Barcelona...
Business Hours
I hate the fact that most stores are closed on Sunday. Clothing shops, bookstores, sporting goods shops, fruit and vegetable stands-- even most supermarkets are closed on Sundays! Only the Pakistani mini-markets are open 24 hrs, 7 days a week. I was surprised to find that even the Chinese-run bazaars are closed on Sundays. Maybe my immigrant brethren tried opening on Sundays, but when no one showed up, they gave up and "did as the Romans..." Even during the prime Christmas shopping weekends in December, the department stores and entire shopping malls were closed on Sundays. If there is such a financial crisis going on, you'd think the businesses might try a little harder to sell their stuff!? It always seems like I wake up on Sunday mornings and realize that my refrigerator is empty...
During the week it doesn't get much better. The nearest supermarket doesn't open until 9:15am, and it closes by 9:15pm, Monday - Saturday. The majority of stores and small businesses close between 2pm-4:30pm every day, so if I don't shop and run my errands before lunch, it's all over. Banks and most government agencies close promptly at 2pm, and they are closed on weekends.
Only restaurants and bakeries are open on Sundays, because people can't live without fresh bread and a place on the sidewalk to lounge, smoke, talk, and eat. So what do most Barcelonans DO on Sundays? Apparently brunch is very popular. It's a time to visit relatives. But for us non-church-going, relative-less expats, who find it too cold in the winter to go outside, there is nothing to do except go to the movies or to a museum. When the weather gets better, I'm sure we'll be heading to the beach or biking or hiking or traveling and I won't be such a grump about it.
Even the nearest ski hill in Spain during peak season weekends is only open from 10a - 2pm. Four hours is considered a full day lift ticket?! I guess if you eat lunch from 2-4pm, then it's too late the ski after lunch, and you might as well quit at 2. And if you didn't eat dinner until 10pm the night before, you can't possibly be on the slopes before 10am the next day! It's all so logical.
Smokers Everywhere
Everyone smokes. It's impossible to walk one block without getting a lungful of cigarette smoke. Little old ladies, old men in berets, attractive young women, middle-aged men, moms and dads, taxi drivers, and most disconcertingly, the entire crowd of high-schoolers who blockade the sidewalk during lunchtime and turn it into a gas chamber. With everyone whining about the crisis and high unemployment, how are they all managing to watch 3,50 Euros (almost $5) per pack go up in smoke? Every pack is clearly emblazoned with SMOKING KILLS (FUMAR MATA) and other dire pronouncements. I am a little afraid that if we stay here too long, when Zoe gets to middle school she might succumb to peer pressure and start lighting up.
Thank goodness since January 2011 it has been against the law to smoke inside restaurants and clubs, and on public transportation. Still, it's allowed to smoke outside at the sidewalk cafe tables, so those areas are not as pleasant as they should be.
I am curious to know how much this addiction to tobacco is costing the Spanish government in health care costs, and why there does not seem to be much impetus to break the habit. It's not as if Spain is a big tobacco-growing country, so I am sure this addiction has a negative impact on Spain's trade balance. (At least in the case of China, which grows a ton of tobacco, I can understand the economic incentive to keep up demand for the product).
Dog Bombs
Living without a car in the city center means walking a lot, which is great. I am surrounded by amazing architecture, and I'd love to just look up at the blue sky and the ornate balconies, but alas, I walk with my head down, eyes fixed on the grey sidewalk, because I'm afraid I might step on a pile of dog poop! There are a lot of dog owners in this city, and despite the fact that there is a large and active army of street cleaners with brooms and power washers that work very hard every day to keep the place tidy, they are outnumbered by dog owners who do not pick up after their animals. I thought Paris streets were even worse in this regard. But after months of scanning the pavement, avoiding the patches of dirt that surround the little street trees, and observing the pee stains on the walls where the buildings meet the sidewalk, I'm just a little bit disgusted. I can't imagine NOT removing my shoes at the door of our apartment.
Websites
Coming from Silicon Valley, where every business that exists has a website, and online registration and payment is de riguer, this place is baffling. There are so many awfully designed websites! They are not clearly laid out, and they are very short on information. They basically just tell you to stop by or call during their limited working hours. The whole point of a website is to give information! To save time so their staff doesn't have to repeat themselves over and over. To explain who and what you are so people will know whether it's worth their while to find out more. What's even more galling, is that often the information posted on the website is inaccurate. When I show up to take a class, they tell me, "No, the website is wrong. Here is the paper schedule."
The Tyranny of the NIE
It is relatively easy for a citizen of country within the European Union to move here. They can easily get a NIE, which is a number kind of like a social security number and ID card in one. This 9 digit collection of letters and numbers is the key to happiness. Without it you cannot open a bank account (Unless you know the right person at the right bank to talk to. It took me a month of head-bashing to find a way). You cannot get internet service, or even a customer loyalty card at stores. You need that damn number for everything. And for Americans, it's very hard to get one.
I Miss Grass
They do not believe in grass here. There are no lawns. I'm sure this is much more water efficient, but it makes me sad. The parks are full of packed sand and pavement. There are trees and bushes, but very little grass. No sprinkler systems. School playgrounds are basically paved areas (patios) where kids play ball and tag. If they fall, they get scraped and bruised. No jungle gyms, swings, or playstructures here. The fancier private schools have soccer fields which are generally made of artificial turf. It is hard to find a place to go out on a Saturday morning to kick a soccer ball around except in the paved plaza.
Last minute planning
People here are great. But they don't tend to like to plan things ahead of time (other than birthday parties). I like to set a time and a place a week or two in advance, and then I show up. But that is not the culture here. It's more like, "Call me on Saturday morning and we'll figure it out then," or, "I'll see you at school and we can talk about it." Of course not everyone is like that, but in general, it's very different from the SF Bay Area where things are scheduled months in advance.
Minor Annoyances
1. How much is 10 degrees Celsius???
2. My recipes are in cups and teaspoons, but my measuring spoons and cups are in mg and ml.
3. Here, today is 30/01/2013
4. One and one-half is 1,5
5. One thousand five hundred is 1.500
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