Halloween is almost here, and after exploring the supposedly haunted Rocafort metro station, I thought it was time for another of Barcelona's darker stories. This one takes us to the Raval, to an ordinary building at number 29 on Carrer de Joaquín Costa. At first glance, there is
Autumn in the Catalan Pyrenees can be wonderfully unpredictable. During a weekend in Vall de Núria, we experienced almost every version of mountain weather imaginable: moonlit skies, sweeping views from the peaks, the first traces of snow, thick fog, and finally, brilliant sunshine. We arrived in the evening, taking the
October is here, Halloween is approaching, and ghost stories seem to be everywhere. So I thought it might be a good time to explore some of Barcelona’s own spooky legends. And, as it turns out, you don’t have to wander through an abandoned mansion or a dark medieval
On a night in Plaça de Catalunya, Barcelona's housing crisis becomes impossible to overlook. Plaça de Catalunya is one of those places in Barcelona where something is always happening. People rushing to catch the metro, tourists navigating their way towards La Rambla, shoppers carrying bags from the surrounding
On 12 October, Spain celebrates its National Day, commonly known as Día de la Hispanidad. There are flags, parades and public celebrations. For many people, it is also simply a day off work. For me, however, it is a complicated holiday. Last year, I watched some of the celebrations in
A few weeks ago, I found myself standing in front of a refrigerated aisle in a Polish Lidl, looking at pierogi. There were several kinds, alongside naleśniki (Polish pancakes), kopytka (potato dumplings), krokiety, ready-cooked potatoes and various cutlets. Quite a substantial part of an ordinary Polish dinner, already prepared
Metro station names are among those words you can know perfectly without ever knowing what they mean. You know where to change. You know which exit to take. You know that one stop means home, another means work, and another means you have probably gone too far. After a while,
Barcelona is very good at making you forget about rain. Weeks can pass without anything more serious than a few drops. In summer, rain can feel almost theoretical: something appearing in the weather app, possibly accompanied by a tiny cloud icon, while outside the pavement continues to bake. And then
There is a version of Barcelona everyone knows before they ever live here. Balconies, façades, sunlight, shutters, washing hanging somewhere several floors above a narrow street. The city is extraordinarily good at presenting itself from the outside. Living here means discovering another Barcelona: the one behind the front door. One
“Barcelona is a fiesta,” Javi likes to say. This week, he had a point. September 24 is La Mercè, Barcelona’s festa major. Shops close, stages appear, streets change function and, for a few days, the city seems to reorganise itself around the fact that something is happening. This year,
When I first read about the protest against the expansion of Barcelona’s airport, my reaction was very simple: why? On the surface, a bigger and better-connected El Prat sounds like good news. Better infrastructure, more capacity, easier connections. As someone who uses the airport regularly, I can see
In February 2020, I took a photograph in Madeira. It was one of those pictures you take for the landscape and only really look at years later. When I eventually did, I noticed something in the foreground: padel courts. I remembered them immediately. They were close enough to the hotel