Their infrequent use is aimed at thoughtless and selfish
motorists where everyone joins in to make their point. Regard this as a much
more acceptable form of road rage!
The people of Barcelona are generally very friendly,
non-aggressive, calm, helpful and generous, particularly with their time. To
most, maintaining enduring relationships is more important than the desire for
more and more material wealth. Outside the tourist heart of the city, which many
Barcelonans prefer to avoid, you can expect people to come up to you in the
street offering help if you are looking lost. In the tourist areas, however, be
on your guard with such approaches - which are unlikely to come from the Spanish
themselves. Barcelona is one of the safest European cities in terms of serious
crime. However, muggings of tourists involving little or no physical contact are
a problem, one fortunately not experienced by our groups to date. It is safer to
avoid any unnecessary contact with strangers in the tourist zones if you wish to
avoid the risk of losing your money and possessions. For male students the
approach may be a friendly discussion about the merits of Manchester United,
followed by a mock tackle in which balance is lost and money taken from the back
pocket. Leave all except essential spending money in your hotel room safe. Carry
a photocopy of your passport, not the real thing. The hotel will stamp the back
of the photocopy. Do not use pavement cash dispensers. Do not buy flowers from
wandering street sellers; be particularly wary if they try to insert a flower
into your lapel. Walk away immediately. Don`t worry about appearing to be rude
in such circumstances. If people come up to you pointing to a stain on your
clothing, ignore them and walk away. Do not participate in the card and dice
games which you will see on the streets. Do not walk down deserted or badly lit
streets after dark. Other specific advice will be given upon arrival at the
hotel. Forewarned is forearmed - enabling you and your group to avoid being
cheated and return home safely without incident.
See Barcelona Street Scamswebsite - something of an overaction to what is in reality a wonderful city.
The Spanish, on the whole, wait until the green pedestrian
light indicates it is safe to cross the road. Please follow the same behaviour.
When the green light flashes, you have only a few seconds in which to reach
safety and this is the signal for the motorcycles to move. Be warned! Please
remember that traffic drives on the 'wrong side' of the road. This involves you
looking to your left, not your right.
In the smaller souvenir shops, there are often two prices - a
tourist and 'local' price for items. You will need to bargain in a friendly
manner to achieve the lower of the two. Music CDs are one of the bargains to be
had. Try FNAC in Placa Catalunya.
Try and use a little Spanish or Catalan during your stay.
Barcelonans usually have an excellent command of English, will understand what
you are saying, but will not use it when talking to you. Their view is that when
they are in England, they are required to speak English - the reverse should
apply when the English are in Spain.
Apart from in supermarkets and and large department stores,
self-service in Spain is not normal. Please ask before opening, for example, the
ice cream or cold drink cabinet. Failure to do so is regarded as rude at best
and attempted theft at worst.
During the working week, expect most shops and businesses to
shut down between 13.30 and 17.00. Many close on Saturday afternoon. All
businesses are shut on Sundays.
The Barcelona leisure and shopping 'walk' is slow, usually
involving animated conversations between two or more people. They are unlikely
to be aware of your presence, and pedestrian collisions are frequent. Look
ahead.
