Study Abroad Decision: Amsterdam vs Barcelona vs Berlin vs Prague (places, people)
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Also I feel that Berlin and Barcelona would be VERY different experiences other than the great nightlife. German people have a reputation for being rigid and efficient almost to a fault, while the Spaniards are known to be laid back and relaxed almost to a fault.
i think it's different in practice
The catalans I know are kind of unfriendly and snobbish and the germans I know are pretty funny and fun-loving.
Also I feel that Berlin and Barcelona would be VERY different experiences other than the great nightlife. German people have a reputation for being rigid and efficient almost to a fault, while the Spaniards are known to be laid back and relaxed almost to a fault.
Catalans are as close to Germans as you can get in Spain, in the sense of stereotypically stingy, cold and efficient, also snobby. You wont get into their social circles anyway. I live in Amsterdam, have been to Barcelona over 25 times and to Berlin 3 or 4 times. Prague i dont know so much about, i was 14 last time i went, but you said it was mostly between the other 3 anyway. If its all about the nightlife, id say Amsterdam is off your list. Theres tons of your type of music coming from this country, but your general nightlife in this city is not like Berlin or Barcelona, and its more expensive here. Also other costs are higher. Everyone does speak English though. I enjoy living here though, its a nice city, not too small, not too big, with a lot to offer for its size. Berlin is bigger, cheaper, has more nightlife and got really hipster/popular/international. Winters are harsh, but its lovely in spring/summer. Barcelona is also cheap, international, and very very popular. Like i said, catalan social circles are very hard to get into. Its almost as if the city were two cities in one. One for the people from there, and one for the international/immigrant crowd. Its a pretty city though, especially away from the tourists. And always enough parties.
I can put your mind at ease: Each of those cities have superb nightlife, infrastructure and other locations nearby to travel to. Also, exchange students (at university level) usually don't stay with a family. Plenty of flat shares and dorms available.
The bad news: In the end, no one can make the decision for you. Just make your mind up and go wherever you like. I mean, I could tell you that I don't really like Barcelona and that Berlin is just too hipster for my liking. Others will tell you that Barcelona is the best city on earth and that I just hate hipsters (which is not entirely true considering where I live in Vienna right now and which bars/clubs I usually attend).
Just buy some good guidebooks, watch some good documentaries on the cities (vice.com, Bourdain, ...) and have a look at this webpage: Unlike City Guides
That will give you an idea about what those cities are like.
Hmmm good input! For a while I thought Amsterdam would be my top choice but it seems as though Berlin would offer me everything and more of what I'm looking for. If I can pull it off, I'd love to maybe spend fall semester in Berlin and spring semester in Barcelona!
Amsterdam and Berlin were my two favorite Euro cities.
Amsterdam has the most chill people you'll ever meet and they speak English. Very cool city.
Berlin has a certain happening energy to it (That sounds cheesy but it's hard to explain.) It feels cutting edge in music, style..Idk..Just a cutting edge energy that a lot of cool cities don't always have.
I'd probably go with Amsterdam for the English, that would make life much, much easier..And visit Berlin often.
(Personally I'd go with Barcelona, but only cuz I think it'd be cool to learn some Catalan and work on my Spanish. If I wasn't trying to learn a language Barcelona wouldn't make my list. )
Berlin has a certain happening energy to it (That sounds cheesy but it's hard to explain.) It feels cutting edge in music, style..Idk..Just a cutting edge energy that a lot of cool cities don't always have.
All 4 of the cities are great choices.
But, yeah, I loved that Berlin energy! Very noticeable.
Prague or Barcelona would be my choices.. I would pick Barcelona for the weather, but Prague and eastern Europe in general is very cheap (especially alcohol )
First of all: Prague is not eastern Europe. Forty years of unhappy episode can not erase previous thousand years of history. BTW: Cold war is over.
(In Prague) They speak bad English but many can speak German
Interesting... So, it's better to speak in German with them?
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