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I just came back from Barcelona. Honestly I don't recollect seeing many black people, but it was off season and like pointed out, Barcelona is such a huge touristic destination and being black won't be a problem for you (I am Asian).
As to recommendations, I did Park Guell on the first day I was there as unlike other attractions, it is a bit out of the day. You need to take the subway and walk for a good ten minutes plus a lot of stairs. I suggest you buy ticket online in advance as the line may be long, and the ticket will indicate the time you can enter - it might not be right after you get the ticket. I waited for more than half an hour to be allowed in. Honestly I wasn't too impressed by the Park and wouldn't regret if I didn't go. Honestly if time is limited, you may consider skipping it and focus on the old city.
Sagrada Familia is a must see of course. Make sure you buy tickets online in advance otherwise you might wait for an hour or more in line. St Pau Hospital is magnificent. Many people don't realize how beautiful it is as a hospital, definitely check it out. Picasso Museum. I am not a museum person, but I enjoyed the visit. Casa Mila, it is just a house but very impressive, especially the roof top. A bit pricey. Casa Batllo, another Gaudi product. I didn't go, maybe next time.
The Gothic quarter itself is fascinating with so many historical sites for you to explore. and the small alleys are mesmerizing. Definitely check out the Catedral - so much history happened there. Picasso Museum is in it too.
Les Rambles are world famous, but it is extremely tourist oriented. It is still worth going and I don't recommend spending too much time there, or dine there. Too many tourist traps. I spent about an hour walking down the famous street.
Surprisingly Barcelona's waterfront is very nice and walkable too. I went in Feb and saw surfers.
I also highly recommend a walking tour led by a local guide. It is usually free but you decide to tip the guild in the end. It is a very efficient and educational way to see a city. I do it in most historical cities.
Be extremely alert about pickpockets AT ALL TIME. It is the thing with Barcelona. The city itself is safe but pretty thefts can be very annoying if you lose your passport or wallet.
Sorry for the late response but thank you very much for all of the recommendations.
So far the main things I want to see/do are:
-Sagrada Familia
-Parc Guell
-Gothic Quarter/Arc de Triomf (sp?)
-Case Battlo
-Have some really good tapas and some really good churros!
-See some latin dancing in the street or at some local venue perhaps
-Visit the beach (wonder if I could find some seashells there??)
-Get a few souvenirs to take back with me (cava, some bracelets or fans, and my aunt wants a 'poncho' )
Now the mission is to plan this all out to maximize my time. I have 3pm onward open Saturday, all day Sunday open, Monday is free until 6 pm, and Wednesday I'm free after noon. Hope I can squeeze all of this in!
Spaniards will see her as an American before her skin color. We stick out like a sore thumb from the African immigrants in Spain.
Didn't want any feathers getting ruffled by asking the question about racism...truth is I read two blogs by African American females and they mentioned experiences there that had me concerned...for good reason.
It's always good to know the experiences of people who have been to a place so you know if you need to be careful/watch out for anything or not be too shocked when something you're not used to happens, is all.
Oh yeah...meant to add RE: the poster that mentioned pic pocketing...this happened to me in Paris in December on a business trip and my passport was taken. I had to stay in the country 2 extra days...was my first time traveling internationally and was literally a nightmare.
Anyway, any tips on avoiding this going forward? I was extra careful after that but for this trip the only place I can think of keeping my money/card where I believe no one can get to it is in my bra
Of course I know now don't ever leave the room with your passport on your person
Oh yeah...meant to add RE: the poster that mentioned pic pocketing...this happened to me in Paris in December on a business trip and my passport was taken. I had to stay in the country 2 extra days...was my first time traveling internationally and was literally a nightmare.
Anyway, any tips on avoiding this going forward? I was extra careful after that but for this trip the only place I can think of keeping my money/card where I believe no one can get to it is in my bra
Of course I know now don't ever leave the room with your passport on your person
Wear a money belt. You can get it from walmart, target, and such. No, it's not the same as fanny pack. It's literally like an inner pocket that you wear under your clothes so it's invisible. I always wear it with me when I travel to Europe or anywhere that's infested with pick pockets. Put your passport and credit cards there, and your money. Only carry small amount of money outside of it. You can google it to find out more about it and how to wear it properly.
Wear a money belt. You can get it from walmart, target, and such. No, it's not the same as fanny pack. It's literally like an inner pocket that you wear under your clothes so it's invisible. I always wear it with me when I travel to Europe or anywhere that's infested with pick pockets. Put your passport and credit cards there, and your money. Only carry small amount of money outside of it. You can google it to find out more about it and how to wear it properly.
Great idea; I just looked them up on Amazon. Only thing is the majority of my clothes I packed are dresses (and 2 jumpsuits). I might have to repack with mostly separates (tops+bottoms) in order to wear one of these.
Great idea; I just looked them up on Amazon. Only thing is the majority of my clothes I packed are dresses (and 2 jumpsuits). I might have to repack with mostly separates (tops+bottoms) in order to wear one of these.
Well, I just traveled to Spain, did Madrid, Seville, Barcelona and Zaragoza. I actually stayed with locals and I didn;t have any issues at all. I love to experience the culture when I'm traveling.
I'm not usually worried whenever I travel to locations where I might stand out. I (-think-) I usually just blend in with the locals because I never had to worry about being harassed or being prejudiced against in all my travel. I certainly do not wear a money belt and/or camera around my neck (that's for tourists in my opinion and I don't like to be considered as one...although, technically I am).
In my experience Spaniards are really nice people. They were very helpful (elderly people especially lol) whenever I was lost and needed directions even though they barely spoke any English.
I don't stress myself over what people might think or say to me when I travel to a new country. I've visited several countries in Europe and I haven't experienced any racism. But then again whenever I'm in a new country or area, I don't particularly wonder what the locals might think about my skin color but hey, that's just me.
I did get some interesting looks in a few places where it was clear that the people there never or very rarely saw a black person or black women lol.
Well, I just traveled to Spain, did Madrid, Seville, Barcelona and Zaragoza. I actually stayed with locals and I didn;t have any issues at all. I love to experience the culture when I'm traveling.
I'm not usually worried whenever I travel to locations where I might stand out. I (-think-) I usually just blend in with the locals because I never had to worry about being harassed or being prejudiced against in all my travel. I certainly do not wear a money belt and/or camera around my neck (that's for tourists in my opinion and I don't like to be considered as one...although, technically I am).
In my experience Spaniards are really nice people. They were very helpful (elderly people especially lol) whenever I was lost and needed directions even though they barely spoke any English.
I don't stress myself over what people might think or say to me when I travel to a new country. I've visited several countries in Europe and I haven't experienced any racism. But then again whenever I'm in a new country or area, I don't particularly wonder what the locals might think about my skin color but hey, that's just me.
I did get some interesting looks in a few places where it was clear that the people there never or very rarely saw a black person or black women lol.
But is that all you got from my post? I told you I never had a negative experience.
I got hit on a few times in a couple of places. ( Madrid, tegel, (a small town outside Berlin) and one of the Greek islands).
-Have to say though, they were still nice in their approach.-
Fyi they are black people in Barcelona. Not as many as in Madrid, but you definitely won't stand out.
Last edited by Flamboyante; 04-16-2015 at 03:21 AM..
You had about 15 threads saying you won't have an issue with race, and one that did - if you see his or her posting history, that poster has an agenda beyond the scope of travel and apparently has never been even out of the country so that response can be dismissed.
The poster you are responsible for got looks, not for being of a certain race, but apparantly for being an attractive female. Now go any have an enjoyable trip and stop being preoccupied with specific concerns that clearly do not exist.
If you have additional questions about what to see or do in Spain - of course, ask away.
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