Barcelona is an experience. The entire city seems to be setup to party. Why I think this is the case can be best told with a story.
My night going out in Barcelona was a long one.
I checked in right before the Tapas Tour, a tour of the Barcelona neighborhood of Gracia. That was where I found out about a fun swing dance studio. On that tour, I met three young American ladies and a couple other young men.
On night two, it was one of the girl’s birthday, and she wanted to go to a club. Now, I’ve gone to clubs in Minnesota, or even Los Angeles, so I wasn’t too excited about another nightclub. Going to a nightclub was a great idea. We went to a club called Opium.
This place was incredible! I mean, I’ve never seen a club like this. Once we got in, we proceeded into the club basement. The place was big, and it had one main dance floor. It also had a private area. I was chatting up a gal, and she wondered into the private area, so I hung out there until I got bored. Before we started dancing, we got a table, but instead of having bottle service, naturally, we got some quality, coconut hookah.
This was an awesome club with great dancing. My group was dropping off, one-by-one. Being the most responsible person (read “oldest person”) in the group, I was trying to make sure everyone was accounted for. Eventually, I only knew one other person in the club, and while the party was still going strong, and she and I decided to head back early at 5:30am.
The next day, I was exploring Barceloneta Beach, when I learned that we were not actually in a crazy club basement, but we were actually partying on the beach all night.
Town Trends
Our night was crazy and late, but I can’t even guess what it’d be like on the weekends instead of a Wednesday night.
The whole city stays up incredibly late. Most of the shops don’t open until 10:00. When people do awake, it seems there’s only one place to be. While America has its diners and coffee shops, and Paris has its cafes, Barcelona has its markets. Each morning, those in Barcelona are given a chance to replenish the nutrients they couldn’t imbibe the night before. I had some of the juiciest and sweetest strawberries, peaches, mangos, and pineapples.
To give time for a little lunchtime life and some tapis, the shops close for lunch from 2:00 to 4:00. And then they open again until 6:00 or 8:00.
While their days seem more relaxed than most cities, they still work about 8 hours, just like everyone else. The whole schedule is aligned with the night, and allows for nightlife. That’s why I maintain, Barcelona is a party.
