Barcelona

I slept the night again at the airport upon arrival and walked to a church meeting in the morning. This time, I walked past hundreds of people with red and yellow flags on their back. Turns out that day, 10,000 protestors rallied the streets over the Catalonia – Spain dispute. I enjoyed exploring the city and observing the raw emotion of people who were living in this predicament.

Duration

3 days

Accommodation

Airport (1 night), Hostel (2 nights), Believers apartment (1 night)

Favorite Food

Chorizo

Favorite Site

Sagrida Familia

Cool Person I Met

Mathias. Mathias is from Denmark but was on a week school trip in Barcelona. I met him while sharing the gospel and found out he studies computer science and is a recovering drug addict. He gladly received a Bible from me and is very interested to learn more about God.

Highlight

Spending time with believers who came to visit from the US, South America, and Europe to fellowship with Spanish believers and share the gospel on the university campus

Big Takeaway

Catalonia (the region containing Barcelona as the capital) voted to secede from Spain. I spoke to Spanish people who supported this move and those who opposed. It’s a complicated issue with a deep historical background. Catalonian people speak Catalan, not Spanish and don’t want to be lumped into Spanish culture because they have their own. This is a similar situation to the Kurds in Turkey. My eyes were opened to be more understanding of people’s culture. Even though Catalonia is under the jurisdiction of Spain who speak Castilian Spanish, there are legitimate differences.

Your Turn

What do you think about the issue of other cultures living under the same jurisdiction?

Have you been to Barcelona? What did you enjoy most?