Barcelona was a lesson in doing your research before traveling. When I arrived in the city, it was going through a major homeless crisis, as Airbnbs had replaced a good portion of the city's housing, making rent prohibitively expensive. Not knowing this, I had rented an Airbnb, unknowingly contributing to the problem. As protests had been going on, many individuals in the city were icy towards tourists at the time as well, which was understandable, but the whole situation was unfortunate.
Coincidentally, I ended up in Barcelona during La Merce, a yearly festival with fireworks and other displays. I got to see the fireworks during a walk around the city. I also saw many other things, such as the beautiful works of architect Gaudi in Park Guell and Casa Battlo. Gaudo truly is one of the most amazing architects in the world, and I loved the whimsical feel of his works that I saw.
Barcelona also has a really lovely market, which was the first market that I'd been to like that. There was a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and cured meats. Endless booths have lovely locally made foods for people to try. It is a really cool experience.
Although I didn't have the most welcoming experience from the locals, Barcelona overall was lovely. It is a very walkable city (if you're looking for a great workout, it's quite hilly). If you want to see some of the best food and coolest architecture in the world, definitely give it a shot.
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