amazing grace

i just moved into a new place in this wonderful neighborhood in barcelona called gràcia. every day i feel like writing her a love letter. 

historically, gràcia was a separate town from barcelona, established as the convent ‘our lady of grace’ in 1626. it wasn’t annexed until 1897 and some of that separatist pride definitely remains. sure there are plenty of touristy things to check out in and around gràcia, like parc güell & casa vicens, but as always the real magic is in the side streets.

it’s a catalan-heavy barrio with a distinct lack of tourist hordes. lots of plazas for sitting and drinking coffee, eating nutella-filled croissants and soaking up the sun with some respectable elderly folk. my new roommate has a beautiful chocolate lab named augusta, she is a great addition to my life. lots of youth here too, plenty of indignats around to keep that revolutionary fire lit. there’s lots of amazing spots for eating out & shopping, not that i have money to do either. it’s home to the only english-language bookstore in barcelona, hibernian. they carry a mix of new & used books, all of which i find generally overpriced but hey, they have a monopoly. it’s still nice to go and peruse, there are always gems to be found. you zig and you zag down winding streets, narrow lanes, so. much. pedestrian. traffic. all boutique everything without the turned up noses, for the most part. empanadas, piadinas, and supposedly some of the best sushi in the city. there’s a bit of a curse on the residents of gràcia - those who live there end up being reluctant to leave it to venture down into the centre. i feel like if barcelona was new york, gràcia would be brooklyn and the centre would be manhattan. you have everything you need there, why would you ever go anywhere else? and for that reason alone i was super hesitant about even looking at apartments here. but in the end, it seems to be working out wonderfully - almost all my friends live in the centre so i am able to keep the scales balanced and divide my time evenly.
ALL CITY.

Posted at 1:57pm and tagged with: darina, barcelona, gracia, plaça del sol, hibernian, observatori fabra, space, time,.