Spaniards smoke like chimneys. I see people smoking on the streets, in their cars, even on their bikes - they smoke a LOT. it makes me feel like I should always carry around a pack of stoges. you could even walk past a middle school/high school and kids outside chain smoking like it’s the norm to do at that age. actually, since drinking and smoking are so prevalent at such a young age, they tend to smoke regularly when they’re old and get over the binge drinking face when they’re younger. you rarely see the college-aged drunken belligerence expected of Americans with Spaniards.
They don’t just take the metro, they bike. A lot of people on motorcycles and bikes around. You can a reliable bike (with lights and all) for as cheap as 100 Euro (my friend bought one for the semester recently) or you can rent a bike. They have this Zipcar-like program going on with bikes called Bicing but I think the rental limit is only 30 minutes… have not tried it out and don’t really plan to but it seems like a dope idea. I’m fairly certain you can bike from the middle of the city to the beach in less than 30 minutes.
They eat… moderately. Maybe this is why Americans are obese and Spaniards are skinny. Breakfast is normally coffee and a pastry. Lunch is the heaviest meal of the day, and a well priced meal (9-12 Euros) would be from the Menu Del Dia where you pick specific items offered for the day for a 3-course dish (appetizer, main dish, and a desert) with a drink (coffee/beer/wine/water). But portions are smaller and it’s not really okay to ask to take the rest of your food to go. Either finish what you order or leave it. I have yet to try really awesome Catalan food (this region is part of Catalan, hence many people native to Barcelona don’t speak Spanish but rather Catalan a related but different dialect). But to eat well in Barcelona, typically you need to spend a bit more (20-60 Euros). Places I still need to try though are more Tapas Bars in the Gracia neighborhood, this Mexican place I heard about called La Cantina run by a native of Los Angeles in Las Ramblas, one of the cheap buffets in the area, and finally get my churros con chocolate on!!! Barcelona food is expensive and I’m currently curbing my spending to save up for my plane tickets. The sacrifices of a study abroad student.
