Tobias Nobis.: Barcelona: The City Tourists Never Really See

Three weeks ago, I moved into a small apartment on Carrer Modern in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat for my Erasmus+ work placement. It's technically Barcelona, but locals will tell you it's a different world.

The "Tourist Barcelona"

My first real encounter with "tourist Barcelona" wasn't as a visitor, it was as a photographer. I had a shoot near Casa Batlló, one of Gaudí's masterpieces. Getting there was hard. The streets were packed with tourists and tour groups. People kept stopping to film everything, so it was almost impossible to walk through. I understood why locals get tired of tourists. If I had to deal with this every single day just to go to work, I'd be annoyed too.

The Local Barcelona

Then there's where I actually live. In L'Hospitalet, food is significantly cheaper, and people are just... nicer. It's not that Spanish people in the center are unfriendly. They just deal with so many tourists every day that they get tired of it. Outside the tourist zones, I never had a single bad interaction.

Working as a photographer and videographer here has been the real gift. Visiting local businesses for shoots means seeing how people actually work and live in Spain. Not the tourist version of Barcelona!

A Different Timing of Life

One of the biggest adjustments for me, coming from Austria, was the daily schedule. Locals don't really eat three big meals, it's more like five or six smaller ones throughout the day. Midday is quiet; people stay indoors, resting or eating. But at night! The whole city feels different at night than it does during the day. People are still out on the streets after midnight. 

What I'd Tell Other Erasmus+ Students

If you're coming here, don't judge Barcelona by its tourist center alone. Pick one small bar or café close to where you live, and keep going back. By the time you come back a

second time the waiters will already see you as a local. Go somewhere for work, not just sightseeing! And don't take it personally if someone in the city center isn’t as nice to you in English. Go outside the tourist zone, and you'll meet a completely different Barcelona.

At the local Asian restaurant next door