We’ve Moved To Barcelona

Corridor To The Entrance

Read the title of this post again. It’s a long story. Some of you have already heard bits and pieces and I will save all of you from the gory details. Suffice it to say that  life conspired and here we are. That story is not the topic of this post… This post is about our new apartment in Barcelona and how we came upon it.

Every August this country all but collapses. Everything that is not tourism-related closes and only the barest minimum of basic services and stores are open, and then only reduced hours. This is because the whole country decided that it was a good idea for everyone to take their law-mandated month of vacation at the same time. Everyone packs up and goes somewhere else. And so it was that many of our friends in Barcelona were leaving behind empty apartments for 30 days straight. One such migrant family, our friends Deborah and Pau and their children Naim, Dora and Lea, offered we use their apartment near Park Guell in Barcelona during the time they were out in their Summer house. Since we were already contemplating moving to Barcelona for a while, we took up the offer, hoping to take advantage of the time to look for a place to rent of our own.

Floor Tile

Did I mention that every August this country all but collapses and that everything that is not tourism-related closes and only the barest minimum of basic services and stores are open? I challenge you to try to find an open realty agency in Barcelona during August. If you do find one, it wont be able to show you any places because the owners are gone for vacation. Ok, ok, I exaggerate, but not by a lot.

Bedroom

So it was already near the end of August and we had only seen a couple of places. We liked one them a lot, but were not so sure about the 4th floor and no elevator situation. Every morning we would look at online rental listings to see what was new. If anything looked interesting, we would send out emails that mostly went unanswered. Then, one morning I came across an for a place on the “first floor” with a huge terrace. First floors in Europe are American second floors. With 4 bedrooms, the place advertised was larger than we were looking for, but it had pre-war details, tons of light, and all that private outdoor space. (Outdoor space being quite rare in Barcelona.)

Terrace

The place address was listed and we noticed that it was next door to a house owned by Mar’s aunt, Nuri, in El Raval. One of the oldest neighborhoods of the city, full of medieval complexity and charm. When we come to Barcelona for a weekend trip we always stay in Nuri’s spare penthouse apartment. A tiny place barely enough to crash, but adequate for a weekend’s stay.

Backyard Shed

The rest of that day went by without eventualities, but just before going to bed that night we get an email from Nuri: “Are you two looking for a place in Barcelona? How come you did not tell me? If you want to see the place it has to be quick. Others are very interested!” We had taken up the Summer stay offer rather quickly and had not told anyone of our intention to look for a place while there. Meanwhile, Nuri was renting a place and had accidentally listed the wrong address number on the ad, so we thought it was the house next door.

Kitchen

We went to see the apartment the next morning and took it. There’s 4 real bedrooms, a large living/dinning room, separate kitchen, one and a half bathrooms, and then there’s the 120 sq. meters terrace, on two levels, with a tool shed on the lower level. Two of the bedrooms face the inner courtyard and the other two the terrace. Very high ceilings. There’s tons of light and air circulation. The kitchen and the bathrooms could use a renovation and the kitchen needs new appliances. We’ll decide if we go that route if we decide to stay more and a couple of years… For the moment we have a large place to clean and furnish in the heart of El Raval!

New Bed