BARCELONA VS. SEVILLA

The food is excellent, the wine is inexpensive, nice beaches are just a train ride away and it’s an easy city to get around but I’ve had a IMG_3118hard time understanding why Barcelona is a favorite city of so many people I adore. I just couldn’t find the soul of the city. Yes I know that’s why there’s chocolate and vanilla.

I was fortunate to have arrived on a day when FC Barcelona was playing. Not that I’m a huge sports fan but I always seek out a local game in any place I visit. It’s a great way to meet the people and IMG_3037experience their sports culture. (The fans didn’t sing as much as I anticipated) The game I attended started at 11pm, determined to make it a nap was a priority. FC Barcelona is owned and operated by their supporters. The club is worth $3.58 billion, making it the 3rd most valuable sports team in the world according to Forbes. The Dallas Cowboys and Real Madrid rank 1st and 2nd.IMG_3080

The night we attended the game Barça was playing Sevilla, a city I had previously spent some time in. The city of Sevilla, like their football team, was smaller and slower than Barcelona. These were reasons I preferred it and secretly rooted for Sevilla, not that it helped!

IMG_3981Some of you may think my bias has to do with seeing my nephew who lives in Sevilla, yes that was a huge bonus but nonetheless I enjoyed Sevilla much more than Barcelona. It is smaller and I felt like I was in an authentic spanish town and not a big international city. I loved getting lost in the narrow alleys of the old town and the gardens at Alcazar Palace IMG_2726were impressive.

In Barcelona I really enjoyed the Picasso Museum, the Gaudi buildings were cool, the beach was perfect and I explored the city with a friend but what can I say? I like chocolate and Sevilla more than Barcelona.