David Spigelman

If you were to sum up your Barcelona experience in one to two words, what would you say? My Barcelona Experience is…

Amazing & Incredible

Explain why you chose those words.

Barcelona as a city offers a rich array of experiences that are interesting from cultural, political, and economic perspectives. Everywhere you walk there is something interesting and usually beautiful to see. It is an easy city for the students to get around, which removes a lot of the stress for those of us concerned about the students’ well-being and safety. Barcelona SAE was great at organizing relevant tours and speakers to enhance the insights into the local economy and society for the students.

What was your favorite place to eat in Barcelona? Favorite food?

I had two favorite places to eat: Taberna del Cura and La Paradeta. Taberna del Cura had typical Catalan food prepared in a unique setting with great service. La Paradeta was great for fresh seafood prepared quickly and served cafeteria-style, where the emphasis was on the freshness of the food.

What is you favorite place in Catalunya? Why?

I loved the trip to the port and the boat ride. The students loved being able to captain the boat and it was a unique way to get a perspective on the importance of the port of Barcelona.

Is there a site in Barcelona that you would recommend to future students that may be a little more “off the beaten path”?

Yes, I would recommend Serra de Collserola National Park. You can take the train right there and be transported into a near wilderness with great beauty, trails for running and biking and great views of the region around Barcelona.

If you had one perfect day in Barcelona where would you go, and what would you do?

As I said above, I loved going to Serra de Collserola. I love being out of doors and this is unique for a city to have the natural beauty of a national park so close and accessible.

What is one piece of advice that you have for future students coming to Barcelona?

Try to practice your Spanish. Everybody speaks Spanish and the locals will be sympathetic if you try to communicate with them.

What do you think makes Barcelona unique?

Great location with a beautiful beach, fabulous architecture, great food, and the city is very accessible through great and safe public transportation. You can even walk to most places in the city with well-located apartment living facilities such as those arranged by Barcelona SAE!