View of a Local in Barcelona, Spain

Jochen Doppelhammer, founder of the global “We love urban life!” project, shares his view of Barcelona with us.

Briefly, please could you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a global nomad, who loves to enjoy the best things in life. Barcelona is definitely one of the best places to live and follow this passion, while it has some challenges on the professional side.

To share some of my inside scoop and love for cities around the world, I started a little blog network, called we-enjoy-life, most prominent: we-love-barcelona.com!

How long have you lived in Barcelona?

Since April 2005, but my girl-friend lived here before, so I have already a couple of years Barcelona experience.

What do you like most about living in Barcelona?

I love to live outdoors, I love life in the streets any time of the day. Plus the fact that you have an incredible interesting international crowd living here. There is always something going on and you meet new exciting people.

Is there anything you do not like about living in Barcelona?

What disappoints and sometimes bothers me is the Catalan separation and nationalism. Unfortunately the city is very much divided in the international scene with very few Spanish people and the local Catalan scene. There is very little integration. Plus the local government makes it more and more difficult to build a living here with their Catalan nationalistic policies.

Why should travellers visit Barcelona?

Plenty of reasons, something for everyone. Barcelona has great attractions like its architecture, especially Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia, but it’s also just the life in the streets and all the little barrios, where you can still discover lots of exciting things. Every single one of my friends who came here for the first time was excited and they’re all returning frequently.

What do you wish travellers would do when they visit Barcelona?

Go for the underappreciated places, discover some of the less popular barrios and you will find the real life and more amazing places.

What do you wish travellers would stop doing when they visit Barcelona?

Don’t just run from attraction to attraction or party every night. You’ll miss out a lot.

If a visitor had time to do or see only one thing in Barcelona, what should it be?

It’s very hard to say and impossible to choose one, in the end it doesn’t matter which one, but don’t run from one to another.

My preferred place is the church Santa Maria del Mar. It’s not hidden, but a very impressive and inspiring place . Plus it’s in the middle of the barrio El Borne, which is a great area to explore.

If a visitor had time for only one meal in Barcelona, which dish would you recommend?

Try a Fideu, the Catalan version of the Paella.

Do you have any other insider tips for visitors to Barcelona?

Yes, check them out on www.we-love-barcelona.com

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Our new View of a Local series consists of interviews with local people in various towns and cities in different countries.

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