Barcelona Experience
I side with the Chargers. But I take this side with limited, although relevant, experience. Barcelona (where I live) is the perfect example.
This past October, the city began charging for entrance to Parc Guell. This development was the latest in a long line of inevitable entrance-free increases for BCN's most well-known attractions.
Tourism brings life to its destinations, but it also drains the life of the culture it invades. In the case of Parc Guell, the more socked-and-sandled photo snappers, the more damage to the park and the more upkeep. That costs money.
But the amazing thing about Barcelona is that residents of the province have advantages: Free entrance to Parc Guell, 35 euro annual family passes to Sagrada Familia, reduced admission to Casa Batllo and the availability of cheap annual passes to MNAC and the Picasso museum.
Good for BCN, I say. Locals sense ownership of their heritage. Tourists, by and large, do not. Locals tend to give to their heritage, tourists tend to take. There is a lot of collateral cultural damage that takes place in mega-touristy cities like BCN, and charging the unwitting perpetrators ain't a bad thing.
And any travel blogger/writer who thinks their work is so important that it demands local-level admission is a travel writer who cares more about their reputation than the country about which they write.
These are the kind of stories that remind us that good people do exist, and that fear hasn't pervaded every corner of the country. That being said...bro, EPIC post about freight-train hopping. Epic. But I'm glad it ended in a Motel 6 and not beneath the wheels of a bajillion-ton train. Seriously. Love reading your stories, man. Keep writing.
This was a great story and we enjoyed the read. Barcelona, in many ways, is the Old City and Barceloneta. It is in these neighborhoods where Catalán history runs deep and where the Roman origins of Barcelona are found.
However, Barcelona is much more than just it's Old City. In fact, the majority of the city's inhabitants do not live in the Old City. I believe one option here is to promote private touring. Granted, we are private tour company. However, our recommendation is that the city promotes private touring of Barcelona (with us and other tour companies) for several reasons: 1. This type of touring weeds out 'cheap tourism' business and tourists, 2. Private tours are controlled and guides can make sure their clients don't get naked and run through the streets of the Old City, and, 3. Visitors get a comprehensive, accurate experience of the city.
We don't have a problem with people visiting Barcelona on the cheap, as long as they are respectful of the city, its history and its people. Unfortunately, there's no short term solution to curb disrespect, save for pickpockets who prey on drunk tourists.
We believe Barcelona is highly valued as a tourist destination, yet supremely undervalued by travelers and travel agencies as an ancient Roman city with a rich history that extends hundreds and hundreds of years beyond Gaudí.
There's a lot of fault going around....
Jim. Epic article. Great introduction. I think you are right on the money...you've put to words something we've been wrestling about...we've always felt the "authentic travel" movement has been a bit ungenuine, but we couldn't quite put our finger on it. Thanks for writing this! Great content, great artistry. Thank you.
Great photos. I wish there was more copy, because the writing is descriptive and entertaining!