Let’s start a virtual journey to the most beautiful destinations in Europe, first of the list is Spain with 5 facts on Barcelona you probably didn’t know yet! I can’t wait to bring you again to one of my favorite cities.

Many of us are traveling with their mind in these days, so I thought I could bring you with me in a virtual journey to the most amazing European spots and wake up your curiosity about some fun and strange facts about them. One of the things I love the most when I visit a new place is to know more about its traditions, legends and the way local people are influenced by this. Barcelona is definitely a city who can teach us a lot about history, with its very strong local culture. So it is plenty of curious facts on Barcelona that definitely deserve to be known before you visit it, do you want to know it? Keep reading!

5 SPECIAL FACTS ABOUT BARCELONA YOU CAN’T MISS, FOLLO TAPSY!

A SPECIAL GIFT ON ST JORDI’S DAY

On the 23rd of April, Barcelona celebrates Sant Jordi. It is not just another popular celebration, but a very special day for every person, as this day is considered the local St. Valentine. At Sant Jordi, lovers use to exchange 2 specific gifts: a book for the men, a red rose for the women. In this occasion, the whole city become like a huge planter, so colorful and full of people on the streets.

ONE CITY, TWO DIFFERENT LANGUAGES

Some of you know that Spanish (Castilian) is not the only official language spoken in Barcelona. The other one is the Catalan, which represent a very strong connection with the territory and the local identity. Not so many know about how important Catalan is for kids at school: all the classes in Barcelona are in Catalan and the Castilian is an equivalent of a foreign language. From the very first class until the last day of school before to go to the university, children and teenagers have at least 2 hours of Catalan per week.  If teachers want they can speak Castilian but the official language at school it is always the Catalan, which is also the official language for all the public notices.

THE MOST FAMOUS GOOSE OF THE CITY

When you will do a Tapsy tour of Barcelona with me, one of the things I will tell you about will be the legend of the goose of St Eulalia. They will sure take your attention when you get inside the cloister of the main Cathedral, as there they live. Goose in a church is strange, isn’t it. Legend time! St Eulalia is the patron of the city : she was a very young martyr, only 13 years old when she died after 13 incredible tortures. That’s why you will always find 13 goose in the cloister, they are considered the guardians of St Eulalia’s tomb and the whole Cathedral.

FACTS ON BARCELONA: THE SPANISH TIME

Do you use to have dinner at 6 pm? Forget it in Barcelona. You will never see a local have lunch before 1.30 pm or dinner before 9 pm. Just to tell, the prime time on spanish television is always around 10 pm! Everything is a little bit late in Spain, even later than Italy. But don’t worry, they do exceptions for tourists, especially if they have kids!

FACTS ON BARCELONA: 9 UNESCO HERITAGE SITES

After Italy, Spain is one of the Countries with more UNESCO heritage sites of the world. 9 of them are in Barcelona and almost all regard the genius of Antoni Gaudì. They are Parc Guell, the Palace of Parc Guell, Casa Batlò, Casa Milà, Casa Vincent, the facade of Sagrada Familia, the crypt of Colonia Guell, the Palau de la Musica catalana and the Hospital of Santa Creu i Sant Pau. Not bad, isnt’ it?

Do you know any other fact on Barcelona? Comment below!

Tapsy