Sorry for the ignorant question, but is Colombia/Bogota completely safe now?
I canāt say Iām an expert, but I did do a ton of research. The wanton narco-violence of the past is gone. My understanding is that there are areas of Colombia that arenāt safe, particularly the area around the border with Venezuela, but no visitor would be going there anyway. Bogota has crime like any huge city but we spent 6 days there and never felt unsafe. We started the trip totally on guard and by the end we were as comfortable as can be. Iām sure there are areas that are super sketch, but the same is true of LA.
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Iām going to Barcelona this September. Any recommendations about that region? I visited Madrid last year and absolutely fell in love with it, but I am well aware this is a diverse country. Iāll be visiting there with my sister who is fluent in Spanish and I speak a bit as well. Catalan, not so much.
If you were visiting Barcelona for the first time, what are the must sees, eats, and drinks?
I always like getting a view over a place Iām in, and in Barcelona quite enjoyed a stroll along the Carretera de les AigĆ¼es, if that appeals to you.
I donāt have any food suggestions but Iād definitely urge you to do your research before you go, as itās one of those cities chock full of awful tourist-trap eateries.
Problem is that the good places often close during at least part of the summer.
When my mother and sisters met me in Barcelona, we were staying at an airbnb in LāEixample and every small place on a side street I was looking up was closed. We finally found a solid tapas bar but it look a bit of effort. I totally understand the angle but it is kind of annoying.
My mother being the type of tourist she is, was totally content to eat at a restaurant on La Rambla and I had to push pretty hard to convince her otherwise.
As for advice for @Tych, watch your pockets. Barcelona is the pickpocketing capital of Europe and the cops donāt do shit about it. When it comes to drinking, Spain is about wine but I donāt know much about it to be honest. A popular beer type of drink is called clara. Itās beer mixed with lemonade. Itās stereotyped as a feminine drink but itās a nice break inbetween actual beer if youāre looking to slow your path to drunkenness.
Anyone have a reasonable explanation for why Euros almost always smell horribly of BO? Like apparently theyāre not showering or not showering correctly and/or not using deodorant, but why?
Today we did a tour of Wawel Castle and Cathedral in Krakow. We visited the armoury and there a couple groups of teenagers. Holy crap, like every single room reeked horribly of BO. Wawel Cathedral is not visually super impressive, but there is a crapload of history there, so it was kind of cool listening to the audio guide and seeing the tombs of so many important Poles which Iāve been learning about over the past 2 months. In the basement of the Cathedral, thereās a small crypt called St Leonardās Crypt, which houses the remains of Mickiewicz and Slowacki. As we descended we were overcome by horrible BO and noticed there was a large group listening to a guide in there. So we said nope, letās wait until they leave to go in there.
Itās not just Poland, but pretty much anywhere in Europe where Iāve spent a lot of time. The worst is being on a packed metro on a warm day where the occupants have to raise their arms to hold onto the handles above.
I absolutely adore Europe and would move here in a heartbeat, but I have to say the (lack of) hygiene of many of their citizens is probably #2 on my short list of complaints. #1 being so many public spaces ruined by smokers.
BTW, do many people know about Tadeusz KoÅciuszko? I had no idea who he was before visiting Poland, but heās a fascinating character and was super instrumental in the success of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, some say more important than LaFayette. Apparently he was a master engineer who constructed many of the defenses used and was eventually granted the rank of brigadier general. He was vehemently anti-slavery and even wanted his estate to buy the freedom of slaves when he died. Jefferson (and others) of course did not carry out this request.
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It is true that not everybody showers every day. Experts state that it isnāt necessary for the average person to do that. Every other day should suffice though I shower more in the summer due to the weather. Plus, utilities are expensive.
What weirds me out among my badminton group is that Iām the only one who showers in the locker room after playing. Everyone else is waiting for me so we can drink afterwards.
I kind of thought he was basic American Revolution knowledge, but Iāve been historically bad at estimating how much people know.
They are intimidated by your penis.
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People who shower every other day should not be reeking of BO if they wear deodorant and clean clothes.
Yah this. Even if theyāre showering 3x a week it shouldnāt be near this bad. They either donāt wash thoroughly, donāt wear deodorant, or donāt wear clean clothes, or some combo of the 3.
Deodorant is not considered essential in much of the world.
I had never heard about him. Apparently he is more popular in certain areas. Like NYC has a bridge named after him so probably more likely they learn about him in school. I also spent 12 years in Catholic School so it might have been covered in the 1/8th of my education that was cut out so I could learn more about Jebus.
Which parts?
At least in all of the Americas, Australia/NZ, I would say itās never been an issue. Will report back in 3 years after I explore more of Asia.
Kinda surprised itās much of a thing in central and south America, actually. I always figured deodorant was mainly an American thing ginned up by ad execs that then got foisted on Canada via proximity.
My wife (Mexican) is equally as appalled and probably more offended by the smells. So at least it doesnāt seem to be a thing there or any of the other countries Iāve spent a lot of time in (Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Guatemala). In fact, in Brazil people will often bathe 2-3x a day and are usually smelling ok.
I spent a few days in Celaya about 15 years ago accompanying my then wife on a professional trip, and on more than one occasion I wandered around town alone and was generally the only white person in sight.
I never smelled BO while I was there.
When I lived in China, it was actually quite difficult to find deodorant. Had to travel into the center of Wuhan just for spray deodorant (no stick deodorant for some reason).
Similar issue in rural South Korea. However, the cities had it no problem.
Iām sure itās not a problem (or less of one) now but it kinda sucked during the summer.
If you have a couple of days to venture outside of Barcelona, Iād highly recommend renting a car and driving to the Costa Brava.
Lots of amazing little towns and beaches to explore, hereās a short article to get a taste of what it would be like: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/spain/catalonia/costa-brava/articles/costa-brava-drives/
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