*Barcelona - Sauna Thermas - It only got better!

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

On 10/5/2025 at 12:10 AM, RyTorrens said:

Give us an update por favor! i will be visiting in mid november. First time in spain.

Tip: In Barcelona, avoid speaking Spanish, especially if you're not fluent.  The locals prefer Catalan.  So much so, the signs in the BCN airport are in Catalan then English then really tiny Spanish below.

[BSR]

1 hour ago, Vegas_Millennial said:

Tip: In Barcelona, avoid speaking Spanish, especially if you're not fluent.  The locals prefer Catalan.  So much so, the signs in the BCN airport are in Catalan then English then really tiny Spanish below.

Barcelona has changed a lot since my previous trip in the Eighties.  In 1988, I heard Catalan everywhere, but since then, there has been a wave of immigration into Spain, with many settling in Barcelona and working in the service industry.

Before talking to someone, I always asked “¿castellano?”, and most of them were relieved because the immigrants from LatAm countries speak Spanish as a native tongue, learning just enough Catalan to get by.  Even the Indian and Pakistani cabdrivers I had both spoke excellent Spanish but only basic Catalan.  The mix depends on the day, of course, but a lot of the chaperos at Thermas are Latino.  The 2 Moroccans I spoke to both spoke Spanish but not Catalan.

Just ask “¿castellano?” if your Spanish is good enough.  I never had a problem with anyone anywhere.  Most people who work in tourism also speak enough English to get by, if your Spanish isn’t up to the task.

I arrived at the train station, not the airport, and was all over the tourist district.  The signage I saw was written in Catalan first, then Spanish, then English.  All 3 languages were always in the same font size, LOL.

Edited 10 hours ago by BSR
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