Jobs are scarce, money is tight, I see more and more people sleeping in the banks and searching the bins for food and valuables, 'the crisis' seems like a permanent companion to the life of this place and the authorities give the impression of caring more about providing nice views for the tourists than basic essentials for the community, but in the face of this the people of this city respond with an abundance of laughter, generosity and solidarity.
Let us eat together in the sun and fill the air with friendly chatter.
At some point I would like to tell you the deeper stories of some of the places I have been visiting but for now I present an overview of my first month in the Catalan Capital.