haguenite replied to your post: Whine whine whine etc.
Oh, I HATE when that happens. Best of luck with finding a different fun destination (I tend to scour the RyanAir site whenever such things happen).
Yeah, I guess I’ll stick to France where we can drive in a reasonable time frame. I had planned BCN because we have friends and family living there (whose homes are tiny and only suitable for staying a night or so). If I’m going to be totally honest, the main reason I wanted to go to BCN is because it’s the best antidote against my homesickness: the argentinian community is sizeble there and our foods are ubiquitous and to be found in every corner of the city. Moreover, I used to stay at an apartment right across the street from an Argentinian bakery only so that I could have breakfast every morning with my beloved overly sweet pastries. BCN has always acted as my “home away from home” destination in that sense.
thebadmonkey replied to your post: Whine whine whine etc.
that’s, too bad. Barcelona is one of my favorite cities ever. Good luck finding an alternative!
I love the city… but only as a tourist. I do not like Spain much culturally speaking. For all my talks about racism in The Netherlands (which is where I live, the place I consider home and the country I love the most and the one of which I speak about because that’s where my involvement in civic life takes place), it is nothing compared to the stuff that goes on in Spain. I am sometimes even afraid to talk to strangers because I know my accent gives away my South American origin and the kind of vitriol they have towards South Americans is unheard of anywhere else. In The Netherlands, at least there are spaces that reflect differences. People like Geert Wilders would be too happy to have us all erased if he could, but there is an acknowledgement, at least in the broader political sense that he is out of line. Spain has never properly dealt with the legacy of Franco. And if you speak to Spanish folks, you can sense that, sadly.
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