Hello again, Barcelona

The world is wounded. It is confused. It is lost.

But I keep thinking that there are still some places where it is possible to meet, or to feel that almost everything there makes sense.

And on that list of a few lucky ones… is Barcelona.

With its scent of a city by the sea, its unmistakable sky of celeste blue, its modernist architecture that, although proud, is much more than Gaudí, and that intention that what is ours remains “nostre”.

Because no matter how much you travel the world and find copies… the freshly rubbed pa amb tomàquet is ours.

Like the escudella i carn d’olla, the trinxat de la Cerdanya, the fideuà, the suquet de peix, the esqueixada de bacallà, the calçots amb salsa romesco, the botifarra amb mongetes, the canelons de Sant Esteve, the arròs a la cassola, the crema catalana, the panellets, the coca de Sant Joan, the cava, the ratafia, the wines of Priorat, the wines of Penedès, els esmorzars de cullera, and life at a “poc a poc i bona letra” pace.

The uniqueness of Barcelona matches its size: neither too big nor too small, walkable in a single day, knowing that there is still much (or so much) left to discover.

Each neighborhood has its own pulse and vibrant personality, breathing as “small micro-cities” united:

Gràcia, with its free and welcoming spirit; the Born, blending tradition and avant-garde; Sarrià, with its village tranquility and hidden squares; Sants, with its working-class energy and streets full of history; Poble-sec, with its intense cultural life and neighborhood bars; Sant Andreu and Poblenou, with corners that combine past and modernity; and the Eixample, with its perfect geometry hiding modernist secrets and urban innovations.

Across all these neighborhoods, the city unfolds between two opposing and complementary pulses: the sea and the mountains. From Estació de França to the Maremàgnum, the port or Passeig Colom, Barcelona looks out at the Mediterranean, open, luminous, and vibrant. At the other end, Vallvidrera and the Carretera de les Aigües allow you to see the whole city as a living map, reminding us that urban and natural coexist without boundaries.

Meanwhile, axes like Passeig de Sant Joan or the Diagonal create the perfect connection between the rhythm of the sea and the calm of the mountains. These arteries cross the city and remind us that Barcelona can also be elegant, contemporary, business-oriented, and cosmopolitan, without ever losing its identity.

Wherever you look, you feel that entrepreneurial spirit that moves forward with respect and admiration for those who dreamed and built the city before, but also with the courage to open new paths, to reinvent and adapt to new beginnings.

This innate capacity to be reborn without losing its essence is what makes Barcelona, despite the years and changes, still a place to live, discover, and reconnect.

Among all these unique features, we cannot forget the bustling markets: La Boqueria, with its intense colors and irresistible aromas; Mercat de Sant Antoni, among books, fruits, and freshly ground coffee; or Mercat de la Llibertat, with its authentic neighborhood feel. And many more that I leave unmentioned.

Also its palm trees and terraces, the alleys of the Gòtic where time seems to have stopped, its artisanal shops and hidden cafés, or the sound of parrots… And, of course, the sea, always there, reminding us that Barcelona is experienced both from the sand and from terraces with endless views.

In this unique and so nostra way, we welcome you back to BLocal by Simaba, dedicated to those who want to enjoy the Catalan capital by celebrating authenticity and distinguishing between traveling and taking a vacation.

That’s why, starting today, every month we’ll bring you what’s new and what’s timeless — so you can experience and savor (because in Barcelona one eats very well) what defines us, not just hear about it… To live what we are and, above all, to make you feel what we feel: at home.

In case you’re in Barcelona this month, we invite you to discover: