The guidebook

24.11.2007 10:30 Eventually I got the city guide to Barcelona. I didn’t buy one (cheapo me) but was promised to borrow one. It says amongst other things that “Catalans in general, and Barcelonans in particular, are famed for their business acumen, their passion for work and their economic ability. In southern Spain they are seen as cold, tight-fisted and work-obsessed”. “The standard of living is high, but it has to be paid for, and the work ethic is especially noticeable if you come here from elsewhere in Spain”. Hmm. Perhaps I should’ve gone to another part of Spain? “Efficiency, punctuality (!) and deeply serious reliability are of the essence. Barcelona works VERY hard.” Hmm again. Hmm because that’s what I was told in Zurich when I moved there. To me, the “Zurichans” are just the same as everywhere else. Does that mean “Barcelonans” are too? Probably. After all, I’m reading out of a tourist guide, trying to attract tourists=money. Me cynical? Of course. I also read somewhere in the guide book (cannot find the passage any more so no quotation) that Barcelonans are introvert, cold and difficult to get to know. Hello Switzerland! I should feel right at home. But maybe it’s like it’s said: “better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t”. Do I miss Zürich? Yes a bit, but since I know there is the light in the end of the tunnel (and it’s not a train!) I like being here. It’s a change. And I get to know a new city in another country. How bad can it be?