Lotta bought an apartment in Barcelona as her holiday home

Perhaps you think about beach life when you think about Spain.  The MiMove-blog met up with Lotta who chose city life instead.  Lotta and her family bought an apartment in Barcelona to use as their holiday home.

Looked at Sicily initially

Barcelona is such a wonderful city but originally, we actually wanted something in Sicily.  I speak Italian and have spent a lot of time in Italy.  When we started to talk about getting a holiday home somewhere in Europe it was only natural for us to think Italy.  But when we started to look into it, it turned out to be very difficult, not at all what we had envisioned.  It does not work like in Sweden and we did not manage to find a Swedish estate agent in Sicily.  So, our plans fell through because of practicalities.  We were also a bit worried about how much fun it would be to use the apartment during the winters when there are not that many tourists on the island.

Then we started to think a bit bigger and if I remember correctly it was the kids who came up with Barcelona.  They were 10 and 14 years old at the time.  We had been there as a family and all liked it.  Barcelona has everything!  Culture, restaurants, cheap flights, beautiful architecture, history, exciting art scene, and is located on a convenient distance from many interesting and beautiful places.  It is also like a hub from where you can easily travel to other places.

Fell in love with an apartment in Barcelona

So, then we started to do some research. And there are many Swedish estate agents in Barcelona, so it was not difficult at all to find apartments to have a look at.  We viewed a few and fell in love with one in the area El Raval.

I liked the apartment straight away, and thought it was cool. Also, there is a jazz club on the ground floor of the apartment block.  In Spain, you own your own apartment and pay a small sum to cover the costs for the communal areas.  On the contract it says 48 sqm plus 3 sqm and I never understood where the extra three sqm are.  However, I think the apartment feels bigger and I am not concerned really.

Lovely high ceilings

The building is from the 1900’s with high ceilings, there are three balconies.  The apartment is a corner one which is very bright and well laid out.  It is only a small building, only 12 apartments in total.  Since Barcelona introduced their stricter rental laws we cannot get a permit for short term lets and we do use the apartment too often for it to make sense to rent it out longer term.  So, we do not rent it out, at least not for now.

The street outside is a pedestrian only, it has beautiful old building and many large trees.  That was very attractive to me.  What we had not counted on was that it is a fairly rough area with quite a lot of noise.  A lot of people are passing through, stay for a while and then continue, and there are quite a lot of music bars and venues.  We also get some noise from our Chinese neighbours that sing karaoke on Sundays, but we actually find that sweet, not disturbing at all.

International feel

Barcelona has distinct different areas.  It is very international, many are passing through, some stay for a little while and then go on to other places.  Many Spanish chose to live in the northern parts while people from other countries prefer the more central parts.  Our neighbourhood is a typical inner-city area which is a bit dirty and run down.  Many nationalities gather here and because it is quite rare to stay long term it is a bit more difficult perhaps to get to know people who live here permanently and who can become friends with you.  At the same time, it is a little exciting and you really feel you are in Barcelona.  There is never a dull moment.

When we bought four years ago we were told this neighbourhood was up and coming.  There was a market being built and that would change the character of the area.  But the market is now in place, but not much else has happened to the area.  We feel it is a little too messy and loud for us and now, four years later, we have decided we want to stay in Barcelona but move to a different neighbourhood.

Looking to move within Barcelona

We do use the apartment in Barcelona a lot and now when the children are bigger we also find our apartment to be on the small side.  We are now looking into selling this one and buying a new one in a different area.  We do know we want to stay somewhere central but somewhere quieter.

I believe, we use the apartment in Barcelona in excess of 60 days in total each year in different constellations.  Last summer, our daughter was in Barcelona with a friend for 2,5 months and had a great time.  They want to come back.  It only takes about 7 hours from door to door and we manage very well without a car.

Yoga in cool places

Since there are so many people coming and going from all over the world, it is not all that easy to make lasting friendships here.  But I do a lot of yoga and have got to know Lucy, a British yoga instructor.  When I am in Barcelona I always try and catch one of her classes.  She is really good at finding cool places to do yoga at, like roof tops, on the beach or in an industrial warehouse.  Lucy and her partner Pepe make the yoga into something special.  Lucy with her dedication and Pepe with his beautiful arrangements on the cello.

As an alternative to buy a summerhouse in the woods in Sweden, an apartment in Barcelona is fantastic.  We are city people and we appreciate the proximity to everything and the energy that is always present in Barcelona.  And when we want to see something different there are many quaint coastal towns within easy reach from Barcelona.  Either we rent a car for a day or two or take the train, it is really very easy.

To have an apartment in Barcelona as our home away from home is wonderful. I can definitely recommend it!