cerrado para las vacaciones- August in Barcelona

[missmarymackmackmack]

I've heard about European vacations before, but there is nothing quite like seeing it in action.
Could anyone more experienced than me tell me how those left behind cope with not having anything open? (And believe me: nothing in my neighborhood is open. Not the news guy. Not my lunch place. Not the nice guy who sells me more minutes for the phone. Nobody.)

I can tell you for certain that Los Angeles would riot. Imagine: no morning Starbucks. :D

[greytop]

I can tell you for certain that Los Angeles would riot. Imagine: no morning Starbucks. :D Not if they were all on holiday they wouldn't.

As the thermometers go above 30 and the humidity rises I think they have done the right thing. There was a letter in the paper today complaining that there were more people around in Valencia than usual at this time of year and that parking had not got any easier, so maybe things are changing!

[Greg]

Barcelona does get pretty deserted (as do most other cities, I assume). I noticed a lot fewer people on the train this morning, and near my office there's less than half the usual amount of traffic on the street. Today is also the first day that I've noticed a lot of shops being closed, although there will probably be a lot more closed persianas starting this weekend.

You can usually find a few shops open on any given week, since shopkeepers tend to stagger their vacation schedules a bit. You might have to change bakeries or quioscos for a couple of weeks, but you probably won't go hungry. Depending on the neighborhood, though, it can seem almost eerily quiet around the middle of August. If you've ever seen the movie "The Quiet Earth", it's the same sort of "last man on earth" feeling. :)

[barca]

The only people you DO get working through August are (i) los cacos (thieves) and (ii) the metal grill fitters securing the windows of the appartments.

Como dicen, los cacos hacen su agosto.....