What "season" is it in Barcelona in mid-March?
 

I read on another thread that people in Italy still dress as if it's winter in mid-April. I was wondering about Barcelona in mid-March. Will people be dressing as if it was spring, or winter?

We were there over New Year's and everyone wore spring-weight clothing but in winter colors. To us (from Minneapolis) the weather was great!

Right now it is oddly beautiful outside. Today was warm and really sunny and I had to take my coat off.

This is an observation I had years ago when I first moved to Spain: Spaniards dress for time of year, not necessarily season. For example, in April a friend came to visit me and she wore a pair of Birkenstocks because it was warm outside. My host mother was so worried about that that when we went downstairs for dinner that night, she presented her with a pair of really thick wool socks that she went out and bought. My friend (who was also living in Spain at the time) thanked her and was very tactful about it, but we thought it was so weird that in upper 60º weather, she would be asked to cover up. As the years have gone by, though, I find that unless it is officially summer, Spaniards do not dress like it is. That said, Barcelona sees all kinds, so wear whatever you like.

Now that years have passed, I am a lot like my host mother in that I bundle up even when it is not cold outside. I wear a scarf around my neck from late Septeber to May, even if it is nice outside, and I understand why they do that. It is warm and sunny outside, but inside old buildings with no heating, you will want the extra layers. As a visitor, though, you will probably not encounter a lot of those. My apartment, though, is a prime example. It is way chillier inside than on my terrace.

Should say: Spaniards dress for time of year, not necessarily weather.

So dark colors?

I should add that I'm very cold natured, so I don't mind dressing for winter. However, many folks in the Dallas area seem to always dress for summer. This morning it was 19 degrees F....I saw quite a few kids at the elementary school wearing shorts. Some kids wear shorts to school year round, no matter the temperature.

In mid March people in Spain wear clothes "de entretiempo" literally between-seasons. Forget your heavy winter coat but still,bring a woolen/tweed/corduroy jacket,teamed up with a scarf, like a bright pashmina. Underneath, a thin vneck pullover and a basic t-shirt. Forget boots or sandals, bring normal shoes. Do not dress in black, it's spring!. Use layers. This is the right season to use jeans, by the way. It is still too cold for cotton trousers and capri's.

March is too early to put away your winter gear and take out your summer clothes (it can snow in the mountains up to may).

Last but not least, spaniards do not bare their flesh until they have acquired a bit of suntan, especially the girls. So they keep cover until they can go to the beach.

Missypie, Returned yesterday from four days in Barcelona. We are from Boston and the 60F weather we experienced there was fantastic. Although it felt like spring,I was fascinated by how many people were dressed for Feb. We wanted to walk around in a short sleeve shirt but most people were wearing what you would expect to see in Feb. It was clear only tourists were dressed for the warmer temps. Yes, lots of winter clothes, dark colors and layers. However, that being said, we saw a little bit of everything! I wore nice slacks, sweaters and shirts, and a dark knee length coat and felt very comfortable fitting in. It was important to layer because it would start out cool, warm up and then cool down again as the day progressed. Missypie, we stayed in the Tessa apartment and I would be happy to answer as many questions as you would like to ask! The apartment was fantastic.We (two adults and our two kids) found it to be perfect. The apartment is on the top floor of the building. It does not face the streetside -- the balcony overlooks the back of the building. Street noise was not a problem at all. There are two elevators and we had one issue and needed something repaired and Habitat sent someone to help us within 10 minutes! Metro stop is across the street although the apartment was also a very walkable distance to many areas. wjh

Wow, I can't believe you stayed in "our" apartment, wjh1!!!

Questions:

1. Was there a grocery store nearby? How about a bakery?

2. Were there plenty of hangers in the apartment? (Silly question, I know, but I've rented flats before that slept 6 and had 3 hangers.)

3. Can you recommend any nearby restaurants? I've compiled pages of restaurant recommendations, but none seem to be near the apartment.

I'm so glad you liked the apartment! Don't quite know what I'd be doing right now if you said it was terrible!

Missypie and wjh1, could you give me the link or details on that apartment please? Thanks. I am already thinking about next year!

Yes, I was looking for an apartment the same time you were posting asking about locations for apartments in Barcelona and it turned out we were both looking at the Tessa!

There is a small bakery directly across the street in front of the metro station. We got bread there and pastries for the morning. Also, next to the bakery was a cafe that always had people in it, breakfast time or in the evening -- always a good size crowd. We did not have time to check out the cafe.

Yes, plenty of hangers! The bedroom downstairs had a wardrobe with perhaps 6 hangers on each side. The large bedroom upstairs had a walk in closet with plenty of hangers and the bedroom with two beds had a special space for hanging clothes. However, there was not a central location to hang coats or jackets. We used a chair to pile them on!

We did not find a grocery store although there were plenty of small places to pick up water and a few supplies. We were so busy (only there 4 days) that we usually found ourselves back to the Passeig de Gracia and the El Corte Ingles late in the day and we shopped there. It was only one metro stop back to the apartment so we each loaded up with a bag and it worked out pretty well.

Our arrival and departure times were a little weird and with all the touring we packed into the days we had, we ended up so exhausted that we never really had time to check out restaurants. The first day we were jet lagged and tired and went to La Poma on La Rambla. It was okay because we sat in the window and could watch everyone walking by. The food was well, food. Nothing special but we were tired and needed something that was easy. The favorite of the trip was Txapela on Passeig de Gracia! As I said, we kept ending up in this area, close to metro station and tourist bus. Anyway, Txapela was great! The food was yummy, everyone could find something they liked and it was easy on the wallet. The bathrooms were also great so it was a perfect spot for us to grab a bite, take a rest and have a bathroom stop!

I can provide additional neighborhood details when I speak to my husband later as he walked the neighborhood the most looking for the grocery stores and bakeries.

We have rented apartments on most of our trips to Europe and this was one of the nicest we have rented. I was worried about finding the exact location of the apartment but our taxi driver was very helpful and even offered us use of his cell phone if they were not waiting for us. As soon as we pulled up the door to the building opened and we were greated like old friends! It could not have been easier. When it was time to leave we found a taxi stand right around the corner with a taxi waiting for us. What else can I tell you about our trip? Wendy

Thank you very much for the information!

Did you use the kitchen?

Are there facial tissues (kleenex) in the bathrooms, or should I bring my own?

I've been there in late Feb and it was 21C every day :)

http://www.marksblogg.com/past-bloggs/Barcelona-Spain/

Missypie, Yes, we used the kitchen. It was well stocked from Ikea. Had all the necessary items including salt, pepper, sugar, cleaning products,extra trash bags,placemats and dishtowels. No facial tissues, only toilet tissue. Minimal supply of towels although there is a clothes washer (no dryer). It was interesting, no trash can in apartment except for one in the kitchen. Another fact I should make clear is that in some months I expect noise could be an issue. The apartment does face the rear of the building. However, the balcony and downstairs bedroom face a large courtyard with many buildings that all have balconies. The apartment has individual air conditioning units, I imagine if you don't like air conditioning it could be noisy with the window's open. The upstairs bedrooms have skylights so noise probably isn't as much of an issue upstairs. If you have additional questions feel free to contact me directly by emailing me at [email protected].

Thanks so much!

Confirmation on how Spaniards see guiris dressed for summer in winter:

http://bcnweek.com/fatxa36.html

The tone is sarcastic and joking, which bring out some interesting cultural perspective.

The tone sounded insulting and put out to me, rather than sarcastic and joking. Just dimmed my enthusiasm for our trip a bit. OF COURSE my family is going to stand out as tourists...we could go to El Corte Ingles upon arrival and buy all new clothes, but we'll be a family with three kids, not in school, speaking English. I hope not everyone is as scornful as that author.

You should read some of her other stuff. . . she is a catalana who they call "la fatxa" or "the fascist" because she writes from the perspective (projected) of the rich, completely walled-off native. Don't let it dim. . . there is a huge difference between being identifiable and barefoot, and from reading your posts, I know that you and your family know the difference. She chose an extreme case.

Nota bene: walking around barefoot in BCN is not only socially unacceptable, but it is dangerous because there is always broken glass in the streets and they are really dirty.

Okay, makes sense that the author was a woman. Most guys don't complain when young women wear too few clothes, tourist or not.