Articles · Five Things I Learned in Barcelona · Lesson 4 of 5
There’s a time in November when everyone starts coughing inside the metro. That’s when you know that winter is arriving.
My friends saw me in only one coat during the whole of winter. I found this dark blue coat in Uniqlo’s Kids’ Section at L’Illa Diagonal, and it has got me through two winters so far.
Thicker clothes and slower drying
Other Europeans I have met said Barcelona does not have a “real winter”. But for me, a tropical island girl experiencing winter for the first time, it freaked me out. What do you mean by "the sun sets at 4 PM and rises at 8 AM the next morning"?
Aside from the Spanish healthcare collapsing, another unexpected downside of winter is the slow drying of clothes.
Growing up, I would just hang clothes outside the house, and the ever-present Philippine sun would dry them within the day. Here, clothes would take two whole days to dry, sometimes even three for jeans and thicker clothes.
I had to learn how to wash coats, and on the rainy days of February, I had to wait one whole week for my sneakers to dry completely.
Urea is the answer
During my first winter, I saw the skin on my legs so dry I was afraid it was going to crack. I have never experienced such dry conditions, having lived my whole life in the humidity of the tropics.
Mind you, I was already moisturising every day due to having a sensitive skin type, and it still was not enough. I had to order a special moisturiser with urea to survive winter. Thankfully, they are very affordable on Amazon.
But, we have churros + hot chocolate
Aside from the short daylight hours and the cold, winter is not so bad. Especially since the holidays are celebrated right at the start of it.
Winter is a good time to have walking conversations with friends, too.
By the last week of November, Christmas markets are set up in front of the Catedral de Barcelona. European streetlights give off that warm glow in the streets, too.
At night, I would snuggle under warm duvets (sometimes double duvets) and fall asleep after drinking hot chamomile tea. On nights when I feel especially cold, I would also hug a hot compress to sleep.
On the weekends, I would walk around and see people lining up for churros y chocolate caliente. Winter is a good time to have walking conversations with friends, too.
This past winter, my friends and I would walk along La Rambla and just talk about life. Barcelona is too chaotic and crowded in the summer, so winter is a good opportunity to do this.