Hostel Takeover

Merchant seaman Daniel Anglada relates his frustrations with a certain form of tourism in Barcelona.

Catalunya Barcelona talks hostels and tourism with merchant seaman Daniel Anglada
Catalunya Barcelona talks hostels and tourism with merchant seaman Daniel Anglada
Catalunya Barcelona talks hostels and tourism with merchant seaman Daniel Anglada

ENGLISH

What has changed? It’s the increase in tourism. I was born in 1986, and I can tell you that, in the last eight to ten years, a lot has changed in Barcelona. Barcelona is in the midst of a tourist invasion. There are times when, depending upon where you stroll around, you can’t tell whether you’re home or not.

But that isn’t bad. I don’t think it’s negative. Quite the contrary. We are nourished by the [influx of] people. Deep down, humans evolve through [cultural] nourishment of one another.

What do I complain about?

Well, nearby we have three hostels. One is called Generator. I think it has 1,000 beds. What’s it brought here? A type of tourism we don’t like. It’s brought youngsters who are given free reign to do whatever they like.

I have a dog, and I walk her at eleven, twelve or one o’clock, depending on the day. What shouldn’t be happening at one or two in the morning is finding people vomiting, making an uproar to hail cabs, practically barricading and blocking the street. That’s what I complain most about, and where our city has changed drastically.

CATALAN

El que ha canviat molt es el turisme. Jo vaig néixer a l’any 86 i et puc parlar que fins fa aproximadament 8-10 anys, la cosa ha canviat molt a Barcelona, molt. Es a dir, ens esta invaint el turisme aquí a Barcelona. De manera que nosaltres hi han certs moments que depén on passegis, ja no saps si estas a casa teva o no.

Pero bueno, això no es dolent tampoc, jo no penso que sigui algo negatiu, al contrari. Perque sempre ens hem de nutrir de la gent. Al final l’evolució humana ha crescut a base de nutrir-nos uns dels altres.

Que es del que jo em queixo? Doncs mira, just aquí al costat tenim tres hostels. Un es diu Generator i té no se si son mil i pico llits. Que ha portat això aquí? Un turisme que no es el que ens agrada. Han portat nanos joves que s’els hi ha donat carta blanca per fer el que vulguin aquí.

Jo tinc una gossa, la passejo a les dotze de la nit, una, onze de la nit, depen del dia, i el que no pot ser es que a la una dues de la matinada et trobes gent vomitant, fent escandalera, per parar els taxis poden… bueno, com si fessen barricades creuant el carrer, tapant-lo. Aquí es on jo em queixo realment i on ens ha canviat una mica la nostra ciutat.