Monday Morning in Barcelona
A glimpse into life on the Spanish startup scene.
At Jobbatical, we help people make courageous global career moves around the world. To help you start dreaming of yours, let’s take a peek into an Italian globetrotter’s life in beautiful Barcelona.
Meet Alessia
Alessia Anniballo is a curious traveler, passionate writer and storyteller, living in Barcelona. She’s the Communication Manager of Talent Garden, the biggest network of coworking spaces focused on the digital sector in Europe.
You can follow her on Twitter at @AlessiAnniballo or @Talentgardenen.
Monday Morning Begins
When I wake up at 7:23am on Monday morning, the first thing I do is make a point to smile and remember happy moments of my weekend. And by “remember” I mean: cry because this weekend just finished but also be happy because I will still be in Barcelona for the next one.
Barcelona is famous for being a party city, so if you want to plan your weekend you can check it out this web site for a quick overview. I don’t have to tell you that summer is the best time to be here, as there are a lot of music festivals, like Sonar, and some local celebrations, as San Juan (24 June) also called “La noche del fuego”, because it remembers the ancestral celebration for the beginning of the new season.
Ready for Work and Play
So, as soon as a shy smile appears on my tired face, I jump out of the bed and in 10 minutes I’m ready to leave my flat. In 10 minutes I usually take a shower, throw on some random clothes (if they are too random, I wear a pair of heels to distract from my outfit) and prepare my huge bag. I bring with me my Mac — my only working tool — my Kindle, my phone and — my favorite things: sporty clothes and swimwear for the evening beach volley session. Here MeetUp is used a lot, and you can find everything: from a social dinners with people from different cultures to many different team sports and running groups. You have just to choose what you want to do and who you want to meet.
A Pleasant Walk to Work
I live in a very nice neighborhood of Barcelona. I love walking around during my free days and discovering the real Cataluna. I’m pretty busy during the week, but every morning I get to catch a bus at a stop 5 minutes far away from the Arc the Triumph. The pedestrian area nearby (near Parc de la Ciutadella) is full of artists and dancers and their happiness is contagious. If you want to see traditional Chinese dancers or a hip hop session, or listen to concerts, you should go there.
Bocadillo for Breakfast
To be honest, I’m not a really morning person. And I’m not a habits person. So I often forget to go grocery shopping and to prepare my breakfast. Luckily, I work in a cool area with a lot of restaurants and bars. In addition, Barcelona is the Bocadillo’s city — delicious sandwiches on Spanish bread. So I can go to the office eating a Fuet Boccadillo with tomato sauce: 2.30 euros of happiness every Monday. You can find Bocadillo in every bar of the city at any time, the most popular are the one with Jamon Serrano, typical Spanish ham, and the one with tortilla.
At Work in the Sharing Economy
Finally, at 9 I arrive at work. I work for a network of coworking spaces called Talent Garden as Communication Manager. In Barcelona there are more than 230 coworking spaces, both because there are many freelancers that stay here for short-medium term and because the sharing culture is very strong here.
A Catalan Cortada
At 12.30, I take a Cortado (typical Catalan coffee with milk). Cortado was the first Spanish/Catalan word that I learned when I came here. It’s not just a coffee, it’s a way to socialize, to take a break, to reenergize your day and also a way to discover new places in one of the most beautiful neighbourhood in the city: Gràcia.
Wrapping up my morning with a Cortado in Gràcia makes me feel like I’m part of Barcelona’s heart and soul. And I love it!
Wish you could join Alessia for a Cortada and experience Barcelona startup life yourself? Spend a year there on a jobbatical with one of the city’s many exciting young companies. Or explore opportunities in other cities!
