How accurately does Auberge espagnole, L' depict the city of Barcelona?

December 12, 2006 11:38 PM

If you've been to Barcelona and if you've seen the movie Auberge espagnole, L', would you say that the movie does a good job of depicting what the city is like?

As a result of the answers I got to this question, I had my sights set on Barcelona as my next vacation destination. Naturally when I saw that Auberge espagnole, L' was on, I watched it with great interest since it's set in the city and I wanted to get an idea of what I'd be in for.

It didn't look all that attractive to me in the movie. It seemed a little run down and not like the type of place I think I'd want to visit. I don't just mean the appartment where a lot of the movie takes place, but also around town when they're out sight seeing or whatever. The place seemed kind of claustrophobic and dirty.

Now, I know that a director can make a city look like pretty much whatever they want it to look like, and since the movie deals with poor college students, that may have been the vibe they were going for.

Still, if you've been there, and if you've seen the movie, how accurately is the city portrayed?

posted by willnot to travel & transportation (16 comments total)

It depends on the part of town, I think. I loved Barcelona, and my favorite areas were in the Barri Gotic, which my traveling companion declared were dirty, smelly, and too graffitied and there was simply no way he wanted to spend any time there. The parts of town he liked seemed more like an expensive shopping mall to me, too clean and with much less character. So I'm guessing you could find plenty to do and see in the sort of environment you're comfortable with.
posted by occhiblu at 11:42 PM on December 12, 2006

(Also, I did see the film, and liked it, and do think it portrayed the city reasonably accurately, but mostly through students' perspectives.)
posted by occhiblu at 11:43 PM on December 12, 2006

From my memory of the movie, it's accurate though -- agree with occhiblu here -- a certain view of it, that of a student. The city itself is fantastic, and made far more of an impression. If the movie is accurate, the city is much more than what it shows you. (FWIW, I was there last in 1998.) If you want another cinematic representation, rent Whit Stillman's Barcelona. Shows an entirely different city, one you may fancy (or hate).
posted by donpedro at 12:08 AM on December 13, 2006

I live in Barcelona, and it's an okay place, but it's terribly, terribly overrated. And the food is a bit crap.

*misses Tokyo*
posted by dydecker at 12:56 AM on December 13, 2006

Just because it's bugging me: Note that the movie is titled "L'Auberge Espagnole" -- The Spanish Inn. I think you've seen it in some list of titles that moves articles (A, The, L', Il, etc.) to the end for alphabetization.
posted by mendel at 6:54 AM on December 13, 2006 [1 favorite]

Like all big cities, Barcelona really has a little bit of everything, but I think Barca is even more varied than most cities. That's really what I like about it. It has the bright, sparkling parts, and the seedy dark corners, and everything in between, including great parks and beaches.

Dirty and claustrophobic definitely describes parts of it (any part of it I can afford to stay in, that's for sure), but I can't think of a European city anyone would want to go to for which that wouldn't be true.
posted by lampoil at 7:29 AM on December 13, 2006

*food in barce a bit crap?*

YMMV. no, YMWV! we had some of the best, simplest, and most incredible food of our lives in barce. sure, it'd probably be hard to find a decent yakisoba, but it's just as hard to find quality jamon iberico in roppongi.

the best food in barce, however, comes from the humblest-looking places. from the simple bocadillo sandwiches and tortilla de papas (like a potato omelette, really) found in the ubiquitous corner pubs to brilliant dinners of rabbit, pheasant, seafood, and of course, los caracoles, i really enjoyed the food in barce. and you can also drink absinthe (they call it ausento) there. definintely worth a shot. if you enjoy tapas and red wine (and to be sure, not everyone does), then you'll love eating in barce. please don't get me started thinking about the market on las ramblas . . . damn . . . now you've got me started . . . *ahem*

but to answer your question, i've never seen the film. still, me encanta a barcelona.
posted by deejay jaydee at 7:36 AM on December 13, 2006

Like everyone above said, parts of central Barcelona can seem a bit run down, but no more than, say, Rome or other large and old European cities. Just as you can find these areas in New York or Chicago. Other parts of Barcelona are sparkling clean. It's simply a huge, dynamic city.

A few years ago, while doing some extended traveling, I ended up staying in Barcelona for over a month as a tourist. Everyday, my partner and I would get up and basically play tourist in the town (or take a daytrip). It was fantastic - there was so much to do and see that we never felt bored. It seemed that around every corner was a new random art exhibit or park or architectural wonder to check out. You can pick up a weekly copy of the Guia del Ocio from most newstands to see what's going on around town.
posted by Staggering Jack at 9:06 AM on December 13, 2006

I love Barcelona, but I also love big dirty cities. Barce is dirty in places but it's always stylish and interesting.
posted by sid at 9:50 AM on December 13, 2006

As others have said, yes, this movie does depict an aspect of Barcelona. Actually, one of my favorite aspects.

It would help to know how well-traveled you are (what european cities have you been to in the past?) since many cities and towns in Europe have this "claustrophobic" aspect that you will either love or hate.

Personally, parts of Rome felt to me more dirty and claustrophobic than Barcelona. And I love Madrid but it can feel too big and spread out as well. But perhaps that will be more to your liking?
posted by vacapinta at 10:18 AM on December 13, 2006

vacapinata - I'm not terribly well traveled. I only went to Europe once before. I loved Zurich, Verona and Mykonos. Olympia in Greece was beautiful. I didn't see much of it, but I don't know if there was much to see. Tolon, Greece was nice in a quiet resort kind of way. I liked Florence. Padua, Italy was nice. I sort of liked Rome.

I sort of hated Athens and I didn't much like Venice (although I got some great photos there, so I guess it was worth going). I also didn't like what I saw of Pisa which just felt like a giant tourist trap.

In Mexico, I've been to Cancun which is OK, and to Cabo San Lucas which I liked a bit more than Cancun.

In the states, I really like Seattle, and I like San Francisco. I live in Los Angeles, and I love it here. LA has always felt very much like home to me. I liked New York as a place to visit though I can't see myself ever living there.
posted by willnot at 10:50 AM on December 13, 2006

What exactly did you like or dislike about those various places?
posted by occhiblu at 10:56 AM on December 13, 2006

That movie made me pine for Barcelona, so , yes.
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 11:35 AM on December 13, 2006

occhiblu - From my travelogue:

About Verona:

The city of Verona is beautiful. This was easily my favorite afternoon so far. I didn’t waste my time looking at a manufactured balcony from a fictional play, but I did wander out through the city a bit more.

After about an hour and a half of walking, I stopped in at this little restaurant, which turned out to be bigger than I thought. They sat me on their terrace with a nice view of the river and birds chirping in the distance. The food was great, and just the whole place was so lovely and restful I didn’t want to leave.

About Venice:

And, the contrasts continue. As much as I loved Verona, this is how much I hated Venice. Don’t get me wrong. It’s visually interesting, and I got some of my best photos ever there. I also got rained on, and I got lost for like an hour in the labyrinthian and surprisingly slum-like back alleys. This caused me to miss a scheduled trip out to some island where they make lace.

[...]

There’s a park at one end of Venice. It’s not much, a few trees and some sculptures, but it’s shady and practically no tourists seem to make their way to that side of the island. All the tourists seem to prefer, for reasons that I can’t begin to understand, to congregate where all the other tourists are, looking through what seemed to be the exact same store repeated an infinite number of times — selling the same masks and the same glass, and the same posters. Seriously, if you’ve seen half a block of that and a few canals and the church, you’ve seen all there is that you’re going to see. It’s a town that requires about 20 minutes of attention, and I was there for about 8 hours.

About Athens:

I was loving Greece, but boy do I dislike Athens. We got checked into the hotel, which is all right and is just across the street from the Aegean Sea or some body of water like that. It was still pretty early, so I headed out to do some exploring. Oh my god, this city seems to wear despair like a wet and humid, dirty blanket. It’s suffocating. I don’t know how anybody could live here.

I’m walking along the ocean, and you can see where they tried to lay out some nice parks and walking paths or whatever, but it’s like nothing can stay beautiful in this town. Decay seems to creep into these open spaces that should be beautiful and eats them like mold. I don’t even know how to describe it. It’s oppressive and miserable.

About Mykonos:

At about 5:30, we pulled in to Mykonos. I absolutely adored Mykonos. Love, love, love that place! It’s beautiful with the crystal blue water and the little white houses dotting the hillside. And, there are all of these little art galleries, which always gives a place that creative vibe that just sings to my heart. All the people are so nice too. It’s like a little paradise.

I didn't write very much about Zurich, but I remember thinking that it seemed to do a really good job of balancing modernity and history. I liked the trains. I liked the architecture of the buildings and the river and the scenery around the place. I also met up with Sebastian who is a member of MetaFilter while I was there, and I'm sure that added a positive spin to the experience of that city. Plus the beds in the hotel room were incredible.
posted by willnot at 12:08 PM on December 13, 2006

Hrmmm..... yes, we seem to have completely opposite tastes in cities :) I think if you more or less avoid the student sections of town, you'll probably be fine in Barcelona, though. Don't plan on spending tons of time in the Gothic Quarter or the working-class sections of town by the port. The areas in the north of the city, where more of the Art Nouveau architecture is, would probably suit you fine (they're gorgeous, I just don't find them as interesting as the more labyrinthine sections of town). Pack Guell is also awesome. (I don't have my Barcelona guide in front of me; wish I could be more specific on other recommendations.)

All that said, though, from what I've heard, you may like Madrid better (I've never been). It sounds like things like wide streets and cleanliness are important to you (just going off the Verona/Venice comparison and my own feelings about both cities), and I'm not sure that's the major selling point of Barcelona. You can find it there, though.
posted by occhiblu at 12:35 PM on December 13, 2006

Perhaps you would prefer Madrid. I have been to Madrid and not Barcelona, so I can not make a comparison there, but I would not describe Madrid as dirty or claustrophobic. Unfortunately you don't say what it was about those places you liked or disliked, but the parks and museums and food and drink and just pace of life was delightful in Madrid IMNSHO.
posted by phearlez at 3:39 PM on December 13, 2006