An unfortunate thievery occurred on the first weekend of being in Barcelona. I had a glorious evening exploring the nightlife here with the group. It was almost 5:30 in the morning, and I had the epiphany to have an excursion to the beach to watch the sunrise.
I made it to the beach with not a worry in mind. I knew I needed to be careful with my purse because Barcelona is known for constant petty thefts. As I got to the beach, the sun was about to rise. I then decided to take a morning swim in the ocean that I had never seen before. It was freezing, and I quickly got out of the water. At this point, the story turns south.
As I sat on the sand, waiting for the sunrise, I noticed a man walking behind the group. He then proceeded to offer us marijuana, and we immediately turned him down. About a minute later, another man was trying to offer us weed, but this time he was much more aggressive and continually asked. At one point, my friend had to push him away because he would not leave. He eventually did, and I went back to enjoying my morning. A minute later I knew that it had been a trick and my purse was gone.
Panic set in immediately, and I went back to Beyoo to call my mom. She told me that it was only two more weeks without an iPhone, and there were many challenges that I had to face without it. The service was awful and very slow and frustrating at first, but I have realized that maybe this was a blessing in disguise.
Exploring Barcelona without a phone has been difficult, but it has also been enlightening at the same time. I am not constantly looking at Tiktok, Instagram, or texting someone. I get to experience Barcelona in its raw, true form. Seeing the mountains and ocean without being glued to a device has been extremely therapeutic, and I seem to be more relaxed. I get to laugh and enjoy this beautiful city without being distracted by something that I constantly look at while I am home. The free feeling on this trip has been delightful.