Skateboarding Barcelona

I didn't know this until Brad got here but apparently Barcelona is one of the skateboarding capitals of the world. Its popularity highlighted in Tony Hawks newest rendition of 'Tony Hawks Underground' on the PSP, where you can actually skate throughout major monuments of the city.

Apparently one of Barcelona's most infamous locations is its main train station 'Barcelona Sants', otherwise known as 'Sants Estacio'. It's entrance lined with marble tables approximately 2 meters in length all accompanied with chairs. Perfect for grinding. Rails and staircases angled footpaths. If it weren't a train station entrance it could be mistaken for a street skate park. If Gaudi created 'La Segrada Familia' to be a spectacle then the architect of 'Sants Estacio' created this to be a street skaters spectacle.


This was the first day Brad got to test his new skate board and shoes that he purchased the day before. It was a day he'd been waiting for and excited about before they arrived to Brazil, if not before they started traveling. It was exciting to experience something different.

New 300 Euro Fine

We didn't know this until we saw another person skating in the same area but apparently the government have just recently imposed a 300 Euro penalty for skating in major areas of the city. Being a major city you'd expect signs to be simply posted notifying 'Strictly No Skating' etc, like they would in any major city, but like most things in Spain they have to do it the hard way.

If you look at the roof of the entrance at 'Sants Estacio', its noticeable that this area truly is a skateboarders highlight in 'To Do' places. Broken skateboards line the roof almost like a montage of pictures on a child's bedroom.

The skateboard and shoes that Brad bought in the city were a mission to get as all stores closed Sunday, then Monday stores are again closed for half the day, then stores close during their 3 hour Siesta period. It was by chance that Mona and Brad past by an open skate store in El Raven just off La Rambla. With the amount of times that stores a closed here in such a highly international and populated city its understandable as to why the unemployment rate is considered high at 15%.

Taking photos that day was one of the most enjoyable and educational days with my amature SLR. After 4 months of having my camera it was the first day I experimented with a majority of its functions, rather than the point-and-shoot dull style of your average tourist photo.