Last week, I spent a whole week in Barcelona. I take back everything I thought or said about Barcelona because I found it overall safe.
That included my daily visits to the Ramblas, to get photos of the street performers. (Does anyone think it is strange to called them street performs because they are not on the street)Anyone in the crowd could pick out the photographer (me) with the expensive camera, because many times I had the street performer to pose for my photo, we would talk a little and they were willing to do it for me.
I feel the warnings about Barcelona’s street crime are exaggerated. When you visit Barcelona's Ramblas and Madrid’s Plaza Mayor were I did see some street crime take place, the rule is just use common sense and you will be ok.
While walking along the Ramblas, I did see gypsies with babies, three card Monty scams, kids with newspapers and a police. I also saw them in Plaza Mayor in Madrid except for the three card Monty. But you read fewer warnings about Plaza Mayor in tour books and on the internet. After a few days in Barcelona I stopped being paranoid about street crime and just used what I always use when I travel, common sense. I realized the only potential place of crime in Barcelona was the Ramblas and that is were the tourist visited too.
But what I did see in Barcelona, far greater than any European city I have visited is the most stupid tourists. Tourist involved in three cards Monty scams (I was not going to help them; I felt they need a lesson about life). People sitting at the over expensive over rated cafes on the Ramblas not watching their bags. (Drinking the large drinks does not help with your safety) I saw one man pulls out of his wallet a 100 euro to buy some postcards from a shop on the Ramblas. Who carries a wallet? Who pulls out a 100 euro note? My jaw dropped when I saw that. I watched a couple put down their shopping bag to watch a street performer. Their attention was not on their bags anymore. You know what I did not care anymore, if they became a victim of street crime. I am supposed to tell them to watch their bags?
I probably will receive the irate of some of those victims of street crime in Barcelona and rightfully so. But the eight days there, I feel my impression of Barcelona it is safe as any European city.
Bill