Four Languages

The official language of Spain is Castilian. Most of us call this "Spanish." The official languages of Catalunya are Catalan and Castilian. Those are what the people in this area call "Spanish." And they are a bit offended if someone refers to Castilian as "Spanish."

Most of the signs and names in Barcelona are in "Spanish." As mentioned earlier, it can be very confusing for someone who (like me) understands Castilian fairly well. But people in Barcelona are very used to it.

In Barcelona, most people also speak English. Along the Costa Brava, it seemed that English was the fourth language spoken. Far more people spoke French due to the proximity to France and the abundance of French tourists. As we walked further into the area dominated by tourists, I heard far more French spoken than any other language. That actually made things less confusing for me.

Typical greetings as we passed people on the trails evolved from "Hola, buenos días!" to the more familiar "Buenas!" to "Bonjour!" Anyone who said "Hello" seemed to say it with a UK accent.

These four languages make the Costa Brava a very interesting place.

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