Attacked in Barcelona

[MolsonGirl]

Well I was hesitant to post this but I want people to learn from my experiences.

I had been in Barcelona for 2 nights with my friend in a great little hostel which is mentioned in another post but that night my travelling companion was heading back to London (he works at Meryll Lynch and couldn't get Monday off) This meant that I had to move from our private room to a hostel that had dorms... Having heard of the great Hostel Kabul I decided to make the trek at 7am to get my name on the waiting list for the day to get a bed there... the walk between my hostel and Kabul was only 6 minutes so when my alarm went off I tossed on my board shorts, t-shirt and Billabong Hoodie and headed out the door, carrying no money or anything. I was no more than 5 steps out of my door when I knew there was someone behind me on the street, and this wasn't even a small alley, it connected directly to Las Ramblas and always had shopkeepers and delivery men on it. It took about 10 meters for the gui to catch up to me, I slowed down slightly hoping that he would just blow past me... no luck. Next thing I knew he was right beside me asking me all sorts of questions, I just kept my head down saying no thanks, and slyly looking for escape routes or people I could run to incase he tried anything. He was asking things like my name, if I spoke spanish and if I was travelling alone. He didn't smell drunk which actually made me more frightened cause that meant it was going to be harder to blow him off.. after a block or two he reached out to either touch my shoulder or my hair (wasn't gonna wait around to find out which) ... I slapped his hand away and told him to never touch me again. With that he became enfuriated... he started going off on a rant "Ohhh you stupid american slut ( I suppose he's never me a Canadian LOL) I have a girlfriend here who's better than you, why don't you go home and sell yourself like the cheap whore you are" at that point he spat on me. This is when I decided that perhaps if I showed him I was strong and not hungover like every other person normally on the street at that time he might leave me alone... I yelled back at him explaining that if he touched me or said another word I would make him regret it.. We all make choices in life, this one... i may have chose wrong... He went balistic on me.. grabbing my arms and pulling me around. No joke I thought I was gonna have to fight him to to be raped or killed ( as I know I had no money on me) I kept yelling and pushing him off me... as I continued to look for ways out of this jam I noticed two police men walking towards us... and i stopped fighting and looked at them... My attacker did the same... as soon as he let go I ran over to the officers and stood by them saying "ayuda me" (help me in Spanish) my attacker walked off.. and the officers walked me to and from Kabul and made sure I was ok. other than that they didn't do anything to the attacker, I suppose cause they know it happens often and as long as I was safe was that all they felt needed to be done.

I suppose the purpose of this post is to warn females not to walk around Barcelona alone in the early hours of the morning... and I'm not talking 3 or 4 cause everyone is still in the streets partying at that time. I'm talking about 6-8 am when people know that everyone is either drunk or hungover and vulnerable and nobody but the locals are on the streets. My attacker probably assumed I was an easy target. Female, alone, tired, possibly drunk or hungover (luckily I was not) Apart from that 15-20 mins I had an amazing time in Barcelona, no pickpockets... friendly people... amazing sunshine... so please go and visit (especially the zoo they have great dolphins) But just take extra caution when walking in the early hours of the morning!

[TheWills]

Thats core

[space virgin]

holy shit, girl! I'm glad you're okay! fucking scumbag. Lucky the police were right there!!! Good for you for screaming and fighting. Making a huge ruckus is always a good thing in a situation like that.

[omisan]

Damn.. glad everything came out ok, & glad you're safe

When BTorgoley gets back, I'm sure he can relate his story walking toward the Ideal hostel off Ramblas when he got into town. I'd tell ya, but I'm sure he can tell it better!

My own Barça experience wasn't so bad, but, like many visitors, I have a pickpocketing-scum-bastard story as well. You know, the guy who comes up to you and tries to snatch your camera (Ha! Wrist strap, biyatch!) and THEN tries to pull the "You like football? Show me some moves!" BS. I told him to fuck off.. "I'm American - we hate that soccer shit."

For those of you heading to BCN, MolsonGirl's advice is quite sound. If you're out clubbing 'til 6 or 7am, stick with a group, pair up with a dude til you get to your hostel/hotel/metro - this goes for the guys, too. Pair up with a girl when walking up Ramblas in the sunrise hours - otherwise, you could have nasty-ass hookers literally grabbing you to get your attention (and perhaps wallet). I wouldn't discourage anyone from going there - hell, I want to move there! But you've gotta grow an extra pair of eyes out the back of your head, just to be sure...

[space virgin]

haha, I wandered around chinatown here in Seattle a couple of weeks ago late at night after a belly dance performance. The place was deserted, and a couple of freaky crack heads crossed the street to follow me for a while as I was walking to my car (parked ever so conveniently far from the restaurant.) This is going to sound funny, but I was carrying my sword that I use in some performances and started swinging it at my side (it was sheathed) as I walked to let the assholes know I was packin'. LOL That sword is so blunt that it would only be useful to give someone a good whack upside the head, but it's long, heavy, scary looking and the tip is pointy. I even took it partway out of the sheath because I thought that if nothing else, I would look a little less helpless to them and they might back off. It must have done the trick because they quickly turned around and left. Probably a good thing as I was in a cranky mood even before they showed up.

[joanofarc]

when i see someone sketchy approaching me, i just open my mouth and say, "look, i've been a long-term girlfriend for years now - and i can NAG you like you wouldn't believe... you still want a piece of this?" - it's saved me everytime... haha!

[Sijuki]

Glad to hear you are ok MG... f'in scumbags of the world.... they should be kicked in the testicles, hard.

[Canadian Dude]

Glad ya made it out MG, just being a stranger makes you a target. All packers should heed this warning!

[llemus7]

thank god europe has those cops walking around the city to patrol the city, not like here in the states that all they do is drive there damn cars and never stop if they see something.

good to hear that you came out ok Molsongrl.

thos type of guys need one of these ass wiping!

[MolsonGirl]

Thanks guys for your support. I wasn't going to post it but I definetly feel that a lot of travellers can benefit from knowing that daybreak is not always safer than the middle of the night (like i did) Hopefully no one else will need to make a post like that..

And yes... thank goodness for the police just walking around... they didn't even have to do anything.. just be there.. and they made all the difference.

[specialguysgal]

ITS NOT JUST IN THE MORNING ALL WOMEN IN BARCELONA SHOULD BE CAREFUL. I THINK OF MYSELF AS A STRONG INDEPENDANT GAL FROM BOSTON TRAVELING ALONE. BUT HERE THE GUYS SUCK NOT JUST SPANISH, OF EVERY RACE. THEYLL GRAB YOU INCLUDING YOUR ASS AND MAKE OBSCENE COMMENTS FAR PAST PLAYFULNESS. KNOW BEING IN BARCELONA I KNOW WHAT SEXUAL HARRASSMENT IS. AND THATS SAD. I WANT TO SMACK THE GUYS OR KICK THEM WHERE IT COUNTS BECAUSE THATS HOW I WOULD AT HOME BUT IVE WALKED AWAY BUT WALKING AWAY MAKES ME FEEL WORSE. I SHOULD BE ABLE TO STICK UP FOR MYSELF. ALSO BEWARE OF YOUR BAGS----I WAS JUST ON THE METRO WALKING A MATE TO HER TRAIN AND A CUTE COUPLE TRY TO UNZIP AND STEAL HER BAG ....DONT TRUST ANYONE HERE HAHA BUT ITS GRAND WITH PEOPLE

[darkvelveteyes]

earlier this year, or was it the end of the last, i was in paris and catching one of the last subways of the night when an idiotic (possibly mental) couldn't have been older then 18 year old boy, and i a 24 year old street smart nyc woman was harrassed. he was probably trying to be cute and flirt or just make me miss the train... this had absolutely never happened before in my life through all the traveling i've done alone and the cities i've lived in at times when they haven't been safe... 80's and 90's nyc and dc (alot of crime there) the middle east... well anyways, i was running to catch the train and this bastardo grabbed the hat off my head and swung it around above me so i couldn't reach it... assuming he was doing it jokingly, but since i was exausted from an 18 hr. train ride to paris and just wanted to meet up with my friends and have a drink then hit the sack i was really pissed off and started cursing at him as i looked pretty dumb jumping with a large pack on my back for my hat (it was winter) i probably should've just walked away, but i cursed and cursed in french, italian, spanish, and maybe one universal fuck you...every word i could think of in any language... then he gave me a nice shiner. i was in shock, and there were alot of people around who saw but noone did anything and just sort of looked. well i missed the train since they closed just as i retrieved my hat and the ass walked away laughing, so i ended up goin and catching a cab. when i told the story to this french guy at reception in the hostel he was surprised and gave me a few beers and one cold one for the eye. i was in shock... but when i told this story to a girlfriend who had lived in paris for a year she said something like that happened to her at least twice and i heard from other women that they were harrased as well in paris. sure paris can be a beautiful city, but i saw it enough and ain't gonna head back anytime soon!!

[SuDz]

Originally posted by joanofarc@Jul 30 2004, 12:56 PM
when i see someone sketchy approaching me, i just open my mouth and say, "look, i've been a long-term girlfriend for years now - and i can NAG you like you wouldn't believe... you still want a piece of this?" - it's saved me everytime...* haha!*

Just reading that made me almost leave the thread in fear. Nevermind in person

SuDZ

[Qwardian]

That really sucks MG, My friend and I will keep an eye out for any other packers that are getting harassed. We are both pretty big guys.

[TimmyJames1976]

I had 7 hookers try to "get my business" during my 10 minute wal down las ramblas at 6 am getting back kto my hostel. After seeing that I know your siituation must have really sucked and have been way worse.

[mark-0]

I was in Barcelona at the end of August and I only had one really sketchy incident. I was sitting by myself (travelling alone, pros and cons of course) eating an amazing ice cream in this little square and this really drugged out guy came up to me and asked, in fairly good english, if I was a traveller and if I wanted to hang out with him and his friends. I played it really cool and just said that I was leaving soon. His friends were sitting near a tree not far from the fountain I was near. They were making sandwiches (I think) in a cardboard box and two of them were playing with these two baby chickens that they had. One of them mentioned that they wanted to teach the chickens how to dance. Fortunately it was the middle of the day and there were tons of other people in the square. I just told the guy, who literally had black teeth and I think some track marks, that I was leaving the city soon and was just going to get my things and go (not true, I had several hours left and was going to go to the beach). The guy then said "Oh. Well, in that case, we have some hash that we'er selling. Do you want some?" I politely declined, he walked away and I left for the beach. The whole scene seemed like something out of Phil Dick's book A Scanner Darkly. Anyway, other than that, nothing weird happened in Barcelona even though I got lost in some really cruddy neighbourhoods.

Cheers

[MolsonGirl]

Hey was that the square below where Hostel Kabul is?? it sure sounds like it... beautiful place.. (despite some sketchy peeps)

[mark-0]

I'm not sure where the Kabul is. I was staying at the Sun and Moon Hostel and it was about 15 seconds directly below that, just off Las Ramblas.

P.S. I hail from the Great White North too.

[omisan]

The square that Kabul is on is called Plaça Real, and yeah, that's right off the Ramblas.. probably the same one. Lots of scum hanging out there, cuz they know that's where us sucker backpackers are

[SirTodd]

Yeah i'm sort of nervous traveling mostly alone for the first time this summer '06. I'm a 21 yr old blonde haird 6'3 210lbs., male who sometimes wears Prada eye-glasses. I'm thinkin' maybe I should get some new glasses and buy a weapon before i embark on this long trip thru Eastern Europe & Scandinavia