Bugamatic

Only about 10 minutes walking from la rambla. Easy to follow instructions on the walls. Machines are in good working condition and clean.

Having carried about 3 weeks of laundry around with me through NYC, Madrid, Bilbao, San Sebastian, and Barcelona, it was time to do laundry. Of course I could have dropped mad Euro using the hotel services but I felt that was better suited for the culinary experiences I wanted to have. So I carried my laundry from the hotel to El Raval, not knowing that it was one of the seedier neighborhoods of Barcelona. Being a large immigration center, it slowly started not looking like Spain and i noticed food and shops of all types of ethnicity. Having no coins on me I hit up the bakery next door, bought a few items and got some change for the machines and the detergent dispenser they have on site. Now the facility itself is new and fairly nice. However as darkness fell I started feeling uneasy about where I was.
Part of the way through waiting a guy comes in and starts talking to me. I politely tell him that I don’t speak very much Spanish. He nods and a few minutes later he keeps talking to me. He’s not doing laundry and he’s pacing around the room which frankly isn’t all that big. Is he casing me? Soon a couple of his friends come over and he’s talking and I think, am I going to get rolled? There are a few cameras in the place but who’s going to react on the alley that is San Antoni Abat? Businesses are closing and people are leaving. I start focusing. If something goes down Im going to fight dirty and Im going to go nuts. The guy looks at me then asks me what’s wrong (which I do understand) and I say «nada» but in an angry tone. He gets up goes over to the wall and holds up a charger. Turns out he came in to take advantage of their electricity to charge his music player. Phew. I was getting worried. Glad that passed.
As I finished my laundry I pack up and start moving through El Raval with a purpose making sure Im not being followed or bumped into. Now that I’ve experienced this, Ill make sure if I’m ever back here to do it well in the day time when there are people around.