Shortly before ten in the morning, a crowd gathers to queue at the doors of a tourist bus. They are on the Barcelona pier, where groups and groups of cruise passengers usually disembark for a quick, beautiful, and cheap visit to La Rambla, following an umbrella or whatever while they are told a few anecdotes of a history increasingly drowned out by socks with sandals and many brunches. What is surprising is that those queuing do not wear the typical stickers with the logos of the shipping companies and, even stranger, they speak neither English nor French. It's hard to believe but they are locals, a species in danger of extinction in certain coordinates of the city, those that were not so sexy before and have now become plastic postcards for mass consumption.
Going up, probably for the first time on their city's tourist bus, the excursionists head in the opposite direction to what any guide would propose. They are not going towards the Columbus statue, but are entering the port terminals, usually closed to the public but which this weekend open their doors for the first time so that Barcelonans can see how one of their main economic engines works.
As everyone carries a tourist inside, even those who criticize them the most, mobile phones quickly invade the upper deck of the bus, portraying unusual models, from ships and bridges to cranes and port containers. As if it were a cruise visit, everyone has put on the white cap provided by the Port de Barcelona to face a sun that this Friday has been long-awaited, giving a few drops for which the corporate hat has also served. There are fans of all things port-related, some very concentrated, but also couples going to spend the morning, even employees of one of the companies that work in the port who want to see their clients' facilities up close.
A voice-over explains what is happening in the port. "Most of the clothes we wear come from China," it says, pointing to the sea of containers that uniformly follow one another. Many then realize that those compulsive orders they make on Shein might be there. That's what they're thinking when the containers are replaced by rows of cars in a large port parking lot, a preliminary step before they can reach dealerships. "I wouldn't mind taking one," says the typical joker who is always in every group, an almost scientific human rule. Many Teslas are seen, after the manufacturer chose the Port of Barcelona as the entry point for its vehicles produced in China.
The tourist bus constantly crosses paths with trucks carrying goods because, despite being an open day, the port has not been able to stop its activity. Issues that often sound too distant, such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, also impact the daily life of the terminals, with a line of ships queuing to unload their contents. The Suez Canal is closed, and the Port of Barcelona has become an alternative to reach enclaves in the Eastern Mediterranean. What experts call geopolitics also impacts the cruise business, with the Catalan capital attracting even more ships since last year due to the armed conflicts. In the distance, those megaships are seen docked, maritime hotels with a thousand rooms and everything the market believes the average citizen might desire at some point during their vacation, including slides, casinos, and 24-hour pizzas. "I wouldn't mind staying there," the joker continues.
The tourist bus constantly crosses paths with trucks carrying goods because, despite being an open day, the port has not been able to stop its activityIt must be said that at some point during the tour, the port smells a bit bad, especially near the old lighthouse of La Farola. "This used to be a beach," the voice-over indicates.off that accompanies the route, almost letting slip the word countryside. It is there where the old coast of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat used to be, until it was sold off cheaply to the neighboring city. The tourist bus does not get very close and only the Lighthouse can be seen from afar, trapped between too many trucks and containers, without anyone being able to visit it. Nor does the soybean that is being turned into soy flour smell too good, the only merchandise that is transformed in the port and, moreover, emits smoke.
The bus excursions organized by the port through the terminals have sold out all tickets, including those departing from the Marina neighborhood and El Prat de Llobregat, a nod to the residents of the city where more and more activity is concentrating to the detriment of the Catalan capital. The theatrical routes along the Fusta pier and the routes on the typical Golondrinas, a full-fledged remember for many who hadn't stepped on them for years, have also run out of free spots. A total of 16,000 tickets have flown, a clear sign for the organizers to repeat next year. "How beautiful everything is, isn't it? Oh, we look like guiris," comments the joker upon arrival, recovering, if only for a day, a bit of his city.
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