Barcelona typically enjoys a lovely Mediterranean climate, with mild winters and warm summers. Online research indicates the last time the temperature in Barcelona fell below freezing was during an rare cold wave in January 1985. In fact, although Tucson, Arizona, where we usually spend our time, is geographically 600 miles closer to the equator, Barcelona supposedly enjoys nearly identical winter weather! Likely that is because the desert has little ability to store overnight the solar heat it receives during the daytime and therefore, in the shorter days, it is overall cooler. The relative humidity and variation in altitude also make a difference in the climate, I’m sure. All that said, we have prepared ourselves for wintering in Barcelona by stocking our closets with only a few long-sleeved tops, one sweater and some light-weight jackets and warm socks. However, judging by the locals who have recently made a sudden and rather unexpected change in their dress code, I wonder if we will be asking Santa for supplemental apparel.

Barcelonans, it appears, love their heavy cold-weather clothes. At the onset of autumn, when the first chilly breeze blew discarded leaves across the sidewalk and street, a silent notice went out across the city. The natives began pulling out articles of clothing from the back of their wardrobes or their under-bed storage containers. Puffy winter coats, thick neck scarves, ankle boots and knitted caps began appearing everywhere – in store windows and on nearly every passerby. Older men started wearing long wool peacoats or overcoats with scarves tucked in at the collar and flat caps or trilbys donned atop their heads. Younger men now wear leather coats, shearling coats with wool collars and sometimes puffer coats with or without scarves. Children (and sometimes tiny dogs) are dressed in huge, thick puffer coats that appeared to be more suitable for a ski trip than a ride in the stroller or walk to school. The ladies dressed themselves in all manner of winter wear from thick fur-lined ankle boots to knee-high leather heeled boots, long puffer overcoats with belts and hoods to waist-length, water-repellent, quilted versions also suitable for the slopes, but each with a long scarf tied in some intricate, but seemingly simple, casual manner around their necks.

Granted, the mornings are a bit brisk, but the daytime highs are still in the mid to low 60s (upper teens in Celsius) and the direct sunlight is quite intense so the day warms quickly. The sun’s rays create a noticeable difference for the casual pedestrian ambling through streets dappled with shade. In fact, considering that most of our travels are by foot and we live in an area with sloping streets and gentle hills, it’s not uncommon for us to get somewhat toasty on less windy days. Unlike the locals, we often wear short sleeved tops with a light jacket and 3/4 pants or light-weight hiking slacks. Occasionally, I wear yoga pants and a summer top with a windbreaker. Mom wears sandals but Allita and I usually loaf along in our sneakers. Sometimes, when it is windy, we will don scarves but they are more often a nod toward fashion than a weather-driven necessity. Even at her school, Allita is one of only two kids (the other is an American from Florida) who does NOT wear her thick puffy winter uniform coat in addition to her long-sleeved school shirt and a warm wool-blend sweater! Her teachers frequently ask her if she is sufficiently warm. They seem to have some difficulty understanding her lack of interest in additional layers.

It’s likely that when winter ultimately arrives, we will have to finally done a warmer coat and switch to our closed-toed shoes and thicker socks. Maybe I will just include a sweater in my layers? Probably, we will all add a few scarves to our collection – for fun as well as diversity because they are so plentiful here. Perhaps I might even buy a hat, but that’s highly unlikely. Instead, there is a greater chance I will gift Mom some earmuffs for the upcoming holidays as she wears her hair short leaving her ears unprotected in the chilly wind. I wonder what the locals will do? Will they at last put on some gloves? Gloves are, after all, the only winter accessory currently missing from almost every person I pass. It will be interesting to see if there is even enough of a difference between fall and winter weather to encourage a change in fall and winter fashions. Time will tell.