LIVING

Relatively few of this multitude grab widespread public attention­—'Belle de Jour' and her tales of high-class prostitution, the various celebrities spouting off on Twitter, the 'Huffington Post' and the handful that have been turned into books are the exception rather than the rule—but that is not necessarily always the point. Many businesses, governments and politicians dabble in the art of blogging to improve their 21st-century credentials. Whilst journalists are using them to expose hidden truths and for on-the-spot postings from war zones and conflict areas. However, in the main, blogs are done more for the individual satisfaction of the blogger with an urge to write than for global notoriety.

Barcelona has an active community of bloggers, with sites in English, Catalan and Castilian, all created with subjects, styles and interests as varied as you’ll find anywhere in the world. When it comes to English-language Barcelona blogs, a good number explore the personal ups and downs of settling into the city. The work of American Johanna Bailey, ‘Johanna Writes’ is one such blog, although it actually began on the other side of the world: “I started ‘Johanna Writes’ six years ago when I lived in Tokyo,” explained the freelance writer, who has been in Catalunya since March. “I was writing these group e-mails to all my friends and family about life in Japan and I decided it would be easier to just start a blog.” Having moved to Switzerland and then Madrid prior to Barcelona, Bailey used the online diary as a way to detail her globetrotting experiences, family life (she has two sons, the youngest of which was born last year in Madrid and the older in Tokyo) and the day-to-day demands of living abroad.

Since living here, Bailey has also been inspired to create another blog, called ‘Barcelona Bites’, where she focuses on food. “More than just recipes, I like to write about culinary culture. In other words, how do people from different countries cook, eat, shop, and think about food?” It’s a combination of restaurant reviews and recipes for local dishes as well as US specialities; in addition, next month, she’s starting a course at the Hofmann cookery school, an experience which she will also feature on the blog.