There's No Such Thing as Free Water

So my crusade against purchasing bottled water came to a screeching halt upon my arrival in Barcelona, as the tap water here doesn't seem to be clean (it has a distinct smell and taste to it, even after heating/boiling it), and Brita-esque filters are difficult, if not impossible, to find. While the public authorities claim the water is completely safe for drinking, if the locals aren't even drinking it, I figure I'm much better off shelling out some Euro for the added peace of mind.

Thankfully since the demand for clean water is high (4 million+ people in the city and surrounding metropolitan area), there's a huge market for it, which leads to a ton of competition, which means prices that are, in most cases, much lower than in the US (man, I miss introductory Microeconomics). Basically, one can purchase an 8 liter jug of water here for €1,15-2,50 depending on the brand and where it's purchased from. Translate that to dollars (€1 = ~$1.48), and you're paying $1.70-3.70 for 8 liters, whereas a 25 pack (0.5 liter each x 25 = 12.5 liters) of Deer Park water bottles costs about $5 at Costco. Assuming people drank solely bottled water in the States (common on college campuses, at least), I'd be saving quite a bit of cash (in addition to plastic), so I shouldn't be complaining too much.

Unfortunately, paying for clean water in grocery stores means paying for clean water at restaurants and cafes also, which certainly is not as cheap. While I haven't been to any really posh restaurants, the cost of a half liter bottle of water seems to range anywhere from €1-1,50 in most places. Ridiculous, no?

Well, leave it to my Sigg to save the day. Back home I pretty much don't go anywhere without my trusty, non-chemical-leeching water bottle, so why should things be any different in Barcelona? While originally I would only take it with me to class, since the days are long and predictably unpredictable, I've recently begun taking it everywhere in my gym bag (one of those small, lightweight drawstring pouches you wear like a backpack). Since it doesn't outwardly look like a water bottle, I'm able to sneak in a few sips while dining, saving me some cash and the guilt of having contributed to the ecological dent caused by the production and transportation of an additional bottle.

Side note:
Spain's been in a drought for the past few years, and as the desertification of the Iberian Peninsula continues (currently at 1/3, according to Toni, one of my professors), matters seem to only be getting worse. Since I've been here, there have only been three days of rain, which, albeit nice from a pedestrian's perspective, should definitely be a cause for concern. When speaking of the looming drought, Toni is always quick to mention (not an exact quote):

"People always ask 'Aren't you worried about terrorism?' 'No, no, no! That's something that I cannot control' , it's unpredictable. I'm more worried about the drought, because we know that's happening. How the hell is a city that can barely provide water to its 4 million inhabitants (metropolitan area) going to be able to provide for them and the 20 million tourists that come here annually?"

Thank you, Global Warming.

That's enough ranting for now...

Adéu!