After four years of dreaming and six months of planning, we have finally started our first true retirement vacation, in Barcelona. As a routine-oriented homebody I had some trepidation about this trip before it happened, but in the moment I couldn’t be happier.

I managed to manipulate my medical team into getting me into my Velcro cast the day before we left, and I survived the 11 1/2 hour flight with nothing worse than sleep deprivation and swollen ankles. Since we arrived in our Eixample neighborhood apartment, it’s been pure magic. Our neighborhood is lively and safe, the city is beautiful, every person has been very friendly, the language “barrier” is just not a problem, and we are so relaxed we’re pretty much ready to move here, or we might be if we weren’t too old.

Because of the tension between Catalonia and the Castilian government of Spain, Barcelona was not allowed to remove its city walls until late in the 19th century, after most other major cities of Europe had done so. The delay allowed Barcelona to learn from some of their mistakes, so the expansion was careful to incorporate local artisans and architects, to place beauty and equity over efficiency, and to prioritize the needs of pedestrians over vehicle operators-not always, and not always forever, but often, and very much as an ongoing discussion.

Eixample, which means expansion in Catalan, was the first area to extend outside the city walls, so it has regular blocks of one-quarter kilometer per side, with every intersection forming an octagon by cutting off the corner of the four blocks that meet. This creates a bit of a scrum for both vehicles–including bicycles, motor scooters, monowheels, emergency vehicles, buses, and delivery vehicles–and people, with the borders between streets and sidewalks somewhat blurred.

While this may sound dangerous, it provides more visibility for both pedestrians and operators and more open space in front of buildings. Everyone has to be alert, which allows them to make suitable decisions. We’ve noticed crosswalk controls being treated quite practically: Operators with a red light who notice the crosswalk is empty may proceed, whereas pedestrians with a red symbol may notice there are no cars and also proceed, yet no one seems to do so when inappropriate. It’s actually empowering, and also engenders trust.

While planning the trip I read a lot of things about Barcelona that I appreciate. Although the decision is controversial and still under stress, there is a statute that would eliminate apartment rentals to tourists within two years, forcing them to stay in hotels. This is a simple remedy to the problem of the tourist business snapping up all the real estate, which raises housing costs for people who live there.

We could totally use this in Santa Cruz, a poster city for high housing costs, homelessness, and shuttered businesses, all of which have worsened every year since we moved there. Santa Cruzans, we love you, but you have to stop blaming UCSC for these problems. We can do something to fix them!

Back to Barcelona, there are areas that are free to enter if you are a resident and require a small fee if you are not, which is also the case in San Francisco, and I think it makes sense. All residents should get more benefit and less penalty from the tourists flocking to the desirable place in which they live, not just those lucky or wealthy enough to have snapped up property in advance, and those over-propertied owners should be willing to share.

It’s not because of them that people want to come visit, and those visits won’t stop when the city becomes more livable for residents.

My husband and I are trying to be very good tourists. Although we did rent an apartment, a splurge we justified by the fact that we haven’t vacationed in Europe since 2001, we were careful to choose one that is officially approved by the government and to pay the extra visitor fees for ourselves and our guests. So far we’ve been eating in local establishments in which we find ourselves the sole English-speakers, including the employees. We haven’t done much shopping, but we’re planning to seek out the local craft establishments that remain, many of which have been closed in recent years.

This is not entirely due to tourism; Barcelonians are just as likely as anyone to be tempted by the convenience of Amazon and the predictability of chain stores. But we don’t have to pile on. We are delighted to do what we can to keep Barcelona delightful!