That infamous snow day, Francisco and I entered a restaurant for lunch while flurries were coming down. We walked out two hours later and the flurries had to turned to thick white snow...and lots of it. I remember Francisco commenting before going to eat that when it snows in Barcelona, not only is it rare, it's very light and never sticks on the ground. He spoke too soon I guess because we finished lunch just to find his car covered in a white blanket.
The people were going nuts! In front of my house is a park and it's surrounded with other apartment buildings like mine. I walked out into the balcony to watch and amuse myself with all the children and their parents throw mini snowballs at each other (I mean really there was like 3 inches on the ground!). Suddenly I saw a quick flash of light. I thought, lightning during a snowstorm. Weird. Then I saw another one. And another one. And another one. They just kept coming. I then realized everybody was out on their balconies with their cameras taking pictures.
I always use to make fun of all those southern states when they close everything down with an inch of snow on the ground. Now I understand why. Barcelona literally was in chaos during this snowstorm. Without the usual need of salt trucks, the city didn't have any to clear the roads. Cars were stuck on highways. Public transportation also went into shambles. Many decided to ditch the cars (after the cops shut down the highways) and opted for the trains. Many of those people didn't get home for hours. A student of mine who lives in the mountain part of the city - where there was even more snow - drove his car when he reached a point where his car just couldn't go on anymore. He was only ten minutes away from his house. He decided to park his car on the street, take the Metro to get him closer to his house, and struggle to keep his balance on the icy snow on the walk home from the train. Many neighborhoods also lost electricity and didn't get it back for weeks.
Now I understand how just a little bit of snow can interrupt and break down an entire city's infrastructure. Sorry for making fun of you, Texas.
P.S. I do find it hilarious to see Spaniards carrying an umbrella to protect themselves from the snow. It's like Asians carrying umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun.
