Exploring abroad

Feeling a bit nostalgic about my time abroad, I decided to take my avatar, Shivani Basevi, to Spain to visit my old stomping ground of Barcelona. I was very excited to see what SL had to offer me in terms of a flashback to the city that I miss and won't get a chance to see again for a very long time.
However, I was largely disappointed with what I encountered when I teleported to Barcelona. I had hoped to reunite with the bustling streets of Catalunya, but I found an almost deserted island with a sliver of a Spanish culture. Las Ramblas was empty, but I was excited to see a replica of the statue of Columbus. I took an elevator ride to the top, but it did not have a view of anything other than the ocean.
The only people in the town convened in a single ballroom. I actually felt rather out of place when I entered since many of the people there were dressed elegantly for dancing and drinking. One man actually gave me a handle of Jack Daniels, which was a little strange. More avatars arrived and many of them seemed to know each other. I was hoping more people would be talking in Spanish, but it was very limited.
Needless to say, my experience in Barcelona in SL can not compare with my real life visit there this past fall. Yet, it was still fun to see a little slice of it in cyberspace.