Life in Barcelona

One of the most typical traditions during the local celebrations of Barcelona and Catalunya, are the “Castells”, the HUMAN SKYSCRAPERS!This is an old Catalan tradition from the 18th century, originating in Tarragona (around one and a half hours from Barcelona by car). The Castells was originally acted out as a rivalry between two groups of “dancers”, competing to see who could build the highest human tower!

The towers are erected to the sound of traditional catalan music and the “castellers” (climbers), have to bear in mind many factors (including the laws of physics!), to ensure their saftey. The strongest people are at the bottom of the tower to support the humongous weight, with the lightest people/children at the top. The last person to climb the castle is a young child, who salutes with his/her hand to the crowd below, when they have reached the top. It is at this moment that the castle is considered complete and a second later the climbers begin to descend the tower to loud cheers and applause.

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Tags: Castells+in+Barcelona, Castellers+in+Barcelona, Human+skyscrapers+in+Barcellona, Catala+Traditions, Barcelona+Festivals

Everyone has their favourite tipple, but nothing pops my cork quite like a fresh, crisp glass of bubbly Cava – Catalan sparkling wine, especially when the Barcelona temperatures are soaring!!

Cava should not just be saved for special occasions though! Certainly in Barcelona it is an inexpensive drink, found on every menu and in every bar! Some bars specialise in Cava, producing their own bottles for the customers to try.

My favourite place for sampling Cava is ‘La Xampanyet’, in C/Montcada, just near the Picasso museum in the centre of Barcelona.

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Tags: Cava+Barcelona, Wine+tasting+Catalunya, La+Xampanyet, Cordoníu+cava, vineyards+Catalunya

Without any doubt, L’Eixample is one of the most beautiful quarters in Barcelona! Actually, if you have the chance of going for a walk down any of the many amazing avenues and streets, you will see the area looks like a museum…an outdoor museum!

I live in L’Eixample and I really think it is one of the best areas in Barcelona in which to live. The streets and buildings are often breathtakingly beautiful and extravagant and there are lots of things to see and amazing places to visit. Bordered by the ‘Gran Via’ in the south and ‘Diagonal’ in the north, this large quarter is considered to be the birthplace of Modernism. Apart from the impressive buildings, the layout of the streets could be considered a work of art in itself. Like ‘The Big Apple’ – New York city, the streets have a block layout, so it’s both practical and very difficult to get lost (well for most people!). (more…)

Tags: quarters+in+Barcelona, L'Eixample+in+Barcelona, modernism+in+Barcelona, modernism+quarter+in+Barcelona

Would you like to feel the warm breeze on your cheeks while enjoying a great sunny view of the Mediterranean Sea shore? If so, I actually have a great suggestion for you! At least if you are willing to kill two birds with one stone and do some exercise at the same time!

The only thing you need is a pair of rollerblades (and maybe some protection if you feel like Bambi on ice)! The kilometre long coast line of Barcelona is perfect to go skating along - I often spend my Sunday afternoons rollerblading and it is a really good way to unwind after a busy week, and when you are tired you can always make a stop and throw yourself on the sandy beach for a while! During the weekends you can find a lot of people who have the same idea!

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Tags: skating+barcelona, rollerblades+barcelona, skating+city, blading+barcelona, skating+association

The “B-Parade” is a kind of Spanish, or better, “Barcelonian” Love Parade!
I went to the parade a couple of years ago..and it was amazing! The parade started at the Maria Cristina Square (in the Northwest of the city), and finished with a big party just at the bottom of the Montjuic fountains on Plaza Espanya!!

It’s actually inspired by the Love Parade, the popular festival and parade which originated in 1989 in Berlin.

Many people travel for miles to get to Barcelona city and to take part in the Parade. Everyone is dressed up in weird and wonderful costumes, invented in their wildest of imaginative and creative moments!!! (more…)

Tags: B+Parade+Barcelona, Parade+in+Barcelona, Barcelona+B+Parade+in+2007, Party+in+Barcelona, Love+parade+Barcelona

Have you ever noticed the city´s unusual green citizens?!

Who could imagine seeing PARROTS flying around in the middle of a large bustling city like Barcelona? I’ve always associated tropical, intelligent birds like parrots with deep, green Amazonian jungles, until I happened to walk past a couple of happy, chirpy, bright green, feathery creatures on my way down the Ramblas! It’s true! There they are, amongst the comparatively dull looking grey pigeons, chirping away, as though it is their most normal habitat! They seem more than happy, brightening up the pavements and co-existing with the old ladies in the parks who feed them bread and corn on sunny afternoons. The only hardship that they have in their relaxed birdlife here in the city, is when they have to fight off cheeky pigeons, in order to mark their territory close to the park bench.

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Tags: parrot+barcelona, birds+barcelona, park+parrot, city+birds, Barcelona+wildlife

Do you dare try it? If you are lucky and your time in Barcelona coincides with the winter/spring months, then you may have heard of, seen, smelt or perhaps already tasted the “CALÇOTS”. The Calçotada is one of the strangest, messiest, most satisfying, yet medieval-seeming gastronomic experiences in the whole of Spain, or perhaps in Europe! In keeping with my last post on sensational Spanish dietary habits, such as diving into buckets of olive oil and concocting amazing egg omelettes, I think it is a highly appropriate moment to also mention the succulent, tender, barbequed, sauce-covered, sweet spring onion shoots that stimulate the Spanish taste buds and give the rest of us something to only dream of trying! Try and suggest a ‘leek grilling party’ in your home country, amongst your friends and see how many people turn up!? Do the same in Spain and you will have your friends, their friends and the whole population of your street banging on your door, with an accompanying bottle of ‘vino tinto’ in their arms! (more…)

Tags: calçots, fiesta+del+calçot, calçotada, calçots+in+barcelona, catalan+cuisine,

It seems to me that there are many frustrated artists living in Barcelona, if the amount of street art is anything to go by! I’m not referring to scribbled writing or anti-fascist slogans, but actual works-of-art which should be in a gallery - for all to see – in my opinion.

I’ve always found Barcelona to have a Bohemian feel about it (maybe that’s just because I’m from the U.K, which is about as far from Bohemia as you can get!!!!) but, during the evenings, there are often people gathered playing music and dancing in the city’s many boulevards and squares. Part of the sensation, for me, comes from the street art that adorns many of the cities walls. There really are some exceptional ‘paintings’ and ‘portraits’ which make an otherwise derelict, concrete wall come to life completely. It seems that a lot of time and effort has gone into the work and I don’t think it’s harming anyone or anything - it gives you something to look at when you’re wandering around the city, alongside the beautiful buildings and charming ‘plazas’.

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Tags: Barcelona+graffiti, graffiti+artists, Raval, Barrio+Gotico, Artwork+Barcelona

Mediterranean men and football!? What is it all about? Any Italian or Spanish male colleagues, friends or fellow students that I have met throughout the past few years were all CRAZY about football. I lived with 2 Spanish guys for a couple of semesters whilst studying abroad, who were proud of knowing the names of almost ALL the players in most of the well-known UK teams! This fascination is unbelievable for a girl like me – who has never been interested in the fabulous world of footie in the slightest. I´m not sure that I even know the rules of the game and I´ve certainly never watched a match from beginning to end!

ANNNYYYYYWAY, as I am hoping that there are other women out there who are as equally BORED by the success or failure stories and reports of the BARÇA guys (just how UGLY is Ronaldhino´s smile??), then I decided to try and write a post for us women, to combat the latest one on football! Thinking back to my Erasmus days and living with those Spaniards got me thinking again about the famous MEDITERRANEAN DIET!  (more…)

Tags: Mediterrean+Diet, Boqueria+Market, spanish+cooking, tapas, olive+oil

The face of the Ramblas is changing, it’s official!

Considered by many as Barcelona’s most famous landmark, after Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, The Ramblas is destined for change. After the recent Animal Rights Day protests in the city centre, the local council has decided that it is about time the selling of animals stopped.

The Ramblas has been around for a very long time, and the varied stalls that line it – selling flowers, paintings, newspapers and animals, have existed for over 40 years. For the locals who work in these stalls, it is a way of life and an income, so the decision has had very mixed reviews!

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Tags: Ramblas+Barcelona, landmarks+Barcelona, Ramblas+stalls, Animal+rights+Barcelona, Barcelona+traditions