Life in Barcelona

I really love the Spanish life style! I think they know how to throw a good party, they usually eat very tasty food and they have big get-togethers with lots of people!

A normal Tuesday afternoon after work can start with: “Vamos a tomar algo?” (Do you want to go for a drink?) and then before you know it the night’s almost over and you’re coming home late again - maybe even too late to sit and spent a few minutes in front of the television!

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Tags: tapas, Barcelona+tapas+bars, eating+out+Barcelona, Spanish+food

Do you consider yourself a fashion victim? I wouldn’t say that those people who know me would describe me as a shopping addict. Well, actually, the truth is I am more the kind of person who waits until it is ABSOLUTELY necessary to buy some clothes for practical reasons! - Anything to avoid drowning in the sea of shopping-crazy people. So, when my boyfriend asked me if I wanted to spend my precious, sunny, Saturday afternoon in a huge shopping centre just outside Barcelona I was a bit reluctant at first, but then I changed my mind. (more…)

Tags: roca+village+barcelona, shopping+barcelona, shopping+roca+village, fashion+barcelona

I’ve celebrated St. Patrick’s every year since I was old enough to go to the pub, not because I’m Irish, but because it’s such a famous celebration that you’re guaranteed a good night out, and Barcelona’s St. Patrick’s day merriment was certainly no exception.

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Tags: St.+Patrick's+day, Barcelona+nightlife, pubs+in+Barcelona, Barcelona+bar+crawls

…And feel like a local! Barcelona has been a scooter-friendly city for a long time! Everywhere you look you will find them: parked on the side of the road, swerving left and right between the cars, in rows upon rows along the pavements, down by the beach or just casually driving around the city centre! The locals especially use scooters to get easily from one place to another and to avoid the crazy traffic chaos that has become commonplace in any huge city such as Barcelona. The scooters can just squeeze in and out between the cars to line up in the first row – which is actually really funny to watch, since in many cities you would probably get a fine for doing this at the traffic lights. But in Barcelona this is now a normal thing to do and the police don´t mind the queue-pushing at all!

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Tags: Rent+a+scooter+in+Barcelona, Barcelona+scooter+rental, bike+rental+Barcelona, moto+rental+barcelona

The theatre is one of those things that most people really enjoy, but almost never go to! I still don´t know why! However, if you have a Saturday evening off, I strongly recommend that you go to one of my favourite theatres here in Barcelona! The Theatre Neu is situated in the ‘Gracia’ district and they really do put on loads of great plays.

When I went with my boyfriend and some friends a couple of weeks ago, there was an INTERACTIVE show being staged. My boyfriend´s colleagues had informed him that, if we wanted to get a discount for the tickets, then all we had to do was tell the person in the ticket booth A RHYME!! So, when it came to our turn at the front of the queue, filled with the fear of perhaps being the victims of a practical joke, we shyly whispered  “Apostaré apostaré …y las entradas ganaré!” to the woman on the other side of the glass! There was a doubtful pause until she finally gave us a grin and the well-deserved half-price discount for our effort!!

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Tags: teatro+neu+barcelona, theatre+barcelona, interactive+theatre, public+barcelona

Montserrat literally means “jagged mountain” and is used because of the peculiar aspect of the mountains which are visible from a great distance.

I’ll be there again, for my second time next week! It’ll be so exciting to climb these strange rocks again. On my first visit we were three people and a dog, we left the car at the bottom and we walked up until the sanctuary…when we got there, the dog was the more tired of the group! I really enjoyed that day, walking around, having a rest in every shady place, and watching the extraordinary views!

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Tags: Barcelona+Mountains, Montserrat+Barcelona, Montserrat+excursion, barcelona+excursions

I was looking forward to seeing the biggest match of the year for months now! Barça – Real Madrid WHOW! Every year I have followed the battle of the year closely in the Netherlands but this time I was incredibly privileged to be in Barcelona when the match was played. I was planning to see the match in one of the numerous international Bars in the city centre of Barcelona since a friend I got to meet here in Barcelona told me that it was impossible to get tickets (if you don’t have a season card). He has lived here all his life and he couldn’t manage to get tickets for a single match.

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Tags: Barça+Madrid,, FC+Barcelona+v.s+Real+Madrid,, Leonel+Messi,, Barça+football,, The+Camp+Nou

Located to the right of the famous Ramblas, el ‘Raval’ is a district that attracts artists, musicians, partygoers and old and young alike.

The Raval (known formerly as the Chinese quarter) was originally the Bohemian quarter of the city and it still retains a certain bohemian something. It is certainly the most multicultural part of the city with Chinese, Asian, South American and African communities living side by side. This creates a fantastic mixture of traditions and styles, and lucky for us some really good restaurants offering native dishes.

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Tags: el+Raval+Barcelona, Barrio+Chino, Rambla+de+Raval, Barcelona+districts

Have you every tried drinking from a fountain? A fountain of wine that is!

After reading about the trip to the Catalan Pyrenees, it reminded me of a similar excursion I made, where I got to have my first experience of ‘El Porrón’, a Spanish tradition which is NOT for the faint hearted (neither for those with very bad aim)!

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Tags: El+Pórron, Spanish+traditions, El+Portalón+Barcelona, Spanish+wine+traditions

What about playing Alice in Wonderland for a little while?! You might need to imagine the white rabbit with glasses jumping around you but the rest of the scenery you will have right in front of your eyes. 

Entering Barcelona’s Labyrinth Park is like arriving at this imaginative world where you can let yourself get lost (literally!) in the many winding paths created by the high, green hedges.

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Tags: parks+barcelona, labyrinth+barcelona, labyrinth+park, horta+barcelona+park