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Careful you don’t get ripped off in Barcelona!
In the beautiful city of Barcelona you´ll find a large amount of bars, terraces and restaurants where you can enjoy a nice coffee. Despite that this city can be expensive, the price depends on the district or place that you´re in. The most touristy area and the one with the most influence is definitely the Ramblas. Located in the city centre, they are the famous pedestrian street where thousands of people walk up and down all day, from Plaça Catalunya to the port, immersing themselves in the Gothic quarter, going up the monument of the discoverer of America, Christopher Columbus. To either side of the Ramblas, you´ll find anything and everything, and many places to have a coffee. However, this is quite expensive due to its location. A good example of this is Starbucks, an American coffee-shop chain that charges 5€ for a coffee. However, it´s a great coffee with a view of the Ramblas. Starting again from the main square in the city, Plaça Catalunya, we go up the hill towards Passeig de Gràcia, another unique but expensive street located in the Eixample district. Here we can find the best shops, two buildings by Gaudí (La Pedrera and Casa Batlló), the Antoni Tàpies Foundation and the best restaurants and cafés with pleasant terraces. These two streets are all aimed towards tourism, so don´t expect low prices. In the centre you can enjoy a nice coffee at a reasonable price at Iposa. It´s a bar-restaurant in Raval, a few yards away from the back entrance of the Boquería Market, on 14 Carrer de les Floristes de la Rambla. It...
La Mercè in Barcelona
Traveling to Barcelona is a magical experience, as this city is always able to fascinate you with its exquisite blend of art and tradition. One of the best times to enjoy getting to know more about its history and admire the folklore and customs that make up the character of Barcelona, is La Mercè festival. To discover the origins of this celebration, which coincides with the beginning of autumn, we must go back to the late seventeenth century. At that time, Barcelona suffered the misfortune of a locust plague and its inhabitants started praying to the Virgin of la Mercè to get rid of it. When the plague ceased, the city named the Virgin of la Mercè as the protector of Barcelona, although it wasn’t official until 1868, when Pope Pius IX ratified it. Since then, Barcelona celebrates its most cheerful festival on the la Mercè’s day. Today, the festival has a distinctly popular character and a complete agenda of events around the Mediterranean culture, taking place in many public spaces in the city: parades, concerts, traditional dances and street arts, etc. The 2012 edition of this festival will be celebrated from the 21st to the 24th of September, and its theme will be innovation and creativity. Montreal, one of the most creative cities in the world, will be the Festival’s guest city. What can you see at La Mercè? The festival has hundreds of activities planned, so it is hard not to miss anything. Here are some of the activities you should consider: The Correfocs are an ancient Catalan tradition and one of the most spectacular acts that...
Bicing Barcelona
Biking is a great form of public transportation in Barcelona. It’s a practical, sustainable, and very simple way to travel comfortably around the city, without strain, jams, smoke or noise and it’s designed especially for you. When combined with other public transport options, you can use the “Bicing” system to travel around all of Barcelona. The Good: Getting around by bicycle in a city like Barcelona is usually quite comfortable. It’s cheap. With an annual fee of 44 euros, each time you rent a bike you can have it for 30 minutes absolutely free. There are many bike lanes throughout the city that make biking more pleasant. The city has been designed for you to use the bicycle as a complement to traditional public transportation, which means there are bicycle stations very close to the metro, trains and public car parks. This is an environmentally friendly way to travel without any emissions. It’s good for your physical and mental health, since you’re having a cardio workout while avoiding traffic jams and crowds of people. It is very well organized. The Bad: You’ll have to pay extra each time your ride exceeds 30 minutes. If your ride exceeds more than two hours, you’ll have to pay a small fine. The third time you exceed 2 hours you will be automatically dismissed. The fact that you have to pay an annual fee and have a DNI or NIE makes it unsuitable for travelers from outside Spain. As you can see, there are more pros than cons for using this service. And like in many European cities, the popularity of biking is...
Dog grooming salons in Barcelona
Having a dog is a big responsibility. You´ll have to walk it, feed it and take it to the vet to be vaccinated so it is always healthy. To keep your dog healthy, you have to take care of its hair. One of the first signs of illness or dietary deficiency is when the dog has bad hair, which is why we must make sure that our pet has a strong and shiny hair. What is the best method to avoid these problems? You’re right; it is to take it to a dog grooming salon, where you will get the necessary help to prevent your dog from having knots in its hair, seborrhea and other minor complication. In Barcelona there are hundreds of dog grooming salons that offer a wide range of services to keep your pet always healthy including: wash and haircut, as well as, special services such as: stipping, trimming, moisturizing, vegetable dyes, hair regeneration, color maintenance, dermatological baths and much more. Furthermore, at some of the best dog grooming salons you’ll be able to find, besides veterinary, other benefits such as training, walking service, travel crate rentals and adoptions services. Sometimes, people who go on vacation with their dogs can’t be with them all the time. That´s why the dog grooming salons play a crucial role in offering a practical caring solution, so, you can be confident that your dog is well safe. Maintaining your pet clean and dewormed, will help you to keep it in better conditions in the hotel or on a plane… These are some of the best dog grooming salons in Barcelona:...
Blues Fridays at the Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona
The European Museum of Modern Art M.E.A.M. located in Barcelona, is offering every Friday evening a special blues concert (and other musical styles) in a definitely unique location: the Palau Gomis, within an eighteenth-century Renaissance building. Today, The MEAM is at the Palau Gomis, in the Born neighborhood, definitely an area with clear cultural interest that attracts every year thousands of tourists looking for another face of Barcelona, the museums and culture. If you are in Barcelona in September, a blues concert will be held every Friday at 18:00 and you should´nt miss it You can enjoy one of the best interpretations of figurative modern art, in the very Europeu Museu d´Art Modern de Barcelona, the MEAM. If you buy your ticket to enjoy this great blues show in a magical and special as the Palau Gomis, you can also enjoy extra input, a visit to the Museum of approximately one hour, the concert itself (lasting between 30 and 40 minutes) and also a delicious glass of cava. More details on the remaining concerts in September: September 14 Big Dani Perez & Marc Ferrer September 21 Chicago Blues with La Teoria del Taburete September 28 West Coast & Jump Blues with Johnny Big Stone & The Blues Workers During your stay in Barcelona Maybe you can take advantage of the weekend and see Barcelona at its fullest, after enjoying the blues in the MEAM. We´ve been thinking and the “musts” not to be missed to see in Barcelona to be a complete culturally weekend are: Las Ramblas Plaza Catalunya Park Güell Holy Family Gothic Quarter Boqueria Market Facades...
Pet Sitters in Barcelona
It´s the star service to care for your pet. If you have to be away from home for whatever reason and you need someone to care for your pets, you don´t have to ask neighbours, family or friends anymore. For a few years now, together with the animal care houses, the services of Pet Sitter are on the rise, the animal carers. So what is this service all about? To summarise, in the event that you need to be away, your best friend won´t have to leave home. An animal expert and friend will visit your home how many times you need, so that your dog or cat have everything necessary. With this, you avoid a lot of stress for your pet. ALso, you can also find expert people who offer more specific services, such as dog walkers. In a city so cosmopolitan and open to animal rights, an initiative like this could not go amiss. Without further ado, here are some of these services: Fido´s Playground Owned by Susie Hunt, offers carers for cats, night service, walks and special care for small animals. Also, they´re specialists in dealing with the erratic behaviour of animals. If you want your dog to obey you or to get used to being with a baby, you can also find help here. Great Au Pair In the international website as part of their family services (carers for babies, children, elderly people, house work, etc.), self-employed people offer their services to carry out these pet sitter tasks. There are many offers for it in Barcelona and its surrounding areas. The advantage is that it´s usually...
Catalan Culture on the Cathedral Avenue in Barcelona
As an initiative from the Municipality of Barcelona, the famous Fiesta Catalana (Catalan Festival) takes place on the Avinguda de la Catedral (Cathedral Avenue). This festival is celebrated with a wide range of folkloric activities, designed for those who want to get to know more about the Catalan roots. This is an event for you to enjoy the most beautiful traditions of the Catalan culture. Every Saturday the busy Avinguda de la Catedral is filled with a great variety of events for everyone to have fun. This celebration began on the 12th of May and will be over on the 15th of September. Throughout the month of August no celebrations were held, but you still have the chance to attend the last three days of celebration in September. The event will feature the participation of Barcelona’s Castellers: from Sants, from Poble Sec, the Colla Jove de Bcn, from Sant Cugat and from Badalona; los Gigantes from la Barceloneta, from el Raval, from Casc Antic, from St. Jaume and St. Pere; los Halcones from Llorenç del Penedès, los Bastoners from Esbart Català de Dansaires and Poble Sec; los Bordegassos from Vilanova, el León y la Mulaza from Bcn, la Moixiganga from Sitges, la Colla Sardanista Mare Nostrum and los Matossers from Molins de Rei. A colla castellera is a group of people (men, women and children of all ages) who build human towers. This tradition was born in Tarragona two hundred years ago and has spread throughout Catalonia, Penedes, Roussillon and the Balearic Islands. Castles are always built to the sound of castellera music, which is composed by timbals and...
Towers and Skyscrapers at the CaixaForum Barcelona
At the CaixaForum in Barcelona, from the 20th of June until the 9th of September, you can enjoy the last few days of the temporary architectural exhibition Towers and Skyscrapers, from Babel to Dubai. This exhibition is a look back to the history of the construction of towers and skyscrapers. Starting from the myth of the tower of Babel and ending with the construction of the skyscrapers in Dubai, Towers and Skyscrapers shows the tendency that mankind has for impossible challenges and the search of verticality as a way of being closer to divinity, as a defiance of the laws of nature or simply as something functional to optimize the space in the big cities. And so, since the beginning of time, many buildings have symbolized the look to the sky, no matter their objective. Cathedrals, minarets and watchtowers in the Middle Ages, influenced by the biblical subject of the tower of Babel, which goes up in a spiral shape and that illustrated many paintings in the 16th century, such as those by Brueghel, open this exhibition, as well as an original model that the visitor can admire. The Paris World Fair in 1889, and the presentation of the Eiffel Tower (1887), sees the end of one of the biggest concerns of 19th century engineers, which was building a tower of great magnitude. That same era, in the United States, was known as the Spring of Skyscrapers (1885-1919). After the fire in Chicago in 1871, the first building of these characteristics was built, the Home Insurance Building (138ft) by William LeBaron Jenney, becoming a model of modernity and the image of the future, which influenced the architectonical...Monument to Cristopher Columbus in Barcelona
The monument to Christopher Columbus is one of the most emblematic in Barcelona.
Montjuïc Cable Car in Barcelona
Barcelona seen from the air is what the Montjuïc Cable Car offers us. A trip in it will make our jaws drop.
