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The 2013 Barcelona Marathon
The Barcelona Marathon is one of the events that the city has reserved for the arrival of spring. Taking place since 1980, this event has become important Europe-wide and adds more participants seeking to set new records and, above all, to enjoy the fun atmosphere and camaraderie that reigns during the celebration. This year´s edition will take place on Sunday, March 17, and a total of 20,000 participants are expected. To register, one must be at least 18 years old, regardless of nationality, and do it up to 48 hours before the race. At8:30 amthe race of 42 kilometers, which are entirely urban, begins and runners must complete the course in a maximum of 6 hours. The current record, however, is well below that; the Kenyan Jackson Kotut won the 2010Marathonwith a time of 2 hours and 7 minutes. Pasta Party It has become a custom for the participants to gather on the day before the marathon to share a free meal that has pasta as the main ingredient. The idea is that this way the runners will have the nutrients needed for the race but also have a time to interact with each other. It will take place at the Sports Pavilion of the Expo from 12 to 4 pm. Points of Animation If you’re not a long distance runner and would prefer to observe theMarathonfrom afar, everything has been designed so that the viewers will enjoy the most from the event and there are many activities that take place in conjunction to the race. The organization has set more than 40 points along the...
Beach House concert in Barcelona
If we had to choose a pop-dream representative band, we wouldn’t hesitate in choosing the American band Beach House. The members of this well-known duo are Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally. Victoria is responsible for the voice and keyboards and Alex plays the guitar. Formed in 2004, their self-titled debut album, Beach House, was released in 2006 through Carpark Records and immediately became a huge success among both, the critics and those who later became their fans. With their original style, this American duo was able to captivate indie music fans. Their second album; Devotion, which was also released through Carpark Records in 2008, reached even more success than their debut album. In 2010, their third album Teen Dream was released on Sub Pop Records. This album led them to a great rise that we all have witnessed. Their fourth album, Bloom, was released in 2012 through Sub Pop Records, with which they are currently on a world tour that will take them to Barcelona. Beach house plays dream pop music, which is a style famous for having slow rhythms and original lyrics. Victoria Legrand´s voice has been compared to the unforgettable Nico’s voice. Comparisons aside, her voice is simply great. By listening to Beach house’s music we can easily perceive the influence of This Mortal Coil, Big Star, Galaxie 500, Brian Wilson, The Zombies, Neil Young and Françoise Hardy among many others. Undoubtedly the charismatic voice of Victoria Legrand, accompanied with the keyboards and guitars, is a musical experience that no one can resist. The Baltimore’s band will perform a live concert on the 13th of March...
Mobile World Congress 2013
If the mobile world is difficult to capture the world of tablets is becoming as difficult. First came the iPad, then Samsumg and the rest and now Nokia could present its tablet at Mobile World Congress 2013 held in Barcelona. It would be a 10-inch tablet with a Windows operating system instead of Windows RT 8 one. This macro-technology fair has become in recent years a worldwide reference of what´s happening in the communications field. Virtual reality is confused with reality itself. Participants in this event know that there are no boundaries imagination, to be prepared to go very far for demanding customers. Some companies choose to keep their best assets, their best projects for later and thus avoid unnecessary plagiarism Sector companies (both mobile service providers such as mobile phone manufacturers and content distributors) at the MWC are, among others, AirWatch, Alcatel-Lucent, Amdocs, Bharti Airtel, Cisco, Deutsche Telekom, Sony Mobile, Motorola, eBay, Ford, Fujitsu, Gemalto, HTC, SAP, Huawei, IBM, Intel, LG, NEC, Nokia, NTT DOCOMO, Oracle, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sharp, SK Telecom, Tellabs, Visa, Telefonica, Vodafone and Orange. A total of 1,500 companies will be exhibiting their material in Barcelona and, by default, in the world, as it is one of the fairs with more media coverage of Planet. The applications have their place especially in the Mobile World Congress, you will find it in the App Planet. There are new programs coming out on a daily basis and the field of applications is so broad that it is hard to be trendy. Well, this is the best place to catch up with it all. Despite the rise of...
Carnival in Catalonia – Three hidden destinations
Carnival, or Mardi Gras, is celebrated in a huge variety of ways around the world. Each autonomous community of Spain celebrates in its own unique way, and as the big festival approaches once again, we turn to a very different sort of Carnival celebration in Catalunya. Let’s have a look at three towns where carnival is an adventure to experience. Vilanova i la Geltrú This little city lies just south of Barcelona, and its Carnival celebration is deeply rooted in ancient tradition. The city comes out en masse to celebrate, and if you can make it to Vilanova i la Geltrú, it’ll be an unforgettable experience. What makes Carnival in Vilanova i la Geltrú so unique? Here, Carnival is celebrated with candies. Food fights erupt seemingly spontaneously, and quickly turn sticky as revelers throw mountains of meringues and other sweet treats. Celebrations begin on “Maundy Thursday” (Jueves Ladero), the Thursday before Lent, and carry on for several days; however, Saturday’s La Meringada (meringue wars) and street parades are definitely a highlight. Of course, revelry starts early in Vilanova i la Geltrú. The Saturday before Maundy Thursday, a pre-carnival taster is held, accompanied by a traditional Shawl Dance. This event gets everyone in the Carnival Spirit as the celebrations get rolling. Things are in full swing by Thursday, as the whole city celebrates and partakes of the “Xatonada”, a traditional Lenten meal consisting of salad and codfish served in a sauce of red peppers, almonds and garlic. Once the meal is over, the meringue tossing begins. “Arribo” or Arrival begins on Friday, as the Carnival King, “Carnestoltes”, is greeted by...
New Year’s Eve in Barcelona 2012 – 3 different plans
If you´re from Barcelona, you´ll already know that New Year´s Eve is usually spent with family or friends. Afterwards, it´s time to head to the bars and clubs, and there are all sorts of them in the city. If you were thinking of spending New Year´s Eve in the Catalan capital, you might want to choose your plan in advance, since you probably won´t find a restaurant where to eat without a booking, since those restaurants that don´t do special NYE dinners will be closed. So read carefully and choose which is your style to know what to expect. Gay friendly Barcelona embraces the gay-friendly places like no other city in Spain. You have many partying options if you´re looking for this type of environment. Bar-wise, take note: El Cangrejo Raval, possibly the most bizarre, kitsch and fun place in the city, with drag queens putting on a cabaret show and music that will make you laugh. There´s also this bar in the Eixample district, the gay district par excellence in Barcelona, and it´s on Villarroel 84. In the same part of town there´s Sweet Café (Casanova 75), a perfect place for early drinks that will accommodate everyone. Nearby is Punto Barcelona (Muntaner 63-65) and this is definitely the pre-club bar since for every drink you have here, you´ll get a ticket for one of the five Arena clubs. Just like Arena is for guys, Aire is for girls. For the most stylish ones If you want to start the new by the sea, surrounded by beautiful people, glamour, elegance and exclusive DJs, perhaps you´d like to check out...
The Cirque du Soleil is back in Barcelona with ‘Alegría’
Those that have already seen a live show of the Cirque du Soleil know that they´re not actors or trapeze artists or even clowns; they´re everything at once. They make people laugh, they thrill them and their jumps are amazing. Now, their show ´Alegría´ has arrived in Barcelona, and since alegría means joy in Spanish, that´s how you´re going to feel after seeing them. It´s a perfect plan for this Christmas for adults and children, because the magic of the Cirque du Soleil does not have age limits. If you enter the world of ´Alegría´ in the circus, you´ll come across a universe inhabited by the King of the Dumb, aristocrats, storytellers and popular characters with contemporary aptitudes. They will take you to a world you never imagined, in which you´ll feel a judge of it and part of it at the same time. It´s a tribute to baroque, to the elegance of the old facing the modernity of its movements. Acrobats, clowns, actors, dancers… the Cirque du Soleil doesn´t leave anyone indifferent. When you see them, you´ll feel like they´re risking their life in each of their moves. ´Alegría´ will take you directly to an imaginary royal court filled with magic and fantasy that undoubtedly will remind you of a carnival. The colours, the shine, the textures… everything will make you feel like you´ve just landed in the middle of the Rio de Janeiro carnival. The truth is that it´s a great visual show. In this event of the Cirque du Soleil, different characters coexist among each other that apparently have very little to do with one another. The...
Christmas Markets in Barcelona
Christmas is coming, which for many people is a time to shop. Perhaps you need gifts for family or friends, or if you have children they most likely expect the house to be decorated for Christmas. You’ll need to be both patient and creative. Some people love holiday shopping and could spend hours just looking without even buying. But for others, it is a chore and they just want the ordeal over as soon as possible. Since these are tough times economically, we must sharpen our wits. That is why we are going to recommend some places to shop in the city of Barcelona where it is also delightful to walk. That way, those who are tormented by shopping can have something to look forward to. The Fira de Santa Llúcia The best known is undoubtedly the Fira de Santa Llúcia, which dates from 1786. It is named for this saint and martyr who is well known in Catalonia and is celebrated every December 13. This street fair takes place from December 1 to 23 in the Gothic quarter, in the square of the Cathedral of Barcelona. Here you’ll find all sorts of Christmastime idiosyncrasies as well as exhibitions. The illumination of the majestic cathedral after dark makes it all worthwhile. Here we can also admire great artists working in the nativity tradition. There are about 280 stands, which are divided into sections such as artisanal, nativity scenes and figures, and you’ll find all kinds of accessories for nativity scenes and home decor, evergreens and other plants; the trees, moss, cork, crafts, clothing, jewelry, ornaments, etc. make great gifts...
The Immortal World Tour by Cirque du Soleil
It´s one of those productions that only happen once in a lifetime, that combines the music of the great king of pop and his choreography with the creativity of the Cirque du Soleil, to offer fans around the world a unique view of the spirit of Michael Jackson. More than 60 participants intervene, from dancers and musicians to acrobats. Inside their European tour they will perform in Cologne on the 15th and 16th of December at the Lanxess Arena. The show with which the Cirque du Soleil wants to impress us with this time is dedicated to someone who because he greatly contributed to music, inspired so much love among his fans and had such an abrupt ending, is a legend. Few have achieved as much as Michael Jackson. A combination of fantasy (that Jackson loved so much) with a fascinating fusion of music, dance and audiovisuals will transport the crowd to the creative world of Michael Jackson, making their bodies feel like they´re facing the legacy of the King of Pop World Tour is though both for fans of Jackson and for those who are just discovering his creativity, attempting to capture the essence, soul and inspiration of the star of this show. They show us the different sides to him that he loved, the creativity based in his own sources of inspiration, his love for music and dance, the fairytales and the magic and the fragile beauty of nature. Recreating unforgettable performances, they emphasize on the global message that he always wanted to transmit: love, peace and unity. All details have been carefully checked, up to the...
Jason Mraz in Barcelona
Traveling music fans should mark their calendars on November 16 in order not to miss the concert by singer Jason Mraz at the Badalona Olympic Hall that will be held as part of the tour to promote their new album, Love Is A Four Letter Word. This will certainly be one of the most interesting events on the music scene this autumn in Barcelona, so don’t miss out! But who is Jason Mraz? This thirty-something native of Virginia, avowed vegetarian, environmentalist and civil rights activist belongs to the new generation of artists who promote a more committed and environmentally responsible lifestyle. He has received several awards for his humanitarian work, and has even created his own foundation. Playing with styles as diverse as hip-hop, folk and jazz, Mraz released his first album in 2002 under the title Waiting for my rocket to home. While not a huge success, it did bring him into the spotlight enough to perform as the opening act for Tracy Chapman a year later. His definitive breakthrough came in 2005, with his second album, Mr. AZ, with which he went on tour with Alanis Morissette and the Rolling Stones. His song The beauty in ugly was also included on the soundtrack of the television series Ugly Betty. To crown this rapid rise to success, two participants of the talent scout shows American Idol and Canadian Idol performed his song Geek in the pink in 2007, turning it into a sales phenomenon on the Internet. It’s no wonder that his third studio album, released in 2008, entered directly into the bestseller lists in...
