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Eight Lessons Learned from Living in Barcelona

admin — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 03:52:07 +0000

1. Barcelona, Spain, Catalunya.

No, it’s not Spain. There is no bull fighting, and no passionate flamenco dancers pounding the pavements, and even when you find sangria, they kind of turn their nose up at you for ordering it. This is Catalunya, the locals are quieter and more reserved than their screaming Spanish counterparts. Even those who want to remain part of Spain are proud of the fact they are Catalan, they have their own language, their own culture, and their own behaviour. So, remember, if you want to live in Spain, buy a ticket and take the fast train to Madrid.

2. Don’t live in noisy parts of Gòtic, Borne, or the Raval.
People say that you should only use your bedroom for sleeping. If you fancy a nap, or want to read, do it in the living room, if you want to have a quickie, make like a porn star, and do it on the balcony. Point being, that social areas of the Barcelona really should be left for socialising and not for living. When you first arrive, you may think that living in C/ Ample or Passeig del Borne is a dream of an idea; you’ll be in the heart of the action and only a 15-minute walk to the body beautifuls on the beach. And you’ll be so popular, with all the parties in your pad. Perfect. But having bars and restaurants, above, below and beside you may lead to problems, i.e. your liver, and once you’ve settled in, and start partying, and then discovering the after-parties, you may also find getting up and going to that very near beach of yours a near impossibility. (My advice; when you’re going out on a Saturday night, bring a towel, and protector and wear you swimming costume underneath!.). Barcelona has amazing public transport system, living outside the aforementioned areas is not ‘miles away’ as some people will have you believe. It will be quieter, and the rent will be cheaper and venturing in to the party areas at night will be kind of like living in a country that has four seasons, when the summer arrives, you appreciate it so much more. Unless that is you can find a place in the middle of it all, that doesn’t compromise on a little bit of peace and quiet when you need it.

3. Arrive single.
Being in a relationship and arriving in Barcelona could be like a child carrying his favourite novelty and walking into Toy r Us for the 1st time – in shock, you might just drop the novelty or worse …be dropped. So luckily enough, there is lots and lots of eye candy. (A good pair of dark sunglasses is vital so you don’t look like a complete perve). You will probably fall in love 10 times a day. But don’t worry, after living here for a while, you’ll get used to it you stop perving as much.
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4. Don’t Share an apartment with your best friend.
If your bestest friend back in Copenhagen is missing you (i.e. jealous) and excited (i.e. pissed off) hearing all your stories from Barcelona, and suddenly decides to move there, be supportive and be excited, but then tell them that you will give them a hand looking for a room! Don’t live with them! You’ll end up fighting over the Argy guy, or the Swedish chick. Or worse, whose turn it is to clean the pubes out of the shower. Live with someone you don’t know, or even better, get a dog, and if so, it should be a Barcelona-standard-issue i.e. a French bull terrier.

5. South American friends.
Be careful with the Latinos. They are beautiful, funny, and happy. They are also, the biggest party people in the world and put the Irish to shame. I don’t know what it is, but they never seem to work, so they constantly want to go out, they’ll have you exhausted and broke. Expect to hear: “oye, chicos, vamos tomar algo – ya llega el lunes, vamos a celebrar!” – Any bloody excuse.

6. Learn Spanish.
Do you really want to be sitting there saying “sí” & “no”, “yo sé”, “claro”, and desperately trying to look like you know what’s going on when instead you resemble a senseless Thunderbird puppet, your head bobbing all over the place because you don’t know whether it’s time to agree or not to agree. Learn Spanish for god’s sake. It’s just not cool if you can’t speak the language. You can have as many mother-tongue friends as you want, but you will always feel there is something missing, you’ll feel left out, and never really part of Barcelona. You’d feel the same if they came to live in your country. So, learn the local lingo! Opps I forgot, it’s not the local lingo!

7. Learn Catalan.
Ah ha, there we go. Now we’re talking, if you really want to feel like a local, this is a must. It will go a very very long way in the brown eyes of a Catalan, and after a few years, you may even get invited to lots of calçotadas.

8. Lastly, don’t buy a bike.
Even if you store it on top of your penthouse terrace apartment, put a lock on each wheel, and the seat, attach an elastic band around it and then tie it to the penis of a Rottweiler, it’ll still be robbed.

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Seven Bizarre Ways Barcelona Can Suddenly Kill You

admin — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 02:02:46 +0000

1. Death by Sand.

Be careful not to get so drunk during the Sant Juan party on Barcelona beaches (June 23rd). You may lose consciousness and be left on the beach. You wake up some hours later and start to climb your way out of the hole you have buried yourself into, spitting the ton of sand out of your mouth, you confirm your phone and wallet have disappeared and then you look around for your mates, you see them walking off with the other ten thousand revellers, you stick your hand up to shout, and then you get run over and flattened by the trucks that come and clean the sand the following morning.

2. Death by Looking Up and/or Around.

What a lot of people DONT do when they visit Barcelona is they neglect to look up and notice the detail in the architecture. But be careful doing this, it is said that one famous Catalan (by the name of Gaudí) may have been admiring his own work when he was suddenly run over by a tram! Also, some may say the reason people don’t look up is they are too busy looking around at the lovely sites that are walking around the streets of Barcelona. Again be careful, you may walk into an open manhole or be pushed in front of a tourist bus by your jealous partner.

3. Death by South Americans.

They’ll have you exhausted of love, money and partying. You may find after one more after-party, you keel over as your heart has decided enough is enough and death is far more relaxing.

4. Death by Catalan Independence

At least once a month, the Catalans are out in force screaming about their independence. Be careful you don’t stagger out of a bar and fall into an oncoming demonstration wearing an “I love Madrid” t-shirt.

5. Death by Christopher Columbus.

According to the history books this is the man that discovered America. According to the Irish, it was St. Brendan. So don’t get too wound up if you’re Irish and see the statue of Christ at the end of Las Ramblas, and then on a drunken St.Patrick’s night, you decide enough is enough, damn this abomination to hell, and venture with your hack saw to cut him down. Guaranteed, you’ll get the job done, but his giant arm and finger that is pointing to the Americas is bound to come tumbling down and stab you in the chest.

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6. Death by The Three King’s Parade.

On the 6th January, every single Catalan kid with their parents is out in force and lining the streets of Barcelona waiting for the Three Kings to disembark the boat after the long journey from Bethlehem. Whatever you do, stay at home, or better still barricade yourself into a bar, because venturing out into the streets with the intent of getting somewhere is suicidal. You may think that crossing Via Laietana for example is a very easy task, surely the kids will understand that you just want to get to the other side and go about your business. Wrong. They have been standing there for eight hours in the cold and they would rather lose their Barbie collection than risk losing position. First you’ll notice that they ignore your polite requests to move, like you’re not there, like you don’t exist. Then once you’ve decided you’ve had enough and have been extremely patient, you’ll attempt to budge pass them. Now, watch, as these very sweet little kids’ faces home in on you, they darken, you notice a strange growling noise and then you see their teeth. They pounce on you and pull your hair and bite off your ears. The parents help by standing on your chest. Your flailing arms, your screams and shouts being silenced once and for all.

7. Death by Tiles and Tapas.

For nine months of the year, Barcelona is a hot city, saved only by narrow streets that shade the locals from the heat. You won’t find central heating or carpeted floors anywhere. Air conditioning and tiled floors are other preventions against the humidity. Therefore be aware, there’s always the chance that after finishing your little tapas and beer session, that you climb down off your bar stool, slip on the wet tiles and crack your head open.

Six Underappreciated Things About Barcelona

admin — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:22:46 +0000

1. Gràcia.

After enjoying the Festa Major de Gràcia so much, you decide this is where you want to live. Your friends have made the obvious choices and prefer to live nearer the beach and set up camp in the Barri Gòtic, El Borne, or Raval. You relish in your independent decision and mock your friends for doing the “usual”. But then you start to notice that getting your friends to come and visit you is kind of impossible. They tell you that Gràcia is too far away, and that there is no point being further than 300 meters from the Plaça San Jaume. People get so accustomed to the Metro in Barcelona, that anything beyond three stops is ‘miles away’. The only people that appreciate Gràcia are usually the people that live in Gracia. I always thought of it as a cleaner version of the Gòtic. It’s full of great bars, and restaurants, not to mention the squares. The walk down Gran de Gràcia and through to Passeig de Gràcia is very much overlooked and you get to see some of Barcelona’s best architecture. And better still, there are no tourists there! Shush!

2. Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya. (FGC)

If you’re a train fan, you simply have to take the Ferrocarrils suburban lines S1-S8. It’s a toy train for adults. One of the oldest train operators in Barcelona, some of the lines date back to 1863. Somebody told me, it was originally built to serve all the rich folk and transport them to and from the city centre. It takes you on a great little magical mystery tour of Barcelona and its outskirts. And it’s just soooo cute!

3. Poble Sec

Again like Gràcia, the dry village of Poble Sec can be overshadowed by the Raval, and the other more familiar barris of Barcelona. This little traditional barri is just at the foot of Montjuic is definitely not as pretty or Gothic as the other more familiar barrios of Barcelona. But if you fancy a break from the tourists, and have already read no.1 and ventured Gracia, well this place may surprise you. There are lots of cool little bars and restaurants, for example, (and not wanting to sound like Lonely Planet): Tapas: Quimet I Quimet C/ Poeta Cabanyas 25) Bar: Cervecería Jazz (C/ Margarit 43). Tea and chocolate: La Fíbula (C/ Blai 46) And then you can go and dance your feet of at Sala Apolo Club (C/ Nou de la Rambla 113).

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4. The Cafe in El Corte Ingles.

On the top floor of Corte Ingles, there is a cafe that has a great view of Plaça Cataluña. I used to go there and do classes with my students. Well no, that’s a lie, but my friend did, and on her recommendation, I did go up. But you really have to make sure you get a seat beside the window to take advantage of the view. Which I never did.

5. The Transbordador Aeri (Cable Car)

Loads of people I know haven’t done this, and it’s quite ridiculous to be honest, what are you all doing here for the love of God?!. A delightful little journey, sky high that goes from the harbour until Montjuïc, and then you have a mountain of stuff to do once you arrive at either end to be honest. The views on a clear day have to be breathtaking. I say have to be, because I’m one of them that haven’t actually done it yet. Ok, ok, shut up.

6. Els Tres Tombs.

If you don’t feel like being trapped in doors at an after-party, but still would like to carry on drinking and maybe even get some late night tapas. There is really one place to go, Tres Tombs in the Raval, just in front of Mercado San Antoni. It’s open 24 hours save a couple of hours in the afternoon for a quick clean up. Apart from the food and the beer, being near Raval, it’s full of interesting characters, bring the camera and note book!

Banys Arabes

editor — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 01:38:51 +0000

Relax in these impressive Arabian-style baths just beside the Ciutadella Park. These baths are the result of a warehouse renovation in Barcelona’s trendy El Born barri, which formerly housed large wine cellars. Banys Arabes offers an ancient mode of relaxation in a beautiful historical space.

Underneath the stone arches are multiple means of escape from stress and tension: saltwater floating baths, cold plunge pools, jacuzzi, saunas and steam rooms. The program runs for one and half hours and is limited to a few couples allowing for a more private and comfortable experience. Along with enjoying the baths there are also 10-20 minute massages offered. This is an ideal escape for all of your senses in the centre of the Born.

El torn del Born

editor — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 20:50:34 +0000

You might notice that Mercat Del Born has been under construction a while now (more than 10 years in fact). Now the neighbours of El Born are joining together, insisting on the preservation of the original structure and its re-activation of public use through the campaign ‘El Torn Del Born’. So you might also notice that some apartments surrounding the Mercat have creative posters hanging from their balconies supporting the ‘the Born’s return’. The logo is the same as the little tickets you draw when you are waiting for your turn in any government department office! Hopefully with more awareness, more funds will be made available to return the Mercat Del Born to its original glory.

To find out more about Torn del Born’s acitivities join their Facebook page or visit: www.factoriagroup.com/eltorndelborn/. Opening up this wonderful space to the park via Passeig Mercantil on the other side will really return this beautiful space to its proper place in the community. Some fresh fruit and vegetables would be a nice touch too, lets not forget about that!