Blog Barcelona by BarcelonaMan.com

Barcelona 3D Video Virtual Tour

2011-02-22T13:33:00.001+01:00

The people at Oh-Barcelona.com (Barcelona apartment rentals) contacted me recently to let me know about a 3D Video they had made about Barcelona using Google Earth technology.

And while I don't usually promote such things unless I spontaneously find them on my own - and you all know that to be true, this video was really so impressive and innovative that I wanted to share it.

Above, you'll find a 10-minute "virtual tour of Barcelona" video about Barcelona, narrated in English, using Google Earth. The male and female narrators discuss what's being seen in the 3D Video as they zoom around Barcelona, giving you a very good feel of the layout of the city.

Below, you'll find a "teaser" of the same video. Enjoy!

Barcelona-Real Madrid "El Clásico" 2010/2011 Season

2010-11-29T17:24:00.007+01:00

Spanish Division leader Real Madrid faces Barcelona for the first time this season. This classic match up couldn't be more "Clásico"! Barça trails Real Madrid in the division by only one point - but position is not the only thing at stake here; PRIDE rules all, and Madrid hasn't beaten its rival since 2008. This'll be even harder to accomplish in Barcelona's Camp Nou Stadium, in front of a sold-out crowd of nearly 100,000 screaming and singing fans from both sides; mostly from Barcelona.

So Real Madrid hasn't beaten FC Barcelona since 2008. That's a long time. That's shameful. And that hurts. But under the direction of the new coach, Jose Mourinho, there's new hope along with newer, higher expectations for this matchup. They say this is a new-and-improved Real Madrid team. They say this time they will face-up and conquer Barça, a perennially power. They say a lot of things. The proof is in the play so let's see what happens Monday night at 9pm. The Spanish leader Real Madrid and Barcelona are separated by only one point going into this season’s most important game and both are in great form.

The fans are rabid on both sides as well - and not only for their team to pull ahead in the Spanish Division, but also because this is a pay-per-view event. Don't THEY know we're in the middle of an economic crisis?? This means many fans will gather at local neighborhood bars, pack living rooms to divide the cost to watch live on TV, and in front of computer screens searching the Internet to see if they can watch live online for free - or otherwise.

This is the first of two games these two leading teams will meet each other this season. The next will be in April and who knows where either will stand at that time - probably swapping leading positions with every game. And since this "El Clásico" is played in Barcelona's Camp Nou Stadium, where the attendance could potentially reach nearly 100,000, the phrase "hostile environment" has never seemed more appropriate. Should Real Madrid beat Barça IN Barcelona, expect car fires and riots in the streets. Hope shop owners remember to board up their windows.

Who will rule the pitch, "Scoring-Machine Messi" or "Pretty-Boy Ronaldo"? (to be fair, Cristiano Ronaldo is the current league scorer, leading Lionel Messi by 1-point) We'll all see soon enough.

Enjoy the game! But remember there's a lot of season left to be played - and another meeting in Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in April 2011.

Santa Caterina Market in Barcelona

2010-10-29T10:27:00.006+02:00

The Mercat de Santa Caterina, in Barcelona's Ciutat Vella district's Ribera Quarter, is truly a new-age wonder.

The "Mercat" (Catalán for "Market") first opened in 1848 on the site of the former Santa Caterina convent. It was closed for many years before its grand re-opening in 2005 - not far away from its original location - with a new roof, new design, and new everything.

It's "new age" because the public market is ultra-modern, ultra-stylish, and ultra-useful all at the same time. It was also "new age" at its building as it was the first covered market at its time in the 1800s.

The new/old-age market is enormous with not only the pre-requisite fish, fruit, cheese, and meat stands but also bars, small restaurants, and even a large supermarket - which seems a little counter intuitive for a "traditional" market. But this is NO traditional market, afterall. One look at its colorful, undulating roof dispels all those notions.

Take a look at this video of Mercat de Santa Caterina by StudioBanana.TV.

Spain-Holland: World Cup Final 2010

2010-07-10T18:18:00.007+02:00

Whether or not you believe in clairvoyant "Pulpo Paul", the 2010 World Cup Final match featuring a strong Spanish Team and the respectable Holland team will no doubt be exciting tomorrow/Sunday night - 8:30pm Spain time, 2:30pm New York Time.

No other World Cup game has been as important as this one. This time it's for the World Cup Title, one which has eluded Spain for literally an eternity. And as with all previous World Cup games, Spain's passionate fans will be glued to their television sets in living rooms, bars, and big-screen TVs in plazas throughout the country.

Just today, as with previous late-round matchups, lines are long at supermarkets with carts full of liter bottles of beer, soft drinks, and snacks, all stocking-up for the biggest sporting event of Spain's history. LITERALLY! As the saying goes, "It doesn't get any better than this."

If Spain wins people will be spilling out of their homes and local bars, joining like-minded Spain-Soccer-Worshipers on the streets, horns will honk all night, flags will be waved from the highest heights, and media coverage will likely last a week at least.

See how people are watching the game or celebrating the win (or lamenting the loss) on BarcelonaMan's Barcelona WebCams and MadridMan's Spain and Madrid WebCams. It also appears that TeleCinco.es will be broadcasting the World Cup Final live online.

Spanish flags are EVERYWHERE; hanging from every third window or balcony, car antennas, bus mirrors, and even from power lines! For an American, this would be a (nearly) normal sight. But in Spain, a country deeply divided by politics, it's an oddity to see so many of them away from government buildings.

But national sports break down barriers and united people regardless of their beliefs. Of course, this only goes for those whom enjoy sports. Spain has a very strong anti-sport contingent as well. These people see this worldwide "diversion" as a waste of time, resources, and media, all siphoning desperately needed attention away from more important social, environmental, and political issues. I can understand and appreciate their argument and they carry weight.

The header goal by Catalán Carles Pujol last Wednesday, lifting Spain over Germany, brought my neighborhood to a euphoric level. Car horns were honking (for hours!), people in the street and adjacent windows shouting, and everyone enjoying a common experience. That's really something. Even I, watching the game at home, had moist eyes - and I don't really even enjoy soccer/football/fútbol all that much. It was an emotional moment. Shame they're so few and far between in that game.

Tomorrow night's game is big and I won't miss it for anything. It'll make history for either team, neither of which has reached the World Cup Final game. EVER!

People everywhere are talking about Spain's chances, their favorite players, their belief or disdain for "Pulpo Paul", and what a win will mean for Spain. Will it mean anything apart from a new trophy and Champion's Bragging Rights until the next World Cup competition in 4 years? Probably not, but that's sport for you; pure entertainment, hobby, and diversion. Plus, it gives us something happy to talk about instead of the world's problems. No one wants to face those.

But for this moment we're all together, enjoying a common goal, sharing a beer, biting each others' nails, and hugging the sweaty stranger next to us when David Villa, Carles Pujol, Andrés Iniesta, or (other) puts the ball in their opponent's net. If we win, great. If we lose, well, we can then go back to worrying about the world's troubles.

Barcelona Pension Plaza de Goya Review 2010

2010-04-01T10:29:00.011+02:00

Pension Plaza de Goya
Barcelona Pension Review

My final two nights in Barcelona were spent in the Pension Plaza de Goya, located in the Eixample District (left), just outside of the El Raval neighborhood on Carrer de Sepulveda, 187 and facing the Plaza de Goya. The Universitat Metro station is just around the corner from the Pension Plaza de Goya. Very convenient.

One morning I encircled the entire block and counted no less than 7 bars/café offering breakfast. A nice neighborhood and so-well located just outside of El Raval with easy-access to the Gothic Quarter and everything else. Across the street from the pension is the beautiful, old (1914) "Centro Aragonés" building which is home to the Teatro Goya.

If I hadn't known better I would've thought this pension was actually, instead, the Pension Casa de Goya (just a block away on the Plaza de la Universitat), where I'd spent a couple nights four years earlier. Their similarities aren't coincidental, either, as the two are owned by the same people. The building, the reception area, the rooms and decorations are virtually identical - and that's a good thing because I had such a good experience at the Pension Casa de Goya as well.

At mid-day, upon arriving and shown my room, I was profoundly pleased. While only a double with two large-and-long single beds, it was very spacious with a large sofa, fit to sleep a third person. The room was filled with sun and the floor-to-ceiling balcony doors were open. Next to the bed was a mini-refrigerator and a electric pot to boil water, packets of coffee, tea, and sugar at the ready for an cup of something hot. A very warm, pleasant greeting. I liked the room immediately.

And what's the first thing you do in a room like this? That's right. You go directly to tour balcony to see what kind of view you have. And that's just what I did. The view was nice, looking out over the Plaza de Goya. This is one block from the Plaza de la Universitat which, obvious by its name, is right next to the University of Barcelona so the area is busy with university-aged people. A very young crowd walking about on the streets going to and from class. And I saw very few tourists in this area, almost none, which was nice.

Although right on the Plaza de Goya, I was never bothered by traffic noise whatsoever. And the walls were thick enough so I hardly noticed anyone in the adjacent rooms. My first concern was having a room across from the reception desk but I barely noticed. I could, however, feel the passing underground metro trains but it was gentle and never became annoying.

The bed was very comfortable and, fortunately, long enough for my taller-than-Spaniards stature. The modern, wall-mounted flat-screen TV had all the normal TDT (Televisión Digital Terrestre) channels. Interestingly, mine was programmed to display in "Original Version" so I happily watched "The Simpsons" in English while laying in bed one night. The bathroom was big, modern, and adequate.

Pension Plaza de Goya is well-located, modern, comfortable, inexpensive, and sure to meet your needs.

More photos of the Pension Plaza de Goya:

Barcelona Pension Bahia Review 2010

2010-03-31T20:17:00.013+02:00

Pension Bahia
Barcelona Pension Review

I just spent 2 nights in Barcelona's Pension Bahia on Carrer Canuda, 2 with many rooms facing La Rambla itself. My room did, in fact, something which gave me some concern upon checking in but the first night's street noise was greatly dampened thanks to the double-pane door to my little balcony.

Guess I hadn't realized there was no elevator but I don't usually ask since I'm capable of toting my luggage up the highest heights - so far. The pension is on the 5th floor by American standards. In Spain, it's considered the 4th floor. Regardless, with luggage or not, it's a good hike. But if you're young or fit and price is important, you can feel good about staying at Pension Bahia.

The pension itself is much like many other traditional pensions in Barcelona in that its housed in an old building, somewhat in need of renovation but many older buildings are like this.
The rooms are not large but my bed was wide enough, although a bit short for my 6' 1" stature. That's normal not only for me but also for the short, Spanish beds. My mattress was a little "springy" but I was comfortable sleeping on my side with the two new, comfortable pillows.

Blankets, sheets, and towels were all clean as was the floor, shower and in-room sink. The sink and shower is IN the room, not separated by a divider, so some people traveling together may have privacy issues with this. There was no toilet in my room but other rooms do have them. Shared toilets are down-the-hall with sink and another shower and are cleaned daily. There are three shared toilets in the pension.

I really thought the toilet situation/location would be an issue for me but it wasn't. No, I couldn't take my time and fiddle around, but "making quick work" of my business wasn't unpleasant either. I found that I really could wait for longer periods of time to use the bathroom than I thought - and so when I really had to go I could go - and finish - quickly.

You do, however, always have the anxiety of having someone "try" the locked door, you have to say the bathroom's occupied, and you then wonder if they're leaning up against the wall while waiting or if they went back to their room. That doesn't make for a relaxing period of time when you need nature to take its course.

Plus, this morning I had to pass through a large group of 20-something girls sitting around having their breakfast. They all looked up at me when I exited my room into the breakfast area and I had to (somewhat) push myself past those whom were sprawled casually across the aisle. But that was an unusual occurrence, I have no doubt, and they've since checked out. And thank goodness too because 2 or 3 of them were in the room next to mine and they were QUITE vocal until late at night, talking in high pitched voices and constantly laughing. The walls are not at all thin, but with their volume, it was hard not to hear them.

And while you can hear the Las Ramblas traffic and, maybe, more raucous pedestrian groups through the double-pane windows, it's so muffled that it doesn't bother at all. What you CAN hear is the passing metro, coming and going every 5 minutes or so, very gently shaking the walls and windows, but only somewhat and it's not enough to become annoying.

The breakfast is good enough. They offer the toast with butter and marmalade, a packaged donut and muffin, as well as a glass of orange juice and coffee. I only ate the toast and drank the coffee and juice and left the muffin and donut behind - just because I don't eat those things. But for a breakfast included in the price of the pension, it was a nice addition to an already affordable room for a couple nights.

For those seeking budget lodgings and well-located on the upper Las Ramblas, Pension Bahia could be a good choice for you.

More photos of/from Pension Bahia in Barcelona:

Barcelona Hostal Martina Review 2010

2010-03-30T19:40:00.033+02:00

Hostal Martina
Barcelona Hostal Review

Barcelona's Hostal Martina, located in the elegant Eixample district, is one of those "hostales" which makes you wonder, "Why haven't I stayed here before?"

Because after you stay once, you're likely to return again and again after you experience its rich elegance.

First of all, it's a "hostal" and not a hotel. It's considered "budget lodging" and not luxury. Some may equate it with a bed and breakfast, in fact - if they serve breakfast, and Hostal Martina does.

The building is a perfect example of Modernisme architecture, built in the very early 1900s. The entrance, the staircase, the tiled floors and high ceilings are all evidence of that.

The rooms lack decoration but the 12-foot molded ceilings, sometimes colorfully painted, and mosaic tiled floors give each room a style all its own. (the room in these photos was mine!!)

For functionality you have a large, comfortable bed (unless you're a single) and new pillows, tall luggage rack and hangers, and, in most rooms, an old fashioned, full bathroom.

Breakfast is also available if you like. The "full breakfast" offered cereal, sandwich, yogurt, toast with butter and marmalade, coffee and juice but I only had the toast with coffee and juice. It was more than enough for me.

I spent two nights in Hostal Martina in Barcelona and, in fact, it was my second visit in 4 years. The owner, Maria, remembered me from my previous visit and we had quite a long chat upon my arrival about the hostal business, the economic crisis, website building, and the expansion of Hostal Martina from one floor to two, adding a fully equipped apartment as well.

She gave me the grandest of grand tours of the rooms which were empty at mid-day, many of which had an enclosed gallery or a balcony, large enough to put a small table and chair. Many rooms had colorful stained glass windows.

And since this is an OLD building and the hostal has the original thick plaster-and-brick walls, don't expect to hear any noise from your neighbors. I didn't notice any street noise either through my floor-to-ceiling length doors with wooden shutters.

The hostal has free Wi-Fi interenet as well, a nice plus for today's traveler. I certainly used it happily.

Upon arrival, my room was spotlessly clean, towels perfectly folded, bed made and inviting. I still can't get over the floor tile and molded ceiling I had in the bedroom. Just amazing.

As I said, it's located on the Carrer de Bailen, 42, in the Eixample district, the part to the "right" of the Passeig de Gracia and very near the Plaza de Tetuan (metro by the same name). It's about a 10-15 minute walk to the Plaça de Catalunya. The neighborhood itself is almost completely residential and totally safe, there are a few bars and restaurants, cafés for breakfast or an evening drink and snack. Some of the surrounding buildings, including theirs, forces the pedestrian to stop ever 20 seconds and look up, marveling at the architectural wonder you have before you - but these places are everywhere in the Eixample.

Upon entering the building you're immediately hit with an "oh my God" moment with (literally) sculptured walls, pillars, and fresco-like paintings. It's definitely worth taking some photos.

But that's not all, there's also a beauuuuuutiful light-and-air "space" inside the building's entrance, worthy of a postcard which, in fact, is shown on the Hostal Martina website. An elevator can take you to the first floor if you have luggage (in the US/Britain it would be considered the second floor) or you can walk up the original marble staircase to the door marked "Hostal Martina".

There are more rooms to the hostal on the second floor as well. Chances are you won't have ever stayed in a "hostal" with bigger, more architecturally elegant rooms than at Hostal Martina in Barcelona.

More Photos of Hostal Martina in Barcelona:

Day 7 Barcelona Trip Review 2010

2010-03-29T16:59:00.011+02:00

Today, Thursday, is my last day in Barcelona. It's only a partial day so I can't do any sight seeing as my train leaves from Barcelona Sants Train Station at 3pm so I can't go far. Plus, I have to check out of the Pension Plaza de Goya no later than noon.

I awoke today at 8am, much earlier than I'd hoped, but felt rested. Time to get my "stuff" together. But NOT before breakfast. So once again, I throw on yesterday's clothes and head down for breakfast, this morning choosing another bar on the same bloc, I walk in and the Spanish/Catalán bar tender looks at me like I'm a foreigner. Ha! I order a "pan tumaca" with coffee. He asks me to repeat the order, I do, and he still doesn't understand me. So I say, more simply, a "pan tostada con aceite y tomate". THAT he understands. So I have my breakfast in peace at the bar and then go back to the pension for a long morning getting my stuff ready for the day's travel.

Not quite sure how I'm going to get through the morning before my 3pm train but decide to find a nearby coffee shop to kill some time. And that's just what I do after my noontime checkout.
I found a bakery/café called "Fleca els Angels" at Plaça Àngels, 4, in the upper El Raval neighborhood, not all that far from my pension. Luckily, there was a table in the back corner where I felt comfortable with my suitcase and shoulder bag as I drank my coffee and croissant. There, I spent the better part of an hour writing postcards - so they'd have the Barcelona postmark.

It's time to go at 1pm and and I'm a little nervous knowing I'll have to use their restroom before leaving, me with my suitcase, shoulder bag, and jacket - which won't all fit in the bathroom with me. So I tie the shoulder bag strap around not only the suitcase handle but also around the back of the chair, making it at least a little more challenging for any would-be thief. So that's how I left all my worldly belongings behind, in a public space, while I was behind closed doors - for exacly 25 seconds. And DON'T think I washed my hands, either. And there they sat, everything where I left them. Untouched. And yes, I ALWAYS wash my hands after using the restroom. Something, as I've found, is a rarity in Spanish restrooms at bars or restaurants - or anywhere else for that matter.

Now it's about 1pm, I mail my postcards, and go to a place I'd seen before on my route to/from the pension. It was called Restaurante El Sol, on the Carrer dels Tallers, 75, which has a good-looking menu del día. I've found it's more affectionately known as "Restaurante Pedro y Manolo". This is my kind of place; no-nonsense, very friendly and casual, and a lunch menu for 9 Euros. Can't beat that. Although they have a dining room in the back I put myself next to the open door facing the bar with my suitcase back in the corner, inaccessible to anyone.

Good thing I wouldn't need to use the restroom while here as it's up a narrow staircase and can't imagine having to carry all my stuff up there. Nope. I'm good.

I choose the paella, which was good, and the oven roasted chicken (which turned out to be fried chicken) with potatoes. The chicken was only a little dry inside a little olive oil took care of that. Besides, how can I complain for 9 Euros?! I opt for the red house wine, skip the dessert, and have coffee at the end. It was a good, big lunch.

Time to head to the metro station - which I do at about 2pm. I feel a bit of anxiety for the time, but that quickly passes as I realize the metro will take about 20 minutes maximum and 2 minutes to get through security to my train at Sants Station. This is just what happens - EXCEPT I went to the wrong waiting area, realizing my mistake about 10 minutes before the train leaves and still get there with 8 minutes to spare. Isn't traveling by train great?

My tourist-class car is about half full upon leaving but fills to the maximum in Zaragoza, the only stop along the AVE Barcelona-Madrid route. There's a group of 8 teenagers SEATED in the middle of the aisle in the section between train cars where the toilets are, all playing cards and shouting for the good-or-bad of the game, smacking each other on the head and making all the passengers' heads turn whenever the car doors open. Passing-through passengers literally climb through the game and it never occurs to the kids that they're in everyone's way.

FINALLY, after about 20 minutes of this ruckus, the angry, 50-something train attendant sternly throws them out, marching them all past me, presumably to their seats. I was wishing he'd throw them OFF the speeding train! I thought, man, ONLY in Spain would youngsters brazenly sit in the aisle, totally blocking pedestrian traffic and never think they were causing any trouble. Not their problem, after all. My dad would be proud hearing me repeat his words, "Kids these days."
The nearly 3 hour train ride speeds as I work on this blog and look over trip photos, never once looking up to see what awful Hollywood action movie they're showing on the monitor. My only "break" has been to use the restroom once in the car's "Play Space".

My train arrives in Madrid about 30 minutes from now but we're still traveling at nearly 300 Km/h over flat terrain. It's cloudy, yet again, but I'm happy to be returning home. I only wish my time in Barcelona could've offered nicer weather to get better photos for BarcelonaMan.com. that I'm a bit disappointed. But it was still interesting. I saw some new things, made some new contacts, tried some new pensiones, and the Alimentaria Barcelona 2010 "scene" was definitely an experience. I can only hope to return to Barcelona again soon.
Final Barcelona Thoughts:
We've all read the cautionary tales about rampant crime, pickpockets and prostitution in Barcelona. But in all my 6 nights, 7-days there I didn't once experience or witness any crime of any kind - but I did see only a few prostitutes. (Remember, prostitution is legal in Spain) Besides, what with the rain and cool temperatures it wasn't exactly "hooking weather".

The food was good enough although my standards aren't exactly high. I rarely choose higher-bill restaurants. Lunches were nearly always basic foods chosen from a "menú del día" and dinners mainly consisted of a couple of "raciones" or "tapas" and an equal (or greater) number of beers to make up a lighter dinner. Just good food at good prices and in comfortable environments.
The weather rarely cooperated. Keep in mind I visited March, clearly part of the rainy season, but coastal forecasts are always unpredictable. Next time I'll try returning in the autumn after the tropical summer passes, when it's less humid yet still green.

Look soon for individual reviews on Hostal Martin, Pension Bahia, and Pension Plaza de Goya, each posted in this chronological order, one entry per day. At the very end I'll also post a number of new photos not yet seen in the previous blog entries.

Thanks for following along with BarcelonaMan!

Day 6 Barcelona Trip Review 2010

2010-03-28T19:40:00.022+02:00

I slept kind of late, later than I wanted to, until about 9:30am. So I got myself up, dressed in yesterday's clothes, ran a comb through my hair and headed out to an old wooden-everything café across the Plaza de Goya. There, I ordered the "pan tumaca" - which I had to pronounce twice and even then they didn't understand me so I just said "pan tostado con aceite y tomate". THAT, they got. Man, I must be losing my touch.

So there I sat at the old, wooden bar and ate my toast with a café con leche while watching the cute, blond, Eastern European waitress and less-cute Italian bartender do their chores. The table area was full of mostly old guys reading their papers and drinking coffee. More than once one of them (seemingly) secretly came to the bar to order a coffee with a little liqueur poured in. Good for them - at 10am.

Back at the Pension Plaza de Goya, a little nervous for the late hour (10:30am) - I'm always nervous in the late mornings when I'm still in the pensiones/hotels because you never know when/if the cleaning staff will barge in to clean your room and catch you naked. Thankfully, this never happened during my Barcelona stay. In fact, it's never happened to me in my life. So why does it make me nervous? I know. It's irrational.Showered, things put away and in their place (I also like to have everything packed away so the cleaning staff doesn't have to work around it), dressed and off I go. I feel obligated to return to the Alimentaria Food and Beverage Expo - since I went to so much trouble to go, but my days are few and "BarcelonaMan" is more about BARCELONA than the expos it hosts. So fine. Off to the bat cave!! Errr.... to the metro station! (insert cheesy action music here)

Exiting the metro at Plaza Espanya, I find myself facing the forever-being-renovated old bullring, the "Arenas de Barcelona". I don't think they'll be using it for bullfights, however, as they're putting a dome on top and bullfighting is now no longer popular in Barcelona City.
In the distance you see the hilltop Palau Nacional, home to the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC). In the foreground you have the twin towers which "frames" the endless museum-bound boulevard nicely. The MNAC is someplace I'd never visited so this was my chance. Luckily, there were escalators to the top but took some of the stairs, making me feel like Rocky Balboa - until my knees hurt and I got back on the escalators.

The view from the MNAC entrance is really beautiful and wide. Shame it was another cloudy, hazy, relatively crummy day so, again, my photos are relatively useless for BarcelonaMan.com but serve me well for memories and this blog. Couldn't quite make out Mount Tibidabo from here, either.

So in I go, dodging the large tour groups of youngsters (they were everywhere, of all ages groups), and got my free pass to the museum. I was impressed with all collections in the expansive museum: Romanesque art (my favorite), Catalan art nouveau, modernisme, Gothic, renaissance, baroque, as well as works by Picasso, Dali, El Greco, and Velázquez.

My two hours spent there were very enjoyable. In fact, I can't remember the last time I enjoyed an art museum more! There were a few foreigners there but not many, maybe because of its location, causing the visitor to travel by taxi, bus, or metro to get there - and then walk.If you have the energy, it's certainly worth the trip and the view is very nice too - nicer on a nicer day, of course. You can even take photos of the works of art - without flash, mind you, and no matter how many time some of the foreign tourists were told they continued taking photos WITH flash, presumably because A) they didn't speak Spanish OR English, or B) they didn't know how to turn off the flash mechanism on their cameras.

It's now about 1:30pm so I decide to walk through the Montjüic Park, the location of the MNAC, and reach the Poble Espanyol. I'd been here before but since I was in the neighborhood I decided to visit again, maybe have lunch there. My Press Card was good, again, and they waved me through the ticket aisle. It seemed much of the Plaza Mayor, the main plaza of the Poble Espanyol, was the personal playground for 500 small children, all running about and shouting, chasing each other and kicking balls here and there.

Further away from the plaza were small groups of teenagers, all eating their home-brought sandwiches while other couples smooched passionately on steps. As I said, I'd been here before many years ago and enjoyed it more this time, MAYBE you always enjoy things more when you know you're not paying for them. I spent a good 45 minutes walking about, not going into any shops or buildings except for the working glass-blowing factory. That was pretty cool.I'm done. I'm tired. ..... SO WHAT'S NEXT?!? Something a little more low-key, maybe.

Through the twin towers of "Avila" I cross the street, waiting for the hop-on-hop-off Barcelona Bus Turistic which comes in about 10 minutes. I flash my card, they wave me through, and the mostly empty tour bus goes uphill and passes the squiggly Torre de Calatrava communications tower, the Olympic Stadium and Olympic Museum, and get off at the Plaza de Dante. There, I get the Teleférico de Montjuic, riding with a group of Asian teenagers who didn't stop oooh-ing and ahhhh-ing over the views of Barcelona down below, snapping off photos like crazy.

There at the top we disembark, finding ourselves at the base of the Castell de Montjüic, the fortress at the top of Montjuic which usually offers beautiful views of not only the port of Barcelona but also the coastline. Not today, however. It's hazy and hardly worth being there so I took 3 or 4 photos as proof and got the Teléferico de Montjuic back down the way I came, meeting the Hop-On-Hop-Off Barcelona Bus Turistic immediately.

My plan was to get off a couple stops later to take the cool, high, suspended teleferico from the foot of Montjuic, going over water to the tip of the Barceloneta. But since I could see no cars running I just stayed on the bus, getting off at the Marina Port Vell and immediately went "inwards", essentially going up the middle of "Barcelona profound", avoiding the marina-facing posh bars and terrace restaurants. I was looking for something "authentic" for lunch and I don't know if I found it but it was still good.

Passing through the Plaza Poeta Boscá of the Barceloneta, I soon thereafter found a tiny little bar-restaurant called the "Ke? Bar". It was more bar than restaurant but they did have a tiny dining room in the back. The front, bar section is where I entered and immediately felt comfortable. This is a hippy-ish bar, old, worn-out sofas and cushion-covered beer kegs. The barmaid, Sofia, is probably nearly 50 and greeted all her regulars with a kiss as they walked through the door. I think she was from Argentina. She urged me to take the sofa to eat the "Manu" sandwich I ordered with a beer (actually, 3 beers in total).

The "Manu" consisted of york ham, cheese, lettuce, mayonnaise and tomato. It came with avocado too but ordered mine without. It was quite good and a bargain at less than 10 Euros total (including the 3 beers - or was it 4?). Better yet was they had free Wi-Fi internet so I was checking email and doing what I could - which was the same as 3 or 4 others sitting around the joint. One regular, "Pierre" (yes, he was French, and yes, that was his real name), continuously asked the barmaid to translate things for him and to "secretary" his calls in Spanish. At first I thought he worked there - or was the owner - because he kept going behind the counter to get things, pens, paper, drinks. But at the end, Pierre paid his bill and left so apparently he was just a well-known client, a local expat.

I like the Barceloneta. It's very small-town-ish, very mixed ethnically, and well-known for its nightlife - AS IS my next stop, the EL BORN district. El Born is a very nice neighborhood and has a lot of charm. Similar to the Gothic Quarter for its narrow, winding streets and stone buildings, El Born is upscale compared to the Barceloneta. It has more stylish, modern, fusion-type places but also a few good, no-nonsense local places - which is what I always seek. You know what? I'm tired of touring. Let's relax and have a few beers and things to eat. So that's just what I did. At only one place in Barcelona did they give a free tapa with my beer order. Barcelona, as it becomes quickly evident, is not known for their tapas culture, not free nor otherwise. Barcelona, however, does have several popular Basque pinxtos places which are popular with the locals.

After a couple of real bar-bars, I found myself at the entrance to the Picasso Museum at 6:30pm. I'd been to the Picasso Museum in El Borne before but this time it was just after dark, the illuminated old stone patio and pillars are beautiful. The museum is REALLY something! I don't remember it being so interesting. Maybe it was because I'd already consumed 4-6 beers in the previous 3 hours - or maybe not - but I really enjoyed it! But if you know Picasso's work, its incongruence takes on a whole new dimension after bar-hopping.

Not only did I admire his works of art but also reading about his life in Málaga, Barcelona, a year studying in Madrid, and Paris. He lived a surprisingly long time for an artist, whom usually die young because of their vices. But not Picasso. He didn't seem to be your typically tortured genius. FYI: No photo-taking allowed in the museum but you can take them in the patio/courtyard - which is, in itself, photo-worthy.

Across the street from the Picasso Museum is the Basque bar, "El Xampanyet" (video link), where I tried three "pintxos" with a large beer. The place was popular but with a high percentage of foreigners, not surprising for being across the (pedestrian) street from the museum. It was good and the three older bartenders were all Spanish or, more politically correct, "Catalans" (I'm guessing they were locals).

After the pintxos I meandered about the district and found myself in the City Hall Square and Plaça del Rei where I took several nighttime photos of the illuminated buildings, the latter of which was nearly deserted, eery, and cold with my all-stone surroundings.

After consuming in two more local bars, ordering finger foods to complete my dinner, I made my last-stand in a bar which publicized Wi-Fi Internet access. There was one quiet couple seated at the bar and a girl on one of the sofas with her laptop computer, typing away. I ordered the beer in Spanish and the bartender served it up. After I thanked him, he returned to his conversation with the couple - IN ENGLISH! Turns out I stepped into an English bar. Actually, as I found out later, the bartender was Irish but grew up near London. The couple at the bar were English too.

Oh, my. I'm not a fan of English OR Irish bars in Spain, I avoid them like the plague, in fact, but my beer was already sitting in front of me so fine. I asked the Wi-Fi password and started checking email. Soon after, he started telling the couple that he'd attended TWO revival tour shows of the British Punk Band "The Sex Pistols". I, believe it or not, was a Punk (light) in my day, "The Sex Pistols" being my favorites, so I joined in the conversation - something I rarely do at bars. Odd thing is, I REALLY enjoyed myself, for which I later felt ashamed, and swore never to go into another Irish/English bar again until I was in Ireland or England. Done. Pact made. Still, I gave the bartender a good tip simply for being a Sex Pistols fan.

Finally I reach the Ramblas once again, take a few last photos and get on back to the Pension Plaza de Goya where I went to sleep early. Tomorrow, I return to Madrid but expect a blog entry for that day as well.

Day 5 Barcelona Trip Review 2010

2010-03-27T18:56:00.025+01:00

FINALLY! A completely sunny day in Barcelona from beginning to end!!

And I truly took advantage of it, deciding NOT to go to the Alimentaria Barcelona Food & Drink expo. It was evident immediately. The morning was almost warm as I'd finished my breakfast at Pension Bahia and decided to go to the Mercado de la Boqueria to take some photos and have a coffee at the Bar-Restaurante El Quim.

Upon arriving at the market I realized I'd left my camera in the room. Hmph. The day wasn't starting out well but I made the best of it and ordered a coffee at the popular aforementioned bar. Lots of locals eating there at 10am, some even drinking wine, and I sipped my hot coffee amid the market bustle and surrounding merchants ordering the same over my shoulders.

Since I didn't have my camera I wasn't going to waste my time so I went back to the pension and called ahead to the next pension, Pension Plaza de Goya, to see if my room was ready. It was so I checked out of the Pension Bahia and walked 20 minutes to the other pension, my last lodging establishment of this trip. Another 2 nights here. It was an easy walk, crossing La Rambla and walking to the end of the Carrer de Tallers through the El Raval neighborhood. I was hot and sweating a bit when I arrived but my room was ready and I was glad for that.After taking a few minutes to admire the plaza from my balcony, I stripped off my sweaty clothes, hoping they'd dry by the time I went out again for lunch. And they were.

Now it's about 1:15pm and I make my way back the way I came through El Raval, and went back to the Bar-Restaurant Elisabets - which is in all the guide books and even the maps. And since it's so well known there were several tourists having lunch but several locals as well. I took a seat towards the back with the full-bar view and decided to have their Menú del Día.There were 5 choices for the first course, 5 choices for the second course, 5 dessert choices, and it came with bread and beer, wine, or water. I ordered the Fideua for the first, the solomillo al roquefort for the second course, and, of course, the Crema Catalana for dessert. GOTTA order the Crema Catalana while I'm here in Barcelona whenever it's offered. Oh, and I also chose the half-bottle of house wine.

The total was 10.75 and it was all good. The fideua was much different from that you get in Madrid, which is a normally macaroni paella - instead of using rice. Here, it was simply fried noodles with a dollop of mayonnaise on top. Interesting. The tender solomillo steak pieces with roquefort sauce and sliced mushrooms was very good too. The house wine was decent and very drinkable. But the crema catalana was the best. I enjoyed my lunch while writing postcards to friends - a typical tourist activity over a meal - and chatting with the Catalonian waitress about how TYPICAL we tourists are after she gave me a smirk when seeing me take photos of my food.

Now it's about 2:30pm and I make my way to Plaza de Catalunya where I get the metro to the Sagrada Familia Temple. It was a perfect day for it. Not hot, not too windy, and not cold. It was my 3rd visit to Antonio Gaudi's temple but was more there just to take photos so I didn't rent the audio guide this time. The sky was perfectly clear and blue, making a striking solid-color backdrop for Gaudi's color schemes. I waited about 30 minutes to take the elevator to the top, took in the views from the different towers, squeezing by photo-taking, backpack-wearing tourists, and then walked down the super-duper spiral staircase to finish.

Now I'm done. Tired. My feet hurt. First I'd thought to go over to the Alimentaria expo late in the afternoon but thought better of it. Instead, I took the metro to the Gothic Quarter and started winding my way up and back, up and back, zig-zagging a path towards nowhere in particular - and getting there was half the fun. I stopped at two bars for a sit-down and a beer. One was modern and empty. The other was old, very old, and a bunch of elderly men were playing dominoes in the wooden booths. There was no one at the bar or eating in the back. It was a beautiful place, all wooden, and full of earth tones. This was my kind of place. And since I didn't fit in there, I got a number of stares, not only by the domino players but also by the bar tender which served me the beer. I thanked him, drank it, and left immediately. A 3-minute beer - a new BarcelonaMan record. What I really needed was a stool and there were none at the bar.

I turned a corner and BOOM, I was at the rear entrance to the Barcelona Cathedral where I entered into the beautiful gardens. Now it's about 6:30pm and the light is low, making interesting sunbeams across the plant-filled cloister. There were geese (or large white ducks) swimming in the pool, tropical fish swimming about, and birds singing above. As the sun fell, the soft lights came on and people began lighting votive candles, presumably for not only the Virgin Mary or Jesus Christ, but also for the upcoming Holy Week. Soft, far-away chanting could be heard (but was probably coming from tiny speakers tucked away in the corners).

Next, I spent the next 30-40 minutes on the inside of the Barcelona Cathedral. I know I'd been here before but this time, for some reason, it was more special, I was in no hurry, and it was quiet, very few people were inside.

My time in the cathedral was really special. In fact, I was moved by the experience. I'm not a religious person but I found myself somewhat emotional by the art, the history & age, and the size of everything. And, now, just after dark sundown, the illuminated ceiling was something spectacular. Upon leaving I crossed the San Jaume square and sat on a bench for about 20 minutes to admire the structure. It was nice and I felt very peaceful.

It's getting late and I'm a little hungry so I decide to head back through El Raval to Pension Plaza de Goya and get a ham and cheese sandwich on the way - when I realized I have a 10:45pm Flamenco Show at the Palacio del Flamenco. Oh, goodness. I'm beat and would rather be in bed at 10:45 than sitting at a flamenco show until midnight - THEN walking back 8 blocks. Sure hope I can sleep late tomorrow morning.

The flamenco show at Palacio del Flamenco was very good and I enjoyed myself a lot. My V.I.P. seat was along the left side, maybe 3 tables from the deep, wide stage, so I had a wonderful view. The seating area is modern and elegant and most everyone seemingly had just finished their dinner when I arrived for the show. Palacio del Flamenco is located on Carrer Balmes, 139, very close to the DIAGONAL metro station in the upper Eixample.

The flamenco show began with three yellow-dressed ladies, all standing in preparation for the number, when the music started. They remained motionless for a good 60 seconds until they began. The music was perfect, so rich that I was certain it was a recording. But HOW could they possibly use recorded music for a flamenco show, I thought. They wouldn't. Then the curtain rose very slowly, proving to me and the full-house that there were real musicians playing live music. Wow, they were great and I was impressed. All the while I was wondering where I could buy their music.

The flamenco show itself lasted about one hour and fifteen minutes and never ceased to entertain. There were maybe a total of 7 different "sets", all without a break. The featured dancer, a woman dressed in all black, was REALLY something. She danced alone but used the entire stage. Truly impressive. A real professional, as was the entire guitar-playing, singing, and clapping group. I was in Flamenco Heaven!

I took note that the woman playing the violin in the group, I'm CERTAIN, was German-born Lisa Bause of the Barcelona-based, 4-woman flamenco folk band Las Migas, whom I saw in Madrid at one of last year's Suma Flamenca concerts. She's very talented.

The below, taken from the Palacio del Flamenco website:

A show of the purest flamenco

Currently Palacio del Flamenco is offering a show called “El Duende del Palacio” (The goblin of the palace) presented by a cast of 15 artists on stage. Flamenco singers, dancers, guitar players and other musicians are offering a powerful staging and musical event. A journey through different types of Flamenco provides the Flamenco lover with the opportunity to participate intensely in this art performance while the amateur audience will be able to enjoy a wonderful and unforgettable Flamenco night.

The show is made up of original choreography acts including soloist acts. The night begins with the unique and enthusiastic performance of our flamenco group. The guitar and the sound of the palms accompany the "taconeo" and the movement by the “bailaores” that introduce to us in this enthusiastic world.

In our show also, you will be able to see some classic Spanish dance acts with the intention to offer a glimpse of the wonderful ones and varied dances of flamenco

The music, created originally for this show, is interpreted live giving rise to a full picture of plastical beauty, light, and strength. The improvisation between the musicians and the bailaores, makes the show different day to day.

BarcelonaMan can easily recommend seeing a flamenco performance at the Palacio del Flamenco in in the upper Eixample district of Barcelona.

During my walk back, I was tempted to go out, "hit the clubs", and dance Sevillanas 'til dawn. Nahh.... I had another full day tomorrow so I headed back to the Pension Plaza de Goya to get some shut eye. Which is just what I did.

Day 4 Barcelona Trip Review 2010

2010-03-26T20:13:00.020+01:00

I'm exhausted - but in a good way! Sure, my shoes are super comfortable but the soles aren't very thick so that's taking its toll on my feet. Slept pretty well last night here at the Pension Bahia after the 20-something group of girls went to sleep. I also woke up earlier than my alarm sounded because I hear people moving around in the hall, presumably checking-out. No problem at all, though. I threw on some clothes, ran a comb through my hair, put on some pants but left the slippers and pajama top on and went out my door to the breakfast area - right outside my door.The breakfast was complete but I only ate the toast with butter and marmalade and drank the coffee and juice and left the donut and muffin to the suit-wearing guy sitting at the next table, presumably not Spanish, and so tall he couldn't fit under the table to eat. I had to wonder why a suit-wearing man was staying at a pension but maybe he was working at the Alimentaria - or just attending it as I was. I didn't wear not silly suit, that's for sure.

So I showered, shaved, and got dressed, leaving Pension Bahia at about 10am for the Alimentaria Barcelona 2010 Food and Beverage Exposition. Got the L1 metro from Plaza de Catalunya to Plaza de Espanya. There, I got the local train line L8 to the Plaza de Europa/Fira, accompanied by hundreds of suited professionals, no doubt attending and/or going to "make business" with the exhibitors. So I got off the train and just followed the crowd - and what a crowd it was at 10:30am!

Walking in to the exposition hall was a bit daunting. There must have been 20,000 people standing around all in different lines, trying to get tickets or accredited or something! Finally I asked one of the information helpers where the PRESS check-in was and he directed me downstairs. Whew! I could avoid these long lines! Got downstairs and there was a long line there - but shorter than those UPstairs. I waited... and waiting... and waiting for at least 30 minutes, those issuing the press name badges took at least 5 minutes per person and the very attractive, professional, made-up Spanish woman in front of me was complaining all the time about how disorganized it was. Maybe she was right but I didn't care, I was just happy to be exchanging small talk with her during our wait.Finally got my badge with the big "P" for "press" with attached neck strap and made my way upstairs and through the hordes of people STILL waiting in line. Thank goodness I didn't have to pay for this. If I had, I'd have been REALLY upset. But wait. It gets better - and in a good way.Each "pabellon" or section of this exhibition hall is enormous, probably bigger than a regulation football or soccer field. There are FIVE sections in the entire place so just imagine the acreage we're talking about.

The first "pabellon"/section I entered was the international foods, foods from all over the world. Seemingly every country was represented here and all offering samples of their cheeses, olive oils, plantain chips, honey, sausages, and anything else you can imagine. Here I got several samples while the exhibitors interacted with me, hoping I was a would-be distributor for their foods which, in most cases, still weren't being sold in Spain. When I showed them my badge and told them I was "Press" you could see their faces drop. Poor things. I noticed the USA had one of the larger displays as did France.

The next "pabellon"/section was ALLLLL Spanish food products. Ahhh... I was in heaven. Really! Imagine walking into a hall of this size and every single stand was offering you Spanish cheeses, chorizo, jamón/ham slices, olives, dunk-this-bread-in-our-extra-virgin-olive-oil stands by the dozens, Cantabrian sobaos and quesadas (a GREAT display in the shape of a mountain village house). It was in this section, "pabellon 2", where I essentially had my lunch.

I'm already really tired and my feet are aching but I ventured into the "pabellon"/section 3, drum roll please, which was totally dedicated to.... mind you this is a football-field-sized space... Spanish wines and liqueurs!!! BELLY UP TO THE BAR, BOYS, and TRY to walk a straight line after this visit! That was probably the mind set for many visitors but I was nervous.

Sure, it was enticing, inviting, and was oh-so-tempting. But I wondered, "How does THIS work??" I mean, I didn't see any money changing hands so the drinkers weren't paying for it. But (nearly) all those drinking were suit-and-tie wearing gentleman and, maybe, they were simply "making business" with the wine companies, testing their wines to see if they wanted to distribute them. Who knows. But every exhibitor had several tables in their space and more often than not there were 4 business-men sitting around, all chatting, all drinking, and all eating jamón and cheese. Did they know each other? Were they making deals with the producer?

Other exhibitors had larger spaces and it literally looked like a night club; tables had lamps, the raised wood floors had a dark varnish, the display was impeccable. Did I dare venture into this unknown world? I didn't.

I did, however, see a more inviting space which had 4 long counters with large "WINE TASTING" signs, constantly replenished wine glasses so I felt those were safe. But I didn't try these either. Everytime I would start near a bottle an attendant moved in my direction so I backed off, scared off. The people who WERE testing them were really testing them! They'd pour in a half-inch of wine, sniff it, hold it up to the light, check to see if it "had legs", swig it, then pour the rest out into the nearby sink receptacle, rinse out their glass with the crystal pitcher of water and move on to the next bottle. This was too much for me so I kept on. Maybe tomorrow I'll have more courage.

I left Alimentaria at about 4pm, my feet really hurting now and the hams and cheeses taking their toll. I was thirsty too. So I got back on the train-metro combination to the Diagonal metro station on the Passeig de Gracia and stopped in to an Italian café for a coffee to lift me up - while sitting down. Thankfully, they had free Wi-Fi internet so I checked my email and sent messages to friends.

Rested, I went STRAIGHT for the nearby "La Pedrera"/Casa Milà, another Antonio Gaudí designed building. This is the one with the skull-shaped chimney pots on the roof. Cha-ching! Another free entry with my Press Card, 10 Euros saved. It wasn't raining, only sprinkling, so the chimney pots took on a "bleeding" look. Eery! After the roof I looked over the attic displays and then downstairs to "the apartment" and out I went to take photos of the building's façade.

Now down the Passeig de Gracia and here I am, AGAIN, at the Casa Batlló, the place I visited the day before but took all my photos in LOW resolution. Ugh! Thank goodness I don't have to pay the 17.80 Euros entry. They gave me the audio guide because it's included in the entry, but I didn't use it this time. I just whisked my way around and took all the same photos I took before, the hour of the day was about the same but this time it wasn't as cloudy as yesterday, and (now) wasn't raining either so that shed a somewhat different light on today's photos as compared to yesterdays. I think I like yesterday's better. Hmph. Oh well. At least on the roof the photos are a little brighter. This time I went down to the ground floor in the old wooden elevator. That was cool.

Now I'm REALLY tired, man. Not so hungry but it's about 7pm and I should eat something. But first, I went to see my long time buddy Artur at the Hostal Marenostrum. Artur is the son of the family who owns/runs it. And there he was at the reception desk when I arrived. We went back to the dining room to talk about "the business", internet, the crisis, the hostal business, advertising, and other stuff related to the travel industry. He a nice guy, 20-something, very tall and thin, good looking with long hair, and knows the business. I'd stayed at his hostel 4 years ago for a couple nights but for this visit there was no space, they were completely booked for the Alimentaria exposition. Good for them. They deserve it. They're located RIGHT ON the left side of Las Ramblas at the Liceu metro station, and just in front of the Miro painting on the ground of La Rambla. My balcony room overlooked this the last time.

Said my farewells to Artur and walked into El Raval, looking for something to eat and - almost more importantly - something to drink. And I did just that. It seems THIS IS THE NEIGHBORHOOD which has all the typical bars and cervecerias!! I passed two of them on Carrer Sant Pau, the same stree on which you enter the Hostal Mare Nostrum, just around the corner from Las Ramblas. The place I settled on was an oh-so-typical bar, just like I like them, FULL OF LOCALS. I was sure I was the only NON-neighborhood person there. The clientèle was mixed ethnically but this is just how El Raval is. The waiters behind the bar were both Spanish and "other". Mine was totally Spanish, 60-something, and joked around with all of his well-known regular clients - whom were an average age of 65 - minus me, of course. The people at the other end of the bar, towards the door, were much younger, and there was a small child playing around too. No tourists. Not one. Maybe, only me. It was called "Restaurante Pollo Rico" (click for website and funny music video made there) and they specialize in roasted chickens to-go but they have absolutely everything you could imagine. They even have a dining room upstairs but the bar is on the ground floor. It's kitsch, eh, very typical, working-class people in there - and WORKING in there, laborers having their evening beers and meals. Then there was me. My bartender was so nice, joked with me a little.

I ordered the "chipirones fritos" and it came with fried potatoes. "Chipirones" are small squid, very similar to "chopitos" - which I love - but these were nearly identical. The waiter later said I could have ordered the grilled "pulpitos" for one Euro less at 5 Euros. I was inquisitive so he took 6 of them, grilled them himself, poured some olive oil over them, and served them to me for me to try for free. They were good, a little chewy, and probably healthier than the fried "chipirones" which, my bartender admitted, was half flour. He was right, of course, but the "chipirones" were very good too and the 3 "Estrella Damm" beers I ordered went down easy too. I paid my bill, came to about 11.50 Euros, and left the change for the bartender. I expected a warm, "See you later!" but he was involved discussing something with one of his long-time clients and didn't look up. Still, it was good food at good prices and good, friendly service from a waiter who clearly enjoyed his interaction with the public. I felt at home.

And it was home I found myself 10 minutes later, back to my Pension Bahia. The clerk greeted me out in the stairway as she smoked here cigarette. A jovial, older woman. From the 3rd floor up we chatted about how if the 5-flights of stairs didn't kill me I'd probably be stronger for it. In my room, the bed was made, my towels were changed, and everything was in order.

Have to change pensiones tomorrow in the late morning to Pension Plaza de Goya. Not looking forward to moving again but that's the name of the game in my business. It's good for me to try as many "hostales", "pensiones", and other lodging establishments as possible so that I may give good, firsthand reviews to those interested. Speaking of reviews, check out my review of Pension Bahia coming soon. Good night!!

Day 3 Barcelona Trip Review 2010

2010-03-25T21:05:00.013+01:00

Today wasn't a total bust - but it wasn't far off either. I got up a bit earlier to get my suitcase ready for departure from Hostal Martina, shower, and have breakfast in their breakfast room. At mid-day I moved to Pension Bahia, my next lodging establishment for 2 nights. But first I had the "Gothic Walking Tour" given in English by the Barcelona Tourist Office. I was looking forward to that.Yes, I left the hostal a little late but still arrived 10 minutes before the 10am departure. Hmmm.. No one's at the Walking Tours counter. So I go to the other counter and the woman tells me it does NOT leave from the Plaza de Catalunya but, instead, from the Plaza de Jaume I about 5 minutes away. By the time I exited the underground tourist office it was already 5 minutes before 10am but I made my way in that direction, not really sure where I was going. Well, needless to say I never found the plaza because walking tours map the woman gave me doesn't show the street names on it and I'd left my other city map back at Hostal Martina, ready for the move. Hmmm.. So I created my own little Gothic Quarter Tour and walked up and down narrow, empty pedestrian streets on this Sunday morning, dodging the pesky flies.

I actually had quite nice morning even though it was exceptionally cool in the gothic quarter, all that stone pavement and stone walls surrounding you, my breath was fogging up my glasses as I walked, in fact. After an hour of this I was tired and stopped at the Granja Dulcinea on the Carrer Petritxol, 2 - the place our Gourmet Barcelona Tour guide showed us just yesterday, and also the place where I'd visited more than 10 years earlier on my first visit to Barcelona. And I ordered the exact same thing today as I did then; "crema catalana" and a cafe con leche. Although I realized that 11am is NOT the proper time to be eating Crema Catalana I had to order it, I was there, and they're known for their "crema catalana" as well as their Xurros con Chocolate (yes, "churros" with an "X"). But since I'm not such a fan of the latter, I ordered the former. The Granja Dulcinea is a nice old place, founded in 1803 and it looks every year of it. The bathrooms were literally the size of broom closets and the tiny, common sink was just outside, across from the coffee maker.

Rested, I paid and made my way to the Plaça Reial where their Sunday Flee Market was taking place. The Plaza was buzzing so I didn't stay and instead walked down Las Ramblas. It never ceases to amaze me how often we/I see American teenagers in their knee-length shorts, tennis shoes, and sweatshirts on a cold winters (still) day in Spain. What were they thinking when they packed their suitcases?!

My plan was to make a reservation for the Tablao Cordobes on Las Ramblas so I went upstairs and spoke with the man in charge. I asked him if he had a space available for me for tonight and he said he did. I flashed him my Barcelona Press Card and he said that with that I'd get a whopping 20% off - the regular price is 37 Euros per person for the show plus drink. I passed, feeling a bit deceived that they were listed in the "free pass" list for those with the Barcelona Press Card. Oh well, I have another flamenco show, Palacio del Flamenco, reserved on Tuesday night.
Since I was more-or-less in the neighborhood, I decided to check in to my next place of lodging, Pension Bahia, towards the top of Las Ramblas. Almost immediately after seeing my room, I headed back out and back to Hostal Martina to not only collect my suitcase but also to see more of the hostal which wasn't ready to see before. After the tour, I said my goodbyes and offered my sincerest thanks for a wonderful 2 night stay. Back to the Pension Bahia with my suitcase, rolling noisily across the tiles and make it to my pension 15 minutes later.
Now I'm hungry and it's already 2pm so I literally walk circles around the Plaza de Catalunya looking for a simple sandwich shop and can't find anything which A) has a short line and B) gives take-out sandwiches. I must have spent 45 minutes looking for a place. Where are all the cervecerias in this town?? I dart into El Raval where I find a bakery which has hand-made, plastic wrapped sandwiches so I get one and go back to the Plaza de Catalunya.

I decided to try going up to the amusement park peak of Mount Tibidabo. This was my only opportunity as the Tramvia Blau cable car only runs up the Avinguda del Tibidabo on Saturdays and Sundays during the "winter months" so here was my chance. I took the L7 train (not metro, but my T10 pass is good for these local trains too) from Plaza de Catalunya to the Avinguda del Tibidabo and ate the sandwich on the way, then crossed the street upon arriving and there was the blue Tramvia pulling away so I'd have to wait 'til the next one. No problem. I'd get my choice of window seats since I was first in line. While waiting, heeeere comes a large group of Germans towards me, they crowd around me, no queuing or any form of a line, just a mob. I tried to tell one, in English, that *I* started the line and the tram would be there in 20 minutes. She nodded her affirmation and nothing changed. No order whatsover. The tram came and everyone pushed for the door - but I didn't realize the entry door was the one on the down-slope so I was out of position and the others, which were "Johnny Come Latelys", got on first and took all the good seats. Common queuing courtesy went out the window.

So we all get up to the first level of Tibidabo where the funicular is located. The Germans, being their first visit, didn't know where to go - but I did and made a beeline to the ticket line. And don't think they weren't quick to follow ME. Ha! Eat my dust! The funicular tickets are 4 Euros for the go-and-return ticket. I paid it and got my choice of seats. Once up top, next to the Amusement park is the beautiful Sagrat Cor Church (beautiful inside and out!). You can go to the top of the church in the elevator (2 Euros) but today there wasn't much point, it was misty, foggy, windy, and darn cold and not likely to see anything from up above. As it was, I couldn't even see the coast line, barely making out Barcelona's skyline.

Needless to say, I didn't stay on Tibidabo very long and took the funicular back down 30 minutes after arriving. Got the waiting Tramvia Blau back down to get the L7 train at its end point at Avinguda del Tibidabo to Plaza de Catalunya once again.

NOW it's raining and I pull out my umbrella and think. What's a good thing to do on a rainy day? Aha! A museum! Or... Antonio Gaudi's Casa Batlló!! Got there and apparently everyone else had the same idea so I had to wait in line for about 20 minutes. The Casa Batlló is REALLY something special. Definitely a MUST-SEE, although it's expensive at 17.80 Euros per person. Luckily, my Barcelona Press Card got me in for free. I took A LOT of photos, really pretty photos, and left happy with my new collection of inside, rooftop, and outside photos just after the lights turned on the façade. It was then when I was walking away that I realized that... get this.... back in the Avinguda del Tibidabo train station, while waiting for the train, I was taking some silly photos of the signs and of myself in the mirror and, as I said, silly stuff. And when I take such silly photos I always take them in low-resolution to save memory card space, and took these at 640 by 480 pixels - and FORGOT to change it BACK to HIGH resolution! So all those "great" Casa Batlló photos were taken in low resolution, not even big enough to make a banner for the BarcelonaMan.com website - and that was my plan for some of them. Guess that means now I have to return but will have to go at the same hour to have the same light. UGH!!!!! What an idiot. What a waste of time. Sure, it was beautiful and I got in free, but come on! Now I have to go back and do it all again!!!

I'm frustrated, angry with myself, a little hungry, and nearly desperate for a big, cold mug of beer. Again, this town must only have ONE cerveceria - and I still haven't found it. I walked for an hour and a half looking for a suitable, basic bar with bar food and beer, walked much of the upper Gothic Quarter and El Raval too. Sure, there are lots of nice, somewhat fancy restaurants and loads of places for pintxos but they were all high-style-types and I wanted something more no-nonsense. Again, I walked for-ever until I found one place in El Raval which LOOKED like what I wanted - but was far from it. Sure, the beer was cold and good but the bocadillo de calamares was not only VERY chewy but I counted ONLY 7 rings of squid - and two of those were very small!! The ones at El Brillante in Madrid are so much better, bigger, and cheaper. So there!

Somewhat fed, less angry with myself after the mega-beer, and still under rainy skies, I decide to go back to the Pension Bahia at 8pm and get to work writing my blogs. No Internet here, unfortunately, so the posting will have to wait until who-knows-when.

Tomorrow starts the Alimentaria Barcelona International Food & Beverage Exposition! That should be nice. Gotta work in another visit to the Casa Batlló sometime this week, as well as a visit to Gaudi's La Pedrera and Sagrada Familia temple, Poble Espanyol, the Gracia neighborhood, and a few museums too. Man, I just don't see how I'm going to be able to get it all done - but I'll try!!!

Day 2 Barcelona Trip Review 2010

2010-03-20T22:00:00.009+01:00

What a busy day. I got up at 8:15am and went across the street from Hostal Martina for an early breakfast of pan tostado con aceite. Later, I realized it would've been customary to request tomato too, but next time. I'd slept little because I was up so late writing, editing, and making photos for last night's blog entry. And so here we go again tonight. I'm tired. Very tired. Had a long, busy day, much of it spent on my feet.

After breakfast I went directly to the Plaça de Catalunya where I went downstairs in the south eastern corner to the Barcelona Tourist Center. That's not only the main location for tourist information but also to arrange and meet for tours. This morning I was there to take the 10am "Gourmet Barcelona Walking Tour", detailing Barcelona's and Catalonia's most common foods and drinks.

I'd hustled to the information center at 9:45am as expected and then waited another 15 minutes for the tour to start, get instruction about how to turn on and use the individual audio devices. Cristina, our Catalan guide, gave our 2-hour tour in English, which is available only on Fridays and Saturdays at 10am.

Cristina gave me permission to take her photo and use it on the internet. She was a very good, pleasant tour guide and her English was certainly good enough for us to understand her through her microphone and broadcast to our group of 7 persons.

She took us directly down Las Ramblas and through El Raval neighborhood to enter the Mercat de la Boqueria from the "right side". She walked us through, pointed out the typical fruits as well as those which were imported, explained the different types of ham, told about the seasonal "pilgrimages" to collect mushrooms in the mountains, explained how much and how often Spaniards and Catalonians eat fish, and surprised us all with a container of fresh fruit upon leaving the Boqueria Market.

Next, we crossed over into the Gothic Quarter and walked up one street and down the other, stopping at a number of chocolate shops, shops for churros, shops for wines, and other shops for health foods. We ended the gastronomical tour in the other market, recently renovated, the Catalina Market where Cristina presented us all with ticket to have 2 pintxos and a drink at the cafe in the market for free. What a nice detail!

After the wonderful Barcelona food tour I returned to my hostal where I got my thing together to head off to Sitges for the afternoon. Upon arriving by metro to SANTS station, I then began the confusing process of finding out where in the heck the dark green line 2 was. Looking high and low I couldn't find it, just a monitor with confusing directions, so I asked at the information counter and the older woman told me, surprisingly in English, that it left from Via 7. The monitors do not show the line number or color, ONLY the end-stop, and from that you determine your line/via. Happily, walked down the escalator and my regional ceranias train was just arriving. I was nervous. Was THIS the correct train? I wouldn't know until the first stop, to compare to my cercanias regional train map. Sure enough, I was on the right train. Thank goodness.

The train ride, which cost a mere 3 Euros, lasted only 30 minutes maximum to Sitges, a town which has only one station and one cercanias stop. There, a couple of friends were waiting for me and they commenced to tour me around old downtown Sitges and take me from one pintxos bar after another as we talked about life and living in Spain. They're a mixed nationalit couple, one from Finland/England and the other from Spain and they have a small baby which is just adorable.

Sitges is nice. I like it a lot. It seems like a normal town at first glance but upon further inspection you realize it has a certain poshness about it too. They say Sitges is where all the rich and famous live, many business tycoons and Barcelona football players live in the Sitges hills, all with Mediterranean views. Nice. It was a cool, mostly cloudy day but at least it didn't rain more than a few sprinkles. Even with that, there was a very active volleyball tournament taking place across several courts on one of the Sitges Beaches.

We said our goodbyes back at the train station where I got the cercanias train back to Barcelona about 15 minutes after buying the 3 Euro ticket. The double-decker train was almost empty so I had my choice of seats and chose one on the top deck. Getting back to Sants Station, I had to change cercanias trains again for one going to the Plaza de Catalunya, something I didn't realize I could do on the trip out. That was also confusing, trying to figure out which train/via I needed to go from one line to another but I got it right on my first try.

Upon walking up the station steps to the Plaza de Catalunya I realized it was lightly raining, but not enough so that I'd need an umbrella. My walk back to the hostal was slow and my feet hurt, but not enough to keep me from stopping at a bar near my hostal for a couple beers and an order of patatas bravas - which are quite different from those served in Madrid. These are made with a spicy white sauce and is tasty.

I'd arrived at Hostal Martina by about 8pm and saw María, the owner, immediately. She then took me on the grand tour of the entire hostal. I'd seen many of the rooms a few years ago during my last stay but some changes had been made and she was keen to show me. This place is really nice. I'll tell you about it tomorrow night - if I have internet at Pension Bahia, my next lodging establishment. But for now, I'm just going to bed early. Breakfast is served here at the hostal at 9am and I have the "Gothic Barcelona Walking Tour" tomorrow morning at 10am so I'll have to eat fast. Goodnight!

Day 1 Barcelona Trip Review 2010

2010-03-19T20:32:00.009+01:00

Today was holiday in Madrid so there was little traffic on the way to Atocha Train Station. I didn't sleep too well with the anxiety of the trip upon me and was looking forward to that first coffee with the served breakfast - and traveling at 300 kilometers per hour.

I'd arrived maybe 25 minutes early for my 8:30am departure on the super-fast AVE train and walked through security in maybe 10 seconds. 15 seconds later I was at my "via" and got in line with those going to Barcelona. 4 minutes later I was next to the train itself and had time to kill so I enjoyed my surroundings and marveled at the pointy nose (actually, it was the rear) of my train. My car was the last one, the "Club Class" car, car #1, la-dee-dah. hehehe...

The Club Class car is a 2 by 1 seating configuration and mine was at the window while my "neighbor" had the aisle. No problem. While I usually request and aisle seat it hardly mattered on this 2 hour and 52 minute trip to Barcelona. Besides, he got off at the only route stop in Zaragoza after just 1 hour and 20 minutes into the journey and so I had the two seats to my self after that.

The breakfast was served swiftly, maybe 20 minutes after leaving Madrid Atocha Train Station. We had a choice from the menu, either a bacon quiche with asparagus on the side or, what I chose, a whipped fried egg with a huge slice of bacon, tomato, croissant, bread roll, tiny bottle of olive oil, and coffee with the strawberry yogurt for dessert. Who has dessert with breakfast? It was all tasty, hot, and served on a large, cloth-covered plastic tray with real china plates, real metal silverware, and real ceramic coffee cups. Everything was "real". Oh, and they served us all juice upon boarding in real glasses, too.

With an hour and a half left in our trip I ventured ahead to mid-train to join a mob of other travelers getting their second coffee of the morning. I was surprised to see one young Spanish women drinking a beer - at 10 o'clock in the morning!? But wha-evuh'. Unfortunately, the windows in the bar-car were at the height of my mid-section so I could see absolutely nothing without bending down. A group of older, shorter Spanish ladies sipping coffee and talking loudly didn't seem to pay any attention to the wonderful views they had thanks to their stature.

We arrived on time, at 11:22am, in Barcelona Sants Station and we all got off immediately. The last time I went to Barcelona was also by train, but they didn't have the fast AVE train yet, not until 2008, and I remember a sense of confusion upon reaching Sants Station with the rest of the travelers. Where do I go?? Not this time. I went straight to the metro and made my way with confidence.

My first stop was to the Barcelona Tourism Office - and they really rolled out the red carpet for lil' ol' me, BarcelonaMan. I thought, "Man! Madrid's Tourism Office doesn't even know MadridMan exists and I live there!!" I'd been in constant correspondence with them for the previous 2 weeks so they were well prepared for my visit. They gave me not only a folder full of useful, detailed tourist literature but also a Barcelona Press Card, issued specifically to me with my name and the dates I'm in Barcelona. The Press Pass is good for entry into nearly every (or every) museum, Antonio Gaudi structure, tours and tour buses, trams, teléfericos, and cultural sites in Barcelona. The list of participating entities is long and distinguished, probably 60 of them. This card isn't for just anyone, mind you, only for media, journalists, and travel professionals such as yours truly. Next time I come to Barcelona, they told me, the Barcelona Press Card would be sent to my hotel.

Next, I checked into my Hostal Martina in the Eixample District at about 1:30pm and the owner was here to meet me. Nice woman. I'd stayed here before and she remembered me. After she showed me my incredible room (wow, wait 'til you see the photos), she invited me to the salon and we drank coffee and chatted for about an hour and a half about the tourism and hostel business and the affect on it from the worldwide economic crisis. As I said, she's a very nice woman and interesting too so the time passed very quickly.

Now it's 2:30pm so I thanked her for the coffee and conversation and excused myself to see Barcelona. For the most part, the morning had been sunny on the train as well as the early afternoon. But no sooner did I leave the hostel did it get cloudy and threaten rain.

My plan was to take advantage of the sunny-ish skies and see Barcelona from "above", from the Mount Tibidabo amusement park and church. There are some wonderful views from that vantage point, but it didn't look like the views would be good afterall as the clouds rolled in. It's just as well, too, because I took the L7 underground TRAIN (not the metro) from the Plaça de Catalunya, got off at the end of the line at Avinguda del Tibidabo, and crossed the street to the Tramvia Blau. I waited with 5 other tourists until one of them discovered that the tram doesn't run on weekdays, ONLY on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Turns out, that's true. And I suspected as much but thought since it was a holiday in Madrid today that it was the SAME holiday here in Barcelona. Nu-uh. Nope. Not here. The Tramvia Blau DOES normally run everyday but only from the spring through autumn - and we're about a week (??) away from officially entering spring. So... Maybe tomorrow/Saturday? Doubtful. Maybe Sunday? More possible. But it all depends on the weather. They say it'll rain all weekend. Wonderful.

So after all the newly-informed tourists left the Tramvia Blau stop, I crossed the street once again to "Hop On" the Barcelona Bus Turistic and "simply" use that as my transportation back to the Plaça de Catalunya. This was a mistake as I quickly found out. Not only was I sitting in the back-of-the-bus on the lower level, my seat was like two steps up from the surface and A) my head kept hitting the air conditioner unit with every road bump and B) I couldn't see out the window until I bent over to waist-height. (I know, this seems to be becoming a common theme) Not only that, but the bus was full-full-full and then there was traffic and it took nearly an hour to reach the Plaza de Catalunya. I'll take the bus again and sit on top IF the weather's good as I'm fighting a cold now and won't take any chances.

I get off the bus, now it's like 5pm and I STILL haven't eaten lunch and nearly starved. I text my buddy S.R. in Madrid, asking him where that bar in the Boqueria Market he raves about with their good food and drinks. He quickly replies and I make my way to the market for a wonderful meal, real local goods I'm imagining. If you haven't been there before, the Boqueria Market is beautiful - BUT BIG. ENORMOUS, in fact, and the stands/stalls are all very close together. I'm going 'round and 'round looking for this bar-restaurant, "Restaurante El Quim", it's called. I can't find it anywhere! Eventually I do come across a layout map of all the merchants and find the bar. GREAT! So I go to the area where it should be. Nothing. Can't find it. I ask a merchant, a real fish monger wench, (and I write that with all due respect to not only her gender but for the hard job that it is) and she kindly points me around the corner, still going around in circles with no luck, and finally I see the sign. Restaurante El Quim. IT'S CLOSED! ARGH!!!! I imagine they have "normal" restaurant hours and, well, logically, it would be closed at 5pm - now 5:30pm - but hoped since it was in the market which never closes, except at night, that they'd stay open too. Nope. My loss. Okay. Another day it will have to be. I did enjoy, however, watching the piles upon piles of shellfish at the seafood merchants. They had a coule of lobsters which were as big as my thighs!! (look closely in the photo below)

I walk upward through the El Raval neighborhood and find the famed "Elisabets" bar-restaurant. I'd eaten their menu del dia the last time I was in Barcelona and like it fine, Catalan food at very good prices. So I take a table in the middle of the restaurant, very casual setting and I'm tired and ready to eat. The waiter comes along and tells me they JUST closed the kitchen and only have cold foods. Huh! No thanks. He apologizes and I leave dejected and a stomach as empty as the Tramvia Blau on a Friday afternoon - before spring. Man! I just can't catch a break today!

Continuing up through El Raval, now at 5:50pm, I see a place I'd passed before but never stopped in the Bar Castells on Plaça Bonsucces, 1. THIS is my kind of place (for good or for bad). It's unassuming, basic, home made food at very reasonable prices. The place is mostly empty except for a group of 20-something Spanish women chatting away over their coffees and a (guessing) Norwegian family talking about Barcelona, and an English family calmly sipping wine. Otherwise, the dining room is about empty. The bar, on the other hand, is packed with people having coffee or merienda. THIS IS THE TIME, afterall, not for a big meal as I was about to order. And so I did...

My order, a cardiac attack waiting to happen, included three slices of lomo (pork steak), 2 long links of sausage, a fried egg, fried potatoes, and (thankfully!) three large slices of tomato. This large combination plate, when ordered, brought a surprised look from the face of my Spanish waiter (who in the world would order such a thing at THIS HOUR?!) and I expected similar looks from those around me upon the arrival of my plate. But, luckily, the Spanish women behind me didn't seem to notice and I tried to eat quickly, attempting to remove the majority portion so as not to bring disapproving stares from passersby. It was good, though, and only cost 6.40 Euros. Add a HUGE mug of beer and the total was 9.60 Euros. Leave a very Spanish tip of 40 Eurocents and that's a 10 Euro lunch, folks, and a good one at that; unassuming, tasty, good portions, in a comfortable setting. What more could you ask?

Now it's 6:45pm, getting dark, raining a little more seriously, so I decide to head back to Hostal Martina and get some work done, write this blog, make some phone calls, and relax a bit after a long, somewhat unsuccessful first day in Barcelona.

But on my walk back, I stop in to one of these self-serve candy stores where they have 1001 items you scoop yourself and take up to the cash register. I'm standing there in line, mindin' my own business, when a hoard ot 12-15 year olds rush into the shop, going straight to the back, then all rush back out the door 15 seconds later, some of them with pockets full of candies, you can hear the wrappers rustling around, big stupid grins on their faces. The last kid through opened the bin right in front of the register, grabbed a handful of stuff, and ran out as the clerk grabbed her camera and tried to take photos of them as they all ran away. This prompted another girl of the same age to come into the store, telling the clerk that it was illegal to take photos of minors and that, get this, one of the kids she was photographing was her cousin. And if she, the girl complaining, catches the clerk photographing minors again she'll smash her face in. Can you believe that? All these kids were well-groomed and dressed in school uniforms, all carrying book bags, middle-to-upper class kids, and having a ball stealing from the local Chinese-operated candy shop, giggling and having fun committing their crimes to the delight of their friends waiting on the sidewalk to make their collective get-away, a successful grab-and-dash, a story they'll enjoy telling to anyone who'll listen - except to their parents. That wouldn't be "cool".

So here I sit, reclined on my large bed in my large room at Hostal Martina, very comfortable in my pajamas, admiring the beautifully tiled floors and ornate ceiling, and my mansion sized bathroom in the architecturally modernisme Eixample (Dret) neighborhood, just above Barcelona's Old Quarter. It's probably the best area in which to stay in Barcelona as you're close to everything but with a much lower tourist-to-local ratio.

Tomorrow's another day, starting early with breakfast provided here at the hostal, then a Gourmet Barcelona Walking Tour, a Catalan cuisine sampling, taking place mostly in the Mercat de la Boqueria market. This tour was highly recommended by the woman at the Barcelona Tourist Office so I'm anxious to go. Immediately after the tour I'm off to Sitges, a Mediterranean coastal town about 35 minutes south by train. There, I'll have a tapas lunch with some old friends. Looking forward to that too! Hope we have good weather.

Barcelona Trip 2010

2010-03-17T17:09:00.006+01:00

Read all about my 6-Nights Stay in Barcelona HERE on BarcelonaMan's Barcelona Blog!

Things are certainly tuning-up for my 6-night stay in Barcelona, Spain. I leave on Friday on the AVE bullet train from Madrid to Barcelona, lasting a mere 2 hours and 54 minutes. Hope I'll have time to eat my breakfast - included in the Club Class ticket price for the morning trip.

Upon arrival I have to go directly to the Barcelona Tourist Office to pick up my Barcelona Press Card. This is issued to journalists, media, and travel professionals - like me. While the Press Card isn't exactly the key to the city of Barcelona, it will get me in to a number of museums, events, and attractions during my stay.

And I finally secured Barcelona lodging for my last 4 nights as well. Thank goodness. I was really beginning to worry there. One place is towards the top of Las Ramblas and the other is just above the El Raval neighborhood. All three are within, maybe, 12 minutes walk from one another. The first place I'm staying thankfully has free Wi-Fi Internet available but the last two places do not. That's a shame. I'll describe and review the lodging establishments at the end of each 2-night stay.

Apart from attending the Alimentaria Barcelona 2010 Food & Beverage Exposition, I already have scheduled a late-night flamenco show in Barcelona, a "Gourmet Barcelona" walking tour for foods, and a "Gothic Barcelona" walking tour. Oh, and did I mention I'm also making a lunchtime jaunt to beachside Sitges one day? Another daytrip to the Monastery of Montserrat would be great too but that one remains to be seen. I've been there before but would like to go back, this time using public transportation.

Naturally, I'm anxious to return to Barcelona. It's such a beautiful city, totally distinct from Madrid, so very UN-Spanish - and I think that's just the way many Catalanes like it.

Read all about my 6-Nights Stay in Barcelona HERE on BarcelonaMan's Barcelona Blog!

Hostales Barcelona for Alimentaria 2010

2010-03-11T10:38:00.003+01:00

I always stay in Barcelona hostels during my visits there and my visit later this month for Alimentaria Barcelona 2010 will be no exception. Over the years I've tried, tested, and reviewed 4 Barcelona hostels and have more lined-up for my visit there next week.

My fault. Surely I started searching too late, what with the Food Fair coming up - the reason/excuse I'm going. But one would think 4 weeks before the start of Alimentaria would be enough. Maybe not. I sent emails to at least 20 hostales en Barcelona, and got near-immediate replies from three of them. Happily, it's at two of these I'm staying 2 nights each.

My plan is to stay at 3 hostales for 2 nights each in order to better "test" available cheap lodging in Barcelona - since my business is dedicated, at least in part, to providing budget lodging information for my Barcelona website visitors.

So here we are, 8 days before my train departure for Barcelona and I only have lodging for the first 4 nights and nothing for the last 2 nights. What's a guy to do? What happened to the rest of the hostales to whom I wrote, requesting lodging for these nights? Good question.

The vast majority of them haven't replied at all. And only after re-sending the oldest emails 2 more times did a couple of them reply, saying they had no space available. I had to wonder IF they had had an available room the first time I wrote them. I'm well aware that, unfortunately, smaller establishments are less likely to reply to a lodging request if they have no availability.

And now here I am, at the last moment, looking for lodging the last 2 days in Barcelona - which coincide with the last 2 days of the Alimentaria exhibition. Anyone want to bet I won't find anything? If I lived nearby I wouldn't mind so much as I'd just go home early. But I've already bought my train ticket to leave Barcelona on that date and tickets cannot be changed or refunded.

Where am I to go? Maybe I'll just go to Sitges for those last two days - but I'd be missing the last 2 days not only of Alimentaria but also 2 days IN Barcelona, the main reason I'm going, just to VISIT BARCELONA.

If anyone has suggestions as to where I could stay or where I could go - yet still be near Barcelona, please leave your comments here - or shoot me an email. Thanks!

Saludos, BarcelonaMan

Barcelona Snow "Nevada" March 2010

2010-03-09T10:38:00.009+01:00

The Barcelona snow has melted under the sunny skies this morning. Yesterday, citizens and tourists experienced the worst snow in Barcelona in the last 25 years - but they say wind and cold will continue in the following days. So let's see if the weather gods will have a re-peat of the same Barcelona weather.

In the last 36 hours, 220,000 persons have been left without power in all of Cataluña, the worst of it was in the province of Girona. 1,500 people had to be rescued from their cars, traffic jams everywhere, and pedestrians slipping on sidewalks. Airplane service stopped as did nearly all regional trains. Only the Barcelona Metro worked non-stop throughout the night to get the stranded back home, a service which only takes place on the weekends.

The sight of snowy Barcelona beaches was surreal as was the snow-covered Plaça Reial with its palm trees sadly drooping, topped with the heavy white stuff. The kids loved it, of course, especially those whose schools were closed so that they may play in the snow many of whom had never seen snow in Barcelona before.

And not surprisingly, the world has taken notice. My Barcelona WebCams page registered a historical high in visits yesterday (nearly 2,000) and will probably outrun that today as the counter is already at 1,000 before noon.

Video: "Nevada en Barcelona: La gran nevada sorprende a los barceloneses"

Alimentaria Barcelona 2010 Food Exhibition

2010-03-04T12:04:00.011+01:00

NOTE: See my "Day 4 Barcelona Trip Review 2010" blog entry to read about my visit to Alimentaria Barcelona 2010 and see photos of the exhibits.

Alimentaria Barcelona 2010 is the biannual international food and beverage exhibition hosted in the Fira Barcelona exhibition hall in the Barcelona suburb of L'Hospitalet del Llobregat. The official dates are 22-26 March and yours truly, BarcelonaMan, expects to attend. Already bought my Madrid-Barcelona train ticket, in fact, and have Barcelona lodging for 4 of my 6 nights there.

With only 5 days of exhibition and literally thousands of exhibitors, it'll be impossible to visit them all so I'll prioritize, sticking to Spanish foods, wines, and olive oils. Mmmmm... Can't wait for the food and wine tastings! Let's hope my press pass will get me in for free.

And although I'll be getting in for free, general entry isn't expensive at all if already registered online - UNTIL TODAY. Funny how prices go up significantly when registering at the last minute. As I said, UNTIL TODAY, a 5-day ticket costs only 25 Euros if registered ONLINE. After today the 5-day price shoots up to 85 Euros. A big increase. A walk-up day-pass will cost 60 Euros. Wow.

Now I'm fearing something will happen when I show up and they won't have me on the press list. Would I be willing to pay 60 Euros per day for entry? Not likely. But at the very least I'm in Barcelona and 6 days to spend seeing the sights again, walking the Barrio Gótico, admiring the Barcelona architecture and buildings designed by the great Antonio Gaudi, taking photos, eating and drinking well, and hopefully taking a tour or two. So if all fails, at least I'm in cool Barcelona!

useful links:
Alimentaria Barcelona
Barcelona Tourist information
Barcelona Lodging (don't wait 'til the last minute!)

U2 in Barcelona: Concert Tour Begins HERE!

2009-07-02T10:51:00.006+02:00

The perennial Irish rock group U2 will play a second concert tonight in Barcelona's Camp Nou Stadium, home to the city's FC Barcelona football team.

Tonight's was an add-on show after a sold-out show on June 30, the actual first concert tour date on the 2-year "360-degree" tour schedule. Tonight's U2 concert is also sold-out.

90,000 tickets were quickly sold-out for the first show upon going onsale and the second add-on show, well, also sold out quickly. So much for economic crises, right? Tickets were sold anywhere from 150 Euros to 350 Euros each.

About $100,000,000 was spent on the 31-city world tour but it seems to be money well-spent as U2 concerts typically sell out.

A friend of mine - a member of the U2 Fan Club - had 2 tickets to sell to tonight's concert. HE WAS ONLY ASKING FACE VALUE for them, too! That's 45 Euros each, folks! Why didn't I buy them?!?!?

Barcelona wins Copa del Rey 2009

2009-05-14T12:09:00.005+02:00

I don't normally write about sports topics on my blogs but this one warranted mention.

Last night, F.C. Barcelona beat Athletic de Bilbao 4-1 to secure their 25th Copa del Rey title, their first since 1998.

After Athletic de Bilbao's initial goal by Gaizca Toquero 9-minutes into the match, Barcelona answered with goals by Yaya Toure, Lionel Messi, Bojan Krkic, and Xavi Hernandez.

The win was clear by the end of the match. But the mystery and controversy came to those not present in the stadium. TVE, Spain's national television station, did not include the audio of the Spanish National Hymn at the beginning of the match when both teams were lined up on the field at attention. Why? It seems to me that the hymm was rendered inaudible due to the Catalan and Basque fans' whistles and boos of disapproval of not only the King's presence at the match, but also the fact that both regions are fighting for their independence from the country. Later, TVE replayed the Spanish National Hymn but with the jeers and boos edited out. Someone on the radio this morning, debating last night's game and TVE's presumed censorship, commented that there should be a separation of Sports and Politics. I couldn't agree with that more.

(see video below of the hymm and the goals)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona Movie Review Summary

2008-11-18T08:29:00.007+01:00

Yesterday, I finally saw the (written & directed) Woody Allen movie, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (official website link at left - not Firefox-friendly, though). It was good! Not great, but definitely good.

The movie stars the Allen-fave Scarlett Johansson as "Cristina", Rebecca Hall as "Vicky" (who doesn't even get top-three billing!), and Spaniards Javier Bardem & Penélope Cruz - who has the smallest role of all and yet gets SECOND-billing. The latter surprises me only somewhat. Rebecca Hall, while lesser known, has every bit of time onscreen as Scarlett Johansson but her name is lost in the "Also appearing" credits at the bottom of the movie poster.

But this isn't your typical Woody Allen movie. First, Allen doesn't act or narrate the movie. GOOD! I think most moviegoers these days are a bit tired of the fast-paced dialogue and neurotic character of him. He definitely knows how to write, though, and wisely - yet curiously - chose a young man's voice to narrate the film. We never find out who this man is. Just a narrator!

For movies like this one, knowing I'd have to someday review it, I purposely shielded myself from video clips, reading other reviews, or talking to friends about the movie. But still, while most of the film takes places in and near Barcelona City - as well as some scenes in Oviedo - I'm surprised by the lack of "buzz" for this movie here in Spain. And Spaniards absolutely LOVE Woody Allen. This seems to be his second home, constantly being honored with film-related awards and seemingly constantly playing his clarinet in big concerts in San Sebastian and other northern cities.

Movie Summary:

Vicky & Cristina, both American east-coast, big-city 20-somethings decide to go to Barcelona for the summer - each with their own reasons. Vicky, an impetuously wild spirit, wants to clear her head after yet another stormy and failed relationship. Cristina is having one last adventure as a single, goal-driven and responsible woman before getting married to the "perfect-yet-boring" man.

Vicky & Cristina meet bold Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem) at a Barcelona restaurant after Vicky continues to stare at him from their table. He's a free-thinking, socially and sexually liberal painter with a fiery past - and ongoing - relationship with his ex-wife, Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz). Juan Antonio walks over to meet them and immediately invites them both to fly to Oviedo for a weekend of wine-tasting, sight seeing, and threesome sex. Cristina is shocked and rejects him but Vicky is intrigued. Still, they both fly to Oviedo with him in his friend's 4-seater plane.

During the weekend, circumstances shift. While Vicky becomes sick and stays in bed from an existing ulcer, Cristina falls for Juan Antonio and has a beautiful, profoundly romantic experience with him, forever changing her concept of love and dedication.

The movie continues and Cristina comes to her senses, re-committing herself to her visiting fiance. Vicky's health improves and she falls more deeply in love with Juan Antonio, moving in with him to his house/painting-studio, and Cristina never shares her secret love affair with Vicky.

It's while Vicky is Juan Antonio's live-in-lover that suicidal Maria Elena first appears, recently released from the hospital for a near-overdose of pills. She's tortured and also an artist (cliché??!!), still deeply in love with her ex-husband Juan Antonio. Due to her fragile condition, Juan Antonio invites Maria Elena to move in with them. Shocked, Vicky reluctantly agrees.

Days pass and the three of them grow close. They live the stereotypical bohemian life in the rural art studio with impassioned painting, deep discussions, and two-way, three-way, heterosexual, and lesbian sex with interchangeable partners under the same roof.

Everything goes perfectly well for awhile but surprisingly it's Vicky whom removes herself from the situation, saying it's just too-much for her, and she decides to travel France for the last couple of weeks of the summer. Shortly thereafter, Juan Antonio and Maria Elena are left alone again to their stormy and self-destructive ways as a couple. Maria Elena leaves.

Juan Antonio reconnects with Cristina who can't stop thinking about him and her eye-opening experiences with him in Oviedo. With Cristina's fiance playing golf with friends, she meets Juan Antonio one more time, not having to wonder forever if HE was the ONE for her. They're interrupted by drunken and crazed Maria Elena who's carrying a gun and threatening murder and-or suicide.

At the end of their summer in Barcelona, Vicky is still searching for unrealistic love but Cristina's concept of love and passion is RE-defined forever - yet she presumably goes back to marry her "perfect man".

BarcelonaMan's review:

The movie's end is, at least for me, left with nothing but untied ends, something "they say" shouldn't be done in a Hollywood movie. But Woody Allen movies are rarely your typical Hollywood fare - so in that regard it's a positive thing. The point of the movie is not necessarily to simply entertain but to cause us to question love and passion, how they are or should be, how fleeting love and passion are in a relationship, and the differences between "loving" and "being in love."

Barcelona Sights Seen in the Movie:

We really don't see much of Barcelona. It must be difficult filming someplace where there are LOTS of people milling about at all times. For this reason, most scenes are either close-up or far-away. We see just a bit of Antonio Gaudi's Parc Güell (the painted tile mosaic lizard), a bit of some of the rides of the Tibidabo Amusement Park and a hazy horizon of Barcelona City below, Gaudi's Sagrada Familia towers and 2-seconds of the inside roof, 10-seconds from atop Gaudi's Casa Mila - La Pedrera while walking among the chimney pots, a brief closeup scene of looking at birds on La Rambla, and a couple no-dialogue scenes of Vicky taking photos in the Barrio Gótico.

Final Thoughts & Observations:

"Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is worth a look and it will make you think a bit about the concept of love and relationship. I have to say that while watching this movie I thought several times, "Ho! Every place they live, all the restaurants where they eat, all the sights they see are just too perfect!" They're kindly housed in the mansion of friends-of-American-friends in Barcelona's outskirts, but they also stay in a beautiful, historic, 5-Star Hotel de la Reconquista in Oviedo City, but also attend an intimate, romantic, 8-person wine-drinking, outdoor-gazebo-setting private performance by a Spanish guitarrist which made me say, "That NEVER happens unless you know the guitarrist personally!" Apparently Juan Antonio is an insider with such things. The movie's music is pretty good, with Paco de Lucia's "Entre Dos Aguas" played at least three times in the movie.

Movie Trailers:

Links:

http://www.vickycristina-movie.com/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497465/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicky_Cristina_Barcelona
http://www.hoteldelareconquista.com/
http://www.tibidabo.es/
http://www.sagradafamilia.org/

10 Best Terrace Bars in Barcelona

2008-08-14T10:52:00.007+02:00

The below is a translated article from a 9 July 2008 20MINUTOS.es publication:

Sunsets, shade, and lots of cocktails in the 10 best terrace bars in all of Barcelona

20MINUTOS.ES. 09.07.2008 - 21:01h

Dozens of refreshing summer terraces in the Catalan capital.
Are of all prices and for all likes.
Can enjoy some wonderful views.
Vote here for your favorite terrace bar.

1. Terrace of Restaurante Spiritual.

Address: Museu Marítim. C/ Avinguda de les Drassanes, s/n. Tel.: 93 317 52 56.
Comfort (1, uncomfortable; 5, very comfortable): 5
Aesthetic (1, not very nice looking; 5, very nice looking): 5
Views (1, few good views; 5, wonderful views): 1
Relaxing (1, very relaxing, 5, very active): 3
Prices: Beer: 2 euros | Soft drinks: 1,75 euros | Mixed drinks: 8 euros.

2. Terrace of Textil Café

Address: Museu Textil. C/ Montcada, 12. Tel.: 93 268 25 98.
Comfort (1, uncomfortable. 5; very comfortable): 3
Aesthetic (1, not very nice looking. 5; very nice looking): 2
Views (1, few good views. 5; wonderful views): 3
Relaxing (1, very relaxing. 5; very active): 4
Prices: Beer: 2 euros | Soft drinks: 2 euros | Mixed drinks: 5 euros.

3. Terrace of Hogar Extremeño de Barcelona.

Address: C/Portal de l'Angel, 4. Tel.: 93 302 40 70.
Comfort (1, uncomfortable; 5, very comfortable): 3
Aesthetic (1, not very nice looking; 5, very nice looking): 3
Views (1, few good views. 5; wonderful views): 1
Relaxing (1, very relaxing; 5, very active): 1
Prices: Beer: 1,50 euros | Soft drinks: 2 euros | Mixed drinks: 5 euros.

4. Romantic Garden of Ateneu barcelonés.

Address: C/Canuda, 6. Tel.: 93 343 61 21 .
Comfort (1, uncomfortable; 5, very comfortable): 5
Aesthetic (1, not very nice looking; 5, very nice looking): 5
Views (1, few good views; 5, wonderful views): 1
Relaxing (1, very relaxing; 5, very active): 1
Prices: Beer: 1,60 euros | Soft drinks: 1,30 euros | Mixed drinks: 3,50 euros.

5. Terrace of Restaurante Portinyol del Museu d'Història de Catalunya

Address: C/Plaça Pau i Vila, 3. Tel.: 93 221 17 46.
Comfort (1, uncomfortable; 5, very comfortable): 5
Aesthetic (1, not very nice looking; 5, very nice looking): 4
Views (1, few good views; 5, wonderful views): 5
Relaxing (1, very relaxing; 5, very active): 1
Prices: Beer: 2 euros | Soft drinks: 2 euros | Mixed drinks: 4 euros.

6. Terrace of Cafè d'Estiu

Address: C/Plaça de Sant Iu, 5-6. Tel.: 93 310 30 14.
Comfort (1, uncomfortable; 5, very comfortable): 3
Aesthetic (1, not very nice looking; 5, very nice looking): 5
Views (1, few nice views; 5, wonderful views): 3
Relaxing (1, very relaxing; 5, very active): 1
Prices: Beer: 2 euros | Soft drinks: 2 euros | Mixed drinks: 5 euros.

7. Terrace of Mirablau

Address: C/Plaça del Doctor Andreu , s/n. Tel.: 93.418.58.79.
Comfort (1, uncomfortable; 5, very comfortable): 5
Aesthetic (1, not very good looking; 5, very good looking): 5
Views (1, few good views; 5, wonderful views): 2
Relaxing (1, very relaxing; 5, very active: 1
Prices: Beer: 2,80 euros | Soft drinks: 2,40 euros | Mixed drinks: 6 euros.

8. Terrace of Torre Rosa

Address: C/ Francesc Tàrrega, 22. Tel.: 93.340.88.54.
Comfort (1, uncomfortable; 5, very comfortable): 5
Aesthetic (1, not very nice looking; 5, very nice looking): 5
Views (1, few good views; 5, wonderful views): 5
Relaxing (1, very relaxing; 5, very active): 5
Prices: Beer: 3,50 euros | Soft drink: 3,50 euros | Mixed drinks: 7,50 euros.

9. Terrace of Miramar Bar del Hotel Florida

Address: C/Carretera de Vallvidrera Al Tibidabo, 83 -93. Tel.: 93.259.30.00.
Comfort (1, uncomfortable; 5, very comfortable): 5
Aesthetic (1, not very nice looking; 5, very nice looking): 5
Views (1, few nice views; 5, wonderful views): 5
Relaxing (1, very relaxing; 5, very active): 5
Prices: Beer: 5,80 euros | Soft drinks: 5 euros | Mixed drinks: 13 euros (IVA not included).

10. Terrace of Hotel Duquesa de Cardona

Address: C/Passeig de Colon, 12. Tel.: 93 268 90 90.
Comfort (1, uncomfortable; 5, very comfortable): 5
Aesthetic (1, not very nice looking; 5, very nice looking): 5
Views (1, few nice views; 5, wonderful views): 5
Relaxing (1, very relaxing; 5, very active): 4
Prices: Beer: 4,50 euros | Soft drinks: 3,50 euros | Mixed drinks: 10,90 euros.

VOTE IN THE LIST OF THE BEST TERRACE IN BARCELONA

Rain Relieves Barcelona Drought - a little

2008-05-13T20:59:00.005+02:00

It's been raining in Barcelona for much of the last two weeks and more rain is forecast for the coming 10 days. The region welcomes the water-filled skies with open arms, open mouths, and open umbrellas. And with good reason! Barcelona is in a full-scale drought alert. Many reservoirs are at 20% capacity, decorative city fountains have been turned off, and water prices have risen substantially. Bars and restaurants are even charging for tap water.

Today was the first day that Barcelona began receiving shipments of water from the Spanish city of Tarragona by way of Panamanian-flagged tanker ships. Future ships will come from southern France. This will help quench the thirsty residents of Barcelona. But this is just the beginning of 3-months of such water tankers to dock in Barcelona's Port. However great this shipment appears to be, it will only provide Barcelona with a tiny 6% of their monthly water consumption.

But the ships are only a small part of a bigger solution. Roughly 180 Million Euros is being spent to construct a water pipeline from the Ebro River to bring water to Barcelona until a desalination plant - which would be the largest in Europe - is constructed in May 2009.

Let's all hope the rains continue in Catalonia/Catalunya/Cataluña. We all enjoy a green Barcelona and our human cells need H2O too!

Barcelona Drought: water pipeline to Barcelona

2008-04-17T12:21:00.007+02:00

The worst Barcelona drought in 50 years continues - and no relief in sight from the cloudless Catalonia skies - the Spanish and Catalonia governments agreed to build a 60km pipeline from the Tarragona region to the Catalonia Capital of Barcelona to supply the city with water.

Oddly, at least to me, the water taken from the Tarragona region is water from the Ebro River which apparently goes to waste due to inefficient irrigation systems. Wasted water is of no use to anyone - except for the natural water cycle - but emergency use can be put to the 50 cubic hectometres of water they expect to pump.

Plans to divert water from the Ebro River to Barcelona, which seem like a natural albeit temporary solution, have brought protests from the Murcia and Valencia regions. A new desalinization/desalination plant will to go into operation in a year's time, giving much relief to Barcelona and the Catalonia region. The Catalonia government also plans to ship water by freighter from France and other parts of Spain.

Desalination seems to be the best long-term solution of them all - but it might be wiser if it took water not from the Mediterranean but from the Atlantic ocean if the proper permits can be acquired and the west-to-east Spanish water pipeline can be built. They do it for oil so why can't it be done for water?

The answer to the above is probably simple: MONEY. OIL is much more valuable than water. Humans NEED water to survive. We've already proven that we can live without oil although it'd be difficult.

Catalonia water reserves are at about 20% of lower in most of the reservoirs and the cost of public water usage as risen, causing restaurant and bar owners to charge for tap water or only serve bottled water.

If the cost of water goes up we can assume the cost of Catalonia-brewed beer, Catalonia produced soft drinks, and even Catalonia Cava will rise too as their principal ingredient is, you got it, H2O.

Barcelona AVE Train to Madrid Now Open

2008-02-23T10:42:00.013+01:00

The high-speed AVE train connecting Madrid and Barcelona was finally completed and its first official trip took place on 20 February 2008.

Media outlets all of Spain ran a story about it including multi-page articles on the topic with graphics, photos, interviews, and (at least) one newspaper even made an interesting "stop watch" comparison, step-by-step, of Train Travel to Barcelona versus Airplane Travel to Barcelona. I'll discuss this later.

A 16-year wait has finally come to pass. FINALLY! The first high-speed train run between the two cities arrives ahead of schedule and more than 70,000 tickets have ALREADY been sold for future trips. Wow. That's incredible.

The Nuts-and-Bolts:
There are 17 trains going in each direction per day, from Barcelona Sants train station to Madrid Atocha train station, with a total capacity of 13,498 passengers per day. The best/fastest travel time is 2 hours and 38 minutes but other AVE trains take 3 hours or up to 3.5 hours. Check RENFE.es for schedule and prices (up to 62 days in advance). Until last Friday, the fastest Barcelona-Madrid train trip took about 4 hours. Stops from Barcelona include Tarragona, Lleida, Zaragoza, Guadalajara, and Madrid. Top speed is about 300 kmph but average speed is only about 200 kmph. Seating configuration for the upper, "Peferente class", where one can plug-in their electronic device at their seat, is a "thin" 2 x 1 - one seat on one side of the aisle and two seats on the other side, all seats face forward. Tourist class seating configuration remains the typical 2 seats on each side of the aisle and no electronic device plug-ins available. I believe all seats face forward in tourist class too.

PRICES: 119.50 Euros is the general, Tourist Class price for the trip. Yikes! But buying your ticket on the web (which proves to be confusing and difficult to foreigners visiting Spain) costs only 47.80 Euros. Preferente Class prices are much higher. General ticket price is 179.30 Euros one-way. No cheaper, web-purchase tickets are available for this class. Breakfast is included in the morning, Preferente Class tickets. Before the AVE was open for business, I'd made this trip once using Preferente Class service but didn't find the "free breakfast", slightly larger seats, and somewhat more-nicely-dressed attendants to be worth the huge difference in price.

The ESTRELLA Barcelona-Madrid night train still exists, taking about 9.5 hours and costing as little as 38 Euros one-way.

Comparisons of Train travel versus Plane travel from Barcelona to Madrid have been made and both sides both win and lose - depending on the passengers objective.

If price is the deciding factor, AVE train travel wins, costing about 58 Euros less than airplane travel - including presumed taxi costs from/to train-station/airport.

If speed is the deciding factor, airplane travel wins, taking roughly 25 minutes less than AVE train.

If comfort is the deciding factor, BarcelonaMan claims that train travel wins over airplane travel. Why? Train travel involves faster lines in security, less standing/waiting for the actual trip. Plus, on long-distance trains you have a greater range of motion, more space per seat, wider aisles and more abundant, larger restrooms. There's also a selection of recorded music "stations" to which to listen with the free, provided earphones as well as at least one movie. Not sure how they'll show entire movies on the new shorter/faster train routes though. And maybe the best thing about train travel is.... The Bar Car, almost always open, is ready to serve the passenger breakfast, lunch, snacks, sandwiches, beer, or coffee while standing at the bar or along the large windowed walls, providing oftentimes wonderful views of the (in this case) FAST-PASSING countryside. And the "Captain" never saids, "Please return to your seats. We're experiencing turbulence."

The Alternative: Bus Travel from Barcelona to Madrid: The trip takes between 7.5 and 8.0 hours and costs between 27 Euros and 37 Euros. The bus company making this route is ALSA. Saves 10-20 Euros but takes, ugh, 4-5 hours longer. My lower back tightens just thinking about it.

Watch the sparkly 6-minute RENFE Barcelona-Madrid AVE video at http://www.renfe.es/video.html or immediately below with nice music and visuals. No language spoken but Spanish textual details are given regarding the trip.

The Down Low: If one can make their purchases via the website (one must first create an account and have prior personal contact with RENFE, verifying your account at the train station), it can really save a lot of time and add to the comfort and pleasure of the trip - including the same at your destination. There's nothing worse than arriving for your "Trip of a Lifetime" all tired, worn-out, and stiff from a long trip - like how you feel after getting off an overseas flight. I can't imagine spending 8-12 hours on an airplane, landing in Madrid or Barcelona, and then taking an 8-hour bus ride or getting on another airplane shortly thereafter.

Enjoy Spain's Wonderful Train Travel Network!

Barcelona Malaga High Speed Train plan set!

2008-01-31T12:40:00.000+01:00

After MUCH ado about nothing for the last several decades, lots of talk and little action, Development minister Magdalena Alvarez has finally revealed top secret plans about the upcoming Barcelona-Malaga High Speed Train (AVE) connection.

The greatest surprise of the aforementioned announcement is that the AVE train will not pass through Madrid. Talk about cutting out the long-standing middle man! How will the affect Madrid's commercial standing? Probably not too much. They may lose some money on the sandwiches and coffee they would've otherwise sold during the 35 minute layover but that's probably about all.

The "Direct Train Line" (which includes several stops along the way) will shave off 5 hours from the otherwise exhausting 13 hour trip between the two cities.

Currently, there are only two trains per day making this route; one leaves Barcelona at 8am and the other is a night train or "Train Hotel", leaving Barcelona at 9:30 at night and arriving in Malaga the next morning at 9:49am. I can't bare to imagine how I would feel after sitting for 13 hours!! At the very least on a train you can get up and walk around somewhat casually, go to the dining/bar car, have a sizable toilet in which to do your "business", and movies and recorded musical stations - in Spanish. But still, it takes its toll, I'm sure.

No projected date has been set yet for the grand opening of the Barcelona-to-Malaga train line. My guess is it won't happen for another 10 years - but at least now they're more seriously considering it.

Barcelona Drought - Water Delivery

2008-01-10T12:19:00.000+01:00

Barcelona's drought continues to worsen and drastic steps must be taken.

The first consideration is to ship water to Barcelona - by ship - from the French from the Rhone River in Marseille, France. Other considerations include receiving shipments of water from the Tarragona or even, more drastically, a desalinization of Mediterranean waters from Murcia.

10 years have passed since the Barcelona region has experienced such low levels of rain. But Barcelona isn't the only city or region which has had so little rain. Most of Spain has had the same problem in 2007.

The Catalan government continues to ask its residents to conserve water. If drought conditions continue when the summertime dry season arrives, the region will be in a desperate state.

In 2009, Catalunya hopes to start its own desalinization program for its citizens use. The desalinization plant would be located between Barcelona and Tarragona. What would this do to the water levels in the Mediterranean? Aren't special permissions required from the European Union or the neighboring countries?

So when in Barcelona, don't expect to be offered a glass of tap water in area restaurants. Besides, it's not the custom in Spain. You have to request water. And be sure to specify TAP water ("agua de grifo") - if that's what you want - or your waiter will bring you bottled water. Or just avoid the whole issue and order wine!!

Be sure to read the article entitled, "Drought and Desertification of Spain".

La Cabalgata de Reyes de Barcelona

2008-01-05T16:06:00.000+01:00

It's that time of year again when the Cabalgata de Reyes Magos passes through Barcelona City - as well as through the different districts in smaller versions. The parade is a celebration for tomorrow's Reyes Magos de Oriente holiday when these Magic Kings bring presents to all the good girls and boys.

At 5:30pm today, the "The Three Wise Men" - Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltasar - arrive in Barcelona's Portal de la Pau.

The annual Christmas parade starts at 6:30pm at the Avenida del Marquès de l'Argentera and will pass through Via Laietana, Plaza del Àngel, Urquinaona, Calle de Fontanella, Plaza de Catalunya, Calle de Pelai, Plaza de la Universitat, Ronda de Sant Antoni, Calle de Sepúlveda, Vilamarí, Lleida, Rius i Taulet, and, finally, the Fuente Mágica de Montjuïc. The parade ends at approximately 9pm.

While the tens of thousands of children await the arrival of the Reyes Magos de Oriente - and the 15,000 kilos of tiny candies thrown their way - little do they realize this is costing their parents (and the City of Barcelona) 400,000 Euros. Wow! I'm totally in favor of tradition and annual Christmas parades but 400,000 Euros!! (source)

Also, this is the first year in several decades which TVE, Spain's national television station, will NOT be broadcasting Barcelona's Cabalgata live. Instead, TVE's news magazine program "España Directa" will televise Barcelona's Cabalgata in delayed broadcast. But to watch the Cabalgata LIVE in Barcelona you'll have to be tuned to BTV, Barcelona's local television station.

One can watch BTV live online - IN CATALÁN language - on the internet via the BarcelonaTV link on BarcelonaMan's Barcelona Radio, TV, Music, and Movies page. The broadcast begins at 4:40pm.

Barcelona Bus Drivers Strike

2008-01-03T21:28:00.000+01:00

The bus drivers strike in Barcelona City ends tomorrow - for now.

The strike, with dates of 21-24 December 2007 and 2-4 January 2008, is coming to an end. The bus drivers, whom work 6-days per week, are asking for a 5-day work week. Seems fair to me. But with that, no doubt, will also come a lower weekly salary.

Barcelona also has the metro, thankfully, but with the entire city depending on the already busy metro system, PARTICULARLY during the holidays when people are most on the movie, this a not very positive alternative. Many older persons prefer buses to metro and can't afford taxis - although it's probably the taxis whom benefiting from this conflict.

A number of Barcelona bus drivers are being blamed for sabotage of the 54 buses operated by "scabs". "Scabs" are people whom go against the strike and work instead of striking. Bus stations were also vandalized with spray paint, expressing the wants of the strikers.

How do you feel about the bus strike in Barcelona? Share your views, opinions here. It's unfortunate workers must resort to striking but, of course, employers are typically slow or apprehensive offering "more" when they can get away with less.

Barcelona 0 - 1 Real Madrid

2007-12-24T11:53:00.000+01:00

Last night Real Madrid defeated Barcelona in Camp Nou Stadium, 1-0. A sad loss in front of the majority of the 98,000 persons in attendance and certainly NOT the holiday "gift" Barcelona was expecting, being favored for the match-up.

The single goal was scored in the first half by Real Madrid's Julio Baptista from Brazil, giving Real not only the eventual win but also a 7-point lead in La Liga.

FC Barcelona has a short Christmas and New Years break until hosting visiting Alcoyano on 2 January 2008.

Barça meets Real Madrid again in Madrid's Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on 7 May 2008. Let's see if FC Barcelona can turn the tables.

FC Barcelona, Real Madrid Football Grudge Match

2007-12-15T10:39:00.000+01:00

It's that time again...

"LET'S GET READY TO..."
(...you know what - it's trademarked)

FC Barcelona faces Real Madrid in their first meeting of this season on the Estadio Camp Nou turf on December 23, 2007 (unless the date changes - which happens sometimes).

This time, Real Madrid has more to lose than FC Barcelona as Real Madrid is leading the Spanish Primera Division, just ahead of Barça.

While watching this football game will likely be a pay-per-view event (how can it NOT be??), one can likely catch it in any Barcelona bar, Madrid bar, or likely ANY BAR in Spain!

One can ALSO MOST CERTAINLY listen live to the game via any one of the number of online radio stations listed on the Barcelona Radio, TV, Movies, and Movies page on BarcelonaMan.com. Radio Nacional de España is a likely choice for the football broadcast as is MARCA. Of course, the broadcast will be given in Spanish. Or if you're listening through one of the Barcelona radio station, then, in Catalán.

Finally, for those who don't understand Spanish or Catalán, you can watch the ESPNsoccernet, click Europe, then Spanish La Liga, then Scores, and choose your team/matchup, then click Gamecast (live, graphical and textual play-by-play action).

Their NEXT meeting of this season will be in Madrid's Estadio Santiago Bernabéau on May 7, 2008.

Whom do I want to win? Can I choose a 2-2 tie??

Cirque du Soleil's DELIRIUM in Barcelona

2007-12-11T00:34:00.000+01:00

Cirque du Soleil's DELIRIUM
tour is coming to Barcelona!!!

Upcoming DELIRIUM show dates for Barcelona AND Valencia are listed below. If they're not sold out yet, be sure to try to see this incredible performance. You'll REALLY be glad you did.

Valencia, ES Feria Valencia	2007/12/13 - 21h30 2007/12/14 - 21h30 2007/12/15 - 21h30 2007/12/16 - 21h00
Barcelona, ES PALAU SANT JORDI	2007/12/19 - 21h30 2007/12/20 - 21h30 2007/12/21 - 21h30 2007/12/22 - 18h00 2007/12/22 - 21h30

I was VERY fortunate to get into last Saturday night's DELIRIUM show in Madrid. All the other shows were sold out but they'd added one show to Saturday to accommodate the demand. And thanks goodness they did! WHAT A SHOW!

It was 1 hour and 40 minutes of music, sights, sounds, and incredible dancing, spinning, jumping, balancing, and dangling!

THE MUSIC is largely live (listen to music clips HERE), performed by live bands and professional singers - many times the vocal artists were suspended by wires and floating above the action below. From the African drummers to the Rock Bands and professional singers it is an audio experience worth owning on any CD - or better yet, on DVD!

Watch a short video of Delirium:
( press play )

From their website:

About DELIRIUM

An urban tale
With visually stunning tableaux in which music and projections meld together seamlessly, DELIRIUM is a contemporary urban tale, a quest for balance in a world increasingly out of sync with reality. Bill – the main character – is an ordinary man living inside a bubble, more and more recluse in a society where even relationships are “virtual,” and where television and computers have become ubiquitous devices that isolate us from one another.

A delirious sensory folly
Everything in Bill’s urban life further draws him into an imaginary, virtual world. On his journey he meets myriad characters that bring him little by little on the cusp of growth and change. He eventually learns to ground his energy into the real world. At the end of his voyage, Bill contaminates the people of his planet and enlists them in his quest for balance.

DELIRIUM is a delirious sensory folly where music unites space, individual and society in a world marked by solitude and isolation. The subtext of DELIRIUM is the notion that, in life, we must join together—escape our solitary cocoons—to survive.

Music in motion
Injecting new life into the 21 songs chosen among Cirque du Soleil’s most memorable musical moments, DELIRIUM is based on a musical rather than an acrobatic structure—a first for Cirque du Soleil. Melodies, musicians and singers are the driving force of this show that features a series of tableaux made up of images ranging from prerecorded visuals to manipulated live feeds that create interactions between the artists and the audience. Featuring new texts in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, the 21 remixed melodies mark a significant departure from the music Cirque du Soleil fans have come to expect.

The music of DELIRIUM—“urban tribal beats” that combine percussive driven pop and electronic music with melodious ballads and world rhythm sounds—take the audience on an incandescent journey into the musical realm of Cirque du Soleil and the aerial world of Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon.

Barcelona.com: Who Owns It?

2007-12-09T10:58:00.000+01:00

Believe it or not, the domain name BARCELONA.com is NOT owned by the City of Barcelona - but by an American company in the State of Delaware by Barcelona.com, Inc. ("Bcom, Inc.")

Surprised? Maybe so. Maybe not. Maybe you don't care. The STORY of the path and battle for the domain name of Barcelona.com is long, murky, and messy.

There are 4 Steps here:

Step 1: The registration of Barcelona.com
Step 2: WIPO arbitration favors transfer of domain name to Barcelona
Step 3: The USA District Court upholds WIPO's decision to transfer name
Step 4: The appeal, reversal of decision by the USA Eastern District Court

Now - and nearly always - Barcelona.com has been a Barcelona city focused travel and tourism portal. It's quite possibly THE MOST visited Barcelona-related website on the internet - although the City of Barcelona's website, http://www.barcelona.es/ , is a big player with its own English version and categories on all things regarding tourism.

Step 1) Barcelona.com was registered as a domain name in 1996 in the USA by a man and his wife - both Spanish citizens.

The 1999 complaint was made to Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers"ICANN") and the World Intellectual Property Organization Court in Virginia, USA but then reversed by the District Court of Appeals in the same state for the abbreviated following reasons. (see full transcript HERE - interesting reading but with lots of "Legal Speak")

When we apply the Lanham Act, not Spanish law, in determining whether Bcom, Inc.’s registration and use of is unlawful, the ineluctable conclusion follows that Bcom, Inc.’s registration and use of the name "Barcelona" is not unlawful. Under the Lanham Act, and apparently even under Spanish law, the City Council could not obtain a trademark interest in a purely descriptive geographical designation that refers only to the City of Barcelona. See 15 U.S.C. § 1052(e)(2); see also Spanish Trademark Law of 1988, Art. 11(1)(c) (forbidding registration of marks consisting exclusively of "geographical origin"). Under United States trademark law, a geographic designation can obtain trademark protection if that designation acquires secondary meaning. See, e.g., Resorts of Pinehurst, Inc. v. Pinehurst Nat’l Corp., 148 F.3d 417, 421 (4th Cir. 1998). On the record in this case, however, there was no evidence that the public — in the United States or elsewhere — associates "Barcelona" with anything other than the City itself. Indeed, the Chief Director of the City Council submitted an affidavit stating that "[t]he City does not own and is not using any trademarks in the United States, to identify any goods or services." Therefore, under United States trademark law, "Barcelona" should have been treated as a purely descriptive geographical term entitled to no trademark protection. See 15 U.S.C. § 1052(e)(2). It follows then that there was nothing unlawful about Nogueras’ registration of , nor is there anything unlawful under United States trademark law about Bcom, Inc.’s continued use of that domain name.

For these reasons, we conclude that Bcom, Inc. established entitlement to relief under 15 U.S.C. § 1114(2)(D)(v) with respect to the domain name , and accordingly we reverse the district court’s ruling in this regard.

Step 2) The (original) Decision in favor of the City of Barcelona...

Read the original 2000 World Intellectual Property Organization Arbitration and Mediation Center (a.k.a."WIPO") case and decision below:

WIPO Decision: Excelentisimo Ayuntamiento de Barcelona v. Barcelona.com Inc. - Text of [2000] decision to transfer Barcelona.com from Barcelona.com Inc. to Excelentisimo Ayuntamiento de Barcelona by panelist Marino Porzio.

Step 3) The case in the USA Eastern District Court upholding the WIPO case in favor of The City of Barcelona...

Article:
"Court rules against barcelona.com"
Published Tuesday 5th March 2002
A Spanish travel site is considering an appeal against a US court's decision to strip it of its domain name.

The US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia upheld an earlier ruling ordering the owners of barcelona.com had to hand over the domain to the Barcelona City Council. (more ...)

The Final (?) Step 4) Successful reversal and appeal; returning Barcelona.com to its original owners.

An abbreviation of the same case can be read on the iBusinessLaw.info article below:

Clarity and Good Sense from the 4th Circuit on ACPA [Domain Names] -- posted at 10:10 pm
6/3/2003
The Fourth Circuit yesterday reversed one of the most outrageous cybersquatting decisions to emerge from the Eastern District of Virginia. Barcelona.com, Inc. v. Excelentisimo Ayuntamiento de Barcelona, No. 02-1396 (4th. Cir. Jun. 2, 2003). The appellate decision stands as perhaps the most cogent statement of the jurisdictional and substantive basis for “review” of UDRP decisions by a federal court. (more ...)

The aforementioned Barcelona.com case was truly unusual, practically setting precedent because the ruling was contrary to the vast majority of WIPO decisions relative to geographic identifier domain disputes.

Not surprisingly, in great part due to the "path" of the Barcelona.com domain name, all subsequent WIPO cases on geographic identifier domain disputes have not ruled in favor of the city/country authority in claiming a domain name except for some very special circumstances.

So to sum up this mess, the domain name of Barcelona.com remains - at least for now - with its original owners whom acted fast, first, and with a plan. Who would've thought - or WOULDN'T have thought - it would become (one of) the largest Barcelona portals on the Internet?

Barcelona Chip by AMD

2007-12-08T13:50:00.000+01:00

Intel's biggest computer microprocessor rival, AMD (Advanced Micro Devices Inc.), has a newer, better, faster micro chip call the "Barcelona chip". The city of Barcelona should be flattered, right?

The latest news from AMD is that the microchip's release will be delayed until the first quarter of 2008, causing not-so-hushed giggles from the Intel Corportation camp.

December 6, 2007 Article: AMD'S Barcelona Chip Sees More Delays

What does this little Barcelona news snippet have to do with Barcelona, Spain? Not much! Surely AMD is hoping the name-branding will give its new microchip a flashy, artsy, modernistic ring.

BarcelonaMan's FIRST Barcelona Blog Entry

2007-12-07T17:00:00.000+01:00

Welcome to BarcelonaMan's Blog!

It's all gotta start somewhere, doesn't it? So here goes, BarcelonaMan's first foray into blogging.

Here I'll discuss Barcelona's news items and events - some political and some sports - while also entertaining readers with my own personal experiences, Barcelona photos, favorite Barcelona restaurants and monuments, and even some entries on Barcelona lodgings.

But why Barcelona? And who is this BarcelonaMan guy? Both are good questions.

According to Wikipedia's page on Barcelona, the Catalán city is populated by 1.6 MILLION inhabitants. Many of those citizens are of Catalán heritage. A strong minority are from many other places in Spain - and the world - making it a kind of Spanish melting pot, if you will.

If you're not Spanish you probably don't know the following... MANY Catalánes don't feel Spanish.

HUH?! HOW can one be a citizen of XYZ Nation and NOT feel a national in the country in which you live??

Many Catalánes, instead, feel Catalán and would very much prefer NOT to be part of the nation of Spain but rather their own country, their own governing entity. They'd like to become a kind of ANDORRA if possible. This alone makes Barcelona unique - but it's certainly not the ONLY thing.

The obvious aspect of ARTISTIC Barcelona is unavoidable and I'll go into some detail about that here.

Simply walking the streets, beachfront, and and Gothic Quarter of Barcelona really tells the whole story. While every European city has its own "Old Town", Barcelona's is most definitely unique.

And just who is BarcelonaMan?? I'm one of the MANY Barcelona visitors whom fell in love with the city after only the first visit. Yes. It had quite a profound affect on me. So much so that I wanted to share my passion with others whom may have similar afflictions, having been bitten by the Barcelona Bug!

In early 2006 I started www.BarcelonaMan.com in order to help assuage my passion for the Catalán Capital. It helped - A LOT - but this new Barcelona Blog allows me to better express myself and share experiences about the city in an progressive format.

It's my sincere hope that you'll find this Barcelona Blog interesting, informative, and even entertaining.

Saludos, BarcelonaMan