2 € Tapas & Beer for Tapantoni

Every now and again you get a really great little initiative to encourage people to get out and spend a bit more, but at the same time it being great for the punters - I mean a good deal for all involved. There are a few which go out throughout the year, but this one being local to me, I noticed more. So, Tapantoni is a coming together of 20 bars, cafes and breweries in the area to offer a cheap reason to get your bum down on seats. For the measly sum of 2 € (pun intended) you get a small Tapa and beer (caña). Now if there's a better reason to get to know a few more bars around the area, I'd like to know. And even if the oldest neighbourhood in Barcelona with the oldest market (OK, I know it's undergoing a massive renovation, shhh) isn't your own neighbourhood, then pop on down.

You can check out the amazing new Moritz brewery on Ronda Sant Antoni, Peruvian food at Bar Radio, on Sepulveda 91, and you might be lucky enough to get the croquettes at Jabali on Ronda Sant Pau (trust me, they're bloody amazing). For a full list of the places, and the tapas and drink on offer, pick up a map in many of the shops or bars around that area, or download the pdf on the link here. It started on 6th and finishes on the 31st May (but check times and days which do apply)

Coming to Barcelona this Spring? Check out BCN Rentals apartments for groups as a great alternative for stuffy hotel rooms. And for a quick look at the best bits, see their Barcelona Guide, too.

Where to Buy FC Barcelona Tickets

This is a question I'm asked an awful lot and although I've written about it before on other people's sites, I thought a quick refresher would never do any harm. Everyone knows that you can buy tickets before you arrive from the official fc barcelona website and then collect them on arrival. That's always the best way, and tickets are released anywhere up to 48 hours before a match so it's best to check there even close to a match day, and even if you're arriving on that day, for example.

What often happens is that people arrive, find out there's a home game on during their stay, and fancy going to the match but can't be bothered to go all the way up to the stadium just in case there are any tickets left only to find the game is sold out and they've wasted a journey. Yes, so this post is for those lazy people! It's much easier to be visiting the central sights of Barcelona and be able to quickly check availability, right?

So, the good news is that there are a few ways you can check for tickets. The first one is ServiCaixa, the cashpoints or ATMs of La Caixa bank. That's right, you can buy football tickets at the cashpoint! How cool is that?! The bank has special machines with large screens where you can buy official tickets, choose your seating and print them out there and then. There are plenty of offices of La Caixa all over Barcelona city centre, so it's an easy option for those with a credit or debit card.

The next place you can try is the official FC Barcelona Store in Maremagnum. Hop over the bridge at the bootm of Las Ramblas, and you'll find the shopping mall area called Maremagnum, and there's an official store in there where you can buy tickets.

Another place to pick up tickets is the Spain Ticket Bureau Kiosk located towards the top end of Las Ramblas. The image below is from their website, and it's obviously an extremely central location, with a big map of the stadium and again let's you choose where to sit and get the tickets directly.

These are the best places I know to get tickets centrally, but if anyone has any other suggestions, please leave a comment and add to the list!

Fancy coming to watch the mighty Barça? OK, they crashed out pretty spectacularly of the Champions League this year, but they can pretty much wrap the league up tonight and are still in the frame to scoop up the Kings Cup. Rent an apartment for groups to save some money and enjoy the space and comfort an apartment offers over a small hotel room.

Columbus Monument Due to Re-Open in June

One of Barcelona's famous monuments, the statue of Christopher Columbus or Mirador del Colon, is due to re-open in June as  El Periodico reported recently. The column has a lift which can transport tourists up to the top to view a panorama of Las Ramblas and the Port Vell area, but has been closed since May of last year when six tourists got stuck in the lift and had to be rescued from the outside.

The reported cost of the repair work which is set to commence shortly is 200,000 Euros, which seems fairly steep for lift repair work, but the tourist board is prepared to assume the cost, given that the approximate 170,000 people that visit the monument each year generate a cool million Euros used to promote Barcelona in the tourist markets and fairs. The re-opening will coincide with the 125th anniversary of the opening of the monument - that's 1888 to save you doing the maths in your head.

I'll be completely honest, for the first year I lived here I never even knew you could go up there, and despite walking past it many an evening, I would never have thought you could fit a lift in the middle of it, never mind a viewing tower at the top although appearances can be deceptive. Now it's been given a super seal of approval over safety measures, it might just be time to pop along and have a look after all...

Anyone been up there? Any good or not really worth it ? Let me know in the comments!

And if you're coming to Barcelona this June, then check out the apartments for group bookings on offer at BCN Rentals. They have some great prices in central locations, too.

Send a Personalised Message to Someone for Sant Jordi!

This coming week is one of the most colourful celebrations in the Catalan Calendar, Sant Jordi. It's a celebration of the patron saint of Catalunya and a patriotic day where everyone takes to the streets to buy a book and exchange a rose. Las Ramblas is a particularly cool place to visit on that day! There's a great explanation in English about the story behind the tradition here.

Now, with the modern age of connectivity and all things digital, the council usually also organises something on the website for people to join in, too. We've had virtual roses in previous years and there's an Instagram iniciative too again this year, for people to share their photos with the hashtag #JoxTu (me for you) and photos are published on the web.

So this year is no different, and you can send a personalised message to your friends or family or loved ones via the website here. It's based on the idea that "for you I'd..." with some funny ones like "I'd give up gossiping on facebook", "I'd bring you breakfast on the way back from a party" (classic Barcelona there, up till the dawn - although why this person wouldn't be with you at the party escapes me), "I'd miss Barça - Madrid" and "I'd change the cat's litter box" ! It's all a good bit of fun, and I like the way that the council has decided to share this in English, too, encouraging people to join in with the celebrations and embrace the tradition (unlike they do with La Merçe, for example). So go on, send someone a message!

Fancy visiting the city with friends soon ? Group apartments are a great way to save money - check out the link for some bargains at BCN Rentals.

Ocean Colour Scene play Apolo Barcelona

One of the great things about living in a big city like Barcelona (for someone who comes from a small town in England) is the live music that visits the city. I've blogged before about the various live music venues in Barcelona and I've been lucky enough to see some amazing bands in very intimate venues that would be total sell outs back in the UK.

One of my favourite places is Apolo along Parallel. It's got that old school vibe fitting for watching live music (it's also a great place for dancing) but still feels like an old-style concert hall for example. I watched Elbow there a couple of years ago and they were amazing - the venue suits people like that. Paul Weller is another one who played there last time he was here.

So, if you're at a bit of a loose end this week, you could do no worse than nip down there, as Ocean Colour Scene are playing the Apolo on Tuesday. The britpop band are promoting their new album Painting which is out now, but you can bet they'll be re-visiting a few of their classic tunes like The Riverboat Song and The Day we caught the train from the classic Moseley Shoals album (how many memories does that conjure up?). They're a really good band live and also played the Hard Rock cafe here a couple of years ago, too. Fancy going or already got your ticket? Let me know in the comments!

Looking for a good deal for accommodation in Barcelona ? Check out BCN Rentals for some great deals on last minute apartments!

Free UK TV with Filmon

It's been a while since I last posted about the options of getting free UK TV in Spain, and in fact, my last post is so out-dated that I'm not even going to link to it. So, this is hardly a "new" service I'm blogging about, but it's one just in case there are a few people out there who haven't heard about it/want to try it for other channels.

So, I'm talking about Filmon. It's started to have a few more ads than it used to, but no more than your average You tube video. It's a great service for the usual free-to-air channels you'd get on a digibox in the UK for example (I can't say the same for the other channels from other countries as I don't know, but I imagine they're the same) so a great way to catch up with things in real time - minus the hour's difference, obviously :o).

There's an app for iPhone and Android, too which is well worth having, although it only works on wifi, not 3G. I keep up to date with the UK football, match of the day, and internationals as well as the Champions League footy on there, for example (there's a slight delay - like 1 second - so it's funny to hear the roars and cheers outside when watching Barcelona BEFORE they actually score!). Check it out if you haven't already.

Fancy a holiday with friends this spring? Check out these apartments for groups in Barcelona for a great deal instead of a hotel room! And for a what's what on the city sights, check out BCN Rentals guide to the city!