Third Annual Puppet Festival! TOT Barcelona!

Well, time flies. I had a few posts ready as drafts for the rest of February and beginning of March, but that's too late now! I'd actually like a refund on February, cos it was terrible. My kids were ill, I was ill, then they were ill again. Never seemed to stop, really. So, apart from me being super busy with work, I'll try and keep up with the blog!

What better way to start, then with another one for the kids - big and small. This weekend sees the return of the Festival TOT  - the third annual festival of puppets and theatre. Puppeteers using their feet as puppets (no, really), different versions of The Emperor's clothes, shadow shows, giants there's all sorts going on this year and as always, there are workshops for families, kids, and shows for both young and old in the evening, too.

The festival starts tomorrow night, and takes place in Poble Espanyol which is a great place to host the event up on Montjuic. This year sees the Polish company, Bialostocki, offer a puupet version of Robert Scott's journey to the South Pole in the evening for the adults. Family tickets cost 25€ and then you have to pay for the individual shows that you want to go into, but this ticket also includes entrance to Poble Espanyol, where you can spend the whole day (they have kids gyncanas and all sorts of arts and crafty things like glass blowing and pottery making, etc.) so not a bad way to spend your Saturday or Sunday, right? Anyone been before? Thinking of going this year ? Let me know in the comments!

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Cosmo Caixa Celebrates Barcelona's Forgotten Saint

Just in time for the Carnival celebrations this coming week, we have another reason to celebrate something dear to the children of Barcelona (or aren't we all children of Barcelona?) and that's the celebration of little Laia - Barcelona's forgotten Saint. Santa Eulalia, as she is better known, was a little girl who endured torture and a pretty gruesome death from the old Barcelona heirarchy due to her protests about the treatment of Christians. However, she's also remembered as the Children's patron saint of the city, and each year, the council prepares her festival, specifically centered around children's events.

So this year Cosmo Caixa is organising 3 events free of charge  - but with limited places - to tie in with the other festivities. There is an exhibition of stick insects, a seperate exhibition of fossils and dinosaurs from the Gobi desert, and a puppet show of different kinds of animals showing children the differences in nature through theatre. With more cold weather looking to come our way, might be an idea to get the kids in somewhere warm and entertan them!

There are of course, many other activities going on throughout the city to celebrate and remember Laia, and the official website for the full programme of events is here. The festival dates also co-incide with the festival of light in the city, which embraces the idea of the illumination of some of the city's best buildings and offers a different look at some of the most-seen edifices in the city - like the spectacular live "Magic House" which is broadcast onto the town hall facade and not even the rain from La Merçe last year could prevent people from "ooh-ing" and and "aah-ing". Clever stuff. There's also a clever instagram competition going on over the two days of the festival, so if you think you'll be a good snapper, check it out.

Expect all the usual cultural shenannegans like castellers, gegants, xocalatadas, dances, parades, all sorts. And of course, many of the museums open their doors during the festival too, so it's a great opportunity to soak in some more culture for free!

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Transport Strike threatens smooth run of 3GSM

With Spain facing a tough 2012 by all accounts, it was with great joy that the majority of businesses wiped their brow with relief when last summer, the World Mobile Congress decided to stay in Barcelona for its annual get together, rather than move cities as had been feared. The Congress injects a great deal of must needed cash into the city, and whilst the main winners are the hosteleria industry, it also goes a long way to promoting Barcelona on the world stage.

Each year, the congress has gone from strength to strength with keynote speakers for all of the biggest names in Mobile technology (actually over 800) as well as CEO of Google, for example. With 120 million Euros floating around to fund the congress, you can see the benefits outweigh the investment. Indeed, this year organisers are
expecting a 40% increase in visitors - surpassing the 60,000 mark.

The World Mobile Congress is held at the Fira de Barcelona

However, not everyone is happy about the arrival of the world's eyes on the Catalan Capital, and transport union along with TMB have decided to strike from the 27th February till the 1st March - the exact dates of the conference. There was a proposal to only strike for the 27th, but finally it was agreed to go whole hog and do the full confrernce dates. Some of the many complaints about the conference in previous years  - apart from security on the city streets - have been precisely about the lack of taxis to ferry people to and from La Fira. Last year saw extra taxis put on in an attempt to keep the flow of visitors running. Obviuosly this is a blow not only to the organisers of the conference but also the city council who have criticised the move claiming it will damage the brand identity of Barcelona - something the tourism board has been working on intensively for over two years.

I can completely understand both sides to the story and suspect the strikes will give rise to make people taking advantage of the situation in illegal taxi services for example, given the level of unemployment and opportunity. What do you think about the planned strikes? Can the city be held to ransom by TMB like the air traffic controllers a few years back?  Do you have anyone directly affected by the proposed strikes? Surely schools and work places will suffer as a result? Can an agreement be made before then? Let me know your comments, I'd love to hear.

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Festa Major Sant Antoni

Happy New Year everyone! Well, I'm a bit late with the well wishes but it's been a busy start to 2012 for me, so there you go. Here's hoping this year is great for everyone.

There's no messing about in Barcelona, no moping about the cutbacks (ok, maybe just a bit) and shortly after the craziness of the King's parade, we're straight in with another local festival. Yes, from the 13th to 22nd January, it's the Festa Major Sant Antoni. No matter that the market itself is undergoing a (very slow) refurbishment, there's plenty going on all week for people of all ages, and if I'm not mistaken, it's a fairly long festival for just being a neighbourhood one.

This weekend just gone I wandered along with the kids and my wife to check out the opening parade. It had all the usual things I've come to expect with gegants, castellers, drummers and dancers, but what surprised me the most was the beginning, or rather, the people at the front.

I could probably look up somewhere the significance (or if anyone knows, please leave me a comment) but the people at the front had kind of fake old-style shotguns and fired EXTREMELY LOUD  shots into the air. We heard the procession from about 6 blocks away, and when the pistoleros were actually in front of you it was really deafening, like shake your body deafening. Very cool.

My wife and kids put their fingers in their ears, and some of those participating also had ear plugs in. Some of the guns also fired cofetti all over the floor, and it was great fun.

There was a comedy fire truck which was helping animate the crowds, and spraying paper all over the floor (and the BCNeta guys were not far behind!).

Mini-castellers:

Diablos with flares and the most attractive swine:

There are activities going on all week, so check out the programme in the link above, and leave me a comment if there's anything you'd like to specifically highlight or reccommend. Thanks!

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Last 16 Champions League Just Announced

With both Manchester clubs crashing out of the groups stages of the Champions League fairly surprisingly this month, and neither Arsenal or Chelsea exactly running away with it as far as English football is concerned, one would think that those in the Barcelona camp would be pretty confident of defending the glory of being current champs - despite David Villa's cringe-worthy leg break yesterday in Yokahama. OK, there have been some pretty fantastic results in the qualifyers (Lyon anyone?), but you just can't help thinking that if they can avoid a...ahem.... "top" team bnefore the winter break, then they have all the more chance of progressing with time for people to come back from injury, etc.

So, we've just had the draw for the last 16 for the Champions as well as the Europa, and it's looking as follows:

Lyon v APOEL 

Napoli v Chelsea 

AC Milan v Arsenal 

Basel v Bayern Munich

Bayer Leverkusen v Barcelona

CSKA Moscow v Real Madrid

Zenit St Petersburg v Benfica

Marseille v Inter Milan

So, looking at that, it could have been worse, right? As always, my opnions here are just that - another football bloke giving his 2 pence against coming results and although I've been accused of having a crystal ball in the past, I'm thinking...

No probs for Lyon. Chelsea will scrape through in a dramatic fashion. Arsenal go through but VanPersie injured and their season then goes down pan. Bayern no worries. Barcelona few nerves, but too much for Leyverkusen. Mou to complain about plastic pitch no end but Real go through. Zenit go through cos Benfica players have never felt so cold they just curl up inside themselves. Which leaves Marseille and Inter. Possibly the most entertaining of matches on paper (although you watch now it'll be dull as dishwater!) but I'll got Inter. 

These are the Valentine's weekend fixtures, remember, to be repeated in March in the away legs, so those Leverkusen fans might get a bit of spring sunshine in the fan parks, too!

Anyone else like to chip in with predections?! Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong below!! 

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Nativity Scene at Plaça Sant Jaume

As is becoming customary with me, I'll take the kids to see the Christmas lights, Christmas Fair, often the Three Kings, and always the Nativity Scenes in the centre of the old town, too. The Plaça Sant Jaume is the usual place for the scene to be installed and each year takes a different form. Last year's scene was like a scale model Bethlehem with lights being projected onto the Town Hall in the background.

Well, this year's scene is perhaps a little more traditional  - as in old fashioned - and seems to echo the style of the abandoned frescos painted on the cielings of churches around Catalunya in the day - many of which can be seen at the MNAC over at Plaça Espanya. The paintings of Jospeh, Mary & the Kings are almost icon-ic and for me the whole faux-stone church is trying to evoke that.

For my ignorance, there may well be a very informative piece all about the designer and painter somewhere around the Plaça Sant Jamue, so I apologise if that's totally wrong!! haha!!! Well, anyway, I like it this year a bit more than last year - although there's no place for the classy dinner table with the caldo de galets like last year...shame!

And just as you're admiring the scenes and taking a few photos, there's your caganer out the back, looking like a mix between Edvard Munch's The Scream and a cardboard Muppet. Hang on a minute.....

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below about this year's decorations, and if anyone else has anything to suggest, please leave a comment, too!

Barcelona Apartments with BCN Rentals.