tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57272802272781548502024-02-07T10:01:52.509+01:00Barcelona Blog, Spain. News, insights and tips.Blog and News of sights, sounds and attractions to the Catalan Capital, Barcelona. Hints and tips to help those wanting to visit or start living here too.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.comBlogger345125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-15181961416620532502014-01-13T15:59:00.003+01:002014-01-13T15:59:32.079+01:00Amazing 360º Views of BarcelonaHappy belated new year everyone, I hope you had a great time with your loved ones, ate too much, have already returned your gym membership, have spent all your wages in the sales, but still have a few sweets left from the cabalgata.<br />
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Really quick post today, just saw something amazing and wanted to share. The extremely clever people at <a href="http://www.airpano.com/" target="_blank">Airpano.com</a> have firstly got a pretty damn amazing website, but have included the city of Barcelona on there as well - of course. It's a little difficult for me to explain just how cool this thing is, and frankly I don't need to, just click on <a href="http://www.airpano.ru/files/Barcelona-Spain/2-2" target="_blank">this link</a> and enjoy exploring the city from a unique viewpoint, over various locations.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vhyphenhyphenTOieEB4Bk0qqrIiO5axXaD5z-hvWLEwJTq4nUx2v4vR877syGClvbINRt7XL41G8V6i4ULFiRdnlyvAb_T7Pa9bbc-e2p6X9NrqVbp8Kd1uxmLzUiQlx1AN2giiaEYiRYkhCLegbJ/s1600/Airpano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vhyphenhyphenTOieEB4Bk0qqrIiO5axXaD5z-hvWLEwJTq4nUx2v4vR877syGClvbINRt7XL41G8V6i4ULFiRdnlyvAb_T7Pa9bbc-e2p6X9NrqVbp8Kd1uxmLzUiQlx1AN2giiaEYiRYkhCLegbJ/s320/Airpano.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I think you'll agree it looks bloody amazing!! Can you spot your apartment building?!<br />
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Fancy a trip to the Catalan Capital this year? Check out <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank">BCN Rentals</a> for some great deals on apartment rentals.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-28455157326349781682013-12-13T10:48:00.003+01:002013-12-13T10:48:57.156+01:00Barça might not be moving stadiums after allIt was announced lat November that FC Barcelona were going to be looking for a new home, leaving their current home of <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide/pedralbes-zona-alta.html" target="_blank">Les Corts</a> and moving to a new stadium somewhere between Hospitalet and Barcelona itself. The idea was to increase the capacity from the current 99,354 to 105,000, which to me, doesn't seem like that much of a difference to warrant building a whole new stadium, especially after<a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/2010/10/bcn-to-hold-world-architecture-festival.html" target="_blank"> the fairly recent announcement that Norman Foster would be taking over plans to redevelop the current stadium</a>.<br />
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However, the business heads running the club clearly know more about those kind of things than your average Joe (i.e. Me), especially after recently signing a new <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25357026" target="_blank">25 million dollar deal with Intel</a> (they'll be showing off the new logo this weekend, assuming they score - I onder if the "intel inside" jingle will accompany ?!) and<a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/2013/10/how-much-is-barca-shirt-worth.html" target="_blank"> raking it in with the Nike replica kit shirts</a>.<br />
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There just seems to be one little hiccup. Apparently the desired land belongs to the university of Barcelona, who<a href="http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11833/9069499/la-liga-barcelona-hit-stumbling-block-in-new-stadium-plans" target="_blank"> have come out and denied any contacts</a> about the beginning of negotiations and categorically deny any interest in selling any of its assets. Now, we all know that in property, that is never a resounding no - everyone has their price, and Barça have revealed that they will leave the decision until early 2014.<br />
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What do you reckon? Should they move, or move ahead with the re-modelling of the current Camp Nou ? I can agree with those who will disagree with any move as it's a tradition grain into the city and their fans, but then progression often means moving to a new place. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!<br />
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Fancy watching Barça play live?! Come to Barcelona and <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank">stay in one of our apartments</a> for a great experience of the city.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-82565336090193625552013-12-12T16:04:00.005+01:002013-12-12T16:04:59.241+01:00Festa d'oli - Olive Oil Party!!First of all, happy December everyone, and apologies for not dropping by for the whole of November - other projects kept me really busy (yeah, like you've really missed me). Anyway, the cold's kind of arrived, Christmas is almost upon us and it'll be time to say goodbye to 2013 and hello to a new year soon.<br />
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I was lucky enough recently to be invited to a "Festa d'oli" - occurrences that happen each year at the harvest of olives around Catalunya, and is basically a visit to a factory/plant where olive oil is made from scratch. Along with some friends, we went to La Serra d'Alamos which is in the middle of <s>fecking nowhere</s> Tarragona. <br />
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We were greeted by a very small queue of people and duly grabbed our plate and headed for the barbecue - apparently common in this type of do. </div>
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*puts on Homer voice* Mmmmmmm.....baaaarbecuuuuuue. Sorry. Ahem. </div>
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It was a bit nippy in the shade but great in the sunshine. So the plant that we went to makes oil only from 1st November until the end of December, and in other periods of the year also makes wine. So, the wine was free on the tables, along with a salad - all good to get things started. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4H_OXaFd080h7f6dJvFbYmMUXLdJrCiOLpSRq1vMbJCP6TeH2eyehriI1tKAQOnDZVsZODaJoA4cesmaZQg_l327-GrwNxdE8x8tfj8l9JyqbBcm4jSyWiVncj2vy3CtN4bjT-526cXQ/s1600/oli-types.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4H_OXaFd080h7f6dJvFbYmMUXLdJrCiOLpSRq1vMbJCP6TeH2eyehriI1tKAQOnDZVsZODaJoA4cesmaZQg_l327-GrwNxdE8x8tfj8l9JyqbBcm4jSyWiVncj2vy3CtN4bjT-526cXQ/s320/oli-types.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
List of the different olives from the area which are made into oils, and an informative poster from the Generalitat, explaining the origins and processes of extraction of the oils. Good stuff.<br />
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There was plenty of information around along with artisan workers making baskets, soaps, cheeses, etc., and we simply chose a time to have a guided tour around the installations. First up they showed us how the olives arrive and are put on a kind of wire rack/mesh, which vibrates. All the olives fall through the holes, and the branches and leaves are raked away (sorry no pic of that., as it just looked like a metal grid - and apologies in advance about the quality of these pics, I wasn't expecting to blog this, but as it was so interesting, thought I'd share). </div>
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So Olives make their way up a conveyor belt and into vats. Like this one. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXkaQhYBnbTdVdBbeNwrYsayrBSDpMxhtId3FGNvHHFMmMdoCK6FPxI7RHy5bIZBUERBFQkFeBbH29EQlodyq_Iu05UDqR_hIXffjpsoo82Zi_bq56p1N6RF5o1obHtmbdZLLJbEfkCQrL/s1600/oli-first.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXkaQhYBnbTdVdBbeNwrYsayrBSDpMxhtId3FGNvHHFMmMdoCK6FPxI7RHy5bIZBUERBFQkFeBbH29EQlodyq_Iu05UDqR_hIXffjpsoo82Zi_bq56p1N6RF5o1obHtmbdZLLJbEfkCQrL/s320/oli-first.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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You can see they're mixed. Next they're washed and pushed through to the next stage. Each part is processed by weight, so when the machine becomes empty/has done its particular job, automatically the next feed comes through (pardon the pun). They then move through a kind of centrifuge which mashes them up - stones and all - into a kind of mushy paste. I was surprised about the stone, as assumed this would be removed, like in tins/jars of bought olives. But "for each stone of an olive, you get a drop of oil" was the way it was explained to me. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIsdc2QfP5sICdUiMvQbILNOyelcM10PigNioQmw6JUQt6XR5XVWrgWx4LRuF3klW2NbJMjhjwvIvEyGduuqkozOu_hiiq_ctVAvRn7CR9y0yy6-n-18_JHFu-wEmDztR9rQ4TphCiO6G/s1600/oli-llegando.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIsdc2QfP5sICdUiMvQbILNOyelcM10PigNioQmw6JUQt6XR5XVWrgWx4LRuF3klW2NbJMjhjwvIvEyGduuqkozOu_hiiq_ctVAvRn7CR9y0yy6-n-18_JHFu-wEmDztR9rQ4TphCiO6G/s320/oli-llegando.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
Above, being washed, and below, the result of the mashing up:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5eeZc8mA1xZ1ZopUUXF7p18Ay0c6sKC68hkEtgJfBwQT_ddMMd8GOR8NloHUYhHsZTPkXjC3HXDYsvPOXSXGDto7aoxdDizcO_iJRPgMbls3448QhPvOO-woTGJ7_pw7WoeYjHCikSY63/s1600/oli-turbine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5eeZc8mA1xZ1ZopUUXF7p18Ay0c6sKC68hkEtgJfBwQT_ddMMd8GOR8NloHUYhHsZTPkXjC3HXDYsvPOXSXGDto7aoxdDizcO_iJRPgMbls3448QhPvOO-woTGJ7_pw7WoeYjHCikSY63/s320/oli-turbine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now, here's an interesting part. This much is then pushed through a kind of sieve, and a "crude" oil comes out (my wording not theirs). The resulting sludge/waste is then separated and SENT TO OTHER FACTORIES TO MAKE NORMAL OLIVE OIL!! It's mixed with many other things and is the usual stuff the majority of us will buy (i.e. the cheapest one). </div>
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Oil goes into another room where it is stored in large vats, and then bottled by hand. So, you can buy the cloudy, crude oil which is full of flavour and basically 100% pure, or if you prefer, you can have it filtered, so it becomes the golden nectar stuff you're used to seeing on the supermarket shelves. Below is the filter:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNTJnTR5V1-g3orGYCadJi5ptEhnfXLclC2tPP4r6w6x8YyUjFUeEU3b2C-HrD6BB6t5wljDxfIDWfYoe0wL9K1Y8pW6C7IDDwE8nC_X7np3JHaJlYvTkOpq2INWTxZ2u4wkXa2X96LG5/s1600/oli-filtro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNTJnTR5V1-g3orGYCadJi5ptEhnfXLclC2tPP4r6w6x8YyUjFUeEU3b2C-HrD6BB6t5wljDxfIDWfYoe0wL9K1Y8pW6C7IDDwE8nC_X7np3JHaJlYvTkOpq2INWTxZ2u4wkXa2X96LG5/s320/oli-filtro.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The different sections in the middle, are filled with cardboard filters (we were shown them , but it wasn't that interesting to photograph). So, you can see in the forefront of the image, the unfiltered oil as it goes in, and the filtered oil going out. I took close ups, to show the difference. Here's no filter/raw:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvnshUuY9aeZyzMyfYnXRon3s70v5zNbxvsu-QCUnJ49i6Ljc7UVbQ_hygxqK2Z8Ze8zTb4i_9oy1ej5UiKskZo6YW915xbLaGh8lbgzvzQacx9krgwAU3x7LOJcFJPu6jKbeP4k9HaF_/s1600/oli-sin-filtrar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvnshUuY9aeZyzMyfYnXRon3s70v5zNbxvsu-QCUnJ49i6Ljc7UVbQ_hygxqK2Z8Ze8zTb4i_9oy1ej5UiKskZo6YW915xbLaGh8lbgzvzQacx9krgwAU3x7LOJcFJPu6jKbeP4k9HaF_/s320/oli-sin-filtrar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And here's coming through filtered:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQNmPE9PfolCXxClV9ahUFKMwYyEN216MZv8-YiYShtkufPRGN2qwscBvEM_dDzp_DWRWtgZ8yXYhHAr-jvXnTHdPVRhBL2R-qCVEn17qKK1YhDs54i-cc8PSgeXLMhRfsTBpHWwiFatV/s1600/oli-filtered.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQNmPE9PfolCXxClV9ahUFKMwYyEN216MZv8-YiYShtkufPRGN2qwscBvEM_dDzp_DWRWtgZ8yXYhHAr-jvXnTHdPVRhBL2R-qCVEn17qKK1YhDs54i-cc8PSgeXLMhRfsTBpHWwiFatV/s320/oli-filtered.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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See? Cool, eh?! Production can reach around 80,000 kilos of olives in just that little plant, depending on the harvest. We were shown around the wine area, and although empty, was a great insight - all done by hand the corking, labeling, etc. and the tour finished in the shop. We had already gone with the intention (through the advice of friends who had been previous years) of stocking up for the year, and that's what we did. We got some cloudy oil (has to be used up quicker, as can gather sediment) and then normal for the rest of the year! </div>
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It was a great experience (made better by being with friends, clearly) and there were typical dancing and singing as you would find at a normal Catalan traditional do:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-e_SBYBVYsgBUrBp3C9lnapLvl_VnhJzjN5fe_1BcvtZQbFsj6nRQ-IDA1jz3Kxdfxt1mzeVLLjJhqEc63QuAvG_9JCxH1LWR5YHcpYvkuo6f9Aelhpi_YqAaSQV_ElQ3eOiKCWZKLoEV/s1600/oli-vino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-e_SBYBVYsgBUrBp3C9lnapLvl_VnhJzjN5fe_1BcvtZQbFsj6nRQ-IDA1jz3Kxdfxt1mzeVLLjJhqEc63QuAvG_9JCxH1LWR5YHcpYvkuo6f9Aelhpi_YqAaSQV_ElQ3eOiKCWZKLoEV/s320/oli-vino.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There was a small gathering in the aftermath of a soup tasting kind of thing, but that was nothing to write home about, really, just an added bonus from the villagers. By all accounts there are many such "festivals" throughout November and December, so if you get the chance next year, I'd highly recommend! </div>
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Coming to Barcelona this winter ? Check out <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank">BCN Rentals</a> for some great deals on short-term apartment rentals!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-30217588281243945872013-10-23T16:23:00.002+02:002013-10-23T16:23:52.729+02:00Cool Halloween Window Display at La BolseraMaybe it's the influence of classic 80's movie Mannequin or the way my Dad always used to take us to see Jessops window in Newcastle at Christmas, but I'm a big sucker for really well done window displays in shops. One such place in Barcelona with a pretty big window (for central Barcelona sizes) and always making an effort is <a href="http://www.labolsera.com/" target="_blank">La Bolsera</a>. This is a great stationary/paper/party/fancy-dress place and has a few locations around the city.<br />
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The shop in Carrer Xuclà (just behind Carrefour on <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide/las-ramblas.html" target="_blank">Las Ramblas</a>) never disappoints and themes their window display around the seasons and the various traditions Barcelona has.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRseH5o3b44ec16cg3kiyH1r2jkjZwJDQV1awx8i2OsboIcyagGqZ2C98SYvvSiMhbcmoyvy4k5GC-saNhY9KWiid8lFbl3Uez2jH095FFyvIEuFYPAa6z7lwdH51fppJA6bX6raTubYa/s1600/2013-10-23+10.10.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRseH5o3b44ec16cg3kiyH1r2jkjZwJDQV1awx8i2OsboIcyagGqZ2C98SYvvSiMhbcmoyvy4k5GC-saNhY9KWiid8lFbl3Uez2jH095FFyvIEuFYPAa6z7lwdH51fppJA6bX6raTubYa/s320/2013-10-23+10.10.19.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
This year, they've done a great Halloween display, closing one of the shutters and making a small "cave" of freights. It's got a chilling soundtrack of creepy screams and wails and groans, and cobwebs all the way through.<br />
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A creepy moving Jason greets you inside, and specially positioned spotlights light up the faces of some of the gruesome masks on display that you can likely buy inside.<br />
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Hello, gorgeous. My camera phone seriously doesn't do this justice. It's mutant Hills Have Eyes kind of scary.<br />
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They even have Predator in the window for God's sake!!<br />
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This little lady's waiting for you on the way out.<br />
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Clowns are always scary. Check out the Google maps of their shop, by the way, where they've taken advantage of the street view option and you can "go in" the shop and have a look around. Very cool feature.<br />
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If you in town, go and check it out, it's really cool. Hats off to the guys and gals at La Bolsera!!<br />
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Coiming to Barcelona this Autumn ?<a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank"> Rent an apartment with BCN Rentals</a> for some great deals!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-71582769981981841792013-10-22T12:58:00.001+02:002013-10-22T12:58:11.119+02:00Las Ramblas Florists in Danger of Fines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I <a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/2010/01/all-change-for-las-ramblas-animal.html" target="_blank">blogged about 3 years ago</a> about the proposed changes to <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide/las-ramblas.html" target="_blank">Las Ramblas</a> and the animal stalls - <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px;">"ocellaires"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px;"> - </span>which used to occupy the top part of the most-walked street in the city, and sure enough, they have almost disappeared, with just a few remaining. I have to be honest, though, whilst I wasn't in 100% agreement or disagreement with the tiny sizes of the stalls, I think their replacement is a real let down. </div>
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Those stupid ice cream stalls and bright yellow aprons with cheap industrial cakes and rubbish at high prices are exactly what Las Ramblas didn't need. There are enough of them on the actual sides of Ramblas (and of much better quality). So, whilst walking the other day through the city centre, I began to notice that all of the flower sellers have now, too, added a notice to their stalls:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikheTJaUbRaP1R49BZ9xPwSwDuAS5uXJ66rLAqYksdfqDcL_TZCxrZCkg_goZ-r_V48ho6akv3e6GqREZDKqoskrreXxF8G3CW9BlWICqA0h6ncDh09qScmXjfzvl39GSBEWomBGl8ftmZ/s1600/2013-10-19+15.40.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikheTJaUbRaP1R49BZ9xPwSwDuAS5uXJ66rLAqYksdfqDcL_TZCxrZCkg_goZ-r_V48ho6akv3e6GqREZDKqoskrreXxF8G3CW9BlWICqA0h6ncDh09qScmXjfzvl39GSBEWomBGl8ftmZ/s320/2013-10-19+15.40.27.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Now, I don't care if the prices of the florists are more expensive than a normal florists elsewhere in the city, or if they've kind of had to adapt to the "crisis" by adding those material joke flowers and such like, can you imagine<a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/2009/04/sant-jordi-photos.html" target="_blank"> St Jordi without flowers </a>on Las Ramblas? And their replacement to be what ?! More bloody waffle stalls and chatty necklaces?!<br />
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The photo above says "Keep the Florists of Las Ramblas in your prayers. Who will soon die for the hard line taken by The Town Council of Barcelona and for the incomprehension of Converència I Unio after a massive indigestion of tourism. The funerals will take place as soon as the first fines imposed by the Town Council of Barcelona will be administrated to Florists. We would appreciate your support by signing the Book of Condolences".<br />
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OK, so the translation leaves a lot to be desired, but you get the picture. The lady in the photograph was accompanied by an elderly gentleman (I assume her husband) who have been working the flower stalls in Las Ramblas ALL OF THEIR LIVES!!! I asked the man what they had in mind (me meaning the council) to replace the stalls and he cut me off and said they would begin a hunger strike, so they're clearly taking it all very seriously. It has to be said too, that up and down each side, the stalls were dotted with people signing and shaking their heads and generally being supportive of the stalls and their proprietors, and I have to say I agree, too. It would be a real shame for those people to lose their livlihood and Las Ramblas would lose yet another piece of its identity. What do you think? Agree ? Disagree? Let me know in the comments!<br />
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Coming to Barcelona soon? Check out <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank">BCN Rentals apartments</a> for some great deals.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-45325826021453389132013-10-13T14:34:00.002+02:002013-10-13T14:34:12.376+02:00Great Things to do in Barcelona for FREE - CosmoCaixa Science MuseumIt's been yonks since I got a free museum up on the blog, so no time like the present. Continuing on from my <a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/search/label/Free%20Barcelona" target="_blank">little series of great things to do for free in the city</a>, the Cosmo Caixa is a worthy and late addition.<br />
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It's basically the city science museum, and is free for everyone on the first Sunday of each month (and when it's not, it's a measly 4 € for adults and kids up to 16 are free which is a bargain). It's located up in the hills at the back of the city, at the foot of <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide/tibidabo.html" target="_blank">Tibidabo</a>, which is a bit out of the way, but there are excellent links via public transport. We went in the car, and found a parking space no problem outside for free. You know this place means business, when you have these two guys waiting for you at the information desk!<br />
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Newton's laws, fossils, evolution, a temporary exhibition about Micro-life - basically looking at things through microscopes and there were fun interactive things to play with for the kids. This temporary space changes throughout the year, so you can always go back and see something new. There's clearly far too many things for me to explain about the contents of the museum, so I took a few snaps on my phone to share. They kind of speak for themselves:<br />
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Jack and Chewy showing off the spider collection (there are some real ones in the museum, too).<br />
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A massive tree is the main feature as you wind down the stairs to level -5, and all along the way are fossils and explanations of evolution, nature's shapes, etc.<br />
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Apparently, this good looking specimen was laughing, as she was re-tracing the steps of a bigger animal or something. Scary.<br />
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Look what I caught?!</div>
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Ah, now this one needs a bit of explaining. The image below is unmistakable, right? Even my 6 year old got it. Cool, but the image is actually made up of a load of plastic flies all stuck together like so. When you walk past it up close it just looks like a load of flies.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eFbZiTmTSIIxKno1KJswEFJiuybUCnikerwcySmRmCH_UT8SPkrk_CFwJveOldKpgE_jC7hOnmvQIuhd3cr5pyIMVrT4g7J6Gz6OfTy_toTTYdarPRHDUTVcxKngPXSU2U0IA_vZUBTw/s1600/cosmo-flies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eFbZiTmTSIIxKno1KJswEFJiuybUCnikerwcySmRmCH_UT8SPkrk_CFwJveOldKpgE_jC7hOnmvQIuhd3cr5pyIMVrT4g7J6Gz6OfTy_toTTYdarPRHDUTVcxKngPXSU2U0IA_vZUBTw/s320/cosmo-flies.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50uX1F-Xix9SWyvuushNCi1xOaYjYqwKR-ouhi0wFU4FbybsIxN9tDKPW_-lWB5vzVHK75CBXvLCU4Qu7rh3BccsWCe0XKXZPAHtBjaYstMDfw3dOmzllnvPBp7P_tCQHLAUdp08XJwfT/s1600/cosmo-dali.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50uX1F-Xix9SWyvuushNCi1xOaYjYqwKR-ouhi0wFU4FbybsIxN9tDKPW_-lWB5vzVHK75CBXvLCU4Qu7rh3BccsWCe0XKXZPAHtBjaYstMDfw3dOmzllnvPBp7P_tCQHLAUdp08XJwfT/s320/cosmo-dali.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>
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Always wanted one of these when I was a kid.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgds6ux7YwF20x7vKAiklSnb5KWzC9nlUKVSGjVskBHJt5z2lTrZcmOuCCyKYjkXPwyZazAd0xXHeCUC5Umv_YY5XiQaGN0u1OTN6xok8bUk7nyHSTuPu8w08r4PcOlGklj272knEpXrmQ8/s1600/cosmo-electric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgds6ux7YwF20x7vKAiklSnb5KWzC9nlUKVSGjVskBHJt5z2lTrZcmOuCCyKYjkXPwyZazAd0xXHeCUC5Umv_YY5XiQaGN0u1OTN6xok8bUk7nyHSTuPu8w08r4PcOlGklj272knEpXrmQ8/s320/cosmo-electric.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_WL8M7lDQD7AaMJdnRPbGp3TQvzUq-2V1T_zSqS4ipmHt7VlGBMW0FoGgszuBzNbKl1M8zuommjX4JgyZbK7zpJ7IdTYJMKtXAUSaE6Dkd9plQpf1kDztgvUEXLLmz6wfic0YO0uoebM/s1600/cosmo-bosque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_WL8M7lDQD7AaMJdnRPbGp3TQvzUq-2V1T_zSqS4ipmHt7VlGBMW0FoGgszuBzNbKl1M8zuommjX4JgyZbK7zpJ7IdTYJMKtXAUSaE6Dkd9plQpf1kDztgvUEXLLmz6wfic0YO0uoebM/s320/cosmo-bosque.jpg" width="320" /></a>The super cool "flooded forest" is a big attraction, and is at one end of the museum. It's really well done, with tanks on the outside as you can see, and all sorts of sizes of fish inside. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucJweRoZwvZOV1CsejydJP4IuHI_MU6Nb7NXb3bX1T-fpf1imZAC29KDM1d4u1z_gMHINX6Ia3ZDJi5xWz9DGUJimdlNGWs6TaXvF1z8lU4qMZP2LeQIHiJOCD1U3cQH5s97z_PPR31Ck/s1600/cosmo-fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucJweRoZwvZOV1CsejydJP4IuHI_MU6Nb7NXb3bX1T-fpf1imZAC29KDM1d4u1z_gMHINX6Ia3ZDJi5xWz9DGUJimdlNGWs6TaXvF1z8lU4qMZP2LeQIHiJOCD1U3cQH5s97z_PPR31Ck/s320/cosmo-fish.jpg" width="320" /></a>Like this huge guy.</div>
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We didn't even see a 1/4 of the things in the museum.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTaTno8U5Z9mTbDcwGfckj_IKE9sCMM3gCaMgT6VN18ZCWgEXz47mGZl6F-lKxOywdDQhmoJ5KkM4_m2iK27purhnxSeg_Aj3FYZ0o3Awe3tPWzQLl5RfLj7Tb_o0iFzc5Pt5TgDPk1eK/s1600/cosmo-outside-water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTaTno8U5Z9mTbDcwGfckj_IKE9sCMM3gCaMgT6VN18ZCWgEXz47mGZl6F-lKxOywdDQhmoJ5KkM4_m2iK27purhnxSeg_Aj3FYZ0o3Awe3tPWzQLl5RfLj7Tb_o0iFzc5Pt5TgDPk1eK/s320/cosmo-outside-water.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
One of the main things to say about the CosmoCaixa is that it's bloody huge. There's tons of things to do and explore, planetariums, touching sessions with reptiles, guided tours, and the very cool "bosque inundado" - like a life-like model of a rain forest with loads of trees, animals, creepie crawlies and it even rains every 15 minutes, like a real rain forest! On normal paying days, you have to buy tickets for the "extra" things, and they apparently sell out fairly fast, so if you do go, make sure you know to get in there early - although there's so much to see even if you miss out on that. Below is a picture of the sprinklers, making it "rain".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHr2uqe4zTIDjQ2rQfraJKhNJK37PuMF4I0ZB0Hc0baqq4yHqtZNG_-LWf9ylJ9D5Dz-EHFI5W-CBTQ9RBxDXA2dp0HHx4SA2YcbFGirFCsDmO7JEIaMcZMx1XxLs1dE-tb352WCZVZAW/s1600/cosmo-rain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHr2uqe4zTIDjQ2rQfraJKhNJK37PuMF4I0ZB0Hc0baqq4yHqtZNG_-LWf9ylJ9D5Dz-EHFI5W-CBTQ9RBxDXA2dp0HHx4SA2YcbFGirFCsDmO7JEIaMcZMx1XxLs1dE-tb352WCZVZAW/s320/cosmo-rain.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Coming to Barcelona soon? Check out <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank">BCN Rentals</a> for some great deals on apartment rentals!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-72903683882735704892013-10-01T12:57:00.001+02:002013-10-09T13:18:16.101+02:00Secrets of the Pickpockets - Barcelona VersionI've been looking for this for a while. UK TV station Channel 4 has been running a series about the secrets of pickpockets, with some fascinating insights into the differences in the law in the UK and Spain (although this is not the intention of the show, clearly). I watched one episode where 3 Bulgarian men were jailed, yes JAILED, for ATTEMPTING to steal a wallet from a man during the run up to the London Olympic games last year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4ZD_O18eY73obe-K7AtwHZDfZC6jfi_k7Jwes6s6UJIk-O1u6pLyK-iPMWGx0NAYTEVufnqKPOkvsCf3NZ3Vnpy-pEEWQ8cstHcDDZU86k4tvH_ANVnUK3A3H7zO8gtjeoRJPwoEu3X9/s1600/secretsthepickpockets.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4ZD_O18eY73obe-K7AtwHZDfZC6jfi_k7Jwes6s6UJIk-O1u6pLyK-iPMWGx0NAYTEVufnqKPOkvsCf3NZ3Vnpy-pEEWQ8cstHcDDZU86k4tvH_ANVnUK3A3H7zO8gtjeoRJPwoEu3X9/s400/secretsthepickpockets.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Contrast that against the incredible, unbelievable, ridiculous (I'm running out of superlatives) law in Spain which states very clearly that if a thief steals LESS THAN 400 EUROS, it is not considered a crime. It's no other wonder that organised gangs from the East are having a field day in the Catalan Capital. I remember watching on the news not long ago that a judge in Madrid<a href="http://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/2013/05/16/el-lsquoclan-de-las-bosniasrsquo-vuelve-al-metro-de-madrid-121026" target="_blank"> had to revoke a ban </a>of the Bosnian Clan of girls in the Madrid metro, and allow them back in. These girls have over 300 arrests between them over TEN years of robbing on the metro. So, what did they do on the weekend they weren't allowed in Madrid? Came to Barcelona of course.<br />
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Anyway, <a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/search/label/Barcelona%20scams" target="_blank">for me there's nothing new</a> in the programme, but I still wanted to share it, and had been trying to find a reliable source - youtube doesn't have it. So here's a link to <a href="http://www.channel4.com/programmes/secrets-of-the-pickpockets-shoplifters/episode-guide" target="_blank">Channel 4 site</a> (UK only). Let me know if it works ok in the comments, and any thoughts you have.<br />
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Fancy a trip tyo Barcelona soon ? It's not that bad, honest?! Check out<a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank"> BCN Rentals</a> for an apartment rental instead of a stuffy hotel.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-55341385173728752742013-10-01T12:18:00.000+02:002013-10-01T12:18:13.704+02:00How much is a Barça shirt worth ? I saw an interesting article this week in the newspapers, which stated that the store at Camp Nou generates more income for Nike than their flagship store in New York City - <a href="http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/economia/turistas-barca-cervezas-2694953" target="_blank">35 Million Euros against 31 Million</a> in the Big Apple. So Nike have already made back their investment of <a href="http://arxiu.fcbarcelona.cat/web/english/noticies/club/temporada07-08/08/n070829100839.html" target="_blank">the reported 30 Million</a> per year deal - not to mention the amazing amount of branding with all the Neymar Jr and Messi t-shirts. That's not to mention the sales elsewhere of all the Barça shirts - there's a Nike store on <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide/las-ramblas.html" target="_blank">Las Ramblas</a>, which I'd bet does a fair trade, as well as so many others around the world.<br />
<a a="" credit="" href="http://www.fcbarcelona.com/club/detail/image_gallery/season/2012-2013/la-vente-du-maillot-exterieur-un-succes?gallery_index=5" image=""></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmeW4d0DxTRXO9Wt4U24-JwhsIJAV85PnyGU2WNfJ7qzH17AkD8W-UywqYZRfNvDo0xbp2W2n1FPB_6PpCCWp-UgdNZSqrsbu8lUF-l8GjkmJXPSB4m-D84LokbfVmbJwIVU-CnMSXUwr/s1600/Bar%C3%A7a+shirt.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmeW4d0DxTRXO9Wt4U24-JwhsIJAV85PnyGU2WNfJ7qzH17AkD8W-UywqYZRfNvDo0xbp2W2n1FPB_6PpCCWp-UgdNZSqrsbu8lUF-l8GjkmJXPSB4m-D84LokbfVmbJwIVU-CnMSXUwr/s400/Bar%C3%A7a+shirt.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It makes me wonder just how much they'd be making if they could stem the influx of all the copy t-shirts in the souvenir shops in and around Las Ramblas area. I've been amazed at the quality of the copies over recent years, with real looking tickets with Nike holograms and everything. There are sometimes very subtle differences such as the disappearance of the catalan flag on a sleeve detail for example, of the badge at the bottom of the strip a couple of years ago, but they are generally so good. People are easily confused too. With Barça being one of those teams that changes strips every season, many tourists come in the summer, and buy the "old" strip from either the previous year, or the league season that has just finished. Those store owners aren't daft either - if they can shift some old stock for today's price, they're laughing.<br />
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Another fact from the same article relates to the runaway success of the away "senyera" strip this year - for every three shirts sold, two are the away strip, and the buyers "know it's a representation of the Catalan Flag". At least they seem to have taken notice after ditching last year's hugely unpopular orange and yellow tie-die combo. What do you reckon? One of the best shirts this year? Better than the original home? Let me know in the comments!<br />
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Fancy a trip to see the mighty Barça play? Check out BCN Rentals for some great deals<a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/last-minute-special-offers.html" target="_blank"> on last-minute apartment rentals</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.fcbarcelona.com/club/detail/image_gallery/season/2012-2013/la-vente-du-maillot-exterieur-un-succes?gallery_index=5" target="_blank">Image credit</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-92100156154838565502013-09-26T21:02:00.001+02:002013-09-26T21:05:34.341+02:00Amazing Video of Sagrada Familia CompletionAs I mentioned <a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/2013/09/2026-sagrada-familia-will-be-finished.html" target="_blank">the other day</a>, 2026 is the date that has been set for completion of Barcelona's most famous, most visited attraction, the<a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide/sagrada-familia.html" target="_blank"> Sagrada Familia</a>, or Holy Family Basilica. In celebration of the announcement, the architects have made a pretty amazing video showing what is still to come with regards the missing bits, and stages. Enjoy.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RcDmloG3tXU?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Now that's pretty damn cool, right?!<br />
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One thing I'm not so sure about is the possible demolition of one of the adjacent buildings in order for the construction to be finished in accordance with the original plans. I think it's Calle Mallorca, basically in front of the steps, or where they will be, and I'm sure I saw a few years ago that plans had been made to tunnel traffic under the steps, or make them higher and effectively a bridge over the traffic, but can't remember - if anyone has any up-to-date information about that, please do share, and contribute in the comments!!<br />
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Considering that Notre Dame in Paris took about 400 years to complete, then it's not bad going for the Sagrada Familia, but then again, 2016 is a long way off, so who knows!<br />
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Coming to Barcelona soon ? Why not stay in a <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank">Barcelona Apartment rental</a>, like those we have on offer? We have some great deals on last minute bookings, and considerable savings compared to a hotel!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-76563266523094182732013-09-19T14:55:00.003+02:002013-09-19T14:55:24.477+02:002026 ? Sagrada Familia will be finished.OK, it's been a while, and I really should have been back earlier, but to be fair, I've been researching a few posts and ended up with stuff which I couldn't publish, as links wouldn't work in Spain etc. (looking for a workaround), but what better way to return than a bit of news to the ultimate question around<a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide/eixample.html" target="_blank"> Eixample Dreta</a> for the last 50-odd years?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWZ62HT66E5iMB5HLhzV6aUYrlOQEsn_cOnAsxTiJqNoqM7XRZS-yHLeEjUcbue2w2Jc_HwgyZYXVnMSvwxc3hvvTpIp1wc2-6BbL3SlpcfzmXvEfuTL8O5ARbieyI6vxNk8yRDiEpHUX/s1600/sag-fam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Outside of Barc4elona Sagrada Familia on Barcelonasights blog" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWZ62HT66E5iMB5HLhzV6aUYrlOQEsn_cOnAsxTiJqNoqM7XRZS-yHLeEjUcbue2w2Jc_HwgyZYXVnMSvwxc3hvvTpIp1wc2-6BbL3SlpcfzmXvEfuTL8O5ARbieyI6vxNk8yRDiEpHUX/s320/sag-fam.jpg" title="Gaudi's Sagrada Famila - Barcelona Sights Blog" width="240" /></a>Just when will they finish the <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide/sagrada-familia.html" target="_blank">Sagrada Familia</a>? I've heard different stories over the years of living here about the process and completion of the most famous monument and most visited attraction the city has. One is that the reason process is so slow is that Gaudi wanted the cathedral to be "the people's cathedral" so therefore is being funded by alms/donations from the public. Another is that once all the overheads have been paid on every other attraction in the city by Gaudi, then any profit is then destined to the completion. I doubt this includes<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/grand-designs-with-gaudi-8822435.html" target="_blank"> private homes that recently have been opened up to the public</a>.<br />
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Other rumors surfaced that Japanese corporations would guarantee the work to be completed in 10 years if they could call it "The Sony Sagrada Familia" (obviously not Sony, but you get my meaning) - a no-no for the foundation, as it wouldn't be the people's, right? I also heard that because of the damage to Gaudi's original plans in the civil war (he created a statue of the bomber refusing a bomb from Satan inside the cathedral) plans were delayed as some of the world's best architects were brought in to complete the details. Something which goes in contrast to another reason that the delays were so prominent - an architect will never work as passionately on work which is not their own. So, you never really know who to believe, do you.<br />
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So, according to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/noticias/2013/09/130827_tecnologia_sagrada_familia_aa.shtml" target="_blank">reports this week</a> in various media, the likely date of completion if all goes to plan will be 2026. 3D printers, scale models and all sorts of stuff is being used to re-create the majority of the works laid down by the man himself which were destroyed. I think that seems a pretty plausible date. I've been here for over 13 years, and have seen loads been done since then - hell, it's open inside now for God's sake (no pun intented) !! So, 13 years from now I reckon stands them in good steed, right?! What do you think? Let me know in the comments as usual!!<br />
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Coming to Barcelona this autumn ? Check out <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank">BCN Rentals</a> for some great last-minute deals on apartments!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-54735876672717440242013-07-15T16:27:00.004+02:002013-07-15T16:27:56.077+02:00More Urban Graffiti - Or is it?Any regular readers will know I love the <a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/search/label/Barcelona%20graffiti" target="_blank">Graffiti in Barcelona</a> and it seems to have taken a shift in recent years to more planned style of graffiti with transfers ala Banksy, or pre-prepared copies that are pasted around the city like posters on the metro air vents.<br />
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So it's still fun for me when I find the cool ones that combine a piece of existing urban architecture - like a road sign - and transforming it into something completely different like <a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/2009/02/modern-art-dont-ask-me.html" target="_blank">this kind of thing</a>. How cool is that? Ghostbusters on a no entry sign?!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6gE10N4hrqFjwKDV4hkrWFdMn8ETImamAPzYFLq4dVAe_h8izmrNKJ0hdaREZR-fkRi3EiD1lzW-n4_MvBvmBKNMpZsNz9goIsCDeDrUGmIYvlo4jZxone28u5Qj7osVv-xFVZlSJiKo/s1600/P210209_10.45.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6gE10N4hrqFjwKDV4hkrWFdMn8ETImamAPzYFLq4dVAe_h8izmrNKJ0hdaREZR-fkRi3EiD1lzW-n4_MvBvmBKNMpZsNz9goIsCDeDrUGmIYvlo4jZxone28u5Qj7osVv-xFVZlSJiKo/s320/P210209_10.45.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So it's been awhile, but I saw another cool one - perhaps more politically-laden in its message this time - just the other day. Et voila:<br />
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Same kind of thing, I know, but rings true with the oppression and impotence many sections of society are feeling at the moment with so much corruption and injustice on every single news bulletin all day every day. I assumed it was a one-off, and have qactually had this post ready for over 2 weeks. Then I saw this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9oh-XvwkRE21NYXFkjEgrOEyTGRhx0VfEbZQ9kobau-JKf5_yfSBNWUSDVZ-Kq4DPdh_uudfKKDv_ZVJ767s2XXOxcsaqHkTNDYokaLmgcwtNF1UyWHPCOjhPTdxvanT1roXQocz2qkt5/s1600/saw-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9oh-XvwkRE21NYXFkjEgrOEyTGRhx0VfEbZQ9kobau-JKf5_yfSBNWUSDVZ-Kq4DPdh_uudfKKDv_ZVJ767s2XXOxcsaqHkTNDYokaLmgcwtNF1UyWHPCOjhPTdxvanT1roXQocz2qkt5/s320/saw-sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And this...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZLvY8080EYFQtnFQo9j6MDZTHoTM8WGttcT5kac-Va_5c4tCclCMYqt2L9Ep1vtO8z9Brk9T4PeskyMpamELuaeUtF28cI5dLwbOjqmIUJmWNubCI7LeUabPGhgeWV-sMevgPq8-sMu0/s1600/paloma-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZLvY8080EYFQtnFQo9j6MDZTHoTM8WGttcT5kac-Va_5c4tCclCMYqt2L9Ep1vtO8z9Brk9T4PeskyMpamELuaeUtF28cI5dLwbOjqmIUJmWNubCI7LeUabPGhgeWV-sMevgPq8-sMu0/s320/paloma-sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
And this...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfp-uv-YgwqzGhqPAaqErRvTQEcnVWG7C_bJnzj252WhtrEWK6vFFoVvlSgK0k5D2xXyreGhqVOdj7-u_bVMthzHbIRI7ubHLL_R6a_H_g4B_KUOZtrTwlYPBMZQ8kxMncqGY57oX2mkiM/s1600/crunch-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfp-uv-YgwqzGhqPAaqErRvTQEcnVWG7C_bJnzj252WhtrEWK6vFFoVvlSgK0k5D2xXyreGhqVOdj7-u_bVMthzHbIRI7ubHLL_R6a_H_g4B_KUOZtrTwlYPBMZQ8kxMncqGY57oX2mkiM/s320/crunch-sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And finally this...(quite probably my favourite)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UjMTFYcTaAaAozEP2ythf2qdPRENToiGRncFhMSsQrXoSHJOE-XBzlBD_jzihONWWnSq6vLfkIGf9yrm-RqdvnfEJdWJqX6valMwyJ8Zoe2q80Y9B70pJQO6saDlUdu12tOhtsNXvmvP/s1600/love-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UjMTFYcTaAaAozEP2ythf2qdPRENToiGRncFhMSsQrXoSHJOE-XBzlBD_jzihONWWnSq6vLfkIGf9yrm-RqdvnfEJdWJqX6valMwyJ8Zoe2q80Y9B70pJQO6saDlUdu12tOhtsNXvmvP/s320/love-sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So here's me thinking this is a fair bit of effort for some individual/s to go to and made me think it might be something else. A reliable guy I know who saw me taking photos, told me that it was "the guys with the reflective jackets on from the council" who put them up there. ?! Why on earth would the council be doing this ? Surely they might have dressed like that to "look" official and nobody asks them questions right? Or am I missing some kind of initiative from the council and road signs?! Please enlighten me if anyone does happen to know what it's all about - leave me a comment below! </div>
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Fancy a Barcelona break this summer?! Check out <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank">BCN Rentals apartments</a> for some great deals on last minute accommodation. And for a quick look at the city sights, see <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide" target="_blank">their Barcelona guide</a>. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-52464788033055253722013-07-02T20:46:00.002+02:002013-07-02T20:46:31.276+02:00Barcelona Harley Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This weekend sees the return of <a href="http://www.barcelonaharleydays.com/" target="_blank">Barcelona Harley Days</a>, on the 5th, 6th and 7th July, in what's becoming a welcome annual event at the Fira de Barcelona. It's a coming together of the different walks of life that own and are passionate about those mean machines, and it's a whole lot of fun, too. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWuuq8n86TJrz51myg1uRE2RCs5tjjqgc-qvsWCJNF_zBBB6kDjYHGdqZ1P1Yd2u_7Su028n3IZVN0TipmkSaccJQA9obZlTDJhYB8VeKX8zXVLDlHNZgy2r5AX8uy_GiCcd6BVuvoJ_R/s1600/20120707_164333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWuuq8n86TJrz51myg1uRE2RCs5tjjqgc-qvsWCJNF_zBBB6kDjYHGdqZ1P1Yd2u_7Su028n3IZVN0TipmkSaccJQA9obZlTDJhYB8VeKX8zXVLDlHNZgy2r5AX8uy_GiCcd6BVuvoJ_R/s320/20120707_164333.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
I took my kids last year (advance warning, you will see a lot of my kids in these pics!) as the stuff that's on during the day is great fun, and all free to walk around. We started the day with a live rock concert - they were really good, and very into it, considering it was the early afternoon!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPE2bfUcLSEwCCnSvBrsabgCH11rQEePHC4q0KGToVl3rx1darwgankcFrLi4vAitbTp7goRK1BB5512NAxy7sa4iwEoTFjj7kTGB7ARwSNxBaiLXUSPMWvIQb-qpr7Sts5Zt7Dw-aPpQU/s1600/20120707_165513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPE2bfUcLSEwCCnSvBrsabgCH11rQEePHC4q0KGToVl3rx1darwgankcFrLi4vAitbTp7goRK1BB5512NAxy7sa4iwEoTFjj7kTGB7ARwSNxBaiLXUSPMWvIQb-qpr7Sts5Zt7Dw-aPpQU/s320/20120707_165513.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
My son at his first rock concert, head-banging with a hat on. There are hundreds of bikes of varying different styles, some super-tuned (there's a Gaudi bike. I kid you not. With a stuffed panther on the back). Some of the models you can get close enough to but those at the entrance are owned by the festival goers, so be respectful of their babies.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8qSfctJroex493fMeMfmIJCv4CMfrR6G5lluuEg-Zy3fvEH4avOWXZnFIeRG_SLc7ixz8sYkzKkGwYez5tCibSYFciewkezClOYxhBc7VOIQ91D_CKWnACFZlhLU1-xV0lUo49ulmsou/s1600/20120707_170141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8qSfctJroex493fMeMfmIJCv4CMfrR6G5lluuEg-Zy3fvEH4avOWXZnFIeRG_SLc7ixz8sYkzKkGwYez5tCibSYFciewkezClOYxhBc7VOIQ91D_CKWnACFZlhLU1-xV0lUo49ulmsou/s320/20120707_170141.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Inside the day-park if I can call it that, there's loads to be entertained by apart from the rock concert, with bikes to try out, simulators on rudders (to have the experience of really "riding", a thorough history lesson, merchandising and care products, etc.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlWIrvpjInGI81HrSi6SKuQDB_pELGlV4tOG08kvYlAmcjB9bmMtWkdBak_hvQ7T_dpgeRUKiELjlujRhCGl2fziTpGnyUqeyBUih2RdcnXWd7FRwCDZXw1eapZJ8m7aY8xtxe7sG6r4L_/s1600/20120707_170533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlWIrvpjInGI81HrSi6SKuQDB_pELGlV4tOG08kvYlAmcjB9bmMtWkdBak_hvQ7T_dpgeRUKiELjlujRhCGl2fziTpGnyUqeyBUih2RdcnXWd7FRwCDZXw1eapZJ8m7aY8xtxe7sG6r4L_/s320/20120707_170533.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
There are activities specifically designed for the little ones (and the "big" little ones, with fairground rides just after the main bike bit) such as the moving surfboard thing - think a bucking bronco, but a surfboard instead. No, I don't know what that has to do with Harley Davidson either, but it was fun for my lad!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhol_M-7cOYuFOGlDjgjcD68gmlxmjsDvfZ9VYGdDrxKe7GyDCeHa85CgQa0EJcAG4tZD-uupEgrW5t1OaGqmCZJHt2cOnUvZ2bQf-uvyQpcOpQSAqJuU9cGLnr_Z9LinqpwsGh51RUNemh/s1600/20120707_170858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhol_M-7cOYuFOGlDjgjcD68gmlxmjsDvfZ9VYGdDrxKe7GyDCeHa85CgQa0EJcAG4tZD-uupEgrW5t1OaGqmCZJHt2cOnUvZ2bQf-uvyQpcOpQSAqJuU9cGLnr_Z9LinqpwsGh51RUNemh/s320/20120707_170858.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Go on son!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTDuzu5wXG3P66PWM7L2jpJ9GVft67T2B_cLodrCso-TuuU6Mfn5ROhGgnt1-3nBosXkAy6SnPt28edL_wBTTy_g_nF91ETOj6D0IP2i_NrsbDyG5CaCSSAAqMiELJUlLsBdDtz6zwxxG/s1600/20120707_170903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTDuzu5wXG3P66PWM7L2jpJ9GVft67T2B_cLodrCso-TuuU6Mfn5ROhGgnt1-3nBosXkAy6SnPt28edL_wBTTy_g_nF91ETOj6D0IP2i_NrsbDyG5CaCSSAAqMiELJUlLsBdDtz6zwxxG/s320/20120707_170903.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
...balance of a gazelle...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQB6c6-hzE3wjtlVPJnfu6scnwCZ5FWdrM0zd0K6C5PubGOOhdbjGZHBHH8hB9l_sq8w4P_2CDo3rIghw78BP2NzyM1mXOxYu6YDPNWQk4BImgPUohebVQWtl7W4dikD0sMo_mVgdTJBz/s1600/20120707_170921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQB6c6-hzE3wjtlVPJnfu6scnwCZ5FWdrM0zd0K6C5PubGOOhdbjGZHBHH8hB9l_sq8w4P_2CDo3rIghw78BP2NzyM1mXOxYu6YDPNWQk4BImgPUohebVQWtl7W4dikD0sMo_mVgdTJBz/s320/20120707_170921.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And you can guess what happened next.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_7r8TO2M0u1gh-eDAvlp5fGPpzb_y3dRk3m0bnFMpz7DJ3LoslyXm5IoElIAZQIXyhZMv5_l4ebDFx7_fyMSTA64PMQuYXbX5Hp6KE9Kv-1tj1p4Lzw0FVmuNdOhTW64BAfSupS8TiqZ/s1600/20120707_171149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_7r8TO2M0u1gh-eDAvlp5fGPpzb_y3dRk3m0bnFMpz7DJ3LoslyXm5IoElIAZQIXyhZMv5_l4ebDFx7_fyMSTA64PMQuYXbX5Hp6KE9Kv-1tj1p4Lzw0FVmuNdOhTW64BAfSupS8TiqZ/s320/20120707_171149.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
So back inside for loads of pics with loads of bikes. These ones are exhibition bikes, so you're very welcome to hop on and have a little fantasy drive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xj8dfTjSKqpCwcgKFMHYX8nb0dRPolgCCii5zXkOypkjQLZJin6Mid7wIvD3eQEGs7YDrI1Xtfbdy4BMiaVqg5g4-BcV40F3SWkvtZzxX0GiWZi75GjHQIKxfpgryxe7w6nQjhDWp9s6/s1600/20120707_171247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xj8dfTjSKqpCwcgKFMHYX8nb0dRPolgCCii5zXkOypkjQLZJin6Mid7wIvD3eQEGs7YDrI1Xtfbdy4BMiaVqg5g4-BcV40F3SWkvtZzxX0GiWZi75GjHQIKxfpgryxe7w6nQjhDWp9s6/s320/20120707_171247.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
More of the same. Sorry, I did warn you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3nbiUGJfIHglDqEuJu2rGl5hHyfSO2OJxaijpq80BnZvxykZzsp7j3FXjxZ4Ulop4mUqWNpz_NCu7ADirggdIlAwU0wyfwNg9Oe9lcsV_Ao221vp_AV8hXMD7n9lm6mC34XJsRUcouAc5/s1600/20120707_171342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3nbiUGJfIHglDqEuJu2rGl5hHyfSO2OJxaijpq80BnZvxykZzsp7j3FXjxZ4Ulop4mUqWNpz_NCu7ADirggdIlAwU0wyfwNg9Oe9lcsV_Ao221vp_AV8hXMD7n9lm6mC34XJsRUcouAc5/s320/20120707_171342.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Some cool backdrops.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-I9sZJByV3Qwe4rpCT_NWGukAQHf9gWraYtvjzhhbcy7ClK7jMtm4f9daT3XdUCG_TMj2UFlBvtXuYTyu7S0eCR9eD7v3Be0ZwzuoLLKSsDAZy3Zq94c7jPQWwZuGMuHvCEblMtjU7jI/s1600/20120707_171500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-I9sZJByV3Qwe4rpCT_NWGukAQHf9gWraYtvjzhhbcy7ClK7jMtm4f9daT3XdUCG_TMj2UFlBvtXuYTyu7S0eCR9eD7v3Be0ZwzuoLLKSsDAZy3Zq94c7jPQWwZuGMuHvCEblMtjU7jI/s320/20120707_171500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So my daughter obviously was doing the "brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" thing with her mouth like a REAL HARLEY ENGINE. Loudly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3JSuek3bCehrHGC00XmZ8pooZwPOXsT1CKUhGDP_zWbZdm3UUq_O7SgF-8bcbNpNYiv-aOhk9vCO5ZcCTuLV2-_FBDD4Iz4F2B1IaFOSEVQD8c2wT9LA7KRTXOU5QjyHbs9GbmToo-tpo/s1600/20120707_171830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3JSuek3bCehrHGC00XmZ8pooZwPOXsT1CKUhGDP_zWbZdm3UUq_O7SgF-8bcbNpNYiv-aOhk9vCO5ZcCTuLV2-_FBDD4Iz4F2B1IaFOSEVQD8c2wT9LA7KRTXOU5QjyHbs9GbmToo-tpo/s320/20120707_171830.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So this one is cool. The screen on the background has various different videos, and you get your photo taken by the Harley girls and then your photo gets put up on their website later in the day!! Cool or what?! www.me-on-a-harley.com<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQC1L1-RzAb7sW3iuX5OfTJyuNiSZSPBrc2asw2VviedpMFfxYPFS6W8iEUELc9TaBHmmjovPJllX5DTxt2C8obVdmZ0xReC-2-DWGTtDiJCjmBjTXRiy4hCaMQN903eDUOfEHj6Io2v1D/s1600/20120707_172233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQC1L1-RzAb7sW3iuX5OfTJyuNiSZSPBrc2asw2VviedpMFfxYPFS6W8iEUELc9TaBHmmjovPJllX5DTxt2C8obVdmZ0xReC-2-DWGTtDiJCjmBjTXRiy4hCaMQN903eDUOfEHj6Io2v1D/s320/20120707_172233.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
You can't see that very well, but you get the idea...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnewa7NouzA9ywTzenFgLUq1P2a_pJhMCNQbkRWnqfaL4kHlrT3zef0maueUS4YYoNBIb-kkh11y8BBwsakwn59vska4Wt0SGtgDqqnreyiZiqq7FUIVrCRxuCmJWSo61TUcqY2KILRj5i/s1600/20120707_172239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnewa7NouzA9ywTzenFgLUq1P2a_pJhMCNQbkRWnqfaL4kHlrT3zef0maueUS4YYoNBIb-kkh11y8BBwsakwn59vska4Wt0SGtgDqqnreyiZiqq7FUIVrCRxuCmJWSo61TUcqY2KILRj5i/s320/20120707_172239.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So if you look carefully, you'll see me there, taking an "arty" pic!<br />
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Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand then my son joined in with the "brrrrrrrr..." inevitable really, hell, I wanted to do it!!! hahaha!!!! All in all, great fun, really well organised, and thoroughly friendly people. The thing goes on day and night, and there were a few party goes in full leathers that had had a fair few beers, and they were dancing around with my kids, all fun and games. So if you can spare a few hours this weekend, head on down!! Plaça España metro station.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBIlnj29waZyho3J4CJTkVym4ZakXuecLC5mYoPPGAYd048EflhGsQ1l2ewvkD4hcBYEuX9w9VxL7OPW2kQG6u1GqOa-8BC_PSuMhuYjEbhgnpifq-J715ae1u9_2BFw8yG00F9U989c3/s1600/20120707_172457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBIlnj29waZyho3J4CJTkVym4ZakXuecLC5mYoPPGAYd048EflhGsQ1l2ewvkD4hcBYEuX9w9VxL7OPW2kQG6u1GqOa-8BC_PSuMhuYjEbhgnpifq-J715ae1u9_2BFw8yG00F9U989c3/s320/20120707_172457.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Coming to Barcelona this summer? Check out <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank">BCN Rentals apartments</a> for a great deal instead of a hotel.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-43037674680527331672013-06-27T15:47:00.001+02:002013-06-27T15:47:17.075+02:00Gaudi gets his own Google DoodleIt would have been Gaudi's 161st birthday this year, and this week, none other than Google has shone its own kind of praise on the crazy-talented Catalan architect, with his very own Google doodle. Google typically re-writes the letters in a funny way, characteristic of the person they are honouring, so this time it's no different, with different parts of Barcelona and his buildings spelling out the word. Barcelona has <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide/world-heritage-sites.html" target="_blank">9 UNESCO World Heritage sites</a>, and Gaudi is responsible for 7 of those 9. Take a bow, sir, take a bow.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTtdXvG1v-9qGUANqyz8t6L-g0Nd2Gvp1hLAkDSArOpEbszjeYQr3hiUINPrCe7qVm1kWIJD9PEK12CJwQbjPsIFaWFh6QmT_x51Ux92G0wcqfnsN3-H3MAgKQoF0cmd-2ABR_At-rVe2/s817/gaudi-doodle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Google Doodle of Antoni Gaudi - barcelons sights blog" border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTtdXvG1v-9qGUANqyz8t6L-g0Nd2Gvp1hLAkDSArOpEbszjeYQr3hiUINPrCe7qVm1kWIJD9PEK12CJwQbjPsIFaWFh6QmT_x51Ux92G0wcqfnsN3-H3MAgKQoF0cmd-2ABR_At-rVe2/s400/gaudi-doodle.jpg" title="Gaudi Doodle - barcelonasights blog" width="400" /></a></div>
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Cool eh? Recognise them all? If you don't, then there's a <a href="http://conspiracy-cafe.blogspot.com.es/2013/06/antoni-gaudi-google-doodle-fouth.html" target="_blank">very good explanation here</a>.<br />
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Fancy a trip to the Catalan Capital to see the sights of Gaudi? <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank">BCN Rentals</a> has some great deals on apartment rentals instead of staying in a hotel.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-6750565833809027542013-06-27T15:25:00.000+02:002013-06-27T15:25:08.348+02:00Bowling in Barcelona This post could carry on along some of the recent posts of mine about <a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/search/label/activities%20for%20children" target="_blank">activities with children in Barcelona</a>, but is one for the adults too, as it's Ten Pin Bowling in Barcelona!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy472v5i6tGYLz9-WPccwN5qrSD1xqRJkdXZQ5UiqeAXKnoRQ-ABiLLWEtrjSykeoAlmBkHJbKhp8Dev7KgNgtArBxJiiWpD_LvMKlM6xU4VQDNX5JBkADVQOCnXvzxhYyMilLWWk7-8E1/s1600/Bowling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy472v5i6tGYLz9-WPccwN5qrSD1xqRJkdXZQ5UiqeAXKnoRQ-ABiLLWEtrjSykeoAlmBkHJbKhp8Dev7KgNgtArBxJiiWpD_LvMKlM6xU4VQDNX5JBkADVQOCnXvzxhYyMilLWWk7-8E1/s320/Bowling.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As far as I could work out from a quick search on the internet, there are two places in Barcelona offering bowling - one in Pedralbes and the Zona Alta, and the one we chose, which is <a href="http://www.newparkbowling.com/localizacion.asp#Final" target="_blank">newpark bowling</a> in La Maquinista shoping centre. There seemed to be one in Diagonal Mar but all the links to the web were broken so I thought it wasn't worth the risk. The one at La Maquinista was fine - free parking and it's also a rather large arcade game area, with a load of old classic Sega Games like Outrun, Afterburner, and some pretty cool air hockey tables and pool tables. But we'd gone for the bowling.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMKpn8kqD4EcalOhHQOR_0H1CPBRYv9r7pYyE-pPQqHfMGyKz30pdHQhQUZRF-yTUSo6ZqJa45MG0yI4pJRi-0ktRJnmaKGDI2Qior_41O8r3wjAnqjVbTLb_fdFOByJWksrcVw3toW5-/s1600/Bowling-Balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMKpn8kqD4EcalOhHQOR_0H1CPBRYv9r7pYyE-pPQqHfMGyKz30pdHQhQUZRF-yTUSo6ZqJa45MG0yI4pJRi-0ktRJnmaKGDI2Qior_41O8r3wjAnqjVbTLb_fdFOByJWksrcVw3toW5-/s320/Bowling-Balls.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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It'd been about 20 years since I'd last been bowling so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, and was hoping it would be similar as the way I remembered it. And fair play to the girl who was on (on her own, Satuday afternoon on the bar as well as the bowling desk) she took the time to explain everything, prices, shoe hire and the security bars for the kids (mine are 5 and 7).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAPrgbZXpqVlFvey266AVxJdBQUIsS7pQ7lIdlR5NJ_qY4fo7RK2GaXr9Sp2INVNjtNe42NFa4QRYoWKAYEiRUW8db6v-uSrt1b5ehKwyqlct5f0Y_uhFECtHg7WuK8doY3wz_NhocvGg/s1600/Bowling-Jack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAPrgbZXpqVlFvey266AVxJdBQUIsS7pQ7lIdlR5NJ_qY4fo7RK2GaXr9Sp2INVNjtNe42NFa4QRYoWKAYEiRUW8db6v-uSrt1b5ehKwyqlct5f0Y_uhFECtHg7WuK8doY3wz_NhocvGg/s320/Bowling-Jack.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The game was great, and the kids went first, and the bars alongside the gutter (for want of a better word, any bowlers out there feel free to correct me) came up automatically, very professional - last time I went that was manual. There were loads of different neon coloured balls to choose from with different weights, but even so they were a bit heavy for my daughter, so they had one of those handy ramps as shown in the photo above to give them a hand.<br />
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So, important things. Prices. We paid 19€ for the 4 of us with shoe hire, and took ages for the game (the toilet on the same floor as the bowling alley was out of order, so we had to keep going downstairs to the one next to Burger King. On a Saturday. But anyway.) Prices go up after 16h, and I think by chance we'd got there about 15:30, so got the cheaper price. It only goes up to around 25 € if I remember correctly so it's not a great deal of difference but still something to consider if you're looking to do more than one game. We had loads of fun, and my kids loved it as an alternative to going to the cinema or "indoor" activities as I like to call them for either a rainy day, or a really hot day when it's just too hot to wander around or run around parks. If anyone has any experience in the other one, I'd love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments!<br />
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Fancy a family holiday ? Check out these great <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank">apartments to rent in Barcelona</a> as an alternative to a hotel and to save some money. And check out <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide/top-ten-sights-for-children.html" target="_blank">my top ten sights for children in Barcelona</a> too!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-46688850412772711982013-06-13T02:30:00.000+02:002013-06-13T02:30:00.997+02:00Facelift for La Otra Carboneria<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's not often I complain, but I had a bit of a moan to myself when I went past <a href="http://laotracarboneria.net/" target="_blank">La Otra Carboneria</a> a couple of months ago and saw that someone had started to cover up the amazing graffiti on the facade. At the time, I wasn't sure if it had been the administration, vandals, or whatever, although little by little the picture became clearer...</div>
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Here's the one I liked and have <a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/2010/01/squatters-and-graffiti-at-la-otra.html" target="_blank">blogged about before</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOJPLFCcNwZduFlrZS_5jEznB9SVBtvr6mpE2sW3YK1DowpCcoJQozUcNZSQ1790aAMrPZhLHU00ke8udTT81_3z_ue6juGMLTml7hKm1YzK6ZeM7CdVDvBszDAh5vbieA0TcZGRsTXDw/s1600/laotracarboneria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOJPLFCcNwZduFlrZS_5jEznB9SVBtvr6mpE2sW3YK1DowpCcoJQozUcNZSQ1790aAMrPZhLHU00ke8udTT81_3z_ue6juGMLTml7hKm1YzK6ZeM7CdVDvBszDAh5vbieA0TcZGRsTXDw/s320/laotracarboneria.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
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Pretty cool right? Everyone would crane their neck on the bus going past, or in the car and it became part of the local geography accepted by all and even the council tried to break it up (check out the bottom corner around the furniture shop, where the facade has been daubed in brown to cover up the tentacles a bit.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_yUXvSGoCodD3zDkBanarRulUnJE_Ng5fyzdW7SW2HVMERgvfgsCXam_a_2g0w8-2SYVIM_ApNDsLueEAE3GpDHASgYqCdnBZYL85iFpfGNUhEUUGJIlvkkIv5-0BZ1BcjvYqxo_GOGX/s1600/2013-05-16+17.39.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="facade of la otra carboneria - barcelonasights blog" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_yUXvSGoCodD3zDkBanarRulUnJE_Ng5fyzdW7SW2HVMERgvfgsCXam_a_2g0w8-2SYVIM_ApNDsLueEAE3GpDHASgYqCdnBZYL85iFpfGNUhEUUGJIlvkkIv5-0BZ1BcjvYqxo_GOGX/s320/2013-05-16+17.39.10.jpg" title="Amazing painting at la otra carboneria on barcelona sights blog" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, I've been waiting for a day where I've a) been walking past again and b) the weather was good for me to take another quick snap since it's been finished (a while). I think you'll agree it looks pretty impressive and a lot more colourful, too. There's also something written on the street in Catalan about fighting against prisoners or something, but I couldn't quite make that out and don't know if they're related either.<br />
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Fancy a trip to Barcelona this summer? Stay in a <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/all-barcelona-apartments.html" target="_blank">Barcelona Apartment</a> instead of a hotel for some great savings. And if you need a quick look at what not to miss in the city, then see<a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide" target="_blank"> this Barcelona Guide</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-68002458876788224242013-06-12T14:17:00.003+02:002013-06-12T14:17:42.318+02:00Sonar Turns 20 !!You know the summer is on its way when it's Sonar time. After the realllly slow and wet May, it's about bloody time for some fantastic weather and this week looks to be proving to be exactly that. And it's just in time for the return if everyone's favourite Barcelona Festival - Sonar. 13th to 16th June.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixEq6niJHQPwHeWiLMBHReqFDRsf2zoaFFHyH40HwipoD8kbXmtXGGTgMP-APOfikFMOrUWWpjGYqE4CkVdEIbD7S-z3yKsD4dPOfzH4zLxkygzdvLMT16BmY43-aVk5TkRxlt7Sh-AHzH/s1600/Sonar2013.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Barcelona sights blog - Sonar 2013" border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixEq6niJHQPwHeWiLMBHReqFDRsf2zoaFFHyH40HwipoD8kbXmtXGGTgMP-APOfikFMOrUWWpjGYqE4CkVdEIbD7S-z3yKsD4dPOfzH4zLxkygzdvLMT16BmY43-aVk5TkRxlt7Sh-AHzH/s400/Sonar2013.png" title="Sónar 2013 in Barcelona" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Electronic Festival now seems to span so many different art forms it's becoming difficult to categorise but "<a href="http://www.sonar.es/en/2013/" target="_blank">International Festival of Advanced Music and New Media Art</a>" sounds good enough for me. One of the big changes this year is <a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/2013/02/sonar-swaps-locations.html" target="_blank">the changing of locations</a> for the Sonar by Day events, moving from the upper Raval around the MACBA and CCCB over to Plaça Espanya. Whether or not you believe the move is to gain 7000 more party go-ers or if the organisers have finally buckled under the pressure of neighbourhood groups the fact of the matter is that it's moved, and will likely be louder and not annoy people as much so let's not dwell too much on that! It also means an easier link up with the night events over at Gran Via 2, let's hope.<br />
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This year sees Pet Shop Boys and Kraftwerk as the main headliners, but as always there's a whole host of shows and Dj's to boogie on down to as well as the many bars and clubs that jump on the bandwagon this week and offer their own nights.<br />
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Organisers are actually expecting less people this year -just over 85,000 according to the press releases compared to 98,000 last year. This also despite work on the night event location to allow another 7000 revelers in. Are you going? Looking forward to seeing anyone in particular ? Let me know in the comments!<br />
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Coming to Barcelona this summer? Check out <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank">BCN Rentals</a> for some great deals on apartments.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-41985080134747801282013-05-29T20:18:00.000+02:002013-05-29T20:18:04.740+02:00Rubbish about RubbishThis has the potential of turning into an absolute rant, but I wont. Rubbish. The bane of many a resident's life in Barcelona, and a constant battle for the council. I took the first photo below in 2010, just because it tickled my fancy and I was surprised at the lengths people would go to expecting that perhaps the person who left this here would actually get around to seeing the note (or be bothered). Chances are, withing a few hours of the note being left, your BCNeta men on those lethal electrical vans would have swept it up and taken it to the incinerators under <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide/montjuic.html" target="_blank">Montjuic</a> (I say lethal, cos you can't hear the bloody things when they approach behind you - no headphones - and I've nearly been knocked into by one on more than one occasion!).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCKUZXtBmBTtkQyL3IqfqQ9l0dkh7jBCHU0uWGqEtHI-bBW0vdDZtDlwyy3j0kC6I9Uv-O-AbQwUXlamtL6gGDijx5lWCTRAbQwj5pKEbUgheTr1MyABoGt9jB2ySG4dKZUPUtEn0GFUU/s1600/IMG00107-20100616-1102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCKUZXtBmBTtkQyL3IqfqQ9l0dkh7jBCHU0uWGqEtHI-bBW0vdDZtDlwyy3j0kC6I9Uv-O-AbQwUXlamtL6gGDijx5lWCTRAbQwj5pKEbUgheTr1MyABoGt9jB2ySG4dKZUPUtEn0GFUU/s320/IMG00107-20100616-1102.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Translation, for those of you who can't see that too clearly: "Rubbish/Trash is to be thrown in the corresponding containers "not here"." It's a fairly innocuous cardboard box, and I suspect it could be a recycling crusador on a mission rather than the general bag of rubbish you usually find dogs chewing through.<br />
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Fast forward three years, and I saw this today in exactly the same spot:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMDprV6tiDrxCt0ocKnHcOhJh9fuj5ycYssKAPv_LGJgwpPmkK-BAar4TwlR3FdVryUgXJIwyatnMXD7FcaltPnXc-cxdUFUulJxSoMZdJwYNvsCbYyf2oVeup5v-f96eN6yh0N9sns8z/s1600/2013-05-29+11.57.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMDprV6tiDrxCt0ocKnHcOhJh9fuj5ycYssKAPv_LGJgwpPmkK-BAar4TwlR3FdVryUgXJIwyatnMXD7FcaltPnXc-cxdUFUulJxSoMZdJwYNvsCbYyf2oVeup5v-f96eN6yh0N9sns8z/s320/2013-05-29+11.57.26.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The council has bothered to waste money on silly stickers to try and educate people to drop their rubbish in the correct place. This bag of rubbish lasted about 3 minutes where it was (seriously, I went into a shop after I took the photo, and when I came out it was gone), so not sure if it serves a purpose or not. I've seen other rubbish chutes (where it's all underground) for example written in various languages (Arabic, Indian/Bagri/punjab/etc.) asking citizens to please ensure they drop their bags in the (albeit very small) doors, and not to just drop them on the floor. This sticker reads "you don't do it like this. Close the bag properly and drop it in the correct container..." along the same lines.<br />
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I said it wouldn't be a rant, so I won't go on about how the council wouldn't have to spend money on silly stickers in people were just civilised enough to care about the spaces we all share, or how it's no extra effort to open the door of the rubbish chutes, rather than dropping it on the floor, or how the council could spend its money more wisely, etc. etc. Any thoughts? Let me know in the comments!<br />
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Coming to Barcelona this summer? <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank">Barclona apartments</a> can be a great way to save money and live like the locals. Check out the link for more information.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-14022321050239858482013-05-29T16:21:00.003+02:002013-05-29T16:21:32.942+02:00Roll Out the Red Carpet Again - Paso de Zebra 2013A couple of hours ago I got stuck behind a van unloading a fair amount of what looked like felt to cover a pool table or something, but then remembered<a href="http://www.barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/2012/06/red-carpeting-raval.html" target="_blank"> last year stumbling upon</a> the cool <a href="http://www.pasodezebra.org/" target="_blank">Paso de Zebra</a> festival, which celebrates fashion, design and art, and where better to stage such a jaunt than the Raval. There's nothing quite like the urban freshness and inventiveness that the Raval has for me - forgot El Borne with your daft posh galleries (I don't claim to understand anything about art), and give me the real creative edge. Occupied buildings, cool graffiti, fantastic markets and vintage clothing is all the go.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLg1m7aOaDme5stk8tq_FpGbjhTp9KkjVtLXhwd_7bCISEY8IBauRoPcMex75RcUhqsLThw0ILDDoG3juzNV_LtbL0Gp3hVno2A8nixq1mN7pK2Em0pORMWtEUY40bUy105tRxzLBo5bGl/s1600/20120609_094844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="pink carpets at Paso de Zebra festival 2012 - Barcelona sights" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLg1m7aOaDme5stk8tq_FpGbjhTp9KkjVtLXhwd_7bCISEY8IBauRoPcMex75RcUhqsLThw0ILDDoG3juzNV_LtbL0Gp3hVno2A8nixq1mN7pK2Em0pORMWtEUY40bUy105tRxzLBo5bGl/s320/20120609_094844.jpg" title="Scenes from last year's Paso de Zebra Festival - Barcelona Sights Blog" width="320" /></a></div>
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This year the festival takes place on the 8th and 9th June in the streets around Vistalegre, Carretas, Aurora and then fashion shows at <a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/2008/12/santa-eulalia-forgotten-saint-of.html" target="_blank">Plaça Pedró</a>. There's a chill out area in the BBall courts at Aurora, and there's a few "pop-up stores" at the galeries on Portaferrissa too, so spread yourself around the <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide" target="_blank">old town</a> and soak up the vibes.<br />
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Fancy a trip out to the Catalan Capital this summer? Check out <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank">BCN Rentals</a> for some hot deals on apartment rentals!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-35444894451096645072013-05-09T15:36:00.002+02:002013-05-09T15:37:51.050+02:002 € Tapas & Beer for TapantoniEvery 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, <a href="http://www.santantonibcn.com/es_noticias_detalle.html?Id=53" target="_blank">Tapantoni</a> 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.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1AkoLIMnJsUxYACvr8i8aPhHo4auYzU3GJmvWTgmh5a2fm-PkMJtFZGLIvdaybqi_cPKtR5a97QfFmp1YS5nkzweuok7vJ-Lu2_bwHR9C8B5GlzQsL9go9HLLfYsPomaKEMeifYm_o8W/s1600/Tapantoni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tapantoni Tapas Tour on BarcelonaSights" border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1AkoLIMnJsUxYACvr8i8aPhHo4auYzU3GJmvWTgmh5a2fm-PkMJtFZGLIvdaybqi_cPKtR5a97QfFmp1YS5nkzweuok7vJ-Lu2_bwHR9C8B5GlzQsL9go9HLLfYsPomaKEMeifYm_o8W/s400/Tapantoni.jpg" title="Tapas & Beer for 2 € !! barcelona sights" width="400" /></a></div>
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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 <a href="http://www.santantonibcn.com/descargar.php?carpeta=adjuntos&doc=26_Adjunto.pdf" target="_blank">link here</a>. It started on 6th and finishes on the 31st May (but check times and days which do apply)<br />
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Coming to Barcelona this Spring? Check out <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-rentals-9-10-people.html" target="_blank">BCN Rentals apartments for groups</a> as a great alternative for stuffy hotel rooms. And for a quick look at the best bits, see their <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide" target="_blank">Barcelona Guide</a>, too.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-76592005400938453102013-05-05T12:07:00.000+02:002013-05-05T12:07:28.199+02:00Where to Buy FC Barcelona TicketsThis 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 <a href="http://www.fcbarcelona.com/info-tickets/next-matches-football" target="_blank">official fc barcelona website</a> 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.<br />
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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 <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide" target="_blank">central sights of Barcelona</a> and be able to quickly check availability, right?<br />
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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.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrR9tjG8yfPukecIeW5mhQ2YQ9xuO-NhOymquOcS4ZH9-geZcpCq7JQy8LA1OSR5WpPu36EaUnn7rDu9ymzgt012lxVca-4jtYzyWZvjhqel3axU0ffZ5rGzR48yjPqRlmPGAMWZcxpJKa/s1600/2013-05-03+14.55.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="barcelona sights - outside of FC Barcelona Store" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrR9tjG8yfPukecIeW5mhQ2YQ9xuO-NhOymquOcS4ZH9-geZcpCq7JQy8LA1OSR5WpPu36EaUnn7rDu9ymzgt012lxVca-4jtYzyWZvjhqel3axU0ffZ5rGzR48yjPqRlmPGAMWZcxpJKa/s320/2013-05-03+14.55.52.jpg" title="Official FC Barcelona Store at Maremagnum - Barcelona Sights Blog" width="320" /></a></div>
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The next place you can try is the official FC Barcelona Store in <a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/2009/01/barcelona-bargains-maremagnum-luckies.html" target="_blank">Maremagnum</a>. 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<a href="http://88.87.211.197/MEBO/uploaded/images/kiosk_ticketbureau_ramblas.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://88.87.211.197/MEBO/uploaded/images/kiosk_ticketbureau_ramblas.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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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!<br />
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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. <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-rentals-9-10-people.html" target="_blank">Rent an apartment for groups</a> to save some money and enjoy the space and comfort an apartment offers over a small hotel room.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-23168377761320396762013-04-24T08:00:00.000+02:002013-04-24T08:00:14.103+02:00Columbus Monument Due to Re-Open in JuneOne of Barcelona's famous monuments, the statue of Christopher Columbus or<i> Mirador del Colon</i>, is due to re-open in June as <a href="http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/barcelona/monumento-colon-reabrira-junio-tras-una-revision-integral-2350945" target="_blank">El Periodico reported recently</a>. The column has a lift which can transport tourists up to the top to view a panorama of <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide/las-ramblas.html" target="_blank">Las Ramblas and the Port Vell</a> 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.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqGwKVFukMm45fJfh6X9uDZA1xb81hyphenhyphenviZ0f1_MrkdtnA7ZBYdVgkJTd6T0ubrSK6PLsVf-GR4foJCD9h8QZDsAxBbtA0WRBbdvgxqTf197uPnKLxPnv9U_R9kBULW1w4-zTz-_q5R-Qz/s1600/new-columbus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqGwKVFukMm45fJfh6X9uDZA1xb81hyphenhyphenviZ0f1_MrkdtnA7ZBYdVgkJTd6T0ubrSK6PLsVf-GR4foJCD9h8QZDsAxBbtA0WRBbdvgxqTf197uPnKLxPnv9U_R9kBULW1w4-zTz-_q5R-Qz/s400/new-columbus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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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.<br />
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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...<br />
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Anyone been up there? Any good or not really worth it ? Let me know in the comments!<br />
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And if you're coming to Barcelona this June, then check out the<a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-rentals-7-8-people.html" target="_blank"> apartments for group bookings</a> on offer at BCN Rentals. They have some great prices in central locations, too.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-11533016038775220842013-04-21T08:00:00.000+02:002013-04-21T08:00:04.379+02:00Send a Personalised Message to Someone for Sant Jordi!This coming week is one of the most colourful celebrations in the Catalan Calendar, <a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/2009/04/sant-jordi-books-and-roses-in-barcelona.html" target="_blank">Sant Jordi</a>. 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. <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide/las-ramblas.html" target="_blank">Las Ramblas</a> is a particularly cool place to visit on that day! There's a great explanation in English about the <a href="http://w1.bcn.cat/santjordi/en/tradition" target="_blank">story behind the tradition here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJrJVrfZCAHVHz-EtVwNo_AQ4fk2y1oP6ONUBS4iVb0C71dDFyKSVr3wH9paPseSNHbI9NabKCbUlAcIs6ly9-Revc_YAqgd_7Eec7BzRCT9g90EjDyaDR5-q98i-P4gndsjUa3YpY7SR/s1600/SantJordi2013.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Barcelonasights - Sant Jordi 2013" border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJrJVrfZCAHVHz-EtVwNo_AQ4fk2y1oP6ONUBS4iVb0C71dDFyKSVr3wH9paPseSNHbI9NabKCbUlAcIs6ly9-Revc_YAqgd_7Eec7BzRCT9g90EjDyaDR5-q98i-P4gndsjUa3YpY7SR/s400/SantJordi2013.png" title="Sant Jordi Message - barcelona sights blog" width="400" /></a></div>
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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 <a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/2010/04/virtual-roses-for-sant-jordi-2010.html" target="_blank">virtual roses</a> 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.<br />
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So this year is no different, and you can send a personalised message to your friends or family or loved ones via the <a href="http://w1.bcn.cat/santjordi/en/foryou" target="_blank">website here</a>. 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!<br />
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Fancy visiting the city with friends soon ? <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-rentals-9-10-people.html" target="_blank">Group apartments</a> are a great way to save money - check out the link for some bargains at BCN Rentals.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-53243772167235860522013-04-20T13:01:00.002+02:002013-04-20T13:01:24.978+02:00Ocean Colour Scene play Apolo BarcelonaOne 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 <a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/2009/10/barcelona-live-music-venues.html" target="_blank">live music venues in Barcelona</a> 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RK_19wAhyphenhyphenX72QxPJXypKOS9wn9xY488CIqehIRRUteaSkTJl59t_GSfLXzEA76ATopX1t1gS9aFJgmvxfRJNe8l-F8XMsd50fuPjFtiCFrCL32qrwd8DI5_zv6PRRtj-pQnOL9vplYxD/s1600/OceanColourScene.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="screenshot of Ocean Colour Scene site - barcelonasights" border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RK_19wAhyphenhyphenX72QxPJXypKOS9wn9xY488CIqehIRRUteaSkTJl59t_GSfLXzEA76ATopX1t1gS9aFJgmvxfRJNe8l-F8XMsd50fuPjFtiCFrCL32qrwd8DI5_zv6PRRtj-pQnOL9vplYxD/s400/OceanColourScene.png" title="Barcelona Sights Blog - Ocean Colour Scene" width="400" /></a></div>
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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 <a href="https://www.sala-apolo.com/en/events-tickets/sala-apolo-ocean-colour-scene/_e:92/" target="_blank">Apolo on Tuesday</a>. The britpop band are promoting their new album <i>Painting </i>which is out now, but you can bet they'll be re-visiting a few of their classic tunes like <i>The Riverboat Song</i> and <i>The Day we caught the train</i> 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!<br />
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Looking for a good deal for accommodation in Barcelona ? Check out <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/" target="_blank">BCN Rentals</a> for some great deals on last minute apartments!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-49046484935955588942013-04-20T11:13:00.003+02:002013-04-20T11:13:52.111+02:00Free UK TV with FilmonIt'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.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiby1QdCYd0pHcEd9bG99d0VZ6whGX_bMDI4Mfvlj7YV2DzfDtM4rNij26_0vmzFbMwjRctFQlZ1bdez-laZJqEB0ySp66NCYaiz_H_gk1_cUBCnSkq2m791rZeLbu8KWrRxQh4J2sITMJi/s1600/filmon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Screenshot of Filmon TV - Barcelonasights vlog" border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiby1QdCYd0pHcEd9bG99d0VZ6whGX_bMDI4Mfvlj7YV2DzfDtM4rNij26_0vmzFbMwjRctFQlZ1bdez-laZJqEB0ySp66NCYaiz_H_gk1_cUBCnSkq2m791rZeLbu8KWrRxQh4J2sITMJi/s400/filmon.png" title="Filmon Engligh TV - Barcelona Sights Blog" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, I'm talking about <a href="http://www.filmon.tv/" target="_blank">Filmon</a>. 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).<br />
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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.<br />
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Fancy a holiday with friends this spring? Check out<a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-rentals-9-10-people.html" target="_blank"> these apartments for groups in Barcelona </a>for a great deal instead of a hotel room! And for a what's what on the city sights, check out <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide" target="_blank">BCN Rentals guide</a> to the city!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09055914353803952221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5727280227278154850.post-27282779836156050832013-04-12T12:46:00.000+02:002013-04-12T12:46:05.997+02:00Barça draws Munich in semis of Champions League<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm literally typing this as Ruud Van Nistelrooy has just pulled out the name of Barcelona from the cup in Nyon. Barça have got Bayern in the last 4, away from home in the first leg, avoiding as everyone hoped Real Madrid and paving the way for that possible "El Classico" final in Wembley. Obviously that's assuming they can defeat the champions of Germany Bayern, who are looking pretty unstoppable (and have been my favourites to win since a while back - only <a href="http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com.es/2013/03/crunch-time-for-barca.html" target="_blank">I've not been very good with my predictions</a> this season!) - although as we've seen with this week's result against Paris Saint German, anything's possible with "the little big guy". </div>
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Of course the other tie sees Mourinho's men travel to Dortmund to face Borussia after their...<i>ahem</i>...fortunate win mid-week against Malaga.<br />
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Ties will be played on the 23rd and 24th April in Germany, and the retun legs in Camp Nou and Santiago Bernabau on the 30th April and 1st May (to be decided as I'm still typing). No doubt Barça will be wrapping Leo in cotton wool until then, as well as Cristiano for Madrid. It's cheeky to say that they're both a one man team, but there's proof in the claim if you look at Wednesday's result in <a href="http://www.bcn-rentals.com/barcelona-guide/pedralbes-zona-alta.html" target="_blank">Camp Nou</a>, right?!<br />
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25th May will see the final in Wembley and what a prospect that already seems like being. Let's hope it doesn't disappoint. Part of me knew the draw troday would have kept Madrid and Barça apart - there's always talk of fixing and warming the balls and all that bollocks, but it does keep the draw still very interesting, because even if Barça do go out to Bayern then there'll always be that "waht if..." thought about what could've been in Wembley.<br />
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