Bastoneras in the Old Town

This weekend (Saturday) saw the Bastoneras of Catalunya celebrate their annual festival in Barcelona's Old Town. The "Bastoneras" are traditional groups who dance with wooden sticks, and traditional attire with flutes and drums performing in and around the streets of the city centre.
A meal was celebrated in the Rambla del Raval, and previously, the groups from all around Catalunya paraded around the old town, las ramblas and Plaça Sant Jaume, performing dances and animating the streets and the spectators. All walks of life were represented, and the whole parade brought life into the city with tourists and locals alike transfixed by the well-rehearsed routines.

The participants wore costumes in bright colours, similar to those of the castellers but with flag bearers following, and some had bells around their ankles, too.



With over 70 groups participating, it was a flurry of colour and noise to compliment the fine weather, and a great spectacle for those watching. Did you see the Bastoneras this weekend? Comments welcome as always guys!

Primavera Sound Festival

The good weather brings along some great festivals in Barcelona during the early part of the summer. First on the list is Primavera Sound from the 28th to 30th May - which is actually "spring sound" but it feels like summer, with the nice weather we've been having this last week! Some big names have lined up again for this year's festival, which takes place in the Parc del Forum - despite organisers claiming they would look for an alternative venue after such high levels of neighbour complaints last year.



There are some pre-festival events this coming week as everyone jumps on the band wagon (no pun intended) in side-car (inside plaça Reial in the old town) and Apolo which includes the screening of the Champions League Final between FC Barcelona and Manchester United.

Some of the big names include Neil Young, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Aphex Twin, Bloc Party, Jarvis Cocker, Yo La Tengo, The Jayhawks, Spiritualized, Michael Nyman, Throwing Muses, Saint Etienne, The Jesus Lizard and Ghostface Killah but there are hundreds of acts, and tickets are still on sale through the website.

If you're looking for accommodation for the festival, try apartments for rent in Barcelona as a great base to chill out a couple of days before or after. Also, for information on the city as a whole, see this great Barcelona Guide.

Extra Income During the Crisis ? Get Married!

I saw this yesterday in a shop window and loved it. It's an ad for a proposal for marriage for any illegal immigrant (woman) with an email address, and a promise that it's "economical". The actual text reads:

"Foreign Woman and need papers? I'll marry you. Economical. Write to me and we'll talk." Followed by an email address (which I've blurred out intentionally).


Now, I know that this is a quick way for illegal immigrants to "become legal" and there are work contracts that go on for sale in South America for around 3000 Euros (I know a fair few people who have paid that), and I'm not making a joke about the situation of immigrants at all. What I loved about the ad, is that these kind of things that I've mentioned usually are done "behind closed doors" or "I know someone who might be able to help you out..." - this ad is in a fairly big shop in the middle of Barcelona's Old Town brazenly displayed in the shop window for everyone and anyone to see. Classic.

Coming to Barcelona soon? Consider apartments for rent in Barcelona instead of a hotel room, and for a heads up on the city and its neighbourhoods, see this Barcelona Guide.

Vegan Restaurants in Barcelona

Barcelona is a great place to find food - the eclectic mix of kitchens from around the world invite you to try anything from Cebiche to Kow Neow, as well as the fantastic local specialties. The Spanish have an obsession with meat, and Pork in particular (they sell the brains in the supermarket, right alongside the trotters, ears and tails for God's sake!) and most restaurants will offer you cured hams, or have a very meat orientated menu - which is not much fun if you're a Vegetarian or a Vegan.

This post was a request, so I'm going to give you the lowdown on Vegetarian and (mainly) Vegan options if you're visiting Barcelona. I've also added a googlemap at the bottom if you've got no idea what I'm talking about!


It's of co-incidence that these restaurants are all fairly close together, considering the size of Barcelona, and the scope it has for restaurants. First up is Juicy Jones. Juicy Jones has a couple of establishments - both in the old town. The one just off Las Ramblas, behind the PC City computer store is more of a Juice Bar, whereas the one pictured above, on Carrer Hospital is a little bigger.



Just two streets up from Carrer Hospital is Carrer Pintor Fortuny, and this is the location for two of the restaurants on the list. First is Organic, which is on the corner of Xuclá and as the name suggests, serves all organic produce and is very central, just a minute's walk from Las Ramblas.



Walk a little further into the Raval following Pintor Fortuny, and on the opposite side of the road is BioCenter - another great spot for Vegan and Vegetarian munchies. The shop bearing the same name on the opposite side of the road I think must have closed down (at least temporarily) as I haven't seen it open for a long time.

Finally we have Sesamo, which is located on Carrer Sant Antoni Abat, at the end, right next to Sant Antoni Market. This is a small, but popular place and serves "comida sin bestias" or "food without beasts"! Again, the location from the previous few places is just a couple of minutes walk - I've added a map below to show all of the locations.

One last place worth a mention. "Fresco" is an all you can eat buffet with various locations around the city centre, and although it's not strictly Vegetarian/Vegan, there's a huge salad bar for starters (go back as many times as you like), and there is almost always some vegetarian alternatives, such as pasta with pesto and cheese sauces, etc. I thought it's worth a mention as it's very good value for money - and healthy to boot. I'd be happy to hear any additions form you guys in the comments, too - let's make the lost longer!

You might need to zoom in a bit for the map, just click the plus sign. Hope it works ok.



For apartments for rent in Barcelona look no further than BCN Rentals - 9 years of experience in the city centre. Also, for more information on the city itself - check out this great Barcelona Guide

Barcelona Football Riots

Spanish press and in particular the Barcelona news reporters (both printed and Televsion) are quick to point the finger at foreign football fans as the cause of the biggest problems. However, recent events in the city have caused a great deal of problems, too. Those of which the root is much closer to home.

Last weekend FC Barcelona had a home game against Villareal, a game which had Barcelona won would have seen them clinch the Spanish league title against near rivals and arch enemies Real Madrid in second place. This was also the Sunday of the Formula 1 Grand Prix and an expectant city had giant screens in Plaça Catalunya - the city's main square. In an enthralling match, with another red card (as in the Chelsea match), Barcelona threw away the lead to draw 3-3. Title celebrations would have to wait.

This did nothing however, to stop what has been seen to be a typical celebration in the city since the 2006 Champions League victory in Paris, and an onslaught in the city centre ensued with violence, damage to public property and public bins burned, etc. The city's subsidised bike hire - Bicing - suffered damage to the value of a massive 400,000 Euros. Local Police - the Mossos de Esquadra - have vowed to ensure that Bicing stations will be emptied for further possible disturbances during sporting events.



And so arrives last Wednesday night, Final of the Copa del Rey - FC Barcelona vs Atletic de Bilbao in Valencia's Mestalla stadium. Barcelona are victorious, beating the Basuqe rivals 4-1, and again the city sees disturbances until the early hours of the morning, including 50 arrests, and 1 man falling into a river and dying (outside of Barcelona in nearby Girona). Again, bottles were thrown, public property destroyed and bins were burned. Rubber bullets were used, and 33 Police officers needed treatment.

This weekend Barcelona play Mallorca away from home on Sunday, but victory could be theirs on Saturday if Real Madrid lose to Villereal - a possibility given the current form of both teams. Even if Barcelona don't win tomorrow, there are still some games left, too, making the league title almost a foregone conclusion. If this is the case, the city will again brace itself for some inevitable damage, with the worst yet to come.

On the 27th May in Rome, Barcelona and Manchester Utd will contest the final of this year's Champion's league final - assuming Barcelona win the league and after winning the Copa del Rey, they would be on course for an unprecedented triple - something no Spanish team has ever done before.

Comments welcome as always guys - Were you around this week during the disturbances? Anthing to report? Please feel free to leave a comment.

Apartments for rent Barcelona - Barcelona Guide

Great Bars with Terraces - Part 3

OK, the sun is shining, you're in the centre of Barcelona's old town and fancy a nice drink outside but not on the crowded streets of Las Ramblas - or maybe something else as well, like some food. Step in Rita Rouge.


Tucked away behind the famous Boqueria Market, just next to a car park doesn't sound like a great location for your early afternoon cervesa, right? Wrong! Rita Rouge is a great place to sit out with the locals, and nibble on some nachos or even treat yourself to a Menu del dia.

It's privileged location means it enjoys a whole load of sunshine almost all day, as it's facing the sea and has no buildings in front of it (just the car park) so nothing blocking out the sunlight. It's also extremely central, and close to two of my other favourite places for an outdoor drink in the city, Mendizabal and Bar Lobo. (If I keep going at this rate, I'll be inventing my own Barcelona Pub Crawl !) Rita also has a ...ahem...sister not far away (her words) in Rita Blue, which is a great place for an evening drink too.

A quick mention of the nearby Boqueria market, too - you can pick up many of the Top 10 Barcelona food and drink items in here, such as the great Iberian hams. Prefer to eat in? Renting your own Barcelona apartment also offers you the chance to cook in the kitchen or prepare some tapas-style snacks, too.