The Spanish Christmas Lottery

One of the many thnings I love about spending Christmas in Spain is the Christmas Lottery draw also known as "El Gordo" - or "The Fat One". And for pure entertainment value. The very first year I came to Barcelona, I remember turning on the TV in the morning and almost every single channel (no TDT, guys) was broadcasting the draw. And I had absolutely NO IDEA what was going on. I was absolutely baffled.



I was 16 when the National lottery first started in the UK, so obviously went along and bought my ticket. Simple process, you fill in one of those sheets with the 6 numbers you'd like to choose and then get your ticket. So you choose all 6 numbers. And it's highly unlikely that there are more than, say, another person who has chosen those same numbers as you. So the expectations and dreams you might have of becoming a multi-millionare (and probably not having to share it with anyone) made part of the draw....er, part of the draw.

Now, I still don't think I fully understand how the bloody hell the Spanish Christmas lottery works, but it most certainly grips the nation like nothing I've ever seen before. Tickets go on sale in JULY, and there used to be a pretty famous bald bloke who would adorn your bus shelters around the cities with catchphrases such as "Could it fall here this year?" and the like. Wacky stuff in the heat of summer, seeing snow, Christmas trees and that bloke blowing angel dust towards you.

Tickets are known as "decimos" or "tens" as there are at least ten of each number and cost a whopping 20 Euros each. There are seemingly hundreds of prizes ranging from the refund of your ticket (usually goes straight back into the New Year Draw known as "El Niño"), and then varying amounts up to the big one of 3 million Euros. No, that wasn't a typo. The "fat one" is only 3 million Euros. OK, OK, I know "only" is perhaps the wrong word, but I mean none of your 110 Million EuroMillion malarkeys. Given the sheer amount of prizes, there's a 15% chance of winning some kind of prize, so maybe the "great" odds are what so many people play.



Part of the reason I (now I understand it) love the day, is the whole performance. Big old Bingo cages are rolled out and loads of little wooden balls are tipped into them, so no complaints about technology here. Starting from early morning, two balls are dropped out at a time with one being the ticket number and the other being the prize. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, the funny bit is that kids from (I'm guessing a posh school called Sant Ildefons) SING the numbers out. Loudly. For about 4 hours.

Obviously, Spain now has the Euro as their national currency, but it used to be the Peseta - so numbers were huge (although not as huge as the Lira, to be fair, which was just silly). So 1 million pesetas was only 6000 Euros. Given that the Spanish lottery ticket number is a 5 digit number, the whole singing thing is an absolute tounge-twister for a recently-arrived foreigner (see first paragraph)!!


I could write a whole other post about improving your chances of winning by buying your ticket from the Catalan Town of "Sort" - where a huge majority of the tickets are printed. They have their own witch (Sort means "luck" in Catalan) too, and people flock from literally miles and miles around to buy directly from Sort. And you can still "choose your numbers" - apparently favourites this year have been the date that Spain won the World Cup, or the minute that Iniesta scored, etc. So if you're in front of a TV (or Radio, for that matter) then be sure to tune in on Wednesday 22nd December.

Coming to Barcelona this winter? Check out these Barcelona apartments for rent and if you need a quick look at what not to miss, then see this Barcelona Guide.

Any Excuse for the Party to Go On...

I don't know about you, but it's been a while since I went "out" on New Years Eve. I've always spent it with the most important people close to me, but we have usually opted for a house party, or dinner at a friends or invite people round. Previous years of so much planning for one night which always seems to be the biggest disappointment of them all seem to have taken their toll, and whilst I've had some cracking New Years over the ten years I've been here, they hardly rank as the best nights I've had as you might expect.



So who else is more in the know to exploit that new-year-blues feeling than the kings and queens of Barcelona night life, Matinee group? Instead of organising a massive New Year Party this year, they're presenting thier annual Matinee Winter Festival at the end of the Purple Line metro (don't even get me started on THAT one) in the Pavello Olympic Badalona. On the 1st January. That's right. You can go out AGAIN after that blur that is the week between Christmas Day and New Years Eve, just to make sure you're done welcoming in 2011!!

Given the fact that pretty much everything that Matinee Group touches turns to gold, it'd be a safe bet saving your 35 Euros to pay the entrance fee (with 2 free drinks to limited time) here, than 2 cubatas the night before in a place you can't quite remember the name of!

So what do you reckon? Like the sound of it? Planning on going? Let me know in the comments!

If you're coming to Barcelona this end of year, check out these Barcelona Apartments for a great alternative to a hotel room. and for a qucik look at the city sights, check out their Barcelona Guide.

Nativity Scenes in the Old Town

Well, it's less than 2 weeks to Christmas. Nearly the end of 2010. I don't know about you, but for me, the year seems to have flown by. Let's hope 2011 is a hell of a lot better for the whole country.

Nothing gets me more in the mood for the Christmas time than the traditions. I love the Christmas songs on loop in the supermarkets - Frank singing "Let it Snow" and it's 19ºC outside - the fake snow in the windows, the lights being turned on, etc. I even had a special delivery of Christmas crackers for my tree delivered in November (gotta have crackers, people, with really bad jokes) - thanks Uncle Tony!! So, whilst I'm also one for embracing the wacky traditions that other cultures may have, I'm also happy to queue up to look at other "normal" stuff, like the Christmas market, and the Nativity scene currently in place in front of the town hall.



The back drop of the scene has projections - like a giant Advent calendar - of the typical Catalan traditions and there's a great meal laid on of the traditional escudella amb galets. You'll have to forgive the quality of the pics, guys - wife's iphone as we hadn't planned on heading there - but I thought they were worth sharing.



Coming to Barcelona soon? Check out BCN Rentals for a good selection of apartments to rent. And for a good look at what's hot and what's not, read up this Barcelona Guide.

BarcelonaSights Interview - Blogger Martin Brown

Happy December everyone, and after a slow start back from those dangerous 3-day-bank-holidays, I thought I'd give first post of the month as another interview. This time it's Englishman Martin Brown, who has the photoblog An English Eye on Spain.




What's your name and where are you from?

Martin Brown from London, England.

How long have you lived in Barcelona? Why did you come here?

I have lived in Barcelona for 6 years. I came here from Mexico and wanted to get back to Europe and Barcelona seemed like a good choice, combining art, design, history and culture.

Where else have you lived and how does Barcelona compare?

London , Mexico City and Barcelona. I guess the difference as much as a anything is size - both London and Mexico are vast cities, while Barcelona is fairly small and had a more laid back atmosphere instead of a heavy urban one.

What are the things you miss from home/the other places you have mentioned?

Theatre and friends.

Why did you start the blog?

I have been taking photos of the city and other places for a few years now and wanted a more public platform for these images.

What makes you think you can offer something different to the other Barcelona photoblogs out there?

I hope to take the viewer to some places that perhaps aren't shown by other blogs, small everyday details, visual things that I see as well as the more famous tourist attractions.

Is there anything you've not included in your blog yet that you'd like to?

Still a lot of pictures to upload, so keep on checking for updates. I also want to start photographing people as its something I would like to try.

Is there anything you try to avoid?

The obvious.


I'd like to thank Martin for taking the time to answer the questions, and for agreeing to the interview. If you haven't already, I suggest you check out his blog and subscribe for his unique view of the city.

Coming to Barcelona this winter? Check out these great apartments for rent in Barcelona city centre. And for a quick look at the top city sights, see this Barcelona guide.

Christmas Shopping til late 2nd December

If the recent chilly weather hasn't been getting you ready for the upcoming Christmas festivities, then this coming week also sees the Christmas lights being turned on and a good excuse for you to stay around to admire them with The Shopping Night Barcelona on the same night. The elegant (read expensive) shops along Passeig de Gracia are opening from 8pm till midnight for the event. Shoppers can join in the fun with a "passport" which is stamped from shops participate in the scheme and then the passports are entered into a prize draw for 5 pretty decent prizes - just for doing a bit of Christmas shopping!

As mentioned, this also co-incides with the Christmas lights being turned on, and I'm sure the Christmas Street Pasta from last year. And if that's still not enough to get you in the mood, then you can check out the giant Caganer at Maremagnum, or head down to the Christmas market in front of the Cathedral for the essentials to decorate your home and nativity scene.

Are you coming to Barcelona this Christmas? Think about renting Barcelona apartments instead of a typical hotel room, and have a family Christmas away from home! Also, for a quick look at the must-see attractions, see this Barcelona Guide.

El Molino & Ferran Adria re-inventing Paral·lel

2010 is the Any Cerdà celebrating the 150 years of the approval of Ildefons Cerdà's plans of the extension and expansion of Barcelona. One of the aims of the mayor's office has also been to try and reignite the sparks along Parallelo Avenue, and make it a more desired route for tourists to ease a little pressure from Las Ramblas. The idea is that Parallel could become a kind of New York Broadway - it has the most Theatres in the city, and is a natural connection between the touristic Port Vell with all the cruise ships arriving, and the hub of business that is the Fira de Barcelona with the conference and congress goers. Cerdà's quirkiness in his design named the avenue this way as it is exactly parallel with the equator at 42º.



Well, plans have been in place for quite some time, and while I can't see the tourists flocking to Parallel instead of Las Ramblas just yet, at least they're making strides. After June's Street Party, last month saw the re-opening of El Molino - and pretty spectacular it looks too. I have been meaning to do a post about the re-opening, but haven't managed to get a decent photo of the new facade just yet (despite several attempts), so if you're nearby, it's well worth a look, and if I get one, I'll update the post. Or if anyone else has got one, then let me know!

And if you needed a big name to create a bit of buzz around a new project and restaurant in town, then look no further than Ferran Adria. And instead of choosing the typical over-rated haunts of El Borne to look for a place, Adria and team have chosen none other than Parallelo for their new restaurant,
ticketsbar.



Let's hope the ahem "tickets" are a little easier to get a hold of than those for El Bulli...and don't all rush down there yet, it's not open just yet.

Coming to Barcelona soon? Check out these apartments for rent as a change for a hotel room. And for a heads up on the best sights, see this Barcelona Guide.