Best Barcelona Bars - part 3

La Confiteria. Located on Calle Sant Pau, this is a bar unto its own, and is (as the name suggests) an old sweet shop. The windows on either side of the main entrance are rented out (very cheaply) to local artists and sculpters, who fare their trade with paper mache giraffes, mini theatres, and other such beauties as an enticement to get you into the bar. There are some really cool things on offer, with a great price tag.
The facade of the bar is amongst some great neighbours - the old barbers shop 2 doors down bought recently by English hair stylist Anthony Llobet, retains all the charm of a 50's barber shop and the bar "Ultramarinos" in between is another great example of old Catalan bars with the mirrored black shop front, and narrow wooden bar - this used to be an old style grocery store, with tins of conserve and canned fish behind the counter with your typical elderly and over helpful gentleman helping to fill your brown paper bag for you.


La Confiteria is also like a step back in time, with it's aging bottles of potions and grog on display behind the bar with the rock and roll owners happy to serve a cafe con leche or an aguardiente, depending on the time of day you visit. There have been 7 or 8 movie scenes and TV commercials shot in both Llobet's barber shop and La Confiteria over recent years (Gas natural was the latest) as Barcelona's taxes for films is lower than most and as their facility for film-makers increases, so does the already hip atmosphere running through Barcelona. Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" shot in Barcelona last summer, recently opened here.

La Confiteria is on the end of Calle Sant Pau with Ronda sant Pau, metro Paral·lel.

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Barcelona's Gothic Quarter

Barcelona has many fantastic neighbourhoods, but the oldest, and perhaps most stunning for it's architecture and history is the gothic quarter, or "Barri Gotic". Barcelona was founded by the Romans atop the hill Mont Taber and was originally called Barcino. Las Ramblas, which runs through the old town, used to be a river, and the area which is now the Raval used to be countryside. Indeed the oldest church in Barcelona is in El Raval, Sant Pau del Camp (Saint Paul of the countryside).



Half way along the river that is now Ramblas, stood the old city gates - made from Iron and with the watering troughs for the thirsty horses. This can still be seen today at Calle Portaferrissa (literally "Iron door") - one of the city's main shopping streets.

The Gothic Quarter has some fantastic examples of Gothic architecture including the Santa Maria del Mar Cathedral, The Palau de la Generalitat with it's impressive chapel of Sant Jordi, and of course the city's main cathedral.


Many walking tours will take you along the old streets of the gothic quarter, where Roman ruins sit alongside brand new shops and some of the best and oldest restaurants in Barcelona. No visit to the gothic Quarter is complete without a trip into the Plaça Reial, with it's palm trees and fountain, as well as some of the first works to be comissioned by the famous Antonin Gaudi - the lamp posts. This is a favourite spot at any time of day or night to people watch and has an old antiques market on a Sunday, too, with coin collectors, stamps and other such collectables making you feel like you're back in the time of the "shadow of the wind".


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Barcelona Post Office.

This might seem like a very random post, but I think that the main post office building on the corner of Via Laeitana is a great building and is often neglected to be mentioned in guide books, for example - who could blame them with so many great architectural masterpieces in Barcelona!

I have seen at least 4 camera crews outside the Post Office (always a Sunday) filming either film scenes or TV ads. One recent one saw a real Red London bus, and 3 people dressed in 50's attire repeatedly running up the stairs as if they were late for the Theatre.

And it's just that feel when you go inside - not a theatre, but almost a step back in time. The inside is huge and although almost all of the windows are not used, you can imagine in the heyday that there would have been hoards of people collecting packages recently arrived from the port, or ready to send things away.
If it wasn't for the modern day "de-du-luh" of the next number you've taken to be attended and the odd billboard for Movistar or Vodafone, then the dimly lit main hall is very atmospheric and really does take you back - I find it's very rarely busy, too (or maybe that's just me) which makes it quiet and even more like taking a step back in time.

If you happen to pass by, take a stroll up the steps and have look inside. the glass cupola gives almost all the illumination, and is a real beauty.

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La Merce Festival - 24th September

September sees the dreaded return to work of most people, back to school and college and the end of the summer to an extent (although the weather is usually still sunny, just cooler which is a welcome break!). However, September also has a couple of holidays to make the return back not too hard. September 11th is "La Diada" or the Day of Catalan nationalism. This is always a public holiday (well, since 1980), and a good little break, as it's an excuse to nip down to Barceloneta for a Paella.

However by far the biggest celebration in the second half of the year, is the festival week celebrating one of the Patron saints of Barcelona, Our Lady of Mercy - La Merçe. This week long festival embraces the city, and it still very much the people's festival. It is hardly advertised outside Barcelona itself (not even in other parts of Catalunya) and every year the programmes are only printed in Catalan and Spanish (never English) - perhaps another indication of why they want to keep it as exclusive as possible. Events happen all over the city, and "plaças" fill with stages and podiums, bunting and portaloos, and it really is a great time to see some great free concerts. In recent years bands like Travis have performed - in the old Damm factory - for free, and other international as well as local bands and musicians like Jamie Cullum, for example.

The festival also features the always-spectacular human towers we are so used to seeing in other fairs and festivals and there is the fantastic "correfoc" or fire-run, where fire-breathing dragons run through the streets of the Gothic Quarter at night.

So far details are sketchy for the line-ups, so I may well post again closer to the date but early indications seem to suggest another great year with bands such as Primal Scream, Teenage Fanclub, Kinky Beat and a few others all ready to join in the fun.

Families and friends fortunate enough to co-incide with this week of festivities will not be disappointed, and it's always wise to book Barcelona Accommodation well in advance.

Barcelona 080 fashion

Everyone knows that Barcelona is a mecca for fashion. Forget the Italians - the Catalans do it just as good. Well known brands like Tous are instantly recognisable on almost every woman's handbag around the streets and recently secured the services of Kylie Minogue for their publicity campaigns. Another great designer - the only spanish designer to have a shop on New York's fifth avenue, and to boast the cast of US sit-com "friends" as models in an episode is Custo.

This week sees the start of Barcelona 080 fashion show - a springboard funded by the Catalan government to showcase the newest and hippest designers. 12 local designers (all Barcelona-based) and 5 guests are showcasing this fair to be held from the 3rd to 5th September at the Fira de Barcelona. What better way to shed those back-to-work blues than browsing the newest fashions and supporting local talent.

Images courtesy of 080 website.

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Barcelona Apartments with BCN Rentals

There are many advantages in renting a vacation apartment over a hotel room. You have the independence of coming and going as you please - like a real resident of the city you're visiting, and also have the added advantage of having your own living room and kitchen, which is such an added bonus if travelling with children. Even if you're travelling in a group, the financial benefits can easily outweigh gettng 4 or 5 hotel rooms.

BCN Rentals has some great apartments for rent in Barcelona, and specialises in group bookings and family get togethers. See some visual images here:




The professional staff are always on hand - just like a hotel consierge - to help with restaurant reccomendations or bookings, theatre tickets and book taxis or transfers. BCN Rentals also has a strong partnership with a reputable taxi and minibus firm, and almost always organise collection from Barcelona, Girona or Reus airport. The site also includes a fantastic Barcelona Guide with details of the major hotspots you will want to visit whilst staying in your Central Barcelona Apartment.