Roll Out the Red Carpet Again - Paso de Zebra 2013

A 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 last year stumbling upon the cool Paso de Zebra 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.

This year the festival takes place on the 8th and 9th June in the streets around Vistalegre, Carretas, Aurora and then fashion shows at Plaça Pedró. 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 old town and soak up the vibes.

Fancy a trip out to the Catalan Capital this summer? Check out BCN Rentals for some hot deals on apartment rentals!

New Facebook Page - A Better Barcelona?

Social media is becoming more and more a platform for people to vent their anger and protest for some very good causes. Like the story in La Vanguardia last week which highlighted the Facebook group "I was robbed in Barcelona", it appears that there might be more than just one group of annoyed locals using the site to gain momentum.



A better Barcelona is possible is another Facebook page with over 500 fans which aspires for...well, a better Barcelona! The site touches some wide topics regaring the city, from the shambles that was the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures to the new traffic lights and shiny bins that the city has installed throughout the city - pointing out that the citizens of Barcelona will be paying a cool 285 million Euros each year until 2017.

It asserts to be a platform or forum of discussion and debate about how to find a better Barcelona. Some of the messages left of the wall are great, and others seem rants, but I think it's great for people to embrace this kind of momentum and see what can be done.

So is it any good, making these platforms and groups? Well, it appears it is. Last Friday, the local council reluctantly accepted the resignation of the councillor in charge of the whole of Cuitat Vella, Itziar González. And this week there was a change in the penal law code regarding persistant pickpockets and the silly rule that less than 400 Euros is not considered a crime. Now, persistant offenders can and will be brought to trial and can be forced to go to jail (but only on weekends or public holidays, and at the centre closest to where they live - no really!). Why not send them a taxi while you're at it? They have all week to pickpocket (surely tourists are out and about mid-week, right?!). Good intentions, I suppose, but there's a long way to go if Barcelona wants to shake off that image of being the worst place for pickpocketers.

Iron in the Old Town

Wandering through the old town today, in the Raval, I came accross a great public show of ironmongers at work.

There is a new iron workshop or taller which has opened just off Carrer Nou de la Rambla (where you can see Gaudi's Palau Güell) on nearby Carrer Sant Ramon, number 25. As part of the opening, the association of Forja Viva organised a street exposition of ironmongers working and making things for the public. As I wasn't expecting this, it was a great little distraction, so I thought I'd blog it.

As mentioned, the nearby Palau Güell - a UNESCO World Heritage site designed by Antonin Gaudi - is just along the street, and Gaudi himself was the son of an ironmonger. This influence is apparent is many of his works, such as La Pedrera on the balconies, and the gates and windows at Palau Güell. It's fair to say then, that some of the ironmongers on display had been influenced in turn by the great Reus-born architect, and that would be no surprise, but there were still a few gems in there.

According to the leaflets and website, it's the first time that anything like this has been done in the city and it aimed to "recognise the work of artesanal hands of the forge and (gain) respect that this...work deserves, relevant in our history and culture"


Unfortunately, I was stopped at taking photos at the small exhibition space along on Nou de la Rambla,with the simple reply that you can't take photos "porque no"! so my apologies if the post seems a bit limp - I would have liked to have added a few more photos, but I'm sure you get the drift.

One of the little gems was this funky Spider bottle holder thingy, which I thought was very original.


It's one of the reasons I love living in the old town - unexpected exhibitions (it may well have been publicised, but I didn't see it) and one you can enjoy in a local Barcelona apartment for rent, too.

For more information about the city, too, try this local Barcelona guide.