Oktoberfest Barcelona - Ein Prosit!!

Well, October is flying by and apart from that one rainy Saturday, it's still glorious weather and a great time to visit the city. September and June are probably my favourite months to visit the city, but this October is shaping up to be a smashing month too, so far. We've had a puking Gaga, an even Classico an upcoming zombie walk, and this Friday is even a holiday so long weekend ahoy!

So what better reason to celebrate the long weekend than joining in the celebrations at Barcelona's very own Oktoberfest!! I've been lucky enough to visit the Oktoberfest in Munich - an exoerience I think everyone should do once in their life - so it's great that a little bit of Bavaria is coming to the Catalan Capital, too!!

As in Munich, you don't get served drinks if you're not sitting down, so this weekend (12th, 13th and 14th) make sure you reserve your table via the website and get your tickets - it's FREE!! By the looks of things, they have a fair few beers on tap as well as the usual Bavarian brews - Guinness, Newcy Brown (might be in a bottle of dog, rather than on tap?), your typical Belgian beers, Tequila-flavoured Desperados and they're even chaeting a bit with two brands of cider to try, too.

What's great is that they've made it a lot more family orientated, with a load of great things to distract the kids - inflatable castles, trampolines, all sorts of stuff. And then there's live music for the adults, you can bet there'll be frankfurts and the like around, so basically it's a case of rolling up in the morning, working your way through the liquid menu and staying till the night time!

Of course, one of the most important things about the whole Oktoberfest experience is the song!! Ein Prosit is the toast song, where everyone stands up (forgive me if my memory is a little blurry!) and toasts everyone else on the table and then gives it a "one, two, three drink up!" kind of gesture. For the whole 5 days I was there I had absolutely no idea what I was singing but belted it out with all my heart and lungs!! Fear not, though, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can practise here.

Thinking of heading down to the Oktoberfest? Let me know in the comments!

Coming to Barcelona this Autumn? Check out these great deals on Barcelona apartments and for a quick look at the best city sights, this Guide to Barcelona.

Re-Visiting My Favourite Park

I've written about this park before, and it's my favourite of the city's many parks and gardens. My last post wasn't as detailed as this one as all the photos I used to take in the past were with my parents or family members and you could hardly see the park and its installations. 

And that's a shame cos it's a bloody cool park. I've since learned when returning to places I haven't visited before to take a few snaps with no-one in the foreground for posting here! So bear in mind these are just pics from my phone with none of your instagram filters or whatever but I think you'll get the gist!

 One of the first things you'll realise is that the actual Park is much bigger than just the Labyrinth and is housed in some luxurious leafy gardens with shady corners and plenty of romantic hideaways to slip into. We actually went on a Sunday afternoon in summer, so got in for free, and despite the heat we were sufficiently cool in the shade to stay a good while.

Considering the age of the actual residence and the whole story behind the Labyrinth and it's creation, it's still in remarkably good shape. The history of the Marquis Desvalls and his family dates as far back as 1791, and it's their palace/residence that still greets you at the entrance. In a similar way to parts of Montjuic, there's moments of absolute silence despite being in the city itself - one thing I love about the park.

There are a few water features which have been added to the park over the years and restauration works, so streams running along the lower parks and waterfalls are all a prelude to the maze itself. Greek Icons dot the park and in days gone by the Pavillion was used for open air performances.

So when you reach the actual maze itself, it's pretty impressive from the top. Despite what you might think, it is actually a proper Labyrinth and there's only one way to the centre (no clues from me) and it's loads of fun bumping into the same people on the way round with a puzzled look on their faces! My kids loved it. 

The place is immaculately kept, and they only let a maximum of 750 people in the whole park, not just the maze itself, so it never gets "busy" busy, if you know what I mean.

Can you spot my family?!

 And by the miracle of modern technology, here's a mash-up of those three photos to give you a more panoramic view. Granted, my summer photos make it look really cool, but I've been in different times of the year and they've also been just as entertaining, so don't be put off now, just because Autumn is round the corner, OK?!

Parc del Laberint is located in Horta neighbourhood, and you can take public transport, or if you happen to go in a car, there's plenty of free parking spaces alongside the park and near to the private university residences. Get yourself there and get lost!!

Coming to Barcelona this Autum ? Check out these late deals from BCN Rentals Apartment agency and for some of the other Barcelona Parks and Gardens, see the link.

A few Tips for Enjoying La Merçe with Kids.

So as most of you know, I have 2 kids. 5 and 6. Barcelona is a pretty good city to explore and live in with 2 kids, considering it's a big city. Fortunately we live fairly close to the Port and the beach and also the green oasis of Montjüic, so it's not like pure cement high rises. So I'm always keen for them to join in any activities that the city celebrates  - or indeed each festa del barri - work and schedule permitting. Personally, I've often found that things geared towards kids seem to start far too late (!) but now mine are older, we get out and about a lot more.

So this weekend is La Merçe Festival - only a 4 day affair this year as the crisis looms large, but there's no reason to skimp of fun, which is free!! There are plenty of events for kids over the next few days and with Monday being a public holiday, then let's hope the weather stays fine the whole weekend!!

I wanted to offer a few hints and tips for people either visiting the city with kids, or parents with wee-uns who are venturing out this weekend in search of fun. First off is the Gegants presentation in Plaça Sant Jaume. In a word, don't bother. The Plaça gets rammed with people and tourists and it's almost impossible for children to see anything - I've swapped my kids from ground to shoulders many a time to no avail - much easier to wait for the parade which goes all the way down Las Ramblas, as children can get much closer and shout and chat to the people as they go past (like the photo above). And if they want a really close look, some of the best ones are on permanent display outside the festival.

Another area almost exclusively dedicated to the kids, is up on Montjüic. There is a circus each year in the amazing gardens of the castle, and then various puppet shows and marionettes and clowns from different countries all speaking the universal language of laughter. This year sess French, Catalan and Czec Republic back to wow the crowds. Access is easy via the funicular at Paral·lel station or buses up there, too. Full details can be seen here.

I've been up there two years running, and my big tip is go early. Take a packed lunch and plenty of water and try and get in the queues for the shows. We made the mistake last year of having an early lunch and going up after that. It had rained the previos 2 days, so I think everyone did the same as us, and we ended up (well, I ended up) queuing up for 2 shows, both of which we missed, and then the third one started at around 20h after that, so a total wash out!! There were some small theatrical performances outside while we were waiting, any maybe the weather played a part, but my tip is to go early to avoid disappointment.

Anyone else have any specific tips ? Anything not to miss ? The kids correfoc ? Free entrance to Sagrada Familia ? Please let me know in the comments below!

Coming to Barcelona this Autumn ? Check out BCN Rentals for some great late deals on accommodation with their central apartments.

Barcelona Folding Bike - Take your bike everywhere!

It's a well known fact that Barcelona is an easy city to move around in with non-motorised wheels. Bikes, rollerskates and blades, skateboarders, they all know what they're doing. The city is on a very slight gradient towards the sea, so if you can get it just right, you can get some pretty awesome routes going on. It's often I'm asked about how to rent "one of those red bikes that are parked everywhere" but Bicing is only for residents, leaving a few of the local rental companies, all of which vary in quality and reliability.

 

Step into the ring Barcelona Folding Bike with a fresh new concept. Located in the Raval, the shop has a very cycle-friendly-history, and use to belong to a fairly famous Spanish cyclist Jordi Nicolas - see trophy cabinet and black and white pics on the wall here below. The shop doubles up as a workshop, where David and Juan spot check each and every bike before and after rentals to ensure they are in tip-top condition. Also, the great amjority of their bikes are literally brand spanking new, and look more than equipped to tackle the streets of Barcelona. The prices are very competative considering the amount of care and attention these lads are putting into their jobs.

Apart from this, the guys are also offering tours with an English/Spanish guide and a free drink to boot! Their classic tour guide (pdf link there) takes in almost all of the classic Roman monuments from Barcino as well as a quick look at the more modern touches of the city with Torre Agbar and 22@. Tours leave every Wednesday at 9:45am.

To rent any of the bikes, all you need a valid form of ID and a fresh pair of legs!!

Disclosure: A friend of mine owns this business, but I'm not being paid for this post, rather think that it's a pretty cool business idea and I'm just helping put with publicity. ;o)

Dancing in the Desert Anyone?

When I think of music festivals, being English, I think of mud and rain and the odd ray of sunlight in Galstonbury or T in the Park, or even those little local smaller ones you used to get. Sometimes I think of Sonar but that kid of takes over the whole town, rather than just one space with a few stages. And I usually think it's so annoying - even though you usually forget about it after a while - and it would be much better with the sun out non-stop.

Well, take that to the extreme, and you have ladies and gentlemen, this weekend's Monegro Desert Festival. Yes, you read right. A Festival. In the Desert. In Spain. In July. This Satuday 21st July, from 5pm, non-stop hedonism and craziness galore...see for yourselves.



You might not think there'd be many takers, but believe me, it's rammed. French, Italians, Germans, Brits, Spanish, it's got a real draw for a certyain crowd, and looking at the line-ups, you can see why. David Guetta topped the bill last year, and there are many, many big names this year, too.

The festival takes place, well, in the middle of the desert, near Fraga and Huesca - inland from Barcelona, but still northern Spain and the best way to get there is on a bus from Barcelona - full details on the website link above.

Anyone going this year? Let me know in the comments and we'll see who's looking forward to seeing who perform. Have fun if you are going!!

Coming to Barcelona this summer? BCN Rentals has some great deals on apartments, and some last minute offers, too.

Summer Nights with El Chiringuito!!

One of the best things about living in Barcelona is the al fresco lifestyle. There's nothing quite like having an early evening drink outside on a terrace somewhere with the heat of the day still around but the cool breeze of the evening starting to cool things down. Barcelona locals really don't know how lucky they are in that respect and I warmly welcomed the recent news from City Hall that there would be more licences for more terraces this summer.

However, sometimes you have to go with the best. Yes, it's great in a city terrace but what better place than the beach?! The Mediterranean in the background, some cool tunes coming from the DJ and drinks aplenty for the punters. There can be only one place - El Chirninguito. There are two chiringuitos  - just think "beach bar" - down in the Olympic Village at Playa Bogatell and also Nova Mar Bella. Not only are these places the coolest beach bars in the city (think hammacks, terrace, fruit juices, cocktails, etc.) but you can get a damn fine bite there, too. And not to mention Yoga, fitness schemes and just a pretty damn cool place to arrange a meet up with your friends.

Anyone who goes to any bar in the city will know the popularity of Gin & tonics this year, and the Chiringuito bars are no exception, with a great selection of Gins on offer as well as the usual brews and beers. A great way to relax in the summer heat, get yourselves down there!

Coming to Barcelona this summer? Check out BCN Rentals for some late deals on Barcelona apartments.