Visiting Barcelona Weblog

In the Mediterranean, over the course of many centuries, markets lived, like the people, out of doors, and canopies were put over the stalls to protect them from the blazing sun more than from the rain, a rather rare event. Possibly, the chief reason the markets were first covered were the complaints from neighbours, fed up with the smells, not always delicate, of the rubbish, with the habitual rows among vendors, with the shouting and, in general, with the uproar, which must have been of such magnitude that in Catalonia there’s the saying “Sembla el mercat de Calaf” (It sounds like the market of Calaf), and the market is may be seen as a local form of the Tower of Babel.

In the markets people communicated in shouts, but also in whispers, and before newspapers, radio and television existed, it was the best place to get on line on what was going on in town and in the world. It was a place of work, and sometimes of mucking-about as well, and all this came to make up a fabric full of everyday life, which reflected the most vital character of the citizenry. For, in the Mediterranean, the markets are as ancient as the people who settled there, and in Barcelona, a crossroads and communion of maritime and terrestrial routes, they proliferated like mushrooms. Source: bcn

For those in search of an enjoyable night out on the town, the problem might be choosing what would be most to your liking from among all that Barcelona has to offer. To start off, you could drop into one of the city’s many champagne or cocktail bars. The night, however, might also begin at a good restaurant, choosing from among a wide and varied range that includes authentic food from around the world, in addition to the traditional Mediterranean cuisine of the city.

For dancers, everywhere around the city are found discotheques, clubs and dance halls. For those who prefer to enjoy their music without having to move their bodies, the best thing to do is head off to one of the city’s many live music clubs, offering almost daily shows in every style, from jazz and blues to African music, classical and flamenco. Visitors who feel the need to express their own musical talents can try out a karaoke club. Nor should we forget about other attractions of Barcelona by night: the theatre, the cinema. Source: bcn

Our first proposal is directed at inexperienced cyclists who want to gradually get into the world of cycling. Riding a bike amid the bustle of the city can prove daunting for beginners. So it is better to start with an easy route, following some of the main bike lanes through one of the city’s most emblematic neighbourhoods: the Eixample.

Without doubt, the Diagonal has Barcelona’s main bike lane. The City Council only started promoting this means of transport a few years ago. At the time, no one would have predicted that it would grow from being a simple pastime for active Sunday trippers to being the daily transport of choice for legions of Barcelonians. Today, Barcelona has about 30,000 cyclists who can take advantage of over 100 kilometres of bike lanes which criss-cross the whole city. Source: bcn

Among the Western Europeans who have settled in Barcelona, whether for work or for the Erasmus university exchange programme, the British and Irish communities are two of the biggest. It is easy to find English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish residents in the plethora of pubs that have sprung up in recent years. They all have certain things in common: pints of beer with just right amount of foam, crisps in all flavours, live music - normally on Thursday nights - and a big-screen TV to live and die with live Premier League football or Six Nations rugby.

The pubs are many, among the oldest is Michael Collins, across the square from the Sagrada Familia, but we should also mention the Shamrock, in Carrer Tallers at the corner of Plaça de Castilla, Flann O’Brien’s, in Carrer Casanova, The Quiet Man, in Carrer Unió, or any of the several establishments of similar style and wooden decoration in Carrer Ferran. In any of these places you might think you’ve suddenly landed in the UK or Ireland. Source: bcn

 

Cirque du Soleil returns to Barcelona with Alegría, the show that has become a worldwide classic, and almost an “object of worship” for those looking for a new way of experiencing and enjoying the circus.

Alegría is a mood, a state of mind. The themes of the show, whose name means “jubilation” in Spanish, are many. Power and the handing down of power over time, the evolution from ancient monarchies to modern democracies, old age, youth—it is against this backdrop that the characters of Alegría play out their lives. Kings’ fools, minstrels, beggars, old aristocrats and children make up its universe, along with the clowns, who alone are able to resist the passing of time and the social transformations that accompany it. Source: BarcelonaTurism/CirqueduSoleil