This post has been updated from the original to reflect the latest (pretty) charts available.

Profile of foreign residents

I’m fascinated by data. Well not so much data, as the informative ways it can be displayed. One of my favourite coffee table books is called Information is Beautiful (link at the end).

There’s a page on the Ajuntament de Barcelona website called Studies on Immigration that contains some great information about Barcelona immigration statistics. I spent far too long poring over these demographics when I should have been working. I thought you might find some of them interesting too!

Below are some snapshots from the Població Estrangera a Barcelona (Foreign Population in Barcelona) PDF about some of the demographics in Barcelona. Unless you happen to be a bird of prey click on any of the thumbnails to scroll through larger versions. Read the rest of this article…

Las Cloacas de Interior is a damning exposé of the sinister machinations within Spain’s Home Office and the upper echelons of the national police force to discredit the then Mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, and others, in the ‘dirty war’ against the pro-independence parties of Catalonia.

The scandal was first brought to light by Público journalists, Carlos Enrique Bayo and Patricia López, after they anonymously received a recording of a meeting between Spain’s Interior Minister, Jorge Fernández Díaz and the head of the Anti-Fraud Office of Catalonia, Daniel de Alfonso. Read the rest of this article…

Flotarium in Barcelona

Have you ever been to the Dead Sea? No, me neither. So this is as close as you’re going to get without actually going there. Al least floating-wise.

The Flotarium just up from Diagonal near Passeig de Gràcia is the place to go to relax and let any tension from the day dissipate. Read the rest of this article…

You’ve decided you want to move to Barcelona. Now what? You need to find a place to stay. You are looking at the neighbourhoods, checking where the best bars are, where you university or workplace is located and then you start looking for flats. But money is also an issue right?

Well, the student accommodation provider Uniplaces thought about it and decided to help you out. Based on their own research, they used the Barcelona metro map to create a “Rent Price Map”, with the average rent price per metro station. Read the rest of this article…

This is a contribution from André Franco of Uniplaces student accommodation.

Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in the world. Whether you are a fan of the famous football team or want to visit the city for Gaudi’s art, Barcelona has many things to offer. As students however, money is usually limited and visiting a new city can be quite costly. This article highlights some of the things you can do in Barcelona on a budget.

A view of Barcelona

More fun with less expense seems like a great deal. So below is a list of the top five things you can do in Barcelona, without spending too much money. Read the rest of this article…

How are you all doing with your New Year’s resolutions? How are those gym memberships working out for you? We’re almost at the end of January and I’m sure some have already fallen by the wayside. If you’re anything like me you need someone to help you out on the motivation side of things, especially when it comes to fitness. And if motivation is what’s needed there’s none more qualified than this hardcore Scot to give you a proverbial kick up the arse!

Martin Ebner, Personal Trainer in Barcelona

Read the rest of this article…

I shared this article on the Facebook page but thought it would be good to reproduce it here for those that missed it. The author visits some of the squats in and around Barcelona and asks what’s happened to the 15M movement since 2011.

Catalan Nationalist Flags in Barcelona

In 2011 a storm of protest swept Spain. In cities like Madrid and Barcelona squares were occupied by the 15M movement in protest against the austerity mandated by the EU in response to the grinding economic crisis. This movement inspired Occupy Wall Street, and gave birth to Podemos, the radical left party that controls city councils across Spain and Catalonia.

Before coming to Barcelona to document the remains of this revolution, and to visit the network of squats and occupations that form the principal sites of resistance here, I got in touch with a squat just outside the city. I’m sitting in their library as I write. Read the rest of this article…