Contributor Duncan Rhodes shares five of his favourite Barcelona nightclubs…
Barcelona’s nightlife contributes much to its allure as one of Europe’s top destinations… this is the city where girls and boys come to combine hedonism and beach life, with just a small side helping of culture, and there are certainly no shortage of venues promising nocturnal adventures to young thrillseekers. Despite my advancing years I’ve spent much of the last four years ‘researching’ the city’s nightspots, either as a freelance journalist or for my own website (see my author profile below) or – more frequently – as just an ordinary alcoholic. It’s high time the info that I’ve amassed during these ill-spent hours hit the blogosphere, so without further ado allow me to present to you my current Top 5 Nightclubs in Barcelona. Read the rest of this article…
An article from Anthony Turner about his time in Barcelona in the 60’s.
As a young man back in the 60’s, I was inspired to visit Barcelona by Hemingway on reading two of his books; “Death in the Afternoon” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls”. I drove with my then fiancée (now my wife) down thro’ France, over the Pyrenees and on to Barcelona.
The city had pretty much embraced the “Swinging Sixties” and was then full of young people from the North…. Sweden, Norway, Denmark,Germany… all intent on enjoying the sun and having a good time. The austerity endured in the 50’s was over… young people were flocking in droves to Milan, St Tropez and Barcelona.
We spent much of our time in the Old Town Quarter getting to know the best and cheapest bars, although with an exchange rate of 169 pesetas to the £ we were not doing too badly! We drank local wines and I tried absinthe in an attempt to acquire inspiration of some sort! I understand that Hemingway drank a glass or ten in his favourite bar so the stories go! I believe that although absinthe was never banned in Spain, the Spanish were never much inspired by this drink as were the French for instance. Read the rest of this article…
Generator Hostels Barcelona ‘Win a Trip to Barcelona’ competition
Now let me be clear, I don’t promote just any old thing. It takes time to write even the simplest blog post. But any chance to get some friends over for a fun-filled week in my adopted city is fine by me. So let me introduce the Generator Hostels Barcelona competition to win a trip to Barcelona for you and 3 friends. Flights included! Read the rest of this article…
Eixample, Barcelona from the air
“It was around 7-8 years ago when I first stepped into the world that is Barcelona. I didn’t exactly choose a great time of year to visit (it was December) and I wasn’t staying in a particularly touristy area (Gràcia), but nevertheless I ended up falling in love with the city, making it my eventual home.
It’s funny, because over the past 7 years the city has seen the economy go from an all time high to a low. The first restaurant I ever ate at in Barcelona is now closed, many new shops have replaced old ones that just couldn’t make it… A lot has changed… Yet the city is always the same as I remembered it the first time I came here. I call this effect the Barcelona Charm.
So how can you experience Barcelona Charm; a memory of the city that carries on like a flowing story, as if you never left, each time you visit? Maybe if you experience the city the way I have, you’ll see what I mean. Read the rest of this article…
Street Artist: Kenor
I wrote about the Barcelona street art exhibition, Las Calles Hablan, back in August last year. The funding drive for the exhibition was a huge success as was the exhibition itself. It showcased street artists and their work in Barcelona.
Las Calles Hablan documentary
Well finally, the much talked about Las Calles Hablan Barcelona street art documentary is available to watch online. This feature-length documentary about street art in Barcelona is… “a story about discovering a hidden world, an extraordinary subculture and the struggle between an artistic community painting for freedom of expression and an increasingly restrictive dogmatic government”.
This is excellent work and I know for a fact that the project grew in size while the film was being made. Thus the delay in bringing it to fruition. But the wait was worth it. For anyone interested in street art, and particularly its recognised place in the culture of a city, this is a must-watch. Read the rest of this article…
I found this infographic through Facebook. The Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to the United States of America Facebook page to be exact. It visualises the export statistics of Catalonia during 2012 in a way that’s easier to digest than reams of data.
What, how much and where do Catalan firms export?
Overview: Catalan exports reached a record level in 2012 with 58,289 million euros and a 5% growth. These figures are even better than pre-crisis figures. Read the rest of this article…
He’s done it again. This time at night. Midnight Barcelona is the new time-lapse film from Pau García Laita. I wrote about Summer Barcelona shortly after it was posted on Vimeo in October last year. I still watch it now and everyone I show it to loves it.
Midnight Barcelona is equally impressive. More fast-paced. With another fitting track, this time called Starscapes from American Dollar. This is Barcelona at night, looking and sounding great! I particularly like the scenes of the Magic Fountain, the office building, and the underpass along Passeig de Colom.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Pau is a freelance film-maker from Barcelona whose main interest is extreme sports filming. You can check out Pau’s other work on Vimeo or at www.paugarcialaita.com.
