Esperança is an English-speaking volunteer group co-founded by Liverpudlian Julie Stephenson. The volunteers go out twice a week and distribute food, clothing and chat to the homeless in Barcelona.

I’ve been wanting to feature Esperança on the blog for a while now. When I first heard about it I felt it was deserving of as much publicity as possible, such a selfless act by Julie and her colleagues for the people of their adopted city.

So it was great to finally catch up with Julie and ask her about the project. Read the rest of this article…

I wake to the sound of Erica, Pablo and Chica purring at the foot of our bed, the smell of bread baking in the kitchen. A warm breeze floats in from the balcony and I rise to prepare a cafetiere of coffee and bash some eggs around in a pan. Rosana checks on our limonero (lemon tree) and yelps with joy as she discovers the beginnings of our first lemons. “It’s like a miracle!”

Ben preparing to cruise the boardwalk

The “Let’s go to the beach!” moment

Once the caffeine has revived us, we kiss our cats goodbye for the day, smear on a layer of suncream that smells like coconut and childhood memories and head out into the street. Rosana’s on her bike, I’m on my longboard.

We roll past the bakery and the Ethiopian restaurant next door, past the bodega where we only go to drink but not to eat because the camerero has the hands of a coal miner. Read the rest of this article…

Pedralbes Monastery

Pedralbes Monastery (Monestir de Pedralbes in Catalan) was founded in 1326 by King James II of Aragon for his wife Elisenda de Montcada. The Gothic monastery (and the nuns who lived there) were granted protection by the queen through the Consell de Cent (the Counsel of the Hundred)…

But hold up, we’re not here for a history lesson, far from it. In fact, any desire I might have had to learn about the history of the monastery was not catered for on this tour. This was a photography tour. And not just a ‘come along and take some snaps’ photography tour. There was some professional shit going on here.

My time with an SLR before I met Martín at Maria Cristina metro could be distilled into a few seconds. I had held other people’s on occasion, very gingerly let me say. I might have even pressed the button (technical eh!) just to hear that authentic old-school noise it makes. But as far as look through the lens, adjust any settings, nada. I was a novice, a Luddite, as green as they come. This was immediately obvious to Martín when I turned up with my usual bit of kit on these things, my iPad Mini. Read the rest of this article…

I’ve always loved Barcelona. Each time I visit, I am always reminded of how I never want to leave. It’s the history, the beach, the viewpoints, the Catalan pride, the most amazing food and the ability to travel back in time just by walking through the city’s neighborhoods that draws me in.

My perfect day in Barcelona starts early – sorry non-early risers, skip to the Catedral de Barcelona part. At about 7am, I make my way up to the Bunkers del Carmel and either intentionally (or unintentionally) take an unconventional route that leads me to one of the most fantastic views of the city. I take my time to meditate, do yoga, pet thousands of dogs, observe the city waking up and wait for the sun to finally come out.

The view from Bunkers del Carmel

Read the rest of this article…

Romans in Barcelona? Really? Yes, Barcelona can be traced back to an ancient Roman settlement from 218 B.C. called Barcino! You might not be aware of this – after all, Barcelona is much better known for its Gothic district or Gaudí and modernism.

But Barcelona has some exciting museums on ancient Roman times to offer too! So, let’s take a tour of the Barcelona museums landscape.

We’ll also cover some more must-see Barcelona museums from other eras, including contemporary art, which can be found all over Barcelona as well – because Barcelona is international, up to date, and always goes with the times!

Barcelona’s Underworld?

In Barcelona’s City History Museum, you can experience the city’s past in an unusual way. All seems fairly normal when you enter the palace, but then the adventure begins: You enter an elevator and go from today’s Barcelona down into Roman Barcino – to the underworld, so to speak…

Visitors can explore each dig site by walking along footbridges. Among them are an old wash-house, a wine cellar, and a fishery – the history is so close you can almost feel it.

Want to be close to Columbus as well? Then get ready: the museum exit passes through the old royal palace. Here you can make a quick detour to the “Sala Tinell”, the hall where, according to legend, Columbus presented the first of his bounties from the New World to Queen Isabella I in 1493.

A Roman jug at Museu d’Història de Barcelona
© Céline Mülich, 2013-2016 | Courtesy of Museu d’Història de Barcelona

Read the rest of this article…

Life quality scores in Barcelona vs London

Sharing my time between London and Barcelona as I do I’m lucky to be able to appreciate the pros and cons of both of these ultimately fabulous cities.

Of course the pay is much better in London, but then the cost of living is much higher, nearly 3 times as high. The weather is, of course, better in Barcelona as we are all well aware and there’s a blossoming startup scene. In fact by most metrics the cities are pretty comparable, until it comes to Housing and that Cost-of-Living where Barcelona outshines London by far. And did I mention the weather? Read the rest of this article…

Carretera de les Aigües

I believe that every great day starts with a run and a great cup of coffee. On my perfect day in Barcelona my first stop will be Carretera de les Aigües, a running path overlooking Barcelona, which will provide the perfect introduction and preview for the day. To get to the path, I take the FGC from Gràcia station to the Peu del Funicular stop and continue up the mountain on the funicular.

When I get out of the train car half way up Tibidabo, I decide to take the trail to the left today. An 8km flat run should be plenty since I’ll be exploring on foot throughout the day as well. As I run, I look out over Barcelona and take in the city’s amazing skyline and view all the way out to the Mediterranean. It’s a gorgeous day, so I can clearly see the Sagrada Família, Camp Nou, and of course the W Hotel which defines where the sky meets the sea. Read the rest of this article…