The Catalan Valentine

It’s coming up to one of the most the most magical days in Barcelona. Locally, it’s simply known as ‘La Diada de Saint Jordi’, internationally as ‘International Book Day’ and casually as the ‘Catalan St. Valentine’s’. The truth is that all are pretty much correct. But first a bit of background.

Saint Jordi (or George) is the patron Saint of Catalunya and his designated Saint’s day is April 23rd. By a happy coincidence, this is also the day Shakespeare and Miguel Cervantes (writer of the classic Spanish epic Don Quixote) died.

A red rose, the symbol of the dragon-slayer’s bravery, has traditionally been given to girlfriends, mothers and female lovers on this day. But back in the 1920s, a local bookseller decided to get a bit of leverage out of the literary connection to the date, and soon women retaliated their gift of a rose with one of a book to their boyfriends/fathers/lovers.

Given all this activity, UNESCO then stepped in and declared April 23rd the ‘International Day of the Book’ though its certainly not celebrated with as much zeal anywhere as it is in Barcelona.
From early morning onwards, rose sellers set up stalls along the streets, washing them in vivid red colour, and the distinctive red and gold striped Catalan flag waves everywhere.

Booksellers also set up stalls, particularly along the Las Ramblas and the Passeig de Gràcia. Most of all, and particularly in the early evening, people just come out to enjoy their city, lovers to give each other their special gifts and whole families revelling in the warm, dappled light of Barcelona in the springtime.

Barcelona’s Outdoor Sculpture

Many visitors to Barcelona are struck by the quality and quantity of its outdoor sculpture. As you wander around, you may think that nearly every square, park or boulevard boasts a striking piece of artwork. And you are right.

As part of the regeneration process for the 1992 Olympic Games, Barcelona’s city council acquired a sizable collection of sculpture from local and international artists. It was part of the criteria of giving the city a much-needed facelift without causing major structural changes. And it worked! These bright, thought-provoking elements have become as much a feature of Barcelona’s urban landscape as its 19th century architecture.

Perhaps the most famous work of public art in the city is the ‘Barcelona Head’, a vivid, cartoon-like face by the late trailblazer of the Pop Art movement Roy Lichtenstein (it lives in front of Port Vell marina). In front of the Ciutadella Park, Antoni Tapiés, Catalunya’s greatest living artist, pays homage to Picasso with a thought-provoking composition of copper, glass and water.

Up in the park of Montjuïc, a group of girls performing the sardana (Catalunya’s national dance) have appeared in countless holiday snaps. Over on the Rambla del Raval, a rotund, copper cat by Columbian artist Fernando Botero has become a landmark and meeting place on this popular boulevard. Another piece of art that serves this purpose is Rebecca Horn’s ‘Homenaje a Barceloneta’. Consisting of four, stacked metal cubes, the work is inspired by the box- like chiringuitos (or beach bars) that used to line this part of the coast, and were bulldozed to make way for the sand that the sculpture now stands on.

Saving Money on Museums in Barcelona

Recently, Barcelona’s city hall, together with some of the city’s top museums, made the excellent decision of throwing their doors open for free on Sunday afternoons after 3pm. These include the Picasso Museum the most visited in the city, the Museu d'Història de la Ciutat which has some stunning relics of Roman Barcelona and, one of my personal favourites, the Frederic Marès museum a quirky collection of everything from Romanesque icons to Victoriana.

But there are other ways to save cash on the city’s great cultural palaces. The Articket, available from the ticket office of all participating museums, saves an enormous amount as it let you into seven of the city’s top attractions (including Gaudí’s masterpiece La Pedrera) for 22€. Another option, which is probably better for those who want to diversify their sightseeing beyond museums, is the Barcelona Card.

You can pick on up at any Tourist Office in the city though I would suggest buying it at the one at Barcelona’s airport. That way, you’ll be able to start saving straight away as free train travel from the airport to the city centre is just one of the many advantages this card offers. Others include big discounts (25-50%) at the city’s main sites and some shops and restaurants. At a starting price of 27 € (for 2 days) you can save a small fortune.

Staying in Barcelona: Family accommodation

Choosing what area of Barcelona to stay in for your holiday or vacation and selecting the best accommodation type can make things sometimes confusing and overwhelming. If you also have a family to think about, this can make things even more complex. So looking at the accommodation types and your choice in Barcelona:

Hotels: If you are staying for 1-3 days then a hotel simply might be your best bet. A hotel in a reasonable area and standard and you will be easily all set for your short stay. With a family room you will have enough space for the short stay and since only for a few days, eating out or in the hotel restaurant should be okay. A price aggregator such as www.activehotels.com can be a good starting point.


Holiday and vacation apartments: For stays which are longer than 3 days and if you are as a family or large groups, a holiday rentals in Gava could well be your best bet. A short-term rental apartments normally means a lot more space and self catering facilities - with a kitchen included. For anyone with kids, this can mean being able to feed them the foods they actually like and the chance to save on food costs with several mouths to feed. If you do not ant to cook then you still of course have the option to eat out.

Camping: In the city of Barcelona itself, there are not really any great camping options. If you love camping though and do not mind to go outside of the city, there are numerous camping areas and these include the likes of Camping Tres Estrellas in Gavá.

Stuck in London getting to Barcelona - Happy Xmas

Well, it has been an unpredictable year and mine has ended exactly that way also with all of the snow falling in the UK (despite global warming) and closing dozens of airports and meaning hundreds of cancelled flights, in the UK and around Europe.

So the long and short of the situation is that I missed my flight back to Barcelona and will not be in Barcelona for Christmas Day. Having a lot of family in England though, the thought of being forced to stay here and take advantage of:

• Minced pies and fresh cream.
• Traditional Roast dinners.
• Boxing Day (26th December) pub and sport.
• The Boxing Day sales.
• Around family.

There must be much worse places to be for Christmas. Wherever you are in the world and in whatever situation, have an excellent Christmas and hope 2009 was good for you and 2010 even better.

Madrid Barcelona - Barcelona's Best restaurant

I have eaten in probably a hundred plus restaurants, bars and cafes in Barcelona over the last few years and there is a clear winner in my mind when balancing quality, to cost, to service and to location.

I do not work for the restaurant and have no association with it - and my favourite restaurant and place to eat in Barcelona is the interestingly named Catalan restaurant "Madrid Barcelona".

'Madrid Barcelona' is located very centrally on Carrer d'Arago, 282 and generally open from around 8-830pm. The great thing about this place is that they serve very affordable food, have menus in different languages, are very efficient service wise and the food is outstanding.

This restaurant is based on the place where the old Madrid to Barcelona train used to stop at the start of the last century and this restaurant has remained one of the best places to eat every since. Yet, it is relatively unknown and discussed by tourist.

Christmas in Barcelona

If you are trying to think about whether or not to make Barcelona a location for a Christmas break, you could do worse. To be fair, Brussels and Prague both perhaps have better Christmas markets and both are also very good seasonal locations.

Barcelona though is excellent as a venue for a long weekend or Christmas Shopping breaks and most shops and restaurants stay open for most of the season. There is always something to do and see in fact in Barcelona every day of the year.

Barcelona Shopping is really a big plus for the city during the Christmas period and if you are making plans now, then you could do worse by visiting Barcelona. There are so many shops and covering all of the major fashions and names, but you can also find a significant number of small independent stores, whilst the Barri Gotic area has a variety of unusual and more unique products.

NYC travel is excellent for Xmas shopping but if you want to stay or to travel in Europe and combine Xmas shopping with an excuse to get away then I'd recommend Barcelona. Flights depend on your departure location although most major airlines fly into Barcelona International airport. For Barcelona accommodation there are a few providers for holiday apartments and plenty of hotels.