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Saint George’s Day in Barcelona

Published: April 3, 2013Posted in: Barcelona EventsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

La Diada de Sant Jordi (Saint George’s Day), also known as El dia de la Rosa (The Day of the Rose) or El dia del Llibre (The Day of the Book) is a Catalan holiday held on 23 April, with similarities to Valentine’s Day and some unique twists that reflect the antiquity of the celebrations.

Diada de Sant Jordi

The main event is the exchange of gifts between sweethearts, loved ones and colleagues. Historically, men gave women roses, and women gave men a book to celebrate the occasion—”a rose for love and a book forever.” In modern times, the mutual exchange of books is also customary. Roses have been associated with this day since medieval times, but the giving of books is a more recent tradition originating in 1923, when a bookseller started to promote the holiday as a way to commemorate the nearly simultaneous deaths of Miguel Cervantes and William Shakespeare on 23 April 1616. Barcelona is the publishing capital of both Catalan and Spanish languages and the combination of love and literacy was quickly adopted.
In Barcelona’s most visited street, Las Ramblas, and all over Catalonia, thousands of stands of roses and makeshift bookstalls are hastily set up for the Saint George’s Day. By the end of the day, some four million roses and 800,000 books will have been purchased. Most women will carry a rose in hand, and half of the total yearly book sales in Catalonia take place on this occasion.
La Diada de Sant Jordi one of the main event of the Spring in Barcelona. Even though La Diada de Sant Jordi is not an official non-working holiday, most romantics ditch the office to take a stroll through the beautiful Mediterranean streets and enjoy the sultry springtime weather. The whole city is celebrating, full of stalls selling roses and books and many famous writers meet readers to sign their books.

The sardana, the national dance of  Catalonia, is performed throughout the day in the Plaça Sant Jaume in Barcelona. Many book stores and cafes host readings by authors (including 24-hour marathon readings of different classics of the Catalan literature or the Spanish literature). Street performers and musicians in public squares add to the day’s atmosphere.
23 April is also the only day of the year when the Palau de la Generalitat, Barcelona’s principal government building, is open to the public. The interior is decorated with roses to honour Saint George.
Catalonia exported its tradition of the book and the rose to the rest of the world. In 1995, the UNESCO adopted 23 April as World Book and Copyright Day.

Saint George

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The El Corte Inglés Race

Published: March 19, 2013Posted in: Barcelona Events, Barcelona what to doTags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The El Corte Inglés Race is one of the most important popular races in the world. On Sunday, 7 April, the El Corte Ingles Race celebrates its thirty fifth edition with the goal of maintaining its European leadership, strengthen its global second position in the international ranking of popular athletic races, and overcome the magic number of two million of participants throughout its long history. The race stars from Palaza Catalunya.

El Corte Inglés Race

In this edition, the Race consolidates its solidarity nature, initiated in 1986, with the partnership with the Stroke Foundation, Malaltia Vascular.
Anonymous participants are the protagonist of the race and that is the reason becouse the El Corte Inglés Race continues to generate an admirable collective illusion. This is his a great success.
The El Corte Inglés Race held its first edition in 1979, with the participation of 17,184 people, of which approximately 85% were amateur participants. In 1994 the participation was of 109,457 people, a number that still remains unbeaten today, setting a Guinness record still unsurpassed. In its latest edition, the El Corte Inglés Race was attended by 54,795 people. In total there were 1,724,078 people who have run the race over its 30 year history.

The El Corte Inglés Race has become an international prestige sport happening, becouse it perfectly combines the usual festive nature of a so massive event with rigor, control and reliability that is required to any athletic competitions, that in this case is supported by the Catalan Federation of Athletics. All info on the official webpage of the race.

Plaza Catalunya apartments

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The Barcelona Marathon

Published: March 4, 2013Posted in: Barcelona EventsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The 35th edition of the Zurich Marató de Barcelona will be held on Sunday 17 March. Barcelona is a city in love with the sport and not only for its extraordinary football team. The Barcelona Marathon is organized by a Promotion Comity made up of four institutions and entities: The City of Barcelona, the Marató a Barcelona Platform, the Catalan Athletics Federation and Barcelona Tourism. The event will take place on Sunday along a fully urban route.

Barcelona Marathon

The race is 42,195Km long and is certified by the Catalan Athletics federation, through an authorized commission of the IAAF. Race start at 8:30 am, in Avinguda María Cristina.
The approximate finish time for first runners is 10:40 am, in Avinguda María Cristina. Time limit is 6 hours from the start of the race.

In line with RFEA and IAAF marathon rules, there will be refreshment stations for participants every 5 kilometres during the marathon (at the 5km, 10km, 15km, 20km, 25km, 30km, 35km, and 40km marks). These refreshment stations will offer participants water, isotonic drinks, fruit, sponges and Vaseline. From the 7,5 Km mark, there will be sponge prints every 5 Km. All info at the official web of the Barcelona Marathon.

The number of arrivals at the past edition of the Zurich Marató de Barcelona was 16,216, that makes this marathon the 4th in Europe and the 13th in the world.

The Zurich Marató de Barcelona has a great appeal, both for locals and foreigners, this last group represents 50% of the total.
The cultural and commercial offer, the architecture and the leisure are aspects that
tourists greatly appreciate and favor the Barcelona Marathon, which from the concept of the tourist bus, has established a course that looks very attractive for the visitors. So, if it is unthinkable to conceive a Paris marathon without passing by the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame and the Bastille, the Barcelona Marathon must pass by the landmarks such as La Pedrera, Sagrada Familia, Camp Nou and Las Ramblas.

Barcelona Marathon accommodation

For all sports lovers the Barcelona Marathon is an ideal opportunity to experience a moment of sports and entertainment in the unique setting of a wonderful city. Book one of our apartments in the city center, whether you want to participate to the race, or if you simply want to attend the event. Run to Barcelona.

The Guitar Festival BCN

Published: February 27, 2013Posted in: Barcelona EventsTags: , , , , , , , , ,

From 20 February to 16 June, The Guitar Festival BCN reaches its 24th edition with a change and an innovative proposal that you can enjoy in the coming months. The Guitar Festival BCN will kick off its most innovative edition, young and alternative, since its birth 24 years ago.

24 Guitar Festival BCN

The Guitar Festival BCN presents an exceptional line up. The Guitar Festival BCN wants to bring bands, with the guitar as a crosscutting, that are being consolidated in the current musical landscape. The difference is a nearest, warmer format, with better comfort and sound quality, and on the other hand, more extensive in time.

In the Guitar Festival BCN we’ll find established artists of international alternative music as Eels or Ron Sexsmith, iconic bands from the local scene as Antonia Font, Standstill and Delafé y las Flores Azules, or songwriters as Nacho Vegas and Quique González. And even emerging bands with a bright future as Anni B Sweet or Jane Joyd. All info on the official webpage.

We’ll see on the stage the superstar Lucinda Williams, in a unique cycle (Time Out Ladies), dedicated to great ladies of music like Marisa Monte and Madeleine Peyroux, and ultimately more of a dozen concerts featuring them.

The 24 Guitar Festival BCN will present 40 concerts across different prestigious scenarios in Barcelona, during the months of February, March, April, May and June 2013. The chance to hear high quality artists in the best conditions of comfort and sound guarantees a first class musical experience, while while it tries to reach the public of the independent scene as those who are far away from these alternative circuits.

Holiday in Barcelona

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Antoni Tàpies from the inside

Published: January 8, 2013Posted in: Barcelona ExhibitionsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jointly organised by the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya and the Fundació Antoni Tàpies and curated by Vicent Todolí, Tàpies. From the Inside will present about 100 works from the artist’s studio and from the Fundació Antoni Tàpies collection.

Antoni Tàpies Foundation

This large retrospective exhibition will take us from the first paintings in the 1940s, under the influence of various avant-garde trends and his participation in the Dau al Set group, to the ones he did shortly before his death in 2011. Thanks to the collaboration of the Tàpies family, this exhibition will allow an in-depth understanding of the legacy of the painter’s studio and unearth works that had remained virtually unseen or, in some cases, even unknown.

From the earliest works, Tàpies embarked on an aesthetic research which involved experimenting with materials and forms, leading in the 1950s to the ‘matter’ paintings that earned him his international reputation. During that period, he placed his hopes in an art that made an impact on the public, that shook people up. From that moment on, for the rest of his life, Tàpies continued experimenting tirelessly, even obsessively, developing his iconography, his vocabulary made up of varied signs and materials, colours and recognisable objects.

The exhibition From Inside is being presented from juny 2013 in Barcelona at two sites, the Fundació Antoni Tàpies and the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. It will then go on show at different international museums.

National Museum of Catalonia

Antoni Tàpies died a year ago. He was a catalan painter, sculptor and art theorist, who became one of the most famous European artists of his generation. Antoni Tapies even is one of the most important witnesses of the Barcelona artistic and creativity mood. That It’s a city that offers its visitors endless opportunities to enjoy the wonders of art and culture. Book one of our exclusive luxury apartments in the city center or directly on the beach, for a unique experience in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Nativity scene at Plaça Sant Jaume

Published: January 1, 2013Posted in: Barcelona Events, Barcelona ExhibitionsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Every year sees a nativity scene put on at Plaça de Sant Jaume of Barcelona, an artistic and traditional installation that this time pays tribute to the diorama, marking the centenary of this technique.

Nativity scene at Plaça de Sant Jaume

So, the scene of the nativity and the adoration of the shepherds and the Three Kings of the Orient, are represented using materials and elements in three dimensions, so achieving, thanks to lighting effects, a very realistic setting.
In any case, the nativity scene conveys the magic of Christmas, which is why many Barcelona come over to see it. This year you’ll be able to enjoy this Christmas installation right up to 6 January.

Recreating the scene of the birth of Jesus is a tradition lost in time but it appears to be linked to the ancient custom of having images of the gods in houses. One of the first people to put up a nativity scene was St Francis of Assisi who, in about 1223, recreated the scene of the birth around a stable.
Whatever its origins, one thing is for sure: at this time of year, no home could be without its nativity scene, with the Virgin Mary, Joseph, the infant Jesus, the ox and the mule, watched over by the shepherds and the Three Kings.
Putting the nativity scene together has developed into a fine art, involving all kinds of materials, although the most common continue to be cork, moss and wood, to give it the appearance of the Bethlehem landscape.
In more recent times the custom of live nativity scenes has also developed. Thanks to more or less professional actors, these give us the chance to see the most famous Christmas scene of all close up.

Holiday in Barcelona

Inside three spheres, you can admire the most iconic scenes of Christmas. The precious heritage of the Catalan landscape inspired these spaces.
- The Annunciation, in a courtyard style of Rusiñol.
- The arrival of the Kings from the East by the sea, inspired by Ramon Marti Alsina.
- The Nativity, in a dark corner with warmth own Joaquim Mir.

All info on the official webpage dedicated to Christmas in Barcelona.
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Three Kings Parade in Barcelona

Published: December 28, 2012Posted in: Barcelona EventsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Cavalcade of Magi is a traditional parade of kings coaches, practically in all Spanish cities. The Magi (of which tradition holds there were three: Melchior, Gaspar, and Baltasar) ride through the streets, as their page boys throw candies to children.

Three Kings Parade Barcelona

It is celebrated every January 5 (the day preceding the feast of Epiphany) in the evening. When the night comes the children must go to bed early after cleaning their shoes and the following morning they have the gifts of the Magi that they have requested before in a letter.

The Three Kings of the Orient arrive in Barcelona aboard the Schooner Santa Eulàlia at 5 pm on 5 January, although the party gets underway half an hour before that. The parade itself doesn’t kick off until 6.30 pm, once the Kings receive the key to open the door to all the homes in the city.

Their Majesties will embark on a route that begins on Avinguda del Marquès de l’Argentera, accompanied by artistic companies like Efímer, Xarop de Canya and the Companyia Roberto G. Alonso, among others, and finishing on Avinguda de Rius i Taulet.

The Kings’ retinue will take in Passeig d’Isabel II, Via Laietana, Plaça d’Urquinaona, Ronda de Sant Pere, Plaça de Catalunya, Ronda de la Universitat, Plaça de la Universitat, Ronda de Sant Antoni, Carrer de Sepúlveda, Carrer de Vilamarí and Carrer de Lleida.

The floats taking part in the parade include one with the presents, which always gets the attention of the little children, one with coal, the one children fear the most (because coal is given to children who behave badly) and one with dummies. A range of companies will enliven the parade with songs and dance, while the Kings will throw sweets to all those who come out to see them.

Once again the “Fira dels Reis“, the Three Kings or Twelfth Night Fair, returns to Gran Via to help Their Majesties with preparing the presents for the January 6 festivities. You’ll find a thousand and one gift ideas at this Christmas market, which boasts 160 stalls.

Set on Gran Via, between C/ Muntaner and C/ Calàbria, the fair has several toy stalls and others that offer a whole host of gift items, ranging from jewellery and silver, to ceramics, soaps, scarves, hats, items of clothing, lamps and decorations.

There will also be plenty of stalls selling churros at the fair, which is on from 20 December to 6 January, which you can munch at as you stroll along and enjoy the Christmas. All info on the official webpage of the City Council.

Dream holiday in Barcelona

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The Museum Explores. Works of art under examination

Published: December 24, 2012Posted in: Barcelona ExhibitionsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

From 23rd of November 2012 to 24th of February 2013, the MNAC (Museum National Art of Catalonia) on the Montjuïc is hosting a truly original exhibition, where you can admire art works and the creative process that has formed them: The Museum Explores. Works of art under examination.

The Museum Explores. Works of art under examination

Surprise, discovery, revelation, confirmation or disappointment are some of the emotions and experiences specialists are subject to when they venture into the scientific and technical study of works of art. In the course of its history, the MNAC has added to the understanding of the works in its collections and other related works, with results that are sometimes frustrating, often curious and also, from time to time, spectacular. The public, however, does not usually get the chance to see the results of this research, which is shared amongst keepers of collections, art historians, conservators, restorers and scientists. Using a display of works from different periods, all of which have been subjected to examination –painted panels and polychrome sculptures, painting on canvas and various techniques on paper–, the exhibition aims to stir the public’s curiosity and arouse interest in the complex work involved in expertising art.

In recent years, the keepers and restorers at the MNAC have exposed the works to visible and invisible electromagnetic radiation with which they have been able to identify the materials used, penetrate the layers they are made up of and discover how the artists worked and the materials, tools and techniques they used, as well as their procedures.

The original works are presented alongside the images obtained using different types of radiation and with an account of the main contributions by science. Elements will be revealed that are not at first sight obvious and that are fundamental for identifying an artistic period, an artist or the history of a work. The public will discover revealing testimonies or artists’ amusements that have been preserved on the hidden face, the reverse, of works that are only known from their face or front. It will also be possible to observe the way in which artists worked during the creative process, on the preparatory drawing or when making changes to the composition. The show sets out to explain the changing fortunes and the different alterations some works of art have seen in their lifetime and how the experts can distinguish between an original, a copy, a forgery or a hyper-restoration. The entry is free and you can find all information on the official webpage of the MNAC.

Luxury holiday in Barcelona

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20 Years of LUX Prizes: A Gaze at Professional Photography

Published: December 18, 2012Posted in: Barcelona ExhibitionsTags: , , , , , , , , , ,

The Palau Robert presents a selection of winning photographs from the last 20 editions of the LUX Prizes, a reference in the world of professional photography. The show is jointly organised by the Association of Professional Photographers of Spain and Palau Robert.

20 Years of LUX Prizes

The exhibition “20 Years of LUX Prizes. A Gaze at Professional Photography” will show the development of commissioned professional photography and demonstrate the huge variety of styles and tendencies in this field, as well as illustrating the transition from analogue to digital.

Curated by Michele Curel, Xavi Mañosa and Joan Roig, the exhibition will be open to the public from 13 December 2012 to 28 April 2013.

The Association of Professional Photographers of Spain undertook this project with a view to demonstrating the strength and development of photography during a period marked by great social and technological changes. These changes are reflected in a show that highlights the creative and innovative capacity of the country’s most outstanding professional photographers.

“20 Years of LUX Prizes” is divided into eleven sections featuring different categories of photographs. Each category includes all the images awarded the LUX GOLD Prizes in 1993 and 2012, accompanied by a carefully-selected series of works that illustrate the evolution of photography, the prize and the diversity of photographers and styles. Moreover, an audiovisual is provided, featuring the images awarded LUX GOLD Prizes, along with a summary of the history and development of the awards themselves. All information on the official webpage of Palau Robert.

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New Year’s Eve in Barcelona

Published: December 17, 2012Posted in: Barcelona Events, Barcelona what to doTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

New Year’s Eve in Barcelona is generally enjoyed differently to in other countries. The night typically begins with a long dinner shared with family or friends. This dinner sees in the New Year. At the midnight, the tradition is to swallow one grape for each second during the countdown for the new year. It is not until after this, that younger people start to head out to clubs and bars. For this reason a lot of the clubs don’t really get going until after 02:00.

New Years's Eve in Barcelona

You may choose to book somewhere to eat out for dinner prior to hitting the clubs. Alternatively, you could choose one venue that covers all aspects of the evening, including food. It is highly recommended that you book your restaurant table well in advance of New Year’s. It is a time when most people go out with the family to celebrate and having a meal in a restaurant is very popular activity at this time.

The Razzmatazz Club, sits in Poble Nou, could prove to be a great choice for New Year’s Eve. With five rooms playing all different genres of music, there really is something for everybody. This may prove useful if you are hitting the town with a large group of (young…) people.

If you are craving a no holds barred dance session this New Years Eve, Apolo may be one of the best options. Apolo is a central Barcelona venue and ticket prices are reasonable considering the date. Moog is well-known as one of Barcelona’s most important techno clubs. It sits right in the centre of town, less than two minute’s walk from the Ramblas, making it a good option for some after-dinner New Years raving. Shoko Club offers, at the Port Olímpic, a beach-side location for seeing in the new year. As opposed to some of the other clubs this is a venue that will allow you to arrive earlier and spend your whole night there. Shoko offer dinner followed by a clubbing experience. On New Years Eve they will offer a ticket that covers both.

Getting around on New Year’s Eve can often prove to be difficult. Thankfully, the Metro will be running all night, meaning that you will not need to rely on taxis – leaving options open for heading further afield.

Christmas Holiday accommodation in Barcelona

If you don’t know where to book for your new year’s dinner, one of the best options is to buy everything you need, perhaps in the Boqueria market, and prepare your own menú in the luxurious kitchens of our beautiful apartments in the city center or seafront. From there you can start your night of celebration for the arrival of the new year.

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