Barcelona
PaperPlane | September 18th, 2007
Words Morgan Campbell
Photos Alberto Polo
Where as some cities have a frown-inducing bustle, Barcelona has more of a smile-sparking shuffle. The perfect place to enjoy the splendor and variety that a world class city has to offer while enjoying the wind down that you experience from an island holiday. Barcelona is currently hailed as one of the most creative, beautiful, dynamic, exciting, open-minded, festival loving cities in the world.
It’s remarkable that such an incredibly vibrant, beautiful city has such a dark past. Supposedly the Carthaginians founded it around 230 BC. Following were invasions by the Visigoths, the Muslims and later the French, and mountains to the north of Barcelona were inhabited by ‘the Catalans’ who spoke a dialect closer akin to ‘langue d’oc’ of the south of France. By the end of the 14th century the Catalans were rocking their own mini-empire including Sicily, Malta, Sardinia, Valencia, the Balearics, a couple of French regions, and parts of Greece. At the end of the 15th century the Castiles and Aragón raped the region, and an upsurge against King Joan II led to a siege that practically lobotomized the city. In the early 1700s Catalunya sided with Britain and Austria during the War of the Spanish Succession against the French. They lost the battle and the French King Felipe V remained in power, banning the Catalan language and building a fort to watch over his unruly subjects.
After 1778, Catalunya was permitted trade with America, catalysing Spain’s industrial revolution. In the 1830s, the European Romantic movement revived Catalan culture and language and from 1800 to 1930, the population exploded from 115,000 to over a million. Internal fighting between anarchists, communists and the Workers Marxist Unification Party shook the town during the late 1930s, and Fascist dictator ‘Franco’ took control of the feuding Spaniards and once again banned Catalan. Since Franco was extinguished in 1975, the region became autonomous in 1977 and has since literally burst at the seams with repressed creative energy. The 1992 Olympics spawned an urban clean up that is still going on today. If cities could talk then this Catalan capital would no doubt be singing.
Barcelona is much friendlier on the wallet than most of its European counterparts, but you can still treat yourself and lush out in a deluxe abode. In most of the hotels, pensions and hostels you will still receive the warmth that the Catalan region is so famous for. Barcelona is small, so regardless of location you will be able to explore any aspect of the city that you crave by walking or using the very efficient metro system. One particular challenging element of every option from a hostel to a five-star is the noise. A 24-hour city comes with 24 hours of revelers who may keep you from pushing up the zeds. Hint: try and stay at least a couple of streets from the tourist swamp ‘La Rambla’. Also the months of July and August can be sticky as cheaper accommodation often lacks airconditioning.
Sleep
Pension Aalamar
RATES: €28 - €36
Located at the base of the Bari Gotic district, this friendly family owned pension has everything you need. Much quieter than most of its competitors, with a free-to-use kitchen, shared bathrooms and central location. A basic affair perfect for the budget conscious traveller. Just a stone’s throw from the Cathedral, and a short walk to the port, La Rambla, or Barceloneta beach.
Pension Aalamar, Carrer De La Comtessa De Sobradiel, 1. +34 933 025 012
Hostal La Terrassa
RATES: €45 - €75
Hidden away in the district ‘El Raval’ is the humble Carrer Junta De Comerç. Home to a pension which has just been refurbished. Clean rooms, fans, newly appointed amenities, a beer vending machine and warm but strict staff. Small verandahs with views of the street or the Mediterranean courtyard. If you aren’t prepared to rock a hostel but are out of reach from a five star, Terrassa is you.
Hostal La Terrassa, Carrer Junta De Comerc, 11. +34 933 025 174
Prestige Hotel
RATES: €192.60 - €442.98
Leave the bustle of Passeo De Gràcia, through the tower of a front door you’re in a zone where the fussiest hotel connoisseurs smile with glee. The rooms are garnished with nothing but finesse. What do you crave? Comprehensive light-dimming control available from your bed? Two showers? 24 hour ask me service? A view of Gaudí’s Casa Batllò? Mach 10 lift? Super breakfast buffet? Prestige delivers.
Prestige Hotel, Paseo De Gracia 62. + 34 93 342 62 80; www.prestigehotels.com
Casa Camper
RATES: €190 - €245
Imagine if an innovative lord of style (Vinçon) created a hotel in the world’s best city. You’d get not one room but two. One chill-zone with couch, hammock and flat-screen. With the push of a button, across the hall, enter a bath/bedroom combo that any design fetishist would die for. Downstairs: a free food hall. Outside: a vertical garden. Above: a rooftop complete with lilos and vege patch. Treat yourself: get Campernated.
Casa Camper, Carrer Elisabets 11, 08001. + 34 933 426 280; www.casacamper.com
Rent an Apartment
RATES: €500 - €800 (PER MONTH)
Coming with others? There are several rental sites for tourists to rent an apartment. These traveller-specific sites are a lot more expensive than Catalan ones, but will work out cheaper than a hotel. Another option is to buy time for your first few days in regular accommodation and look for an apartment once you are there. This is the best way to escape tourist prices, which are almost double local.
www.oh-barcelona.com, www.shbarcelona.com, www.loquo.es
Eat/ Drink
Barcelona has an incredible variety of eating and drinking establishments. You can taste legs of ham swinging from walls, seafood practically flapping on the plate, tapas for miles, paella piles, barrel-sized olives, cheap beers, and worldly wines and spirits stiffer than a corpse. ‘Spanish Time’ dictates most meals placement in the day. Lunch? Usually from 2 till 4pm. Dinner? Late. 9pm to 12am. Whoever put the ‘bar’ in Barcelona sure knew what they were doing. From smoky tapas cubicles and quirky miniscule bars, to super-clubs lined with thousands of revellers, name your ideal drinking situation and there will be a solution.Just be cautious of the endless yet seductive night. Slow service is a downside, but these badgers are only getting 5 euros an hour, and it’s common for foreigners to tip 5 percent. Oh, and the tap water? Don’t do it!
Memdizabal
A delightful canteen-style porthole with a little square lying across the street. Top-notch coffee coupled with cheese toasties and croissants make this a great place to start your day. Whilst you have brekky you can have a gander at the strange wares of the old women whom seem to have an infinite amount of clothing and random objects for sale in ‘pigeon park’. A summer delight.
Memdizabal, Carrer Junta De Comerc, 11
7 Portes
This particular nosh joint opened well over one hundred and fifty years ago in the charming seafood savvy, portside Barceloneta area. Home to the most respected paella in the city, which is pure picture and taste bud perfection. Also try the seafood dishes prepared in a traditional manner. Nibble on ‘Fideu’ with prawns, the assorted grilled inshore fish or the coveted lobster dish: ‘Zarzuela’. Barceloneta is also tapas central. Einstein ate there!
7 Portes, Passeig D’ Isabel, 14. +34 933 193 033; www.7portes.com
Sesamo
Tucked away on Sant Antoni Abat is what is fast becoming known as Barcelona’s best organic vegetarian restaurant. Ambient lighting, kitchen viewing, a tight family atmosphere, and most importantly - incredible food. The couple that run it alongside Australian chef John Wearne, will soothe the fussiest of appetites. A set menu during the day, and a wide variety of tummy-melters during the night. Influences: Catalan, Pacific Coast and Italian. Motto? ‘Ethical Hedonism!’
Sesamo, Sant Antoni Abat, 52. +34 934 416 411; www.sesamo-bcn.com
Madame Jasmine’s
Just opposite Botero’s fat cat sculpture on La Raval is a bar and restaurant combo that definitely warrants a visit. Munch out on a huge feta-dotted salad plate for five Euros. Sip on the strongest Mohito poured in Spain. Snap a chunk out of a delicious chicken and apple bocadillo. Feast on the unique hippy atmosphere and flea market sourced décor. Research the legend of Madame Jasmine.
Madame Jasmine’s, Rambla Del Raval, 22. +34 607 880 443
Bio Center
Did you have a decadent Barcelona night? Craving salad or vege treats? Lunch: 1 to 5pm. Dinner: 8:30 to 11:30pm. Bar: til 3am. During the day there’s an all-you-can-eat style buffet for only 6 euros. At night the gour-menu is seriously off the richter with taste combos and presentation that could melt the coat off a camel. Superb. Vegetarian, Spanish, Mexican, Italian, South East Asian and Argentinean influences.
Bio Center, Carrer Pintor Fortuny, 25 . +34 933 014 583
La Paloma Nightclub
It would be a curse to mention Barcelona nights without mentioning La Paloma. Upon approach don’t be scared of a posse of Marcel Marceau look-alikes. These are the silence police, hired to dampen the roars of revelers in transit! Once inside the 1903 Art Nouveau theatre with over 1000 capacity, you’ll be faced with the most grandiose chandelier-lit dance floors in Europe. It doesn’t start pumping till 3 or 4.
La Paloma Nightclub, Tigre, 27. + 34 933 016 897
Cafe Flamingo’s
This diminutive local cocktail bar sits a stones throw from La Rambla, yet is worlds away. Sometimes too smoky, but if you are interested in intense spirit mixes, a menu of funk and beats, and a cross section of local flavour, then this is you. Late at night the tables at the back host a gaggle of randoms who could blend into any Star Wars bar scene. Adelaide owned!
Cafe Flamingo’s, Pintor Fortuny, 15. +34 933 012 322
Lurk Experience
Although with recent changes to liquor laws this is no longer technically a legal option, the street lurk and drink is a must during a visit to Barcelona. This includes buying a 1 Euro street beer from a night dwelling, six-pack wielding immigrant and finding a good seat outdoors and soaking up the flavours. 1 Euro samosas and tequila shots are also sometimes made available to the lucky lurker.
Play
Barcelona is not short of playtime possibilities. On any day you can art-browse, architecture-gaze, swim, mountain climb, people watch, or just relax park-side. Its vibrancy, beauty, originality and charm are constant factors that will relentlessly energize. The architecture ranges from Gothic to Romanesque to Modernist to Contemporary. The galleries are breath-taking and timeless. There are amazing villages just a stone’s throw away. From spots such as Park Güell and Montjuïc you can soak up views that would put a postcard collection to shame. A journey from A to B can reveal surprises and life long memories that you would simply never experience anywhere else. The ‘Lona’s incredible use of public space allows you to relax and gaze mid-journey on anything from a perfectly placed clam style beach bench to a giant brass cat.
La Sagrada Familia
Barcelona icon and world’s most visited unfinished building! When funds ran out, Gaudí sold his possessions and moved in. In 1926, after 43 years on the project, he stepped on to the street and was killed by a tram. Other architects have since been hired to complete the masterpiece, but their work does not blend in. Despite recent discontinuities, a visit is a must as it’s an ode to one of the world’s true creative geniuses.
La Sagrada Familia, Carrer De Mallorca 401
Beaches
Beaches aren’t just for the towel-doting, body-beautiful, tanned types. They also provide opportunity for one inclined to sip an inebriating beverage. Almost every urban beach includes a rectangular prism of a wooden bar where you can drink till your hearts content. They all vary in their music selection, and obviously the further you get from the core the nicer the beaches become. Beach smoking was recently banned: no more ciggie butts between the toes!
Montjuic
Above the port and on the southwest side of the city is the brilliantly situated Montjuïc (probably meaning Jewish Mount). With a combo of metro and bus, or a cable car from the harbour, you can take a climb to the best view of the city. It also houses a myriad of museums, Olympic installations, the epic Castell de Montjuïc, swimming pools and more gardens than you can poke a stick at.
Park Guell
Park Güell is definitely in the running for ‘world’s best chill spot’. In 1900 Gaudí was commissioned by Eusebi Güell to create a modern garden suburb. Antonio sure got loose on this one. Mosaic serpents? Stone forests? Meandering benches? It was a financial flop, with only one block sold before it was written off as a failure, but facets of the Güell can be more organic than nature itself. And it’s free.
Park Guell, Carrer D’Olot 7
Shopping Street
Housed in the El Raval neighbourhood is one charming street that shoppers can’t miss. Don’t be fooled by the heavily tagged walls and odd piss puddle, this stretch holds some seriously world-class record and clothing stores. For vintage and rare clothing check out Amateur, Erreté, Lailo and Holala. On the music front, check Edison’s, Riff Raff and Wah Wah. Riera Baixa is also home to a ridiculous chocolate store Xocoa.
Shopping Street, Carrer Riera Baixa
Miro Museum
Barcelona born Joan Miró established this incredible museum on Montjuïc in 1971. The great Catalan artist’s pieces are housed in a building built by his buddy Josep Lluïs Sert. Miró dabbled in multiple mediums and aside from his primary realm of paint, he also mastered sculpture, lithography, engraving and drawing. The museum houses so many pieces that only a fraction can be displayed at any one time.
Miro Museum, Placa De Neptu, Montjuic
Street Art
Although the frequency of pieces has dwindled in recent years, Barcelona’s walls are display spaces for some of the world’s finest street artists. You can be winding through any alley or street to often be confronted by a piece, stencil or sticker by Skum, Debens, Zosen, Sendy’s, SixeArt, Kram, Ente, JLcca, Eledu, El Tono, Eliza, TV Boy, Miss Van, London Police, Btoy or Pez. The styles are as varied as the mediums.
Street Art; www.bcngraffiti.com, www.trustnobody.com
Sonar Multi Media and Electronic Music Festival
For the past 13 years, the Sonar Festival has been inspiring festival goers from around the world. In 1994 Sonar started with 6,000 people in a small club and an auditorium venue at the beach. The festival now takes over the MACBA museum, the CCCA and the former Barcelona World Expo venue, and has a patronage of 90,000 people. Crystal clear audio, futuristic multi media displays and whopping dance floors along with constantly evolving line-ups have made this an event to attend. June is probably the best of the summer months to hit Barca, if you have either eyes or ears, you would be crazy to miss this party.
Sonar Multi Media and Electronic Music Festival; www.sonar.es
Diary
Dia Sant Jordi
April 23rd
“The Day of Catalonia’s Patron Saint” and “The Day of the Book”. Saint George is a well celebrated character in many different necks of the woods. On this day in Barcelona women give men books and men give women roses. Not sure of their gender? Give ‘em a book on roses!
Sant Joan (Nit Del Foc)
June 23rd
The city literally explodes with excitement for the “night of fire”. Echoes of bangers and rockets flood the airwaves as everyone from toddlers to grand parents get their flame on. As the bars shut at the end of the night the whole city converges on the beaches and many a sand based explosion goes down.
Festival Del Grec
Mid June until Mid August
A two month annual festival of the performing arts that stretches through the stickiest heat of the summer. From classic to new wave, with a focus on dance, theatre and music, and multiple venues, the city fills up for this. Art-rification in it’s purist form.
Diada
Sepember 11th
This is the day that Catalonia celebrates the 1714 Barcelona defeat during the war of Spanish Succession. Floral offerings are laid at the monuments of Rafael Casanova and General Moragues. Catalan posses meet in the ‘Fossar de les Moreres’ where they pay homage to the spent defenders of their city.
