Barcelona Metropolitan Issue 254

MARCH 2018 Nยบ 254

strike a

POSE Trends and threads in Barcelona

FOOD LAB

The new Flax&Kale

LAKE LIFE

A trip to Banyoles

BEST BREWS

Craft beer in Poblenou

PLUS! ART 01 cover.indd 1

MUSIC

INTERVIEW

NEW IN TOWN

STREETLIFE

RESTAURANT REVIEWS

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CONTENTS

ISSUE 254 · MARCH 2018

18 REPORT: IN FASHION

IN THE CITY

Laura Avery finds out what’s on the Barcelona catwalk

The Barceloneta of the past

06 09 10 12 14 17 40

38 FOLLOW YOUR NOSE

WHAT’S ON

23 LOCAL BREWS Craft beer in Poblenou

24 SOMORROSTRO

An interview with Ambika Kumar

28 31 32 34 36

New in town Five things Streetlife Community Best of History Photo essay

Music Art Review Art Calendar Misc

WORKING LIFE 43 Startup of the month 44 A day in the life

TRAVEL 46 Banyoles 50 La Floresta

FOOD & DRINK 52 Restaurant review 55 Quick bites 56 Recipe

DANSA P.37

METROPOLITAN CONTRIBUTORS

Publisher The Noise Lab S.L. Founder Esther Jones Senior Editor Carol Moran Contributing Editor Rachel Huffman Art Director Aisling Quigley Marketing Director Jalil Alui Account Executives Richard Cardwell, David Martínez Mestres Sales Assistant Charlotte Meesters Business Manager Marina Piegari Editorial Assistants Isabel Cocker, Lottie Hanwell, Gemma Macmillan-Fox, Marie Martin, Poppy McAlister Design Assistant Anna Baxter Contributors Laura Avery, Paul Cannon, Ben Cooke, Natalie Donback, Catherine Howley, Michael Leafe, Sam Mednick, Will Shank, Tara Stevens, Suzanne Wales, Sam Zucker Illustrator Ben Rowdon Cover 080 Barcelona Fashion Duc 6, 08002 Barcelona Tel. 93 451 4486 editorial@barcelona-metropolitan.com ads@barcelona-metropolitan.com The views expressed in Barcelona Metropolitan are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Reproduction, or use, of advertising or editorial content herein, without express permission, is prohibited. Depósito legal: B35159-96

MARIE MARTIN Marie is a languages and international relations student at Durham University. Born and raised in Perth, Australia, she moved to the UK for university, as well as to discover the country of her heritage. In Barcelona as part of her year abroad, she is currently working as an editorial assistant at Metropolitan. When not writing, she can be found eating peanut butter, running around enjoying the views and making the most of the seaside after two years away from the coast.

BEN COOKE Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Ben studied civil engineering, philosophy and ancient history at the University of Queensland before ditching it all to travel. Over the course of 10 years, he visited more than 130 countries, and lived in seven of them. During that time, he wrote and shot for several geopolitical and photography magazines. He moved to Barcelona last year and is now studying a master’s degree in political science at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

LAURA AVERY After studying Spanish at university, Laura qualified as an English teacher and taught in London, Santander and Lisbon. She then pursued a long fashion media career in London and Mumbai. Before moving to Barcelona two years ago, she taught fashion history, styling and magazine publishing at The University of the Arts, London, for several years. She now works as a freelance translator, fashion and style commentator and furniture restorer.

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IN THE CITY

new in town

REFINED DINING RILKE. MALLORCA 275.  RILKEBCN.COM The long-awaited union of Grupo Confitería and Grupo Kafka—two catering companies that own some of Barcelona’s best boutique bars, including Paradiso and Dr. Stravinsky—Rilke is a restaurant full of surprises. Co-owner Lito Baldovinos, from Barcelona, described it as “refined, but unpretentious”. Open since November, Rilke’s food menu fuses fresh, Mediterranean flavours with authentic Catalan cuisine, whilst the cocktail list dazzles patrons with its original recipes. Two large, oak front doors open onto a grand foyer with a stained glass ceiling that presides over the cocktail bar and its plush velvet furniture. Further on, the restaurant’s main seating area is a spacious, sophisticated room hidden behind the busy hubbub of the bar. For an even more intimate culinary experience, a secret door inside the walk-in wine fridge conceals an elegant, private dining room. The pièce de résistance, however, is the restaurant’s garden, decorated with a stunning stone statue and bubbling fountain.

SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED SIGNATURE BY A3. MARIÀ CUBÍ 180.  SIGNATUREBYA3.COM How do you like your cocktail? Signature by A3 caters to each client’s specific taste. With a decor that mimics the speakeasy style of yesteryear, the bar sets a new standard for drinks in the area. “Our cocktails are made to be savoured,” said Armenian owner and barman Askanas Abgaryan, who worked in bars and restaurants around Europe for 15 years before opening the Sant Gervasi bar. “I wanted to do something different from my previous employers,” he explained. “In other bars, the flavours of each individual ingredient are not taken into account.” Signature by A3 celebrates each cocktail’s history and pays homage to its roots.

It’s a quiet space to sink into your seat and enjoy a cocktail fashioned to your fancy.

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ON POINT BALETONIC. LINCOLN 11.  BALETONIC.COM After dancing professionally in London, Vancouver and Madrid, and coaching the Spanish team in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 Aesthetic Group Gymnastics World Championships, the spectacularly toned Olga Ausejo, from Pamplona, settled in Barcelona to open her own ballet fitness school. The first studio of its kind in the city, Baletonic offers classes that combine ballet and pilates to stretch, strengthen and tone the body. Both high and low intensity classes incorporate professional ballet techniques and barre work, cardio, weights and stretches. “For me, the most important thing is to make women feel beautiful,” said Ausejo. “At Baletonic, women have access to a positive space where they can train and feel confident about their bodies.”

GOOD EGGS CAVIAR NACARII. BORI I FONTESTÀ 4.  CAVIARNACARII.COM For those with a taste for luxury, the Caviar Nacarii store brings one of Europe’s most exclusive caviar brands to Barcelona. Sourced from the pristine waters of the Garona river in Val d’Aran, near the French border, Nacarii offers three varieties of sturgeon roe categorised according to size: Tradition, Premium and Selection. Opened to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the company, the Barcelona store is the first outside the Val d’Aran region. Classy and spacious despite its limited square metres, the ground floor features a light and airy tasting room, while the upper floor is reserved for private group tastings.

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FIVE THINGS

ADRENALINE RUSH Push yourself to the limit if you dare

1

FLYBOARDING

For those unfamiliar with this lesser-known watersport, imagine a futuristic jetpack that attaches to your feet.

A flyboard is roughly the size of a skateboard and is connected to a jet ski by a long hose. The water pressure created by the jet ski is redirected through the hose, which splits into two nozzles right beneath your feet, causing you to rise from the water’s surface and fly into the air. Flyboarders can reach a maximum height of 12 metres—which feels more like 25—before arching over and diving back into the sea like a dolphin. It’s an exhilarating ride, but be warned: it can take a little while to get the hang of! At Jet Scoot in Port Fòrum, prices start at €75 for 15 minutes. jetscoot.com

2

ADVENTURE PARK

For those who have the courage but not the cash, adventure parks are the most affordable, accessible option for daredevils in the city. Situated north-east of the city centre in Diagonal Mar, Bosc Urba (barcelonaboscurba. com) is Barcelona’s very own adventure park with more than 50 tummy-turning attractions, from €9 per person. Suitable for all ages, Bosc Urba offers three different circuits featuring high ropes, zip lines, tightropes, bungee jumps and punching bags.

Zip Line Barcelona (zipline.es) has an equally hair-raising ropes course and zip line, in both its urban location in the city centre and its forest location, for those who wish to go the extra mile.

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SUPERCAR CRUISING

If revving a powerful, luxury car gets your blood pumping, try one of Drive Me Barcelona’s thrilling experiences.

Get behind the wheel of one of its supercars—a Ferrari California, Lamborghini Huracán, Ferrari 458 Spider, Porsche 911 Coupe, Nissan GT-R, Maserati GranCabrio or an Audi R8 Spyder—and explore the sights of Barcelona like never before.

The company has four city tours that let you ride in style, from Port Vell to Tibidabo, as well as three country road trips. Prices start from €88 for 20 minutes. drivemebarcelona.com

5

SHARK CAGE DIVING

Sharks are one of the most feared predators on the planet, and swimming with them is a sure-fire way to plunge outside your comfort zone. At Barcelona’s aquarium in Port Vell, not only will you learn the basics of scuba diving, but you’ll also have the opportunity to cage dive in the aquarium’s main tank, known as the Oceanarium, where you’ll be surrounded by sharks (sand tiger and sandbar), rays, moray eels and thousands of fish. Qualified scuba divers can push their luck further and dive with nothing between them and the fierce marine creatures. From €150. aquariumbcn.com

SKYDIVING

Nothing gets the heart racing quite like jumping from an aeroplane and hurtling towards the ground at terminal velocity (200km/h). During the 60-second free fall, neurotransmitters secrete dopamine and adrenaline, flooding the nervous system to produce a ‘rush’ like no other. Once the parachute is inflated, take a moment to catch your breath and enjoy unparalleled views of Montserrat, the Barcelona skyline and the Mediterranean as you drift slowly back to Earth.

Tandem jumps require no prior experience and are open to most ages. Strapped to the back of an experienced instructor— who will take care of all the technicalities—you are free to relax, as best you can, and enjoy the ride. With Saltamos, based in Sant Fruitós de Bages, prices start at €229. skydivebcn.com

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IN THE CITY

streetlife

RAMBLA DEL RAVAL

Created just 20 years ago, this broad avenue brings some much-needed breathing space to the densely populated Raval neighbourhood

EL GATO DE BOTERO

Fernando Botero’s statue of a rotund cat with childish features and a long tail has become an iconic symbol of the Rambla del Raval, although the street wasn’t always its home. The city council purchased the Colombian artist’s bronze feline in 1987, but didn’t find a permanent home for it until 2003. During that time, Botero’s cat roamed from Parc de la Ciutadella to a site by the Olympic Stadium then to a little square behind Barcelona's medieval shipyards. The statue is admired by locals and tourists alike, who clamber onto its back to have their photo taken.

LA ROUGE

No 10 BARCELÓ RAVAL

TACO ALTO RAVAL

This taquería is bringing popular Mexican street eats back to their roots—quick, tasty bites to take away.

Focusing solely on tacos, the short menu favours quality over quantity. “In Barcelona, foreign cuisines are often modified for a milder, more commercial palate,” explained co-owner Antonio Luna. “We use imported spices and condiments to create true Mexican flavours.” tacoalto.es

This four-star hotel, which opened in 2008, is crowned with a rooftop bar that has unique panoramic views of Barcelona. “We are the only hotel in the city with such a central perspective,” explained the hotel manager, Jacobo Álvarez. “Barceló acquired the plot of land where the hotel sits in a competition run by the city council and was given special permission to build above the standard number of storeys.” Terraza 360 is open to the public and hosts DJ nights from February to November. “The hotel’s location attracts a lot of tourists,” Álvarez continued. “People from all over the world visit our terrace.” barcelo.com

Previously a bodega, La Rouge has recently been revamped, transforming it from a local neighbourhood bar to a more modern establishment. Patrons can enjoy a range of cocktails, from classics to the staff’s own creations, and live music from Wednesday to Sunday, which includes folk, funk, flamenco and more.

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Photo courtesy of Barceló

Photo by Al punto

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Photo courtesy of Palosanto

No 26

PALOSANTO

A cosy tapas restaurant that radiates hearth and home, Palosanto’s modest menu offers traditional Spanish dishes made using old family recipes. The tiled floors and eclectic decor create a quirky yet comfortable feel, perfect for a catch up with friends over a reasonably priced mojito. Its outdoor seating is a stone’s throw from Botero’s cat and is shaded by the street’s swaying palm trees, making this a popular spot as the weather gets warmer. facebook.com/PalosantoBcn

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N 32

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LA INFORMAL

OUR MASTERS

o

Originally a dairy before its conversion to a restaurant in 1998, this familyowned hamburger joint blends tradition and trend. “Our product is high quality at a low price,” explained owner Jose Manuel Franco. “We work for the enjoyment of our trade, not money—this is the Raval way.” La Informal offers a range of classic and vegetarian burgers, with toppings that have been perfected over time, carefully layered to create each signature flavour.

A customer favourite is the ‘Ravelera’. Made using curry bread, a host of spices and bona fide Spanish beef, this burger reflects the neighbourhood’s patchwork of cultures.

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On-Campus | Online English | Spanish

Internationalization of companies & Access to New Markets International Business Innovation International e-Supply Chain Management International Tourism & Hospitality Management Operations Management & Logistics info@bebs.org | www.bebs.org | +34 937 888 599

2/28/18 12:56 PM

IN THE CITY

BEST FOOT

FORWARD FOUR WOMEN HIT THE ROAD FOR A GOOD CAUSE

By Suzanne Wales

D

riving 9,000 kilometres across rugged African terrain in just nine days sounds like the stuff of madness, or maybe dreams. But that dream is about to become reality for four women who are participating in a fundraising road trip this summer.

Barcelona residents Julie Stephenson, Julia Fossi, Sharlene Halbert and Karen Holladay—collectively named the Hot Chili Chicas—aim to raise money for two charities whilst driving from Cape Town to Mozambique, via Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. The Put Foot Rally, which involves more than 170 vehicles, is not a race, but rather a test of survival and endurance. The teams could face anything from environmental challenges, such as wild animals, unexpected heatwaves and dust storms, to geographical tests, such as deserts, canyons and mountain ranges.

“Working in Southern Africa for a number of years has made me extremely aware of the huge disparity between our lives, what we have and what we can aspire to, and those of children from the areas I spend time in,” said Holladay, who runs tours in the region and participated in the Put Foot Rally in 2016. “I truly believe we all need to give back in whatever way we can.”

For Julie Stephenson and Julia Fossi, who together founded Esperança, a charity that provides food, clothing and support to Barcelona’s homeless, Put Foot is a chance to extend their desire to make a difference to the lives of others in a different way.

The rally is organised by the South African charity Put Foot Foundation, which has two main objectives. Firstly, to provide young children with a good pair of shoes—an essential, but often out of reach item in rural Africa. This year, the foundation hopes to distribute 6,000 pairs of sturdy, South African-made shoes at designated points along the route, together with school supplies, games and footballs. Secondly, funds will also be donated to the conservation of endangered wildlife in the area, such as rhinos, elephants, lions and leopards.

Each participating crew can also choose to raise money for a cause close to their hearts. The Hot Chili Chicas have chosen a non-profit association in Barcelona, the Associació d’Assistència a Dones Agredides Sexualment (AADAS). The charity was founded in 1982 by a group of women who had all been victims of sexual abuse, in order to support other women in similar situations across Catalunya. It provides services, such as psychological and legal support, to women and children. With the economic downturn after the global financial crisis of 2008, government funding was cut and the charity was forced to stop offering legal aid. AADAS desperately needs a cash injection to reinstate legal services, as well as to support other essential services.

The Hot Chili Chicas have pledged to raise more than €20,000 in the coming months, to be split between the two charities. The women are planning a number of fundraising events, from yoga, health talks and wardrobe clear-outs to live music and comedy.

To find out more, follow the group on Facebook (facebook.com/ hotchilichicas) and Instagram (@hotchilichicas).

WELLNESS GYPSY Heavenly Massage and Alternative Therapies, Gran de Gràcia 77.

March 15th. 5.30pm-9pm.

Jillian Kennedy speaks on nutrition, with a presentation of products, hand massages, energy balls and juices.

PUB QUIZ Penny Banger, Ample 35. March 20th. 8.30pm.

BIG THEATRE IMPROVISATION NIGHT Lola Mola, Passeig de Joan de Borbón 74. April 13th. 9pm-11pm.

More details about this night of belly laughs on the Hot Chili Chicas’ Facebook page.

FASHION RECYCLE Fàbrica Lehmann, Consell de Cent 159. April 22nd. 11am-4pm.

Declutter your wardrobe and take away new treasures from others’ for €10, including a glass of cava.

LIVE MUSIC EVENT Lola Mola, Passeig de Joan de Borbón 74. May 5th.

AGENT P Vintage Works, Milà i Fontanals 39. May 17th-20th.

A play by Georgina Tremayne, a writer based in the UK.

WELLNESS AFTERNOON Yogalinda, Rosa Sensat 4. May 26th. 1.30pm-6pm.

An afternoon of hot vinyasa yoga classes and massages.

DANCE IN THE NOW June 3rd. 12pm-3pm.

A unique dance experience on a stunning terrace in Poble-sec.

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IN THE CITY

best of

MENÚ DEL DÍA

LUNCH THE LOCAL WAY WITH THIS SELECTION OF TASTY SET MENUS XERTA

CÒRSEGA 289.

XERTARESTAURANT.COM Available Tuesday to Friday, Xerta’s executive menu is a rare opportunity to relish the fine-tuned dining experience of a Michelin-starred restaurant without emptying your wallet. For €38, you get the standard choice of one starter, one meat or fresh fish dish and one dessert. However, it’s the added allusions to luxury that make lunch here so special. Before the starters arrive, every diner receives three amuse-bouches, such as an Andalusian prawn with seaweed mayonnaise, and coffee is accompanied by a spread of delectable petit fours. Specialising in cuisine from the Terres de l’Ebre region, each dish has a long list of fresh ingredients prepared using complex cooking techniques, and is plated beautifully. Although the interior design of the restaurant, located on the ground floor of the Ohla Eixample Hotel, leaves something to be desired, the layout grants most patrons views into the kitchen, where Catalan chef Fran López gets visibly upset if the food or service of the day falls short of perfection.

EN VILLE

DR. DOU 14.

ENVILLEBARCELONA.ES Located on one of the chicest streets in the Raval, En Ville’s claim to fame is its 100 percent gluten-free menú del día, which costs €13.90.

At least 50 percent of the dishes are also vegetarian, from the coconutty Thai fish soup and salad with baked apples and the creamy rice with gorgonzola and walnuts to the lenguado with roasted sweet potato and teriyaki-glazed seaweed. The interior of the restaurant is elegant, with a vaulted brick ceiling, marble-topped tables, frosted mirrors and soft rock playing throughout the U-shaped dining room. Priding itself on its creative cooking, with nods to the traditional elements of both French and Catalan cuisines, En Ville attracts a diverse clientele, and the place starts to fill up every day around 1.30pm.

ARC IRIS

ROGER DE FLOR 216.

VEGETARIANOARCIRIS.COM A vegetarian oasis, Arc Iris offers simple, yet flavoursome, healthy dishes that will satisfy even the most carnivorous of diners. Located four blocks from the Sagrada Família, it’s a bustling little space where you’re likely to be asked to share a table with other customers. This sense of togetherness is not the only unique thing about the restaurant. For only €9.50, its menú del día includes a first, second and third plate, dessert, bread and a drink. If you don’t have time to dine in and make new friends, it’s also possible to bring your own tupperware and get any of the dishes of the day to go, for €3 each.

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LA ESQUINA

BERGARA 2.

LAESQUINABARCELONA.COM The novelty here is that patrons are served three courses of their menú del día at once—a well-rounded platter comprising one soup or salad, one protein and one pasta or grain, with slices of soft rustic bread on the side. This hearty selection is followed by a choice of homemade desserts or coffee. While you’re certain to feel full by the end of the meal, the great thing about La Esquina’s set menu is that it incorporates mostly healthy dishes, such as carrot soup with quinoa and a hint of ginger, spinach and aubergine lasagne, and couscous with roasted vegetables and dollops of tahini.

At €16, the menú del día is pricier than some, but it’s centrally located and delicious. An insider’s tip: Don’t waste your drink on water. The restaurant offers filtered water for free, so treat yourself to a glass of crisp white wine or a cold caña.

LA POLPA

ENRIC GRANADOS 69.

GRUPANDILANA.COM Part of Grupo Andilana, which also owns restaurants Balthazar, Flamant and Miu Japonés in the Eixample, La Polpa maintains the tradition of an affordable ‘worker’s meal’, which was introduced in the Sixties. At €11.45, it is one of the cheaper deals available in the city and attracts mostly Catalan professionals at lunchtime. Never the same from one day to the next, the lunch menu features Mediterranean fare such as leek soup, baked hake with roasted garlic and fingerling potatoes, grilled calamari with sautéed legumes, and chocolate-drizzled profiteroles for dessert. The decor is inviting, with blonde hardwood floors, warm lighting and various bottles, packages and pieces of china lined up in white cabinets along the walls, resembling an old grocery store. White linen tablecloths and smartly dressed waiters add a touch of class to the otherwise informal restaurant.

TOPIK

VALENCIA 199.

TOPIKRESTAURANT.ES Opened in 2009 by chef Adelf Morales and his wife, Topik’s cuisine shows great respect for the ingredients, which Morales lets speak for themselves.

“The less one touches the product, the better,” he said. Revolving around this simple concept, the restaurant’s menu mixes Spanish fare with Japanese influences, inspired by the three years Morales spent in Japan, travelling and learning from local kitchens. At Topik, he pairs patatas bravas with wasabi; tuna tartare with sea urchin, served inside its round, spiny shell; hake in a dashi broth with shrimp and seaweed; and marinates mackerel with sake. The menú del día is €14, but well worth the money.

You can choose from a score of succulent dishes, made to the highest standard with utmost care, and the staff are knowledgeable and attentive.

Finally, the homemade desserts—from classic panna cotta and gooey coulants to apple or carrot cake—are the icing on this set menu.

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HISTORY

BARE BONES AN ARSON ATTACK CHANGED THE PEOPLE’S CHURCH FOREVER

By Catherine Howley

LOCATION: SANTA MARIA DEL MAR

T

he art critic and historian Robert Hughes once claimed that there is no grander or more solemn architectural space in Spain than the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar. Considered an outstanding example of Catalan Gothic architecture, the foundation stone was laid in 1329 and the church was completed in an impressive 54 years. According to chronicles from the time, the construction was a combined effort by the working classes of the city. For more than 50 years, stone slabs were hauled from Montjuïc to the site in the Born, for a church built by the workers, for the workers. A tribute to the stone carriers (bastaixos) can be found on the front doors of the building, a testament to their hard work and Santa Maria del Mar’s status as a church of the people.

The interior is what gives the church its awe factor. In contrast to the bulky exterior, the exposed internal structure of the building gives the impression of immense light and space—unlike many of Barcelona’s other Gothic churches, which tend to be darker and more cluttered inside.

However, it wasn’t always so bare. The starkness of the present-day interior emerged as the result of an arson attack carried out, ironically, by the workers of the city. At the start of the military rebellion in July 1936, which plunged Spain into almost three years of bloody civil war, there was a violent outburst against the Church as an institution, which the workers considered to be in alliance with the military and oligarchy.

As you walk through the main entrance and look up to the ceiling, you’ll notice that the stone vaults are blackened, charred from the fire that was intentionally started to destroy the church and its contents. Santa Maria del Mar, then filled with ornate side chapels, a baroque altar, an 18th-century organ and a huge wooden choir stall, as well as textiles, paintings and sculptures, was set alight and burned for 11 days. The structure almost collapsed under the intense heat.

The blaze was finally extinguished, but not before most of the decor was reduced to ashes, revealing the naked stone structure that is so admired today. As Hughes observed: “Consequently only the original bones of Santa Maria del Mar are left, but the bones are so beautiful one finds it hard to regret the loss.”

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REPORT

IN FASHION Photo by Ben Cooke

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BARCELONA'S FASHION WORLD

By Laura Avery

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Photo by Ben Cooke

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love of fabric has long been woven into Barcelona’s social and economic life. In the early 20th century, the city was home to many leading textile manufacturers, which brought prosperity and enabled the designers of the day to produce outstanding pieces of finery.

The legacy of those golden times can be seen in the converted textile factories and mills that dot the cityscape, such as Casaramona, now home to CaixaForum, and Can Ricart and Can Felipa in Poblenou.

Almost 100 years on, Barcelona is returning to its textile roots and proving to be a fertile ground for fashion and design entrepreneurs. As a creative powerhouse widely celebrated for its culture and innovation, the city’s ability to attract international investment, together with a growing infrastructure for new designers, means that it is both keeping homegrown talent and attracting plenty more from abroad.

Key to Barcelona’s fashion ecosystem are its internationally respected design colleges. With well-rounded courses that embrace the dual entrepreneurial and creative aspects of the Catalan character, they give a solid grounding in business─an essential partner to creativity and flair. Many of these courses are delivered in English, attracting an international cohort. Once graduated, designers often choose to do a stint in international fashion houses before returning home to build their own businesses, adding up to an interesting and varied fashion scene.

This success hasn’t come by chance. In 2011, the Generalitat, Ajuntament, Fira de Barcelona and Barcelona Chamber of Commerce joined forces to create the Plan de la Moda 2011-2015, which aimed to convert Barcelona into an international reference point in fashion and design. It focused on attracting, nurturing and supporting talent by developing the internationalisation of the city’s industry and support for entrepreneurs. It also ensured that the city offers a wide range of training courses, secured international events and improved public-private collaborations within the industry. A new strategic plan is currently in the pipeline.

Always innovating, the city is also looking to the influence of technology. Fashioneers is a new startup accelerator that fosters interactions between the fashion, science and technology industries. Based at Moda22, a fashion and design incubator and coworking space in the Poblenou district, Fashioneers' goal is to “connect the dots” between the different industry elements, and to “build bridges across different industries, disciplines and even continents”, according to co-founder Ryan Clott. From September to December last year, Fashioneers ran its first acceleration ‘capsule’, a 12-week programme offering mentoring, product development, strategic partnership and networking opportunities to fashion tech-related startups, from wearables with embedded digital elements (such as iBreve and Wearable Media) to disruptive fashion brands that reinvent standard fashion (such as Mamguam and Materia Rica).

The best showcase of Barcelona style is 080, the city’s bi-annual fashion week. In January, the post-holiday blues were dispelled by 080 Gener. From designer fashion to commercial chains, glamorous red carpet gowns and bridal wear to urban street style, and dadcore to kids-wear, 080 is a comprehensive showcase for the city’s fashion talent.

Antonio Miró

ON THE CATWALK The January edition of 080 was filled with designers who studied at the region’s fashion colleges. Laura Avery reflects on this season’s trends.

>>

Ze García, a graduate of Ramon Llull University, opened this year’s event with his glamorous red carpet gowns and romantic bridal wear. Using bloggers and influencers with more natural body shapes than models, García appeals to potential bridal clients of all shapes and sizes, while giving a savvy nod to the power of online media.

In sharp contrast to García’s glitz, the menswear collection

by Javier Giron at JNORIG set the tone for the rest of the week.

His monochrome designs were the first indication of one of the main trends to emerge from this year’s 080 shows: easy and relaxed silhouettes with style injections from assorted decades of the 20th century on an urban sportswear canvas. Here we saw Seventies McLaren/Westwood bondage style straps, geometric stripes and even glimpses of traditional Asian fashion with a Dhoti-style pant and a long kurta. Asian culture is a trend that is increasingly popping up on the international stage and made several appearances throughout 080.

Sportswear, thanks to McCardell and Kamali, is the US’s greatest contribution to contemporary fashion. Motifs such as outside leg stripes, drawstring waists, sloppy silhouettes, letter sweaters and hoodies (often rendered in luxe fabrics) appeared throughout the week. Oscarleon, another Barcelona fashion graduate with a concept store on Carrer d’Enric Granados, took the sportswear trend into womenswear. As always, fashion holds a mirror to the zeitgeist and Leon’s slick yet informal tailoring and minimalistic lines had a disturbingly apocalyptic feel, perhaps echoing the current global political malaise. Despite Barcelona’s generally sunny outlook on life, this dystopian air also permeated other collections.

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Barcelona-based Txell Miras continued the mood set by Leon with a strong sportswear collection expressed in softly draped fabrics layered with sharp tailoring. This was the first glimpse of the season’s dominating palette of grape and petrol tones.

Mallorquín Pablo Erroz picked up on the shorts suits for men that have emerged over the last few years, and showcased gender neutral sportswear in a mix of pleathers and tweeds.

Krizia Robustella, who has a shop on Carrer de Sant Pere Més Alt, is yet another local graduate. Her collection broke away from the dystopian monochrome palette, featuring comic book brights and Moschino-esque prints to create a playful, sportswear-dominated range in oversized, gender-neutral silhouettes.

Antonio Miró, a major player in Spanish fashion, learned his craft from his tailor father and embodies the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of Catalunya. After opening his first store at 20, he now has a flagship store on Carrer d'Enric Granados. His collection introduced the second big trend of the week: Young Fogey. This featured outside leg stripes in tune with the sportswear trend, corsets worn as outerwear, swirling tartans and cosy, warm-hued tweeds, which paid homage to Gaultier’s 1990 Blonde Ambition, Westwood’s Anglomania and McQueen’s Highland Rape.

Commercial brand Sweet Matitos again featured autumnaltoned tweeds and tartans, along with decadent fabrics. Silhouettes were generally slender with jacket waists cinched by long narrow belts (another leitmotif of the week) and long, sensuous jazz-era printed tea dresses via Ossie and Celia’s Seventies London.

Lola Casademunt took us from the English Home Counties and Scottish Highlands to St. Petersburg. The season’s grapey colour palette appeared here in deep jewel tones on luxe fabrics. Sequins and floaty tulles showed her vision of the Hermitage and confirmed two more of the season’s minor trends: transparent fabrics and extravagant prints.

Aragaza

Photos courtesy of 080 Barcelona fashion

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This January’s event was held at the UNESCO-listed Hospital de Sant Pau, a Modernista gem that added a true Barcelona backdrop to the catwalks. Deep in the subterranean tunnels leading to the catwalk salon, a static exhibition showcased the young talent emerging from nine local fashion colleges. Progressing along the tunnels, another exhibition—the NEO2 Photo Shoot Contest from the previous 080 in June 2017—displayed work by teams of student stylists and photographers.

Away from the glitz and glamour of Hospital Sant Pau, the Fòrum was the venue of the sixth Fashion Summit, ‘Fashion 2030: A Brave New World’, during which expert speakers examined the future of the fashion industry. Although it acknowledged global uncertainty, the outlook for the fashion industry was generally positive.

So, how does all this high fashion manifest itself on the high street? Like most major cities, Barcelona suffers from fashion hegemony. International luxury brands along Passeig de Gràcia seduce shoppers onto the rocks of bankruptcy, whilst the high street names occupy sumptuous flagship stores with designerinspired pieces at affordable prices.

Two internationally known Barcelona names—besides Mango— are Desigual and Custo, which have both been around since the Eighties. They offer colourful, highly decorated clothes and accessories, which have spawned many copycats. With stores across town, Desigual could hardly be more ‘Barcelona’, with some print motifs echoing the paving stones of Passeig de Gràcia. On the other hand, Custo Barcelona, founded by Custo Dalmau, has just two stores in the city, but its clothing lines, originally inspired by bold Californian surfwear, were among the first to put Barcelona on the international fashion map.

Nevertheless, unlike in other big cities, the boutique shop is still alive and well in Barcelona. Thanks to the city’s ability to nurture its own talent, more established local designers have stores along the smarter Eixample boulevards, whilst the younger ones are setting up edgier back street enterprises. Take a trip to the Born or Gràcia, and you’ll find plenty of small, local designers offering lovingly crafted garments.

A doyenne of the Barcelona fashion scene, Lurdes Bergada is self-taught, although her son, menswear designer Syngman Cucala,

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did study in the city. Together, they own three stores in Barcelona, plus a few more across Catalunya and in Madrid, as well as selling in niche stores globally. Their look combines a Japanese workwear aesthetic with sculptured clean lines that works for anyone from 18 to 80. Manufacturing is kept as close to home as possible and uses mostly natural fabrics.

Another homegrown brand is Aragaza, whose stores around the Gothic Quarter offer some of Barcelona’s best menswear. Apparel from Aragaza adds a touch of cool to any style-conscious man of a certain age, as well as his son.

Concept store, laboratory and co-working space Ozz is tucked away on Carrer dels Banys Vells and boasts a large retail space featuring emerging designers who follow the principles of slow fashion. The walls function as a gallery for interesting artwork, and there is a shared workspace that is rented out to startups.

Prison Art, in Plaça del Pi, sells stunning one-off leather jackets, T-shirts and bags that feature designs created by prisoners in Mexico with homemade tattoo guns. Not cheap, but each piece is the definition of unique.

It’s all about cats and music at Suara Store on Carrer de la Fusina, not in a cutesy kitty-kitsch way, but as responsibly produced urban wear covered in hip cat images. The shop’s revenue is used to take care of the street cats who live above the store whilst waiting to be adopted.

OFFBEAT, Madrileña Belén Jiménez’s concept store in the Raval, is an intelligently-curated treasure trove of womenswear, bags, jewellery, ceramics and prints. An experienced designer, Jiménez customises items to your taste, and also offers small womenswear collections from other emerging Spanish designers.

If you’re more interested in the cultural side of fashion, Museu del Disseny de Barcelona is worth a visit. Its permanent exhibition, ‘Dressing the Body. Silhouettes and Fashion (1550-2015)’, guides visitors through the changing shape of the body as modelled by fashion, explained through 173 dresses and frames. It is a fascinating journey through history, with dress, forms and the body as its main protagonists. As well as the permanent collection, temporary exhibitions also offer interesting design inspiration.

For fashion shoppers, entrepreneurs and students alike, Barcelona offers creative inspiration and study, business and entrepreneurial opportunities. To quote British designer Paul Smith: ‘You can find inspiration in everything'. And as far as the fashion world goes, Barcelona appears to have everything.

BARCELONA FASHION SCHOOLS ESDI (ESCOLA SUPERIOR DE DISSENY) esdi.url.edu In collaboration with MANGO multinational, ESDi offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fashion industry management and fashion design.

ESCOLA DE LA DONA diba.cat/es/web/escoladona Created by the Barcelona Provincial Council in 1883, the school began with the aim of increasing professional opportunities for women. Today, the school is open to anyone over the age of 18, and offers courses in art, cooking, languages and technology, as well as fashion.

LCI BARCELONA lcibarcelona.com Felicidad Duce, the Fashion School of LCI Barcelona, welcomes more than 800 budding designers a year and offers a range of prestigious programmes for both fashion fanatics and total beginners.

IDEP BARCELONA, ESCOLA SUPERIOR D’IMATGE I DISSENY idep.es This higher education centre offers diploma and master’s courses in fashion and design for professionals and students looking to further their careers.

ICM INSTITUT CATALÀ DE LA MODA incatmoda.com This fashion institute puts just as much emphasis on introductory fashion design programmes as later professional opportunities, maintaining strong employer links with companies such as Burberry, Mango and Josep Font.

LLOTJA ESCOLA SUPERIOR DE DISSENY I ART llotja.cat Created in 1773, Llotja is the oldest design school in Spain and has been attended by some of Barcelona’s most prominent creatives, including Antoni Gaudí and Pablo Picasso. In its advanced fashion styling programme, Llotja offers courses in the history of clothing, textile technology and fashion modelling.

BAU CENTRE UNIVERSITARI DE DISSENY DE BARCELONA baued.es In addition to a wide variety of long-term fashion courses, such as fashion illustration and fashion marketing, BAU also offers ‘capsule’ courses.

These are short, 16-hour programmes focusing on technical training in particular fields of design, such as editorial photography and InDesign.

OFFBEAT

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LOCAL BREWS

P o blenou L ÁLTERNATIVA in Ja r d J os e p

A CRAFT BEER GUIDE TO POBLENOU

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There’s something about this city and craft beer. New breweries, bars and shops dedicated to the amber liquid keep popping up across town like tourists around a Gaudí monument, and Poblenou is no exception. The former industrial neighbourhood is home to some true gems worthy of a visit by any craft beer fan.

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ou’ll find one of the oldest and most authentic craft beer bars in the city, La Cervecita Nuestra de Cada Día (Lull 184), commonly referred to as simply ‘Cervecita’, in the heart of Poblenou. Opened by local couple Angie and Joaquim in 2009, it was one of the first craft beer bars to open in Barcelona.

Luckily, their early bet on craft beer turned out to be a winner. The pair are also behind the annual craft beer festival, La Fira del Poblenou, turning the barrio into a beer mecca for one weekend each July. In this cosy space just off Rambla de Poblenou, visitors are met by giant bookshelves stocked to the brim with more than 20 different bottled beers from all over the world. With everything from coconut stouts to delicious double IPAs, there’s a beer for everyone here, even that odd friend who claims not to like it. You can also enjoy 15 ever-changing beers on tap, served from behind the dark, wooden bar. For Angie and Joaquim, it’s all about quality: “The freshness of the product is number one, but we also look for kilometre-zero products. Why should we buy an American beer when the quality of the local beer is this good?”

Closer to the Llacuna metro station, you’ll find a newer addition to the neighbourhood’s craft beer scene—Hoppiness (Ramon Turró 180)—a modern and welcoming space with an ample terrace. Cheerful co-owner Pep is no newbie to the craft beer scene: “I worked at the first craft beer place to open in

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Barcelona, La Cerveteca (now closed), and I’ve wanted to open my own place ever since.” Not sure which beer to choose? No worries, Pep’s got your back.

“The best thing about my job is that I get to help people discover craft beer. I love to see the excitement in people’s faces when they try a new beer and really enjoy it.” You’ll also find delicious tapas and hamburgers made from locally sourced meat, not to mention the secret bravas sauce.

Looking for a place that’s young, edgy and on the funky side? Head to L’Alternativa (Pallars 294), just a short walk from the Poblenou metro stop.

Opened a year ago, this casual hangout is run by two brothers from Gràcia, who offer great personalised advice, homemade video mixtapes and a tasty tortilla de patatas to go with your beer of choice. The duo changes the selection of draught beer on a weekly basis, offering a good blend of local and lesser-known international brews.

If you fancy your pint with a side of ramen, pho or Asian tapas, then look no further than Cal Cuc (Taulet 109). The owner behind the popular Mosquito in the Born has just opened his latest venture in Poblenou, which offers several craft beers on tap alongside mouth-watering Asian dishes. Make sure you try the green curry with calamari for a true flavour fest, which pairs perfectly with a citric ale and the laid-back environment.

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SUN, SEA AND Somorrostro THE FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF BARCELONETA’S BEACHES

By Michael Leafe

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large bronze plaque is embedded into the side of the esplanade along Platja de Somorrostro, one of Barcelona’s most popular stretches of beach, which lies in front of Hospital del Mar. It depicts an aerial view of that same stretch of beach at some time in the Fifties, almost unrecognisable when compared to today’s scene. People of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities pass by, barely noticing its existence as they soak up the unique atmosphere of an afternoon in Barceloneta.

This vibrant and cosmopolitan scene, however, is still relatively new for the neighbourhood. Speak to any Barcelona resident over a certain age and they will tell you about the days when this part of the city was tantamount to a no-go zone. The overcrowded streets of Barceloneta used to spill out onto the shore, where the Somorrostro barraca (shantytown) housed thousands of impoverished households, each with its own struggles and story.

The Olympic Games in 1992 changed the face of Barcelona forever and many of these individual stories have since been lost: the communities that lived in the barracas along the coast were relocated to areas across the city, including Badalona and La Mina, and their struggle all but forgotten.

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DATES 1500s – Fishermen’s shacks first documented where Barceloneta now stands.

1714 – Barcelona falls to the troops of Philip V of Spain. Residents of La Ribera relocated to make room for the citadel.

1905 – Sixty-three wooden homes counted in the Somorrostro shantytown.

1930 - Several of the barracas are legally recognised by the city and their population is registered.

1936 - 1939 – Spanish Civil War. Barceloneta suffers extensive damage.

1940 - 1970 – 1.5 million people flock to Barcelona from other parts of Spain.

1954 – 2,400 shacks counted in Somorrostro, housing more than 15,000 people.

1966 – Last barracas removed from Somorrostro for Naval Week.

1986 – Announcement that Barcelona will host the 1992 Olympics.

1990 – Mayor Pasqual Maragall oversees the removal of the city’s last shanties.

1992 – Barcelona hosts the Olympic Games.

2010 – A stretch of beach near Barceloneta is renamed Somorrostro.

2014 – Plaque unveiled as a tribute to Somorrostro’s former residents.

Left: A plaque along Platja de Somorrostro pays tribute to the area’s former residents; Above: The same stretch of beach today

Although fishermen’s shanties had been documented on the spit of land just outside the Ciutat Vella since the 1500s, no formal housing was built there until the 18th century. During the War of Succession, after the defeat of the city in 1714, part of the Ribera neighbourhood was demolished to make way for the construction of a military citadel, now Parc de la Ciutadella. A plan was drawn up for a new neighbourhood outside the old city walls in which to rehouse displaced residents. The new area developed its own character as something of an independent fishing village, taking the name Barceloneta, meaning ‘Little Barcelona’.

Construction started on the new neighbourhood in 1753.

Originally intended to be a modern, urban centre, it was designed with two-storey blocks of houses forming a grid system. However, due to a lack of space and increasing population of the city, these blocks soon grew into four-storey buildings, towering over the narrow streets.

In the mid-19th century, the area between Barceloneta and Poblenou became a centre for heavy industry, as its situation close to the Port of Barcelona and the French railway station provided easy transport of materials and goods. As a result, more and more people settled in Barceloneta; overcrowding became a problem and

unsanitary conditions facilitated the spread of disease.

The presence of factories and warehouses in such a densely populated area made Barceloneta a key target for Fascist air raids during the Spanish Civil War. The damage caused by these attacks was never fully repaired and, in the post-war years, further waves of migrants were drawn to the area for its cheap housing.

During the Francoist period, between 1940 and 1970, the metropolitan area of Barcelona welcomed 1.4 million newcomers from other parts of Spain. This migration was principally economic as, despite the damage to the city caused by the civil war, it had remained prosperous and was Spain’s second largest city. Migration was encouraged by the government—partly as a mechanism to dilute Catalan culture—but little thought had been given as to how to cope with such a sharp population increase.

Julia Aceituna, a resident of Somorrostro from 1952 to 1958, underlined that migrants came because there were better opportunities in the city. “There was work, and we were there to do it,” she said in Barraques. La Ciutat Oblidada, a documentary about Barcelona’s shantytowns. “What was missing was proper housing.” According to census data, in 1954 there were 2,400 permanent constructions in Somorrostro and more than 15,000

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Photo by Ronny Siegel Photo by Jorge Franganillo

people living along a stretch of land measuring barely one kilometre.

In an interview with TV3, Aceituno underlined the hardships of living in the area. She moved there at 14 and grew up in a shanty made of disused wooden boxes that had been used to transport fish.

“My mother had it hard, very hard,” she described. “When I arrived in Barcelona, I was saying, ‘Oh, how beautiful, how amazing the city is’.

But when we entered Sorromostro, I couldn’t believe the poverty and the dirtiness of the streets.”

Life may have been tough, but there was always a lot of “compañerismo” within the neighbourhood itself, and Aceituno described a solidarity and a sense of community that deserves to be remembered. “We moved there to work—not to fight or to cause trouble. We were just honest, hard-working citizens.”

Throughout the Sixties, there was a concerted effort by the municipality to create order in Barceloneta, and the barracas were slowly reduced in size. In 1966, Franco came to Barcelona to celebrate the first Naval Week, a recognition of the strength of the Spanish Navy.

In preparation for this event, the remaining 600 homes making up the Somorrostro shantytown were demolished and its citizens relocated.

However, even after this time, Barceloneta maintained a thoroughly working-class character and the shoreline was dotted with the area’s famous xiringuitos (beach bars).

“People used to go to Barceloneta but there was never any kind of beach,” Marta, a local 39-year-old, recalled. “I remember going down to the xiringuitos for paella. They were just shacks, but the food was always good because it came straight from the fishing boats.”

In his book Homage to Barcelona (1990), Colm Tóibín described the Barceloneta of the mid-Eighties as an “overcrowded fishing village”, observing that the water along the nearby coast was so filthy with industrial waste that “nobody in his or her right mind would go down there for a swim”. Barcelona had earned itself the reputation of a city that had turned its back to the sea.

But all that changed in 1986, when it was announced that the Catalan capital would host the 1992 Olympic Games. Across the entire city, civil engineering projects on a gargantuan scale were immediately set into motion to modernise Barcelona and to provide the city with outstanding new leisure spaces. One of the key objectives was to open the city to the seafront, and the redevelopment of the coastline, from Barceloneta to what is now the Fòrum, was the jewel in the crown.

“When they were awarded the Olympics, they got straight on with it,” remembered Marta.

Today, Rebecca Horn’s metal sculpture ‘l’Estel ferit’ or ‘Homenatge a la Barceloneta’, located on Barceloneta Beach, gives a public nod to the area’s past. Commissioned as part of the revitalisation of the area for the Olympics, the four iron boxes rise out of the sand, bending upwards into a disjointed tower. Some say that it represents the humble shacks that stood there in the past, while others suggest that it evokes the image of an abandoned lighthouse or fishing crates. The inspiration for the work, however, may reach even further back, to the original two-storey dwellings planned for the neighbourhood in the 1700s.

Despite the intended imagery, without knowledge of the area’s history, few citizens or tourists would be able to decipher the meaning of the sculpture. In this way, ‘the other Barcelona’—a working-class, industrial city of barracas and ramshackle xiringuitos—is slowly being forgotten. Somorrostro may live on in the name of that particular stretch of sand and palm trees, but otherwise there is little to indicate that thousands of people lived and dreamed in that very spot.

The plaque was erected in 2014, as a tribute to those who once lived in the cramped and unsanitary beachfront barracas. Former Mayor of Barcelona Xavier Trias unveiled the bronze commemoration, stating at the time that “it is an act of justice and recovery of historical memory not to forget the people who lived in harsh conditions here in Somorrostro”, and added that “personal sacrifice, perseverance and self-improvement have helped build Barcelona”.

For Aceituno, the plaque is the result of years of work to get the neighbourhood, and its people, recognised. “We owe a lot to Barcelona,” she added, “but Barcelona also owes a lot to us.”

SHIFTING SANDS Creating and maintaining the 17 beaches along Barcelona’s waterfront

 Between 1992 and 2010, the Municipality of Barcelona invested €33 million in constructing and maintaining the city’s beaches.  During high season, the beaches are maintained by 21 teams of 40 workers who clean the walkways, empty the bins and rake the sand every day.  The water is maintained by three boats that remove any debris from the water, and patrol throughout the day between the Fòrum and Sant Sebastià.  Between 2010 and 2016, Barceloneta Beach lost 28 percent of its sand, a reduction of 15 metres in its overall width.  In 2010, 750,000m2 of sand was added to the beaches, using a boat that made six trips per day for two months, bringing sand from Premià de Mar.

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music LIKE A ROLLING STONE

BOB DYLAN. GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU. LA RAMBLA 51-59. MARCH 30TH & 31ST. Heralded as the voice of a generation, singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has profoundly shaped the trajectory of popular music.

He has sold more than 100 million records across five decades, with his 1965 single ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ topping Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. As a musician, Dylan’s talent defies genres, spanning pop, folk, blues, country and rock and roll; yet it is his songwriting that is widely considered the artist’s greatest accomplishment. The poetic power of his lyrics, richly infused by hours spent pouring over the works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Blake, Jack Kerouac and Arthur Rimbaud, introduced depth and introspection to popular music and gained him a Nobel Prize for his contribution to American literature in 2016. Now 76 years old, the icon continues to tour the world, and will perform two shows in Barcelona at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

HUMBLE ORIGINS

MILKY CHANCE. RAZZMATAZZ. PAMPLONA 88. MARCH 5TH. German duo Milky Chance didn’t have high hopes for their first single, ‘Stolen Dance’, when they uploaded it to YouTube and SoundCloud in April 2013. However, the track, which they claim took them three years to write, quickly went viral and, upon its official release, topped the charts in Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland and France. After the release of their debut album, Sadnecessary (2013), which the band recorded from a makeshift studio based in lead vocalist Clemens Rehbein’s childhood home, Milky Chance embarked on their first tour. Driving across Europe with only a set of decks and a guitar, they spread their catchy blend of folk, reggae and electronica-infused pop to an ever-widening fanbase. Blossom (2017), their second and latest album, features more feel-good, sunny tunes with mellow vocals, thumping drums and an unusual combination of acoustic and electronic sound.

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NEW DIRECTION

HARRY STYLES. SANT JORDI CLUB. PG. OLíMPIC 5-7. MARCH 30TH. Now one of the biggest names in contemporary British pop, it’s hard to imagine that not too long ago Harry Styles was an ordinary teenager, working part-time in a local bakery. Everything changed in 2010, when the cheeky Cheshire lad, with his signature curly locks and dimpled cheeks, auditioned for the UK talent show The X Factor. Failing to qualify as an individual artist, Styles was grouped with four other contestants to create One Direction, the young boy band that would go on to win third place and sign a reported £2 million record deal with Syco Music. One Direction quickly shot to fame, releasing five chart-topping albums, selling millions of records and touring the globe, hotly pursued by swathes of screaming teenage girls. After the band announced their indefinite hiatus in 2016, Styles embarked upon a solo career, ditching his squeaky-clean pop star image for an edgier, rock-based approach. His self-titled debut album is reminiscent of Seventies soft rock, influenced by a childhood spent listening to David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Queen and Elvis Presley. Whilst remnants of his pop star past remain audible, Styles’s updated, refined sound marks his coming-of-age as an artist.

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music GOING OFF SCRIPT THE SCRIPT. SAnT JoRDI CLuB. PG. oLíMPIC 5-7. MARCH 21ST.

The Script’s lead singer, Danny O’Donoghue, and guitarist, Mark Sheenan, have been best friends since the age of 12. Growing up together in Dublin, the pair harboured big dreams of musical careers.

The road to stardom, however, was not plain sailing.

After moving to Canada to form their first band, Mytown, in 1996, their record deal fell through and they were forced to put their dreams on hold, instead producing and songwriting for the likes of Britney Spears, TLC and Boyz II Men. Eventually the pair decided to move back home, where they met drummer Glen Power, who completed the trio now known as The Script. Fast forward 17 years

and the band have five multi-platinum albums, 30 million record sales and five world tours to show for their hard work. Listing U2, Snow Patrol, Coldplay and The Police among their influences, The Script’s pop-rock anthems and love ballads have achieved international recognition and, after a brief hiatus, the band released their fifth album, Freedom Child, in 2017. In a bold shift of focus from the personal to the political, tracks such as ‘Divided States of America’ and ‘Freedom Child’ tackle social issues with choppier rhythms that stray from their usual smooth, soft rock sound. The Freedom Child World Tour stops in Barcelona on March 21st.

IN CONCERT

2nd. Depedro Sala Apolo. Nou de la Rambla 113.

5th. Milky Chance Razzmatazz. Pamplona 88.

6th. London Symphony Orchestra Palau de la Música. Palau de la Música 4-6.

6th. Slowdive Sala Apolo. Nou de la Rambla 113.

7th. Tribute to Tom Petty Sala Apolo. Nou de la Rambla 113.

8th & 9th. Sidecars Sala Bikini. Diagonal 547.

10th. El Barrio Sant Jordi Club. Pg. Olímpic 5-7.

14th. Mark Padmore & Julius Drake Palau de la Música. Palau de la Música 4-6.

15th. Bertín Osborne BARTS. Paral∙lel 62.

16th. Falsalarma Sala Apolo. Nou de la Rambla 113.

21st. Benjamin Clementine Razzmatazz. Pamplona 88.

21st. The Script Sant Jordi Club. Pg. Olímpic 5-7.

22nd. Antonio Carmona BARTS. Paral∙lel 62.

22nd. Arcane Roots Razzmatazz. Pamplona 88.

23rd. Nightmares on Wax Sala Apolo. Nou de la Rambla 113.

23rd. Rubén Pozo Sidecar. Pl. Reial 7.

25th. Schumann Piano Concert L’Auditori. Lepant 150.

27th. Logicaltramp (Supertramp tribute) Palau de la Música. Palau de la Música 4-6.

30th. Harry Styles Palau Sant Jordi. Pg. Olímpic 5-7.

30th & 31st. Bob Dylan Gran Teatre del Liceu. La Rambla 51-59.

DREAM ON

DAYDREAM FESTIVAL. CIRCuIT DE BARCELonA-CATALunYA, MonTMELó.

MARCH 30TH & 31ST. Have you ever dreamed with your eyes open? Originating in Belgium, the Daydream Festival has gained notoriety for its fantastical decor and ethereal atmosphere, attracting some of the biggest electronic music acts from around the globe. This month, it lands in Barcelona to transform the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló into an enchanted land of pixies, fairy queens and heavy electro beats. The line-up includes Belgian brothers Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, who shared second place in DJ Mag’s 2014, 2016 and 2017 Top 100 DJs list. They will be joined by the legendary Steve Angello, Martin Solveig and Marco Carola, as well as other big names who will perform on five different stages over the course of the weekend. Weird and wonderful activities, from magic acts and live graffiti artists to virtual reality simulations, zorball and bungee jumping, will only enhance the experience. Ticket prices start at €72.

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ART REVIEW

Bee

KIND

Will Shank visits ‘BEEHAVE’ at the Fundació Joan Miró Until May 20th (with installations around the city until June 20th)

B

ees have fascinated artists throughout the centuries with their industrious collaborative nature and their fragile, yet structurally sound, honeycombs.

Famous Italian art patrons, the Barberini family, adopted the bee as their family emblem for the connotations of hard work and dedication, and the facades, fountains and gardens of their 17th-century palazzi are decorated with carvings of the insect. The father of the Greek gods, Zeus, is said to have been raised by bees, and his alternative name was Mellisius (bee-man). Barcelona’s own Antoni Gaudí was fascinated by the architectural shapes created by bees, and his famous parabolic arch was inspired by the natural structure of beehives.

So, it is not surprising to discover an exhibition like ‘BEEHAVE’ at the contemporary art museum Fundació Joan Miró, continuing a welcome tradition of exploring interdisciplinary themes. “Contemporary art is relevant to modern life,” declared the museum’s newly appointed director Marko Daniel. “Our mission should be to understand the world in all its complexity. Art affects all of us and gives us a new perspective of our own lives.” ‘BEEHAVE’ is a great example of this belief, providing a fresh vision of our harmonious coexistence.

Why bees? “Their future is our future,” continued Daniel, and the plight of the honeybee in the 21st century is not something to be disregarded. Bees play a primary role in maintaining the equilibrium of the earth’s ecosystems, essential for preserving biodiversity and enabling pollination. But pollution, chemicals, pesticides and parasites are threatening the existence of the bee and numbers have declined dramatically in recent decades. Using the visionary language of artists, BEEHAVE aims to educate the public about the key role that bees play in environmental balance, and our responsibility to save them—and ourselves.

The exhibition, organised by Martina Millá, the chief of programming and projects at the foundation, comprises six sets of installations by 24 international artists, who have worked with beekeepers, biologists, botanists and herbalists to bring the world of the bee into focus. “It has been an exceptionally pollinating experience,” said Millá. Most of the works were created exclusively for this exhibition.

Symbolically reduced to the size of a honey bee, the visitor enters via an installation of gigantic flowers in large transparent spheres, aptly titled ‘Mutual

Relationships’, by Mexican artist Jerónimo Hagerman. At the gallery, Belgian artist and environmentalist Anne Marie Maes explained the details of her photomacrographs of bee anatomy, along with her sculptures of different beehive elements. Maes, the founder of the Brussels Urban Bee Lab, noted that ‘BEEHAVE’ is the perfect title for the exhibition, emphasising the urgent need for human behavioural changes for the sake of the bee and, by extension, the environment.

After buzzing through a hallway created by architectural platform GOIG, which gives a sense of the noise and claustrophobia inside a beehive, you’ll find the only piece from the museum’s permanent collection on view—a 1966 cast bronze

by Miró that is topped with a piece of a bee nest. The sculpture is surrounded by large-scale paper drawings created last autumn in a performance workshop by German artist Philip Wiegard, symbolising the collaborative efforts of bee society.

A final gallery on the main floor is filled with video and audio installations that inject the listener into the cacophony of the swarm, through works shot in Austria, Morocco and on the rooftop of the Fundació Joan Miró itself.

My favourite exhibit was a slender, amber-coloured cylinder by Colombian artist Luis Fernando Ramirez Celis. Cut is a delicate column of hexagonal plastic tubing filled with honey and sealed with beeswax. Its precarious location on the landing between the floors of the exhibition may unintentionally refer to the fragile situation of the endangered insect.

The last room is a gallery of works by artists who will create 10 outdoor installations around the city beginning mid-March. The interventions coincide with the most active time for bee colonies, initiating a debate about urban beekeeping.

According to the explanatory text, “More and more, bees are finding favourable habitats in large cities where the use of harmful chemicals is diminishing. If there are enough nectar-producing plants to allow bees to feed themselves and make honey, they can adapt perfectly to urban environments.” Currently, urban beekeeping is inexplicably illegal in Spain, but is common practice elsewhere.

The next stop for ‘BEEHAVE’ is the Kunsthaus in Basel, which is one of many cities across the globe that have a policy of urban beekeeping. At the press preview, I sat with the Swiss museum’s director Dr. Ines Goldbach, who asked me quietly, “What is Spain afraid of?” What indeed?

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La campana hermètica. Espai per a una antropologia intransferible, 2018. © Francesc Torres

art AN ARTIST’S JOURNEY

Francesc Torres. The hermeTic Bell: space For a nonTransFeraBle anThropology. macBa. pl. dels Àngels 1. opening march 9Th. One of the pioneers of installation art, Francesc Torres returns to the MACBA for the first time since his prizewinning exhibition, ‘Da Capo’, in 2008. After donating his archive to the MACBA Study Centre, Torres has curated an exhibition telling his personal story through the objects that have accompanied him on his artistic journey since childhood. His installations—close to sculpture but also incorporating audiovisual and interactive elements—reflect critically on power, memory, politics and the culture of our time. The work falls somewhere between that of the Sixties’ artists who first attempted to critique the institutionalised practices of the art world, and those who rebelled against the commodification of art in the Eighties by producing pieces that were only viable within the museum space. For Torres, art is “a reflection of what has made us what we are as social, political and artistic subjects”, and this exhibition affords a view into his creative process and personal development.

© Disney Enterprises Inc

TALL TALES

disney. el arTe de conTar hisTorias. caixaForum. avda. de Francesc Ferrer i guÀrdia 6-8. opening march 23rd.

The stories made famous by Walt Disney (1901-1966) have been cherished by generations of children across the world since the release of his first film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in 1937. Whether inspiration was drawn from mythology, such as Hercules (1997), from fables, such as The Three Little Pigs (1933), or from fairy tales, such as Frozen (2013), the films have never failed to capture the imagination. Coming to Barcelona in late March, this exhibition will take visitors away from the big screen, to reveal the workings behind the magic of Disney. With production notes, storyboards, sets of drawings and character studies, Disney fans will be able to discover and comprehend the process of screenplay adaptation.

CaixaForum will also offer an opening conference, guided tours and an activity space for children.

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EXHIBITIONS

OPENING FUNDACIÓ JOAN MIRÓ Ito Shinsui. Tradition and Modernity In the early-20th century, a movement known as shin hanga reinterpreted traditional Japanese art for the modern age. This exhibition presents work by one of the movement’s founders, Ito Shinsui (1898-1972), whose artistic and aesthetic approach helps reveal the subtle and deep connections between the work of Joan Miró and Japanese art and thought.

Opening March 1st. Parc de Montjuïc.

MEAM Mujeres artistas hoy Opening on International Women’s Day, this collection of 26 paintings and 12 sculptures by Spain’s best female artists is testament to the relevance of female art in society and contemporary culture.

Opening March 8th. Barra de Ferro 5.

MACBA Oscar Masotta. Theory as Action This project examines the multifaceted career of theorist and artist Oscar Masotta, a crucial figure in the cultural transformations that occurred in Argentina and the Americas between the Fifties and Seventies.

Opening March 23rd. Pl. dels Àngels 1.

LAST CHANCE SALA PARÉS Magí Puig Inspired by his travels across Europe, Asia and beyond, this Catalan artist uses close-ups and vivid colours to depict scenes of daily life. Each oil painting has a focal point, which stands out against the flatly painted sky, sand or water.

Until March 6th. Petritxol 5.

ANA MAS PROJECTS Mon corps, mon esprit - Àngels Ribé Catalan conceptual artist Àngels Ribé presents a collection of work that seeks to overcome minimalist logic by using the body and exploring nature through various ephemeral actions.

Until March 9th. Isaac Peral 7.

FOTO COLECTANIA Total Records. Vinilos y fotografía Explore the relationship between 20th-century music and visual culture at this photographic exhibition dedicated to iconic vinyl covers, from The Rolling Stones and Iggy Pop to Grace Jones and Miles Davis.

Until March 11th. Pg. de Picasso 14.

GALERIA JOAN PRATS José María Sicilia - Phasma One of the most significant Spanish painters of the Eighties, Sicilia has since shifted his focus to a more abstract analysis of the shape, space and light of flowers.

In this exhibition, he continues this exploration, using wax as his primary material.

Until March 23rd. Balmes 54.

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(24TH)

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KELLEY STOLTZ The American indie-pop wizard performs his latest studio album, Que Aura (2017). 9pm. Sidecar.

BROTHERHOOD American Chris Robinson, former lead singer of The Black Crowes, performs with his blues band as part of their Barefoot in the Head Tour.

8pm. Sala Bikini.

The German folk-rock group visit Barcelona on their European tour to promote their latest studio album, Blossoms (2017). 9pm. Razzmatazz.

SLACKLINING WORKSHOP Show off your balance at Slackeros Barcelona’s free monthly workshop, which teaches participants all about the worldwide phenomenon of slacklining. 6.30pm. Constitució 25.

6CHRIS ROBINSON

PHOTO

TUE SDAY

5MILKY CHANCE

FATBOY SLIM (2ND)

PHOTO

MONDAY

IVÁN FERREIRO The Galician singer-songwriter returns to Barcelona to perform songs from his latest studio album, Casa (2016). 9pm. L’Auditori.

An evening to celebrate the muchloved music of the late Tom Petty.

9pm. Sala Apolo.

7TOM PETTY TRIBUTE

PHOTO

WE DN ESDAY

SIDECARS The rock group from Madrid perform their latest studio album, Cuestión de gravedad (2017). 8.30pm. Sala Bikini.

See the Swiss dancer perform his contemporary solo routine, inspired by the concept of interpretation.

Mercat de les Flors. Until March 10th.

8THOMAS HAUERT

HERMATIC BELL EXHIBITION An exhibition curated by Francesc Torres, a pioneer of installation art, to tell his story through sculpture and audiovisual elements. MACBA. Until September 11th.

Midnight Runners organises this free 10k boot camp around Barcelona, with loud music and an after-party.

9pm. City centre.

9MIDNIGHT 10K RUN

CARLO LIO See the Toronto native perform his techno hip-hop set live at Input - High Fidelity Dance Club. 12am. Avda. de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia 13.

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN Watch a screening of the famed musical, accompanied by a live symphony orchestra. Teatre Tívoli.

Until March 2nd.

ART LOVER GROUND This event showcases work from international photographers, painters and illustrators, and features live music sets from talented artists based in Barcelona. 7pm.

ArteriaBCN.

The street food market takes on tasty Italian cuisine this month. 12pm.

Nau Bostik.

10 EAT STREET

SOUNDEAT After undisputed success in 2017, the daytime music festival returns with live music, DJ sets and more than 30 food trucks. 1pm. Parc del Fòrum.

PHOTOGRAPHY This exhibition showcases the covers of some of the most emblematic vinyl records of all time, from artists such as Queen and The Rolling Stones.

Fundación Foto Colectania.

Until March 11th.

Two-time Brit Award winner Norman Quentin Cook, known by most as Fatboy Slim, visits Barcelona for one night only. 12am. Sala Apolo.

Some of Barcelona’s most talented dancers perform in locations around the city for this two-week festival.

Until March 18th.

SAT URDAY

3TOTAL RECORDS: VINYL AND

FRIDAY

2FATBOY SLIM

1DANSA

T HURSDAY

BRUNCH IN THE CITY Sundays become the best day of the week as the electronic music event returns for the first time in 2018.

2pm. Poble Espanol.

More than 16,000 runners will participate in the city’s muchanticipated 26.2-mile race. 8.30am.

City centre.

11 BARCELONA MARATHON

TRICKY See the British hip-hop artist perform his 13th studio album, Ununiform (2017). 8pm. Sala Bikini.

FOOD The second edition of this boutique market boasts a variety of street food, live music and art exhibitions.

11am. Nau Bostik.

4ARTESAN GOODS & STREET

SUN DAY

KYLIE MINOGUE (16TH)

MARCH 2018

THIS MONTH

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27 SUPERTRAMP TRIBUTE

In this two-hour show, the highly praised, international tribute band Logicaltramp perform Supertramp’s greatest hits.

10.30pm. Palau de la Música Catalana.

MANUEL GONZÁLEZ The award-winning Spanish guitar maestro shows off his unique musicality in a one-off performance.

9pm. Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi.

Barcelona Academy of Art hosts a five-day workshop, in which participants will sketch different parts of the city with tips and tricks from the school’s teachers. Ciutat de Granada 34. Until March 30th.

GLENN MILLER TRIBUTE The Pasadena Roof Orchestra celebrate the American big-band musician Glenn Miller, playing songs such as ‘In the Mood’ and ‘Moonlight Serenade’. 8pm. Liceu.

LIVE STAND-UP COMEDY Join in this weekly open-mic night that welcomes professional and novice comedians to the stage.

9pm. Craft Barcelona.

Explore the idea of an infinite library—insatiable, always changing and open to all kinds of knowledge— in this exhibition. Arts Santa Mònica.

Until April 28th.

28 BIBLIOTECAS INSÓLITAS

HARRY STYLES The former One Direction star tours his self-titled debut album. 9pm.

Palau Sant Jordi.

Having sold more than 100 million records across five decades, and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016, the 76-year-old music icon continues to tour the world. Liceu.

Until March 31st.

30 BOB DYLAN

RUBÉN POZO Rock guitarist and composer Rubén Pozo stops in his hometown on his Spanish tour. 9pm. Sidecar.

Experience thrilling stunts from the film series live in an epic arena show.

Palau Sant Jordi. Until March 25th.

23 FAST AND FURIOUS LIVE

BARCELONA BEER FESTIVAL The seventh edition of this buzzing festival serves more than 400 different types of beer over the course of three days. La Farga Centre d’Activitats. Until March 18th.

The 'Cant Get You Out Of My Head' singer visits Barcelona for one of five stops on her intimate European tour.

9pm. Sala Bikini.

16 KYLIE MINOGUE

BCN GUITAR TRIO AND DANCE Internationally renowned guitarists Manuel González, Xavier Coll and Luis Robisco deliver a tribute to Paco de Lucía. 9pm. Palau de la Música Catalana.

DAYDREAM FESTIVAL From Belgium to Barcelona, Daydream Festival comes to Spain for the first time, bringing with it some of the biggest electronic music acts from around the globe.

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló. March 30th & 31st.

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BEETHOVEN’S EMPEROR The Barcelona Symphony Orchestra perform Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ piano concerto and Schumann’s Symphony No.1. 7pm. L’Auditori.

The largest theatre production company in the world, Cirque du Soleil, brings its latest show, Totem, to Barcelona. Districte Cultural de l'Hospitalet. Until April 15th.

24 TOTEM

DAY DREAM FESTIVAL (31ST)

PHOTO

VOLTA A CATALUNYA The final stage of the 98th annual Tour de Catalonia road bicycle race hits Montjuïc.

Alto de Montjuïc.

Signalling the start of Semana Santa, see the Palm Sunday procession ‘La Borriquita’ depicting Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey. 12pm.

Plaça Sant Agustí 2.

25 PALM SUNDAY

FUTURA This three-day education fair offers classes, workshops and information to help expand your professional opportunities. Fira Barcelona - Gran Via. March 16th-18th.

REGATTA What’s the craic? Local and international crews will compete in this friendly currach regatta to celebrate Ireland’s patron saint.

12pm. Base Náutica Municipal de Barcelona.

Relive one of the most popular films of the 20th century with a spectacular live orchestra comprised of more than 80 musicians. Palau Sant Jordi.

Until March 18th.

ONLY TATTOO FESTIVAL The 21st edition of this annual convention allows visitors to admire the work of some of Barcelona's most talented tattoo artists at Pavelló Italià.

Plaça de Carles Buïgas 8.

Until March 18th.

18 ST. PATRICK'S DAY CURRACH

17 STAR WARS IN CONCERT

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT OUR WEBSITE BARCELONA-METROPOLITAN.COM

MICHAEL’S LEGACY This 120-minute extravaganza celebrates the life and work of the King of Pop. BARTS. Until April 1st.

The progressive rock band visit Barcelona for one night on their European tour. 9pm. Sala Bikini.

29 STICK MEN

ANTONIO CARMONA The Spanish flamenco icon tours his latest studio album, Obras Son Amores (2017). 9pm. BARTS.

PEDRO JAVIER GONZÁLEZ See one of the most praised flamenco guitarists of the last decade perform in the heart of the city. 7pm.

Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi.

ALTERED STATES OF MIND This exhibition displays a series of illustrations inspired by the concept of altered minds and the hippie odyssey.

Hemp Museum Gallery.

Until April 3rd.

All are welcome to come and learn about the technology job market in Barcelona. 6pm. ILUNION Barcelona, Ramon Turró 196-198.

The award-winning Irish rock band tour their latest studio album, Freedom Child (2017). 8pm.

Palau Sant Jordi.

The Hungarian-born British classical pianist Sir András Schiff performs some of Bach’s best compositions.

8.30pm. Palau de la Música Catalana.

22 TECH JOB FAIR

CUBAN MUSIC EXPLOSION Top musicians from the Latin scene in Barcelona perform an evening of authentic Cuban music. 8.30pm.

JazzSí.

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MORNING DRIVERS The indie-rock band that started out in Ibiza five years ago will perform their latest album, Perspectiva (2017), in Barcelona. 9pm. Sidecar.

21 THE SCRIPT

PEDRO JAVIER GONZÁLEZ (21ST)

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20 BACH'S PIANO CONCERTS

26 SKETCHING THE CITY

SHINSUI ITO EXHIBITION (12TH)

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ITO SHINSUI. TRADITION AND MODERNITY Forty-six years after his death, Ito Shinsui's work sheds new light on the relationship between Joan Miró’s artistry and Japanese art.

Fundación Joan Miró. Until May 21st.

Expand your professional network at PWN’s monthly drinks event.

8pm. Grand Hotel Central

Based loosely on the life of French poet André Chénier, this opera tells a passionate love story set at the height of the French Revolution.

Liceu. Until March 28th.

FUTUR MEETUP BCN Designer, business mentor and founder of education platform The Futur, Chris Do speaks at FIU to students and creative entrepreneurs in Barcelona. 7pm. Carme 42.

13 PWN NETWORKING DRINKS

12 ANDRÉ CHÉNIER

misc MAN IN THE MIRROR

MicHaEl’s lEGacy.

BarTs. paral·lEl 62.

MarcH 29TH-april 1sT. While no one will ever be able to replace the King of Pop, one Spanish dance group is ensuring that, although he may be gone, the ‘Thriller’ singer will not be forgotten. Launched in 2014, the Jackson Dance Company is made up of 20 professional dancers, actors and singers, all dedicated to continuing the legacy of Michael Jackson. Their ‘Michael’s Legacy’ show celebrates not only Jackson’s hit songs, but replicates the full spectacle of his live performances. Each show is complete with dazzling costumes, stunning light shows and impressive audiovisual technology. The star of the show, ‘Ximo MJ’—an accomplished Michael Jackson impersonator—has represented his idol in tribute competitions since the age of five. This 120-minute extravaganza celebrates the pop star’s life and music, and comes to Barcelona for four unforgettable performances. barts.cat

EVOLUTIONARY

TOTEM. DisTricTE culTural DE l’HOspiTalET. MarcH 24TH-May 6TH. From dancing amphibians to a wedding on roller skates, Cirque du Soleil reaches new heights in its latest show, Totem. The internationallyacclaimed entertainment company presents a selection of dance and acrobatic performances unlike anything else. Having won various awards, including the Rose d’Or, for its colourful and creative performances, Cirque du Soleil’s psychedelic spectacles are not to be missed. Totem captures the audience’s imagination as it explores the evolution of humankind onstage through a magnificent display of agility and skill. Highlights of the show range from storytelling through traditional Amerindian dance, to intricate aerial routines from world-class trapeze artists. After performing in Las Vegas and New York, the vibrant new show will be in Barcelona from March 23rd until May 6th. cirquedusoleil.com

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DANCING IN THE STREETS

Dansa. QuinZEna METrOpOliTana.

VariOus lOcaTiOns. MarcH 1sT-18TH. This month, citizens of Barcelona are invited to celebrate the power of dance. During the first fortnight of March, some of the city’s greatest talents will perform in theatres, museums, on the street and even in metro carriages around the city in an effort to unite its people in an appreciation of this intensely rich and beautiful art form.

With an emphasis on promoting diversity, the festival will showcase a host of different styles, from classical, jazz and flamenco to contemporary and hip-hop. Fresh new talent from the Institut del Teatre will light up the stage at L’Hospitalet’s Teatre Joventut for the festival’s inauguration. The spectacle will include six different styles, including a piece using flamenco to express the frustration and isolation of female prisoners, and a contemporary routine based on the concept of the absurd. dansametropolitana.cat

BARREL OF LAUGHS

BarcElOna BEEr FEsTiVal. la FarGa DE l’HOspiTalET. MarcH 16TH-18TH. Crack open a cold one and mingle with hops aficionados from all over Europe at the seventh edition of Barcelona’s weekend-long beer festival. With ample opportunities to meet brewers, sample more than 400 different beers and take part in debates and conferences, the event offers beer lovers a wide-ranging timetable covering all aspects of brewing culture. Activities will take place in two separate areas, which include a 50-tap bar and a live cooking space, where visitors can accompany their beverages with a freshly made gourmet snack. To close the festival, a panel of judges will present awards to the best beers as part of the Barcelona Beer Challenge. barcelonabeerfestival.com

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ON THE SCENT FOUNDER OF BARCELONA WINE TASTINGS AMBIKA KUMAR TALKS ABOUT THE SENSORIAL SIDE OF WINE

By Carol Moran

“W

ine is something that I have always innately understood, it’s in my DNA.” That’s how Ambika Kumar describes her sixth sense for wine. More than a drink, it’s a sensorial experience.

“The process of opening a bottle of wine, from the sound of the liquid entering the glass to the moment you smell the aromas and the first sip, it is pure comfort to me.

Every bottle is a new experience.”

Kumar leapt nose first into the world of wine when she founded Barcelona Wine Tastings in 2015. What started out as a passion project, selecting and presenting local wines to small groups of people in pop-up locations around the city, has expanded into a multifaceted business. It now covers wine list development for hotels, restaurants and private collections, events, winery marketing and distribution. “It’s anything and everything related to wine,” she said.

It’s what many may consider to be the dream job. So, how did Kumar get to where she is today? It goes back to her sense of smell, together with her adventurous spirit.

Kumar, from Springfield, Illinois, attributes her cultural curiosity to her international background. “My dad is from India, my mum is from Croatia,” she explained. “To grow up as first-generation in a small town in the middle of the US, you’re a bit of an anomaly. I think because of the diversity of my parents I was always seeking out bigger cities and different cultures.”

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in New York and two weeks later I was living in Barcelona. It was a very quick transition,” she recalled. It did take some time, however, to fully let go of her previous life, and Kumar found herself living a dual life between the two cities. “In 2015, I decided to give Barcelona 100 percent,” she said. “That’s when everything started to come together.”

“Wine is a very tactile thing, which is why we use words like velvety and jammy. It is something that goes beyond just drinking”

After attending university in Illinois, Kumar was quickly drawn to the bright city lights. “By 22, I was in New York, starting my career. I worked in an advertising agency and an internet company—right as the internet was starting to boom—before I got into the fragrance industry, which is where I stayed for 15 years,” she recalled.

“I started as an executive assistant to a general manager at Unilever Cosmetics International. He was never around, so I started to walk around to other departments and ask if they needed help with anything,” said Kumar. “I quickly had my plate full and I rose up the ranks to the point where I was concepting new fragrances, working with master chemists and fashion designers to devise the perfumes and market them. It was an amazing industry.”

Making the switch from perfume to wine is a more natural jump than one might imagine. Kumar believes that she was born with a heightened sense of smell, which she fine-tuned during her time in the perfume industry. “A lot of honing your sense of smell has to do with understanding why things smell the way they do and understanding the psychology around scent. That was all part of my training,” she explained enthusiastically. “The study of perfumery encompasses all kinds of scents. Every herb, flower, bit of earth, every synthetic scent as well. I have been able to apply that learning and training to wine.”

But Kumar’s capacity to follow her nose goes beyond scent.

In October 2013, she made a snap decision to drop everything in New York and move to Barcelona for love. “One day I was living

She came up with the idea for Barcelona Wine Tastings, in some part out of desperation, after moving to Barcelona without the legal right to work. “It was another thumb-twiddling afternoon on the sofa when I came up with the idea. I found that although there was no shortage of wine tastings in Barcelona, what I had in mind did not seem to exist.” The first event took place on Kumar’s terrace with 10 guests. Following constructive feedback, she tweaked the idea, and the next event took place in a huge space in Poblenou a month later, alongside a chef who prepared food pairings to accompany the wine. “The feedback was overwhelming and fantastic. It gave me the energy to keep going and it also validated what I thought was a good idea.”

Since then, the business has gone from strength to strength, and Kumar is starting to distribute wines to the UK and US. Not surprisingly, she is very selective about the products she presents.

“I focus on featuring small batch production Spanish wines. These are the really special wines, where you get nuance in each bottle because it’s not coming off of a production line. They are essentially handcrafted,” she said.

Rather than the technical ins and outs, Kumar’s tastings focus on the sensorial experience of wine. “Wine is a very tactile thing, which is why we use words like velvety and jammy. It is something that goes beyond just drinking,” she enthused. “There is an enjoyment factor to everything that we do. We want to surprise and delight every single time, so no two events are the same.” Having grown the business by word of mouth, these clandestine events are invitation-only, with a guestlist that is as carefully curated as the wines. “We like to keep things underground, almost secret. It adds to the ambience.” Keep your ear to the ground for an invite.

Despite the prestigious nature of these events, Kumar stressed that, ultimately, a good wine is one that tastes good and, like sense of smell, is completely subjective. “Sense of smell is very attached to memory, and you are the only one with your memories. There are universalities to what things smell like, but there is no right or wrong answer.”

Going forward, Kumar would like to become an “expert in how people perceive wine”. Her goal is to create a platform to help people enjoy wine as a full-blown experience. “Wine is about touching almost every sense,” she said. “I see myself growing the romantic side of wine, the sensorial side.”

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PHOTO ESSAY

FACES OF RAVAL BEN COOKE CAPTURES A PORTRAIT OF THE CIUTAT VELLA NEIGHBOURHOOD

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A

friend of mine who lives in San Francisco recently told me that he feels extremely lucky to live in a city where the world comes to him. Today, the same rings true in Barcelona, Spain’s most cosmopolitan city, which, although relatively small, is home to many different cultures.

Not only does the city attract millions of international tourists each year, it is also the adopted home of more than 250,000 immigrants from across the world—from Chile to Iran, and Senegal to Pakistan. This particular melting pot of cultures gives the city a unique flavour.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the Raval. I took to the streets with my camera to capture a portrait of the neighbourhood and its diverse characters. bencookephotography.com

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WORKING LIFE

startup of the month

NATURAL MACHINES

LYNETTE KUCSMA, CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, NATURAL MACHINES

By Natalie Donback

Natural Machines is the company behind Foodini, the 3D food printer. Foodini is a new generation kitchen appliance that combines technology, food, art and design, and allows you to print real food using fresh ingredients. It manages the difficult and time-consuming parts of food preparation that often discourage people from creating homemade food, such as ravioli, or even more intricate creations that are hard to achieve by hand.

Foodini has room for up to five food capsules.

First, prepare the ingredients and place the mixture in the capsules. Then, pick one of the existing designs— or your own—-and start printing. So, if you’re printing iced cookies, for example, you would place the cookie dough in one capsule and the icing in another capsule, rather than the individual raw ingredients.

Currently, we’re only working with professional kitchen clients. This includes Michelin-starred restaurants, catering companies and even a few hospitals. Some top chefs, such as Miramar’s Paco Pérez and Joel Castanyé at La Boscana, are using Foodini to create special dishes and to boost innovation in their kitchens. We currently have interest from more than 90 countries.

The next generation of devices will not only print food, but actually cook it too. We wanted to develop a multi-functional device before trying to break into the consumer market. As a mother of two young kids, I know that both space and time in our kitchens are limited, which is why we want to help

people to prepare food from scratch. Take something like crackers: the dough is easy to make, but what’s difficult is finding a clean work surface and rolling it out. If you just make the dough and print it, then the job is done.

There’s one picture that I always show when I’m presenting Natural Machines: a dinosaur-shaped spinach quiche. I had tried (and failed) to get my kids to eat spinach, but when we prepared the quiche ingredients and printed them in dinosaur shapes, they ate it all up!

I used to live in New York, working in fashion and advertising. I first got involved in the technology industry in the Nineties, although my background was in marketing it and finding a real-life usage for it, rather than building it. My co-founder, on the other hand, is an engineer who is fluent in Chinese. I was introduced to him through my husband, and found that we both had a strong ethos regarding healthy, fresh food, which has brought us to where we are today.

We just crossed the five-year mark as a startup, which is a great milestone. We currently have a team of 10 people working full time, together with a constant flow of interns. We’ve got everything from software and hardware engineers to food tech professionals. I always recommend that entrepreneurs find themselves a co-founder because there is no way you can do it all by yourself. Look for somebody different from you, somebody with complementary skills—that’s super important.

GET INSPIRED...

FUTUR MEETUP BCN

TECH DEMO DAY

TECH JOB FAIR

FIU, Carme 42. March 13th. 7pm.

Emmy Award winner Chris Do hosts a masterclass on design and branding in Barcelona. Founder of The Futur, an education platform where creative professionals can learn business principles, Do has also taught at the prestigious Art Center College of Design in California and produced more than 400 YouTube videos, covering the topics of design, business and branding.

Sala de Congresos, La Salle Campus Barcelona.

March 15th. 2pm-9pm.

The annual Tech Demo Day returns for its eighth edition. Join more than 800 entrepreneurs and 80 investors, as well as 50 SMEs from the Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona, at this showcase of the latest technological advances. Fifty of Barcelona’s best startups will exhibit their latest products and introduce their businesses in the open mic session.

ILUNION Barcelona. March 22nd. 6pm-9pm.

Looking for a job in the tech industry? The world’s biggest tech job fair is coming to Barcelona this month. Companies and startups across Barcelona that are hiring will send representatives to this job fair, providing the perfect opportunity to network with recruiters and make a lasting first impression. Meet a range of employers, ask them your questions in person and expand your professional opportunities.

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WORKING LIFE

A DAY IN THE LIFE VIVIEN MAGYAR, 26, HUNGARY, CONTENT CREATOR

Vivien, from Hungary, is a journalist and has been living in Barcelona for two years. Currently she works at a recruitment agency called Nederlia, whose mission is to attract tech professionals to Barcelona.

She’s in charge of Nederlia’s content project, Barcelona Startup News (barcelonastartupnews.com), an online magazine that shares stories about local startups.

7AM My alarm rings. I fumble in the dark trying to turn it off for what seems like an eternity.

I’m ready for it. I eat in our little office kitchen with two of my lovely co-workers.

7.30AM I get out of bed and get ready for the day.

Doing my makeup takes me a while, but I have plenty of time because I usually skip breakfast.

3PM Back at my desk I need to finish an article about the best travel tech startups in Barcelona.

I get a little distracted and use one of the apps I’m writing about to book a holiday for me and my husband. Oops.

8.45AM I leave for work. Nederlia’s office is in Plaça de Tetuan, fairly close to where I live, and on sunny days it’s a beautiful walk.

9.15AM I arrive at work and immediately check my emails. I get a lot of messages from the founders of new startups in the city, and I love sorting through them in search of the most interesting projects.

10AM We have a team meeting where we discuss our goals for the week. What are we looking forward to the most? What challenges will we face?

11AM I’m off to meet the CEO of a company that manufactures humanoid robots in Barcelona.

Before sitting down to interview him, he shows me around the office and the engineers have two of the robots perform a short demo for me. It feels unreal, as if I’ve just stepped into the year 2049.

2PM Lunch. This is my first meal of the day, and

5PM I schedule all of our social media posts for the next day and start editing the photos I took of the robots.

6PM Time to go home. I pop into a health food store to pick up fresh fruit and veggies, then rush home to get changed for the gym.

7PM I do a CrossFit class five times a week with my husband and the eight other maniacs in our group. Although I usually end up on the floor, sweating and gasping for air, I’ve never felt better in my entire life.

9PM Home again and I can’t wait to refuel with dinner, washed down with the latest episode of Black Mirror.

11PM I’m in bed, but still a little restless, so I read a book for about an hour until my eyes refuse to stay open any longer.

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TRAVEL

BANYOLES

By Rachel Huffman

Photo by Harold Abellan

CATALUNYA’S LARGEST NATURAL LAKE, A MYRIAD OF LEISURE ACTIVITIES AND MILLENNIA OF HISTORY

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Photo by Jorge Franganillo Plaça Major de Banyoles

H

ome to Catalunya’s largest natural lake, Banyoles is the county capital of Pla de l’Estany and an interesting historical and cultural town.

To visit its most characteristic sites, follow the clearly marked Ruta del Barri Vell, beginning in Plaça Major. Dating back to 1275, the square is the site of the city market, held every Wednesday morning, and a small fruit and vegetable market on Saturdays. From here, walk down Passatge Especiatus to Carrer de Sant Pere, where Llotja del Tint, a medieval factory originally designed for dyeing fabrics made in Banyoles, is located. Today, the factory, which has maintained its original structure, serves as a municipal exhibition hall managed by artists from the Tint XXI Collective.

Continue down Carrer de la Pia Almoina, towards the recently restored city wall, until you reach Plaça de la Font and Pia Almoina.

Now home to the Regional Archaeology Museum, the Gothic palace once housed a charity dedicated to distributing bread and clothes to poor local families. Next, take Carrer de les Escrivanies through Plaça del Teatre and onto Carrer del Puig, which ends at the monastery of Sant Esteve. The monastery, around which Banyoles was founded, has undergone various phases of destruction and reconstruction throughout its history.

The route then follows Carrer Nou, one of the city’s oldest streets, to Santa Maria dels Turer, the main church. Carry on walking along Carrer de la Paraireria—in the past, the primary thoroughfare of the cloth trade—to Carrer Mayor. Turn right onto Carrer del Mercadal and finish the 1.6-kilometre route at the Darder Museum. The natural history museum is one of the oldest in the region of Girona, but was completely renovated from 2003 to 2007. Of special interest is the section of the museum that explains the hydrogeological phenomenon of the Banyoles Lake basin.

Besides the medieval centre of Banyoles itself, the Roman town of Vilauba and the prehistoric caves in Serinyà will satisfy history buffs and adventure seekers alike.

Vilauba is a 12-minute drive from Banyoles. Uncovered in 1932, the site is believed to have been occupied prior to the ancient Iberian period; the oldest remains date back to the first century BC and continue through to the end of Visigothic rule. The settlement is divided into two distinct areas: a residential quarter to the north, and structures related to the production of wine and olive oil to the south.

The site is open all year round, but advanced booking is necessary.

A 10-minute drive from Banyoles in the opposite direction, Serinyà Prehistoric Cave Park has been a refuge for three different human species over time, and demonstrates the progression from Neanderthal to modern human. About 200,000 years ago, at the beginning of the Middle Paleolithic, the caves were inhabited by pre-Neanderthals (Homo heidelbergensis); later (between 90,000 and 39,000 years ago), Neanderthals lived there; and finally, during the Upper Paleolithic, the caves provided shelter for modern man (Homo sapiens). All three species occupied this place during the last glacial periods, when the landscape was very different from what you see today. One of the most important discoveries at the site was a 22,300-year-old skull found in 1973, which proved to be the oldest Homo sapien remains found in Catalunya.

LAKE ACTIVITIES Banyoles Lake sits in a natural tectonic depression. Covering a surface area of 1.12 km2 and measuring 2,100 metres in length, the lake was the site of the rowing competition for the 1992 Olympic Games, and the World Rowing Championships in 2004. Nowadays, aspiring Olympians train here throughout the summer.

But you don’t have to be a hardcore rower to get out on the lake.

Caiac i Natura (caiacinatura.com) offers kayaks for hire for €15, which includes a ticket for the facilities of the Banyoles Swimming Club. Note: As the ecosystem of the lake is susceptible to change and sensitive to increased human activity, private kayaking is prohibited.

For a more leisurely experience, Naviliera les Goges (navilieralesgoges.cat) rents rowing boats by the hour for €5 per

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From this vantage point, you can take in impressive panoramas of the lake, the town and the sweeping plains beyond. The route is seven kilometres one-way and takes two hours.

El Pla de l’Estany Regional Council has also designed a network of cycle lanes and green routes that connect various municipalities of the region, making it easy to explore beyond Banyoles. It’s now possible to cycle from Banyoles Lake to Mata (10 minutes), to Camós (12 minutes) or to Melianta (18 minutes).

HORSE RIDING The area has a tradition of equestrianism. The Fira de Sant Martirià, held in Banyoles every November, showcases horses from around the world, as well as breeds native to Catalunya. It’s a wonderful opportunity to see some impressive show jumping and dressage, and to witness the beauty and grace of the animals. This year marks the 40th edition.

A number of riding and equestrian clubs in Banyoles lead guided tours of the surrounding area. Club Hípic Banyoles (clubhipicbanyoles. com) provides horses for riders of all levels, and offers routes from one to two hours (€20 and €30, respectively) near the lake and into the Miànigues forest.

Church of Santa Maria de Porqueres

person. The company also runs the Tirona Boat, an electric catamaran that holds up to 80 people. On the 40-minute excursion aboard the Tirona Boat, your captain will explain the history and legends of the town while you sit back and marvel at the scenery. Tickets for adults are €8, children aged 4 to 8 are €6.50, and children under 4 are free.

The location and natural surroundings of Banyoles offer a myriad of walking and cycling routes. The most popular route, whether you’re on two wheels or your own two feet, is around Banyoles Lake. An easy jaunt, the circular path (signposted as ‘Volta a l’Estany 1’) is a total of seven kilometres, and can be completed in two hours by foot or one hour by bike.

For something slightly more difficult, ‘Ruta de Can Morgat i Puig Clarà 3’ begins at the Romanesque-style church of Santa Maria de Porqueres. Skirting the lake, you’ll come to the Can Morgat ponds, where you can stop to observe the various species of birds and animals coexisting there. The path then veers into the hills, climbing 315 metres to the top of Puig Clarà.

Photo by Harold Abellan

WALKING AND CYCLING

WHERE TO EAT ____________________________________________________________ One of the most popular restaurants in the town centre, Restaurant al Born serves creative market cuisine in a warm and inviting atmosphere. Using local produce whenever possible, the menu delights patrons with dishes such as lobster bunyols with curry and coconut milk, huevos estrellados with foie, sweet potato and crunchy bread, cod confit with beetroot and almond romesco sauce, and secret Ibèric (a cut of meat, which comes from between the shoulder blades and loin of the pig) with roasted red pepper chutney and vermouth. restaurantalborn.wordpress.com Vora Estany boasts a prime location next to the lake. From the sunny terrace, enjoy views of the water while savouring fresh cuisine. Menu highlights include spinach cannelloni with white truffle béchamel sauce, sea bream baked with potatoes and onions, and grilled churrasco with chimichurri. If you’re not looking for a big meal, Vora Estany’s bar, where athletes from the Banyoles Swimming Club tend to gather, is good for a light snack. voraestany.com

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SIGNATURE BY A3 is an art deco cocktail bar and coffee lab.

We have over 70 different cocktails, created with the best premium liquors and distillates.

We specialise in coffee and tea infusions. Come and try our exclusive herbal bouquet and wildflowers blend!

Quote ‘Metropolitan’ for 15% off any order.

Calle Marià Cubí 180 | 08021 Barcelona | T. 699 771 040 askanas.abgaryan@gmail.com | Instagram - signaturebya3 | www.signaturebya3.com

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DAY TRIP

LA FLORESTA A DAY IN THE GREEN BELT OF BARCELONA

By Paul Cannon

GETTING THERE ________________________________

D

eep in the forested heart of Collserola, the residential area of La Floresta has long been invisible to all but its inhabitants. With rambling streets full of colourful chalets tumbling down its verdant hilltops, it has the feel of a remote mountain retreat, even though it’s just on the other side of Mount Tibidabo.

It began in the early 1900s as an English-style garden suburb of exclusive holiday mansions for the Barcelonese bourgeoisie, dreamed up by Canadian railway engineer Frank S Pearson (who also built the railway line connecting Barcelona to the industrial towns of El Vallès).

By the Sixties, many of these wealthy weekenders had abandoned their mansions in the hills of Collserola for more glamorous settings on the coast.

La Floresta, stripped of its glitz, seemed little more than a range of misty hills and a few run-down homes. But at the end of the decade, a new artistic, hippy community moved in, whose spirit survives today in numerous workshops and eco-homes, as well as commuting young professionals attracted by the combination of green spaces and good rail links.

In recent times, La Floresta has become a favourite weekend haunt of ramblers and cyclists, enticed by dozens of trails into the surrounding forest.

An agreeably eccentric sort of place, where street signs declare the presence of wild boars and minimalist cube-houses jostle with okupas (squatters) and modernista gems, it’s only 23 minutes from Plaça de Catalunya by train.

On the southern periphery of Sant Cugat, La Floresta is easily accessed by FGC trains (S1 and S2) from Catalunya (23 mins), Provença (20 mins) or Gràcia stations (17 mins). You’ll need a Zone 2 ticket.

WALK _____________________________________ A simple walk from the station leads down to the masía of Can Busquets in the valley below La Floresta. Begin by walking straight up the hill behind the station on Carrer Bona Vista, pausing for views of La Mola and Montserrat.

Steps take you down the other side of the hill close to the old Casino La Floresta, now a cultural centre surrounded by quirky houses. Crossing the Carretera de Vallvidrera, a wooded trail called Avinguda Can Busquets curls down to Can Busquets itself, where there are lovely meadows and a stream with a pretty little waterfall—el gorg de Can Busquets—hidden amidst gnarled-up holly oaks. To get back to La Floresta, take Avinguda Tarruell through the woods and consider pausing for tea and a slice of cake in the fantastic Les Escales café (lesescales.cat) overlooking Plaça del Centre.

EAT _____________________________________ Located in Plaça del Centre, Piccola Cucina is not much to look at from the outside—it’s a converted garage with only two tables—but the reward is a delicious tasting menu of Italian treats you’ve probably never heard of. There’s no need to order, as the chef will politely let you know what he feels like cooking. Book in advance. piccolacucinaitaliana.com Alternatively, Rancho el Paso offers superb, rustic Catalan fare in a more conventional setting close to the station. ranchoelpaso.com

MARKET _____________________________________ On Sundays, a bohemian market, with music events, second-hand swap stalls and street food, is held in the square beside the station and attracts crowds from the city.

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RESTAURANT REVIEW

FLAX & KALE PASSAGE MORE CLEAN, GREEN EATING FROM GRUPO TERESA CARLES

By Sam Zucker

I

n just under four years, Flax & Kale, the most popular restaurant from Grupo Teresa Carles, has grown into Barcelona’s brand of reference for healthy, ‘flexitarian’ cuisine. I went to the original Flax & Kale on Carrer dels Tallers in the Raval several times, joining in the city’s excitement when chef Teresa Carles first opened the doors of the big, bright restaurant in 2014. However, I quickly grew bored with the concept and found the structure of the menu tiresome. It was always busy, and the vast offering of snacks, juices, smoothies, brunch and more began to feel chaotic. So, it was with wary curiosity that I tried the new Flax and Kale, which opened in November 2017, on Carrer de Sant Pere Més Alt, but I’m happy to report that I am utterly convinced that it has the potential to become the best vegetarian restaurant in Barcelona.

Similar to the other Flax & Kale locations, the menu is mostly vegetarian and vegan, though it offers about a dozen appealing dishes with ‘oily fish’, be it Alaskan cod with miso and black garlic dashi, steamed teriyaki salmon with wild black rice, crunchy yellowfin tuna tacos with chipotle and avocado, or anchovies with pappardelle and capers. In place of meat and dairy, braised green jackfruit imitates slow-cooked pork to perfection, and almond and cashew cheeses, cultured as a dairy cheese, melt beautifully over wood-fired pizzas and vegan breakfast sandwiches. The new kombucha laboratory in the back of the restaurant has yet to reach full production, but the F&K team plan on offering these tangy and effervescent fermented teas in the near future.

Mar Barri, head of research and development and daughter of Teresa Carles, explained that in addition to presenting a menu that is very limited in animal products, gluten never enters the kitchen.

After extensive experimentation, Barri and her team have created what I would confidently say is the best gluten-free pizza I have ever tasted. The dough is a mix of whole grains and non-wheat flours—the exact recipe is understandably kept secret, but I would bet that tapioca flour plays a role—and is both light and chewy, but crisps up splendidly in the big oven at the centre of the dining room.

Try the four cheese pizza, loaded with San Marzano tomatoes and four plant-based cheeses: cheddar, blue cheese, mozzarella and a Parmesan-style cheese dubbed ‘parmigiano teresiano’.

Living just down the street from Flax & Kale Passage, I have already had the opportunity and pleasure to visit a half-dozen times, be it for dinner, lunch, breakfast or coffee (which comes from Right Side Coffee Roasters, based in Castelldefels, and is exceptional). Therefore, for this review, I have tried various dishes at different times of day, in contrast to my other reviews, which are often based on a single meal. I have enjoyed nearly everything I have tried, and the service is always exemplary. In fact, the only things I didn’t like were the ‘JB’ pizza of sundried tomatoes, spinach and plant-based mascarpone, which was bland compared to the other tasty pizzas, and the ‘Impossible Croissant’. This vegan, gluten-free croissant is made with coconut oil and presumably a mix of different flours, but the texture was tough, dry and a bit oily.

I’ll be sticking with my new breakfast favourite: the ‘Bac & Cheese

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✪ NOT WORTH THE TRIP ✪✪ COULD IMPROVE ✪✪✪ GOOD ✪✪✪✪ VERY GOOD ✪✪✪✪✪ NOT TO BE MISSED

MORE INFO

Simit’, a ring-shaped roll that is marbled black with activated charcoal and filled with fresh tomato, melted plant-based cheddar and faux bacon made from smokey baby coconut shavings.

Of all the things we sampled from the three menus (breakfast, weekend brunch, and lunch/dinner), the star has to be the bizarrely-named but delectable ‘My Vegan Japanese Girlfriend Bowl’, a hearty dish that could easily serve as a stand-alone lunch.

The mix of black rice and quinoa, jackfruit, sliced green onions, bright green soybeans, tomato and vegan ‘scrambled eggs’ (a sauté of ackee fruit that mimics the texture of scrambled eggs astonishingly well) is delicious.

I had tasted jackfruit (a lowland, tropical tree fruit native to India and Sri Lanka, which can reach up to 35 kilogrammes) on a few occasions, but the texture and taste of Flax and Kale’s ‘BBQ Pulled Pork’ jackfruit is astounding. This hearty ingredient is present in numerous other dishes on the menu, including the ‘BBQ Pulled Pork Bao’ steamed buns with vegan mayonnaise and chilli jam, and the ‘Superfood’s Pho Soup’, a vegan Vietnamese pho with mushroom ‘scallops’, fiery chilli peppers, rice noodles and ribbons of sweet potato.

For a sweet finish, there are numerous pastries and plant-based ice creams, including toasted hazelnut and bitter almond, matcha tea and fresh coconut, topped with banana, chia seeds, goji berries, mango, cacao nibs and more. The list of unique menu items goes on, and diners can also enjoy the full range of cold-pressed juices from Teresa’s Juicery, vegetable milks and smoothies.

Photos courtesy of Flax & Kale

Sant Pere Més Alt 31-33 T. 93 524 0052 teresacarles.com/fk Mon-Fri 9am-11.30pm Sat-Sun 9.30am-11.30pm Sun-Mon Closed ✪✪✪✪✪

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BOO RESTAURANT & beach club

S

ubmerge into a truly authentic maritime world at the Boo

More than just a restaurant, The Boo serves as an extensive cultural

Restaurant and Beach Club. Situated on Barcelona’s Nova

leisure proposal, with its versatile beach club available for hosting

Mar Bella beach, Boo offers diners panoramic views of the

all kinds of events, including for private, corporate and business. It

Mediterranean sea all year round, and its boat-like structure creates a

also offers a flexible timetable where you can kickstart the day with

unique dining experience.

a coffee by the sea, or unwind at sunset with a cocktail in hand. The

The Boo stands out for its quality gastronomic fare, which is credited to the commitment and creativity of their chef. The cuisine

beach bar is decked with hammocks and sunbathing spots, making it an irresistible spot to while away the hours.

harmoniously blends seasonal Mediterranean dishes with fresh

The Boo opened in Barcelona in 2011, with the aim of creating a

and local products, with its distinguishable paella at the core of its

meeting point to enjoy quality gastronomy, culture and leisure. With

menu. Each dish is artistically prepared to provide an explosion of

the renowned prestige of Valentina Giraudo and Daniel Reina, who

flavours for diners, carefully creating textures and aromas to add to

bring their expertise of catering and nightlife to Boo’s beach club,

the sensation.

Boo has become one of the main arteries in the restoration of the city.

Espigó de Bac de Roda 1 | Platja de la Nova | Mar Bella | 08005 Barcelona T +34 93 225 0100 | info@elboo.es | www.elboo.es

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© Alex Guimerà aka Guime

QUICK BITES

YATAI

JAPANESE COMFORT FOOD

By Sam Zucker

MORE INFO Comte d’Urgell 112 T. 93 532 6456 yatai.cat Mon, Wed, Thurs 1pm-4pm, 8pm-10.30pm Fri-Sun 1pm-4pm, 8pm-11pm Tues Closed

D

ecked out from floor to ceiling in colourful Japanese art—from vintage adverts to vibrant pop culture iconography—the lively and casual dining room of Yatai welcomes diners with the scent of frying takoyaki as they duck under the hanging noren, the traditional Japanese entryway cloth.

Takoyaki (doughy fritters stuffed with octopus, crunchy vegetable tempura, dried bonito flakes and ginger) are Yatai’s house speciality, along with okonomiyaki (cabbage pancakes with meat, vegetables or seafood) and tayaki, the traditional fish-shaped waffles stuffed with sweet red azuki bean paste. As a Japanese friend described it, the food at Yatai is what one would likely eat for a ‘normal’ meal in Japan. You could call it comfort food—simple, authentic and delicious.

The name ‘Yatai’ literally means ‘shop stall’ and comes from the name for a typical Japanese food cart that sells ramen or other hot dishes. Yatai began as a takeaway shop in Sitges in 2011, while the busy Eixample restaurant opened in December 2015. With an

ice-cold glass of Japanese beer in hand and a smiling chef peeking through from the kitchen, I was ready to taste as much of the menu as my stomach would allow.

Crisp and succulent karaage (fried boneless chicken thighs dusted in potato starch) are served with just a wedge of lemon and a jar of togarashi chilli flakes for seasoning, and the chirashi bowls of sashimi and rice are flavoursome and generous. My favourite thing about the okonomiyaki pancakes is the drizzle of Kewpie, a popular Japanese brand of mayonnaise that is rich, creamy and tangy, made with rice vinegar instead of the distilled vinegar preferred in the West. On top of the compact patty of griddle-seared cabbage and seafood, a little pile of dried bonito flakes dance in the ambient heat wafting off this deeply savoury treat.

The menu at Yatai is quite long and offers an ample selection, from rice bowls and stir-fried noodles to nearly a dozen Japanese curries, Japanese pickles and sashimi. On weekdays, order one of the 30 or so dishes on the lunch menu and it comes with rice, miso soup, the salad of the day and Japanese pickles.

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RECIPE

CINNAMON SPICED STRAWBERRY TORTE (SERVES 8-10)

By Tara Stevens

S

trawberries seem to be in the shops all year round these days, but in Spain they are at their best through the spring. They are the first sign, if you like, that summer is just around the corner. Early in the season they tend to have less flavour, so that’s when I like to bake them into a torte like this one, which envelopes them in almond sweetness with a touch of gentle heat from the cinnamon. Serve with a dollop of fresh cream or crème fraîche. If you’re short on time for making the cake, another quick fix for under-ripe berries is to slice them, sprinkle them with icing sugar and cover with cava. Stir and top with a dollop of vanilla ice cream while the fizz is still foaming.

IN SEASON

MARCH CITRUS, STRAWBERRIES, PEAS, BROAD BEANS, BEETROOT, TUNA AND MACKEREL

INGREDIENTS 175 g ground almonds 175 g flour 7 g baking powder 175 g softened butter 175 g caster sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk 450 g strawberries, sliced Icing sugar for dusting Cream, or crème fraîche, for serving

METHOD 1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC. 2. Line a 22-centimetre circular cake tin with greaseproof paper and grease the sides with butter.

3. Whisk the almonds, flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, egg, egg yolk and cinnamon in a food processor, or with an electric whisk, until well combined.

4. Spoon half of the mixture into the pan, top with the strawberries, then spoon the other half on top.

5. Shake the pan to ensure even distribution, then bake for 50-60 minutes. If the cake is browning too much, cover with a sheet of tin foil.

6. To check it’s cooked, insert a toothpick. If it comes out clean—don’t worry about the strawberry juice—it’s ready.

7. Leave to cool slightly until the edges come away from the sides of the tin, then turn out and place topside up on a cooling rack.

8. It’s delicious served warm, but just as good eaten in wedges with a cup of tea in the afternoon.

Tara Stevens is a food writer and cook who splits her time between Barcelona and her cooking school, the Courtyard Kitchen, in the Fez Medina. Passionate about Spanish and Moroccan cuisine, she takes traditional recipes and gives them a modern makeover using local and seasonal ingredients. Follow Tara on Instagram @courtyardkitchenfez and Twitter @taralstevens.

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NEFW &D

FOOD DRINK

& IN

GOVINDA4BARRI GÒTIC Founded over 30 years ago, Govinda continues to thrive on a blend of experience and fresh innovation with its vegetarian Indian cuisine. The international menu features thalis, a salad bar, natural juices, lassis, pizzas and crêpes. Govinda offers a vegan-friendly, non-alcoholic and authentically-decorated environment with lunch and weekend menus.

DISCOUNT FOR METROPOLITAN READERS

under 20 | 20-30 | 30-40 | over 40  food&drink visit our online directory www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/eating-and-drinking

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MEN

TOTORA4EIXAMPLE

Plaça Vila de Madrid 4-5 | Tel. 93 318 7729 Metro Plaza Catalunya Tues-Sat 1pm-4pm and 8pm-11.30pm, Sun-Mon 1pm-4pm | www.govinda.es

LA VIETNAMITA4 SANT ANTONI/GRÀCIA/BORN

Authentic Peruvian recipes with cuttingedge cuisine awaits diners at Totora.

The restaurant offers a gastronomical journey of Peru with classics such as cebiche, ají de gallina (spicy chicken stew), and the lomo saltado (sautéed beef tenderloin), alongside new, creative dishes concocted by head chef Pablo Ortega. Diners can enjoy Ortega’s menu, infused with tastes of the sea, or can linger at the restaurant’s long bar to enjoy bartenders cultivate tasty cocktails, including the Peruvian classic, pisco sour. Menu of the day available from 17.50.

Inspired by Vietnamese street food, La Vietnamita serves light and nutritious dishes, such as traditional pho soup, savoury rice noodles and fresh Vietnamese rolls—all of which have a vegetarian/ vegan option. Prices are reasonable, and La Vietnamita Sant Antoni has a special area for private groups and events.

NEW

Còrsega 235, 08036 Tel. 93 667 4372 Mon-Sun 1pm-3.30pm, 8pm-11.30pm

IN F&D

Sant Antoni. Comte Borrell 85 I Tel. 93 832 4483 Gràcia. Torrent de l’Olla 78 I Tel. 93 518 1803 Born. Comerç 17 I Tel. 93 310 0961 Instagram @lavietbcn Facebook La Vietnamita

LOIDI RESTAURANT 4EIXAMPLE Loidi is a contemporary bistro, in which Martin Berasategui makes his cuisine accessible to everybody. Prepared with the finest seasonal ingredients, his cuisine is presented with an imagination that recalls and pays homage to the celebrated Basque chef’s traditional roots and origins. The menu features various dining options with dishes that change on a weekly basis. The restaurant is a very contemporary, warm and comfortable space frequented by a local and professional clientele. Head chef: Jordi Asensio. Maître d’: Oscar Fernández.

Mallorca 248-250, 08008 Tel. 93 492 9292 Mon-Sat 1pm-3.30pm and 8pm-11pm, Sun 1pm-3.30pm

FONDA ESPAÑA4 BARRI GÒTIC Located in the emblematic Hotel España, the Modernist dining room, designed and decorated by Domènech i Montaner, houses Fonda España. Rich in patrimonial interest, the historic elements in this beautiful room inspire and enhance the new elements. Here, Gastronomic Director Martín Berasategui’s aim is to offer his well-known culinary concept to diners looking for simple, balanced and delicious dishes that are a tribute to the renowned chef’s origins.

Sant Pau 9-11 I Metro Liceu Tel. 93 550 0000 Mon-Sat 1pm-4pm and 8pm-11pm Sun 1pm-4pm

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BLACKLAB BREWERY4 BARCELONETA Blacklab have a huge range of American Style craft beers made on premises with a Minnesotan brewer. They experiment with their brews like a beer lab. They have four beers all year around, 16 rotating seasonals. Their beer is poured directly from the tanks and you won’t find anything fresher. Their kitchen is non stop and doesn’t close during opening hrs. They serve tasty American Food with Asian touch.

Beer tour and beer tasting with their brewers every Sunday at 17h. Also available for big groups at any day.

Palau de Mar, Plaça Pau Vila 1, 08039 Tel. 93 22 18 360 hola@blacklab.es www.blacklab.es

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BAR DOS BILLARES4 RAVAL This well-kept secret is located in the basement of Casa Camper Hotel, where jazz, culture and billiard lovers can relax and enjoy an exclusive cocktail. This club offers a programme of cultural and music events for the most creative public. It is the ideal space for escaping the crowds or hosting business clients.

MANNÀ GELATS4 BARRI GÒTIC Mannà Gelats offers homemade ice creams, waffles and crêpes in the heart of the Barrio Gótico. Their ice creams are inspired by family recipes, using the finest products. The fresh fruit sorbets are made with market-bought products, and boast a range of exotic varieties. Their passion is to please their customers with personalised attention.

Elisabets 11 | Metro Liceu Tel. 93 342 6280 Tues-Thurs 4pm-12am Fri-Sat 4pm-2am www.club.casacamper.com

Banys Nous 22 | Metro Liceu Tel. 93 342 7312 Sun-Thurs 11am-10pm Fri-Sat 11am-11pm www.mannagelats.wordpress.com

BAR CENTRO4 EIXAMPLE

NICE SPICE4POBLENOU

Bar Centro offers a unique experience when you indulge in one of their burgers. 40-day aged beef of Galician ‘Vaca Vieja’ cooked on the grill is a must-try. Eight craft beer taps go hand in hand with their gastronomic proposal.

Don’t miss all four versions of their pulled pork, the homemade nachos, the chilli or the bravas! Everything is handcrafted.

Specialists in Tandoori. Typical halaal with high quality dishes. See the chefs prepare and cook your food ,which is all made with fresh ingredients. Boasting a Bollywood musical ambience, Nice Spice is an excellent choice for traditional indian food in Barcelona.

Casp 55. 08010 Metro Tetuan/ Urquinaona Tel. 93 192 5255 www.barcentrobcn.com barcentrobcn@gmail.com Mon-Wed 1pm-11pm Thurs-Fri 1pm-11.30pm Sat 8pm-12am

D9 BAR4 POBLENOU Whether you are an Erasmus student, a football fanatic or a music lover, D9 Bar has a night for you. Equipped with a terrace, D9 offers a wide range of tapas, beers, cocktails and shots for every night of the week. With American Day on Wednesdays, Erasmus parties on Thursdays and music-themed parties on Fridays and Saturdays, there is always something for everyone.

Pallars 122, 08016 Tel. 93 309 9202 I www.denou.bar Sun-Thurs 6pm-2.30am Fri-Sat 6pm-3am

Pujades 207 | Metro Poblenou Tel. 93 308 9548 www.restaurantnicespice.com Open everday 12pm-4pm, 8pm-12pm

AMALTEA4EIXAMPLE A warm and welcoming environment allows you to fully enjoy a tasty and healthier alternative to your everyday meal. Dishes include cereals, pulses and vegetables and homemade puddings.

The cuisine is creatively international with care taken to ensure that each meal is well-balanced and made with the freshest ingredients. Their menu of the day costs 10.90, while their night and weekend menus cost 15.80.

Diputació 164 | Metro Urgell | Tel. 93 454 8613 Mon-Sat 1pm-4pm and 8pm-11pm, Sun closed | www.restauranteamaltea.com

NATA LISBOA4EIXAMPLE Heir to one of the most delicious confectionary recipes in the world that spans two centuries, NATA was born to produce and spread the most deliciously sweet tastes from Lisbon to the four corners of the world. Pay them a visit to try their portuguese specialities and their sublime coffee blend.

Mallora 277 I natalisboa.com www.facebook.com/NATALisboaESPANA

BE MY BAGEL4GRÀCIA Do you dream of great bagels? Then Be My Bagel is the right place for you. They sell authentic bagels from Barcelona, just how you like them. Offering an extensive range of bagels and cakes— from the more classic choices such as poppy and multigrain to delicious and innovative chocolate, almond and coconut bagels—you won’t come away disappointed.

Planeta 37 (Pl. del Sol) | Metro Fontana or Gràcia Tel. 93 518 7151 I bemybagel@gmail.com Mon-Fri 9.30am-2pm and 5pm-8.30pm Sat 10am-2.30pm and 6pm-10pm Sun 10.30am-2pm www.bemybagel.es

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FOR THE BEST BARS, CAFES, AND RESTAURANTS IN BARCELONA, SEE OUR ONLINE A-Z DIRECTORY

2/26/18 1:52 PM

HEALTH &BEAUTY

Dr. Steven Joseph - DOCTOR An English doctor in Barcelona, Dr Steven Joseph is a member of The Royal College of General Practitioners and The Royal College of Psychiatrists. He offers a wide range of medical care, including family medicine, sexual health, mental health and access to all specialists and tests. Physiotherapy and chiropractic services are also available. Googol Medical Center provides comprehensive healthcare in a relaxed, friendly and discreet environment. Dr Joseph is happy to take your enquiries directly.

DISCOUNT FOR METROPOLITAN READERS

To advertise in this section call: 93 451 4486 or email: ads@barcelona-metropolitan.com See our online directory at

Gran Via Carles III 37-39, 08028 M. 662 291 191 www.englishdoctorbarcelona.com

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com ServiDigest - HEALTH ServiDigest have more than 40 years’ experience working in the health industry and are pioneers in colorectal cancer prevention. Nowadays, colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers and prevention is the best treatment. Detecting symptoms at earlier stages is the key to a good outcome. However, if it is discovered at an advanced stage, it has a five-year survival rate. They have two important digestive screening programmes: the Colorectal Prevention Programme and the Digestive Cancer Prevention Programme.

Doctor for Adults

Mary D. McCarthy, M.D. Fellow American College of Physicians

Dr. Narayn is an expert in digestion disorders, diet and nutrition at Ayurveda Barcelona, an Ayurvedic Health Centre located in the “Les Corts” district behind L’Illa Diagonal.

The centre provides Ayurvedic consultancy, Ayurvedic treatments and massages, detox programmes and ongoing training in Ayurveda.

Balmes 334, 08006 T. 93 415 3464 / 93 545 0990 Mon-Fri 9am-2pm and 4pm-9pm Sat 9am-2pm, Sun closed uad@servidigest.com www.servidigest.com

L’Aviacio 11, 08029 T. 93 494 29 28 / M. 639 325 756 ayurvedabarcelona.net@gmail.com www.ayurvedabarcelona.net.

Open Mon-Sat 10am-8.30pm

Mary D. McCarthy - DOCTOR

Eugenia Espinosa - ENGLISH SPEAKING PSYCHOLOGIST

Feel confident with Dr. Mary McCarthy, an American-trained doctor for adults.

A native English speaker with over 20 years’ experience in Barcelona, Dr. McCarthy offers professional, private health care. She is a member of the American College of Physicians and International Association for Medical Assistance for Travellers, and is also certified as a Specialist by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Aribau 215 Pral. 1a T. 93 200 2924 M. 607 220 040

Dr Bassas - DERMATOLOGY The Javier Bassas Dermatology Centre is a well-renowned dermatology and surgical centre equipped with the latest technology. The medical team, led by Dr. Javier Bassas Bresca, consists of surgical dermatology and venereology specialists with vast clinical and surgical experience. Their goal is to provide specialised, rigorous, efficient and accessible care, with the highest quality and ethical standards. Diagnosing and treating skin diseases is their priority, as well as offering the latest advances in dermoaesthetics.

Consulta Balmes 24 1º1 T. 93 412 6602 Teknon, Marquesa de Vilallonga nº12 Consulta nº 34 1ª 08017 T. 93 290 6434 www.drbassas.com

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Narayn Yadave AYURVEDIC DOCTOR

Eugenia is a licensed psycologist (col.

18602) and therapist for individuals, couples and families, who specialises in issues related to migration. Trained in Mexico, New York and Barcelona, she has a wealth of experience in treating individuals dealing with the complexities and stress of building a new life in a foreign country. She also offers comprehensive treatment for people going through depression, divorce or any other life-altering event.

50% DISCOUNT ON FIRST VISIT FREE CONSULTATION

Santa Perpetua M. 677 090 479 genaespinosa@yahoo.com

Hestía - PSYCHOTHERAPY Hestía International Psychotherapy Centre has become a reference in the city, due to its high quality multidisciplinary and multilingual profile. Their professional team works with individuals, couples and families through a variety of services and approaches to therapy and personal development. They speak English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, German, Portuguese, Greek, Polish, Swedish, Russian and Catalan.

The first consultation is free.

Diagonal 343, 2º 3ª T. 93 459 2802 info@hestia.es www.hestia.es

2/27/18 1:11 PM

Platinum Provider

Orthoestetic - DENTIST

Goldie Uttamchandani -

The Orthoestetic Clinic is located in the heart of Barcelona near the Sagrada Familia. They have modern clinical facilities and equipment, which together with their extensive experience, allows them to offer an integral quality dentistry, designed to seek the satisfaction of the patients.

Dr. Holguin is a specialist in dental aesthetics, and orthopedics and orthodontics for children and adults.

She is certified by the Invisalign system.

LIFE, BUSINESS AND YOUTH COACH

Diagonal 341, loc 1. 08037 T. 93 512 4749 M. 638 545 555 www.orthoestetic.es www.ortoesteticbcn.es info@orthoestetic.es

Goldie is a bilingual ICF Certified Youth & Family Coach. It is her belief that in your teen years, you can truly unlock your highest potential as a human being. She is focused on accompanying this age group on navigating through this challenging and exciting journey to help them attain their goals. Try a complimentary first session and begin your journey on connecting with your true greatness.

READER OFFER

M. 669 788 508 Skype: goldieuttam goldieuttam@gmail.com www.goldieuttam.com

Dra. Susana Campi -

Emma Ruiz -

DENTIST

GESTALT THERAPIST

New premises, new services and new state of the art equipment! For all your dental needs, their team of first-class professionals offer excellent treatment. They have over 35 years’ experience and provide services in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Catalan.

Would you like to identify those aspects of yourself or your life that no longer seem to be in tune? Emma Ruiz is a trained Gestalt Therapist, who will work with you to identify what may be holding you back and preventing you from becoming the best version of yourself. Emma ensures confidentiality to build a foundation of mutual trust and respect.

Metropolitan readers can enjoy a free 1to1 discovery session.

Josep Tarradellas 97 local, 08029 Bus: 15,27,32,43,54,59,66,78 T. 93 321 4005 susanacampi1980@gmail.com www.clinicadentalcampi.com

Dr. Boj - DENTIST

Còrsega 218 M. 659 126 877

FREE DISCOVERY SESSION

emma@gestalttherapyinbarcelona.com www.gestalttherapyinbarcelona.com

Ryan Simbai Jenkins

-

HYPNOTHERAPIST Dr. Boj and his team offer specialised, comprehensive dental and orthodontic treatment for children and teens. Laser dentistry and invisible orthodontics are provided. Dr. Boj lectures on dentistry related to these age groups. He studied at the School of Medicine and Dentistry of the University of Rochester, NY, USA. This is a fast and friendly service in an English-speaking, international environment.

Prats de Mollo 10, Bajos B, 08021 T. 93 209 3994 www.drboj.org

Dr. Alistair Gallagher DENTIST The British Dental Clinic has a patient-friendly philosophy that combines aesthetics, youthful appearances, and a commitment to total oral health. Conveniently located in Barcelona, they offer orthodontics including Fast Braces and Inman Aligner, implants, cosmetic dentistry, whitening and general family dentistry.

Their talented, conscientious and friendly staff will help ensure that you comfortably receive the healthy and beautiful smile that you deserve.

Diagonal 281 T. 93 265 8070 M. 607 332 335 info@thebritishdentalclinic.com www.thebritishdentalclinic.com

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Ryan Jenkins is a Cognitive Hypnotherapist in Barcelona. A member of the General Hypnotherapist Register (UK) and National Council of Hypnotherapists (UK), he uses evidence-based hypnotherapy and powerful coaching techniques to help people change and get results. Discreet and confidential, he works with a diverse range of conditions and specializes in smoking cessation, anxiety and worry. Contact to arrange for a free consultation. A healthy mind means a healthy life.

Rosselló 332, 2º-1, 08025 M. 601 039 884 info@hypnotherapyinbarcelona.com www.hypnotherapyinbarcelona.com

Konstantina Karas HOMEOPATHY, EAR ACUPUNCTURE Konstantina uses homeopathy to boost your immune system, allowing you to be a part of your own healing. It is an effective, non-invasive, holistic system of healing, which can treat a number of physical problems and help overcome mental/emotional ailments, such as fears or anxiety. Konstantina also offers ear acupuncture; an effective treatment for reducing withdrawal symptoms of smoking cessation or substance abuse while detoxing the body.

M. 655 666 618 konstantina@nyhomeopath.com www.nyhomeopath.com

2/27/18 1:11 PM

Barcelona Quiropractic Barcelona Quiropractic and its professional team have been serving the Barcelona community since 1995.

They value quality service, efficiency and dedication, delivering the best results in the shortest time possible.

The team provides a professional, yet friendly and family-oriented environment, catering to a wide range of patients. They aim to promote the integration of chiropractic into your lifestyle, to maintain health and wellbeing. Contact them for more information.

Oliver Dawson CHIROPRACTOR Oliver Dawson is a chiropractor who focuses on the direct relationship between spinal structures and health.

Through specific spinal realignment and structural correction, better neurological connections are established throughout the nervous system. The result is less pain, more vitality and better health. Every Thursday from 8-9pm, Oliver offers free health activation workshops about the benefits of chiropractic and the key principles.To attend the workshop, please confirm by email and quote ‘Metropolitan’.

Pl. Urquinaona 7, 08010 T. 93 412 3433 M. 601 059 849 info@barcelonaquiropractic.es www.barcelonaquiropractic.es

Sombrerers 27, Principal T. 93 268 3070 M. 622 772 623 oliver@bornquiro.com www.bornquiro.com

- CHIROPRACTOR

Kamen B. Petrov - PSYCHOTHERAPIST Kamen is an experienced Jungian Psychotherapist, Lecturer and Psychologist, Member of the British Psychological Society, Professor at Metáfora Barcelona. He works with individuals, couples, children and families and offers supervision to psychotherapists. To learn more or to book a free introductory session, please visit his website.

The Vital Touch - MASSAGE The Vital Touch help people to focus better and feel re-energised. They come to your office or event and set up their ergonomic chairs, which you can relax into comfortably and fullyclothed for an effective energising massage. You emerge 20 minutes later with increased vitality and all tensions released.

M. 603 490 498 www.InnerWisdomQuest.com

Mind & Soul Barcelona - INTERNATIONAL GROUP OF DEPTH PSYCHOTHERAPISTS A group of certified psychotherapists with extensive experience in the field of psychology and psychotherapy. They focus on issues of change, conflict and relationship difficulties, offering individual and couple psychotherapy with flexible hours and affordable fees adjusted to individual income. Visit their website for more information or to book a session. www.mindandsoul.world

Benefits of the massage include: de-stressing, relaxation, revitalisation, tension release, detoxification, immunity boost and improvement in posture. Contact Nunu by phone or email for more information.

M. 659 995 657 enquiries@thevitaltouch.es www.tvtbarcelona.com

The Pink Peony BEAUTY SALON The PEONY de SY facial is a complex recovery treatment for mature skin that combines organic Dr. Hauschka products, non-abrasive ultrasonic exfoliation, detoxifying lymphatic stimulation and collagen-regenerating LED Light therapy. The result is a luminous, visibly repaired complexion and an ongoing stimulation of collagen production.

Jonathan Hooker - PSYCHOTHERAPIST Jonathan specialises in helping people to deal with change. This may be aspects of their life they would like to change or unexpected changes that they are dealing with. An English-speaking psychotherapist, counsellor, coach and guide, he helps people to improve their relationships and make sense of their lives.

M. 639 579 646 jonathan.hooker@yahoo.com www.jonathanhooker.com

Emma Axelsson - THERAPIST & COACH Emma is a certified therapist who helps you handle life’s ups and downs, specialising in self-esteem and anxiety-related issues. The first introductory session is free of charge. She also provides group therapy for self-esteem. Visit her website for more information

When making your facial reservation, quote ‘Metropolitan’ for a free eyebrow and upper lip threading worth €35.

Passeig de Gracia 100, Pral. 2ª Mandri 62 T. 93 487 8464 Whatsapp: 648 248 744 www.thepinkpeony.com

República Argentina 19, 08023 M. 685 837 223 em@owning-it.com www.owning-it.com

Yoga con Gracia - YOGA An enchanting neighbourhood studio and community space with two locations in the heart of Gràcia.

Founded in 2004, you will find a friendly, international vibe in the gorgeous loft-style studios. YcG has something for everyone, from Hatha, Sivananda, Kundalini, Jivamukti (a fast-paced Vinyasa) to English, pre-natal and Mum and Baby yoga classes. www.yogacongracia.com

Pharmacy Serra Mandri - CHEMIST The pharmacy is open 365 days a year and offers a home delivery service. The staff can help and advise each client to ensure they get exactly what they need.

They also stock a great range of products, including homeopathy, natural medicine, aromatherapy and organic cosmetics.

Av. Diagonal 478 T. 93 416 1270 9am-10pm www.farmaciaserra.com

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10% DISCOUNT FOR METROPOLITAN READERS

Tàctum - HAIR SALON Located in Gràcia, this friendly and welcoming salon has everything you need to feel special. They work together with clients to create a look that reflects their individual style and personality. They are experts in curly hair, hair colouring and above all the use of progressive vegetable hair dye, which harnesses the purity of water.

They can also advise you on the cut that best suits you.

Torrent de L’Olla 85 (Metro Joanic) T. 93 217 9316 tactum@tacum.cat Tues-Thurs 10.30am-8.30pm Fri-Sat 9.30am-8.30pm www.tactum.es

2/27/18 1:12 PM

BUSINESS SERVICES

Spain AccountingTAX & BUSINESS SErVICES Qualified UK accountant with 30 years experience in Spain offers: • tax services for freelance “autónomos” and small SLs • income tax returns for employees and non-residents • practical advice on setting up a business in Spain • registration of “autónomos” and company incorporation (SL) • personalised advice on your tax obligations in Spain • fast, reliable email service

DISCOUNT FOR METROPOLITAN READERS

To advertise in this section call: 93 451 4486 or email: ads@barcelona-metropolitan.com

Contact David Cook on M. 678 702 369 info@spainaccounting.com www.spainaccounting.com

See our online directory at

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com

READER OFFER

Klev & Vera -

Barcelona Accounting -

LAW FIrM

BUSINESS SErVICE

This firm specialises in attending to the legal needs of international clients in Spain. They have multilingual team of lawyers with international backgrounds, specialising in different areas of legal practice including: • Real Estate • Business Set Up • Spanish Residence • Family Law • Litigation • Tax Planning

Need help with your small business finances? Barcelona Accounting can create an efficient financial system for a start-up or existing business, convert you to a modern cloud accounting solution, organise and/or update your bookkeeping, manage your compliance and run financial analysis to help grow your business.

Valencia 281, 2-2 T. 93 176 0190 info@klevvera.com www.klevvera.com

READER OFFER

Sánchez Molina -

NIE Barcelona

LEGAL PRACTICE

Gran Via Carles III, 84, 5 T. 93 490 9669 javiergarcia@sanchezmolina.com www.sanchezmolina.com

M. 603 209 403 info@niebarcelona.com www.niebarcelona.com

BCN Seguros - INSUrANCE

Barcelona Women’s Network - NONPROFIT

This local Barcelona insurance agency provides complete personal and business insurance services (home, car, health, commercial, public liability, life, motor, yacht, travel, etc.). They offer a 30% cost-saving guarantee by keeping insurance coverage identical. Advice is available in Spanish, English and German.

Supported charities 2016 - 2018

77-80 Business Mar18.indd 43

- BUSINESS

NIE Barcelona is a service that helps foreigners resolve all the paperwork needed for living and working in Barcelona. Their main focus is on helping to secure the NIE for EU and NON-EU citizens in a fast and efficient way. They can also help with other administrative procedures, such as social security numbers, empadronamiento, autónomo set up, and change of driving license.

The lawyers at Sánchez Molina speak English, Spanish, Italian and French. They can help with your business licensing services, legal defence and representation, registration under any form of ownership, accounting services and work and residency permits.

M. 636 465 010 rainerhobrack@gmail.com www.bcnseguros.es

M. 670 405 727 info@bcnaccounting.com www.bcnaccounting.com

BWN offers support, friendship and networking opportunities to internationally minded women residing in, or just arriving in Barcelona. They are unique in that they are a social group with a social purpose - raising funds for community organisations through various activities and events, with the help of their community sponsors. Connect with like-minded women while giving back to the community. Find out more about membership via their website membership@bcnwomensnetwork.com

president@bcnwomensnetwork.com www.bcnwomensnetwork.com

2/26/18 2:05 PM

PWN Barcelona - NON PROFIT

Spanish with Angeles -

PWN Barcelona is part of a global movement working towards gender balanced leadership through professional development and a range of networking options: in-person, online, cross-industry, and international. They offer Mentoring programmes and an EU Business School certified virtual programme for entrepreneurs. Regular events include 2nd Tuesday Networking Drinks and professional development workshops. “Let’s advance how men and women work together”.

LANGUAGE Do you want to speak Spanish well?

With Angeles, you can make incredible progress in your language learning, becoming a confident speaker with a solid understanding of grammar and good writing and reading skills. Angeles’ lessons focus on conversation and are tailored to every student’s individual needs.Angeles is a professional, native Spanish-speaking tutor with more than 12 years of experience, who believes in the importance of providing custommade materials and guidance. Her personalised lessons are the most effective way to help students reach their goals.

www.pwnbarcelona.net members@pwnbarcelona.net www.facebook.com/pwnbarcelona/

Yan Pekar - PHOTOGRAPHER Photography for corporate events and portraits. Yan creates meaningful photography based on his ability to see beyond the obvious. His engaging photos capture key moments in a discrete way. Based in Barcelona.

Working worldwide.

• Back-up kit.

• Next day delivery.

• Guaranteed results under low lighting.

• Reliable. Responsible. On time.

www.spanishwithangeles.es info@spanishwithangeles.es 647626487

Coccinelle - PRIVATE STAFF rECrUITMENT Coccinelle specialises in providing highly-skilled, experienced domestic staff in Barcelona and surrounding areas. Their expertise and rigorous selection method ensures they are able to provide seasoned professionals for both permanent and temporary positions, where over 700 families have trusted in their services. Call them today and quote ‘Metropolitan’ for a free consultation.

M. 635 296 600 contact@yanpekar.photography www.yanpekar.photography

Pau Claris 151 T. 93 010 9758 info@coccinelle-agency.com www.coccinelle-agency.com

Handyman - HOME SErVICES

Oak House - SCHOOL

Mark offers honest, transparent, efficient, English/Spanish/Swedish speaking handyman services. He can help you hang a mirror, paint a room, install reverse osmosis, hang blinds or curtains, do home repairs, assemble Ikea furniture and he can even fix up your place, assiting the process of retrieving your “fianza” from your landlord. Hourly rates. Real time updates.

Founded in 1968, pupils at Oak House are taught according to the UK national curriculum in early years and primary education. Secondary pupils follow a multilingual programme, with a firm emphasis on English. Oak House offers IGCSE qualifications to help prepare students for university courses in English. The school also offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in English, as well as the National Bachillerato programme. The school’s modern installations are conducive to an active learning style. Their motto is ‘building futures’.

M. 645 691 475 mark@handymanbarcelona.com www.handymanbarcelona.com Facebook handymanbarcelona74

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FREE TRIAL CLASS

Sant Pere Claver 12-18, 08017 T. 93 252 40 20 www.oakhouseschool.com

Yacht Point Barcelona

Geo Mac - COMPUTERS

- Online navigation theory courses and sailing tuition.

- Obtain your Competent Crew, Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster with us!

- Courses for beginners to advanced sailors.

- Day Charter trips for private groups.

We want to share our passion with you, we are more than a Sailing School!

George Cowdery is a freelance Mac technician who has been providing valuable support to the Mac community in Barcelona for over 15 years. Among the services he offers, George can help clients with maintenance and upgrades, hard drive replacement and ADSL setup.

He can also provide consulting and tutorials according to his clients’ needs.

T. 93 004 5707 info@yachtpointbcn.com yachtpointbcn.com/en/ryatrainingcentre/

M. 606 308 932 machelp@geomac.es www.geomacbcn.com

2/26/18 2:05 PM

Language Surfing - LANGUAGE

Barcelona is your classroom and its streets are your books.

FIRST CLASS FOR FREE

Language Surfing is a revolutionary learning approach where students practice in real life situations and accelerate their learning by having lessons in real bars, parks & museums.

Our teachers are native and professional, who love to explore the city with you, so you can take in the culture and practice in a fun and exciting environment. It’s the end of boring lessons!

Entença 34 enslo 1, 08015 Metro Rocafort M. 663 563 720 www.language-surfing.com

Fun Talk - LANGUAGE

FREE TRIAL CLASS

BCN L.I.P. - LANGUAGE SCHOOL

Spanish and coffee in the mornings or Spanish and wine in the evenings, (coffee and wine included) for an unbeatable price of 7€/hour!

The Spanish courses at FunTalk offer an innovative and interactive approach to learning, emphasising communication and speaking in a fun environment. They believe in a studentcentred classroom and are committed to making the learning experience motivating, memorable, and, above all, fun. Live it. Learn it. Love it.

BCN LIP language school is a small school located in the heart of the Gothic Quarter offering a wide variety of dynamic classes for those wishing to learn Spanish, Catalan, English, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Japanese, Chinese and Hebrew. The courses are intensive and extensive, varying from four - 30 hours a week, Monday to Saturday.

The teachers are qualified native speakers, with several years of experience.

They also offer specialised summer programmes, excursions and cultural activities for the students. They can also help you with your student visa and finding a place to live.

Aragó 119 T. 93 782 3821 hello@funtalk.es www.funtalk.es

Avinyó 50, 08002 T. 93 318 6591 info@bcnlip.com www.bcnlip.com

Corsa International - DrIVING SCHOOL Corsa driving school offers theoretical classes and practical driving lessons in English. Their experienced instructors will give you the confidence to drive comfortably in Barcelona and help you learn about Spanish road systems. They have both manual and automatic practice vehicles.

GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDIO

Gran via de Gracias, 266, 08022 T: 934885221 international@autoescuelacorsa.com www.autoescuelacorsa.com

BritSat - SATELLITE TV Missing out on British TV? Not to worry. With their latest equipment, extensive experience and fantastic aftersales service, they provide all UK and European TV via satellite and Internet installations. So don’t miss out on all the summer sporting action, phone or email Britsat for a competitive quote and expert advice.

M. 649 605 917 info@britsatlive.com www.britsatlive.com

Ibex - INSUrANCE SErVICES Ibex have been in operation since 2000 and have grown to be one of the largest insurance providers for the expatriate community in Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar. They can insure your car, motorbike, home, pet, health, holiday home, boat, travel, business and provide funeral plans and more. ibexdirect@ibexinsure.com T. 900 102 527 www.ibexinsure.com

CiberVirreina - COMPUTER SERVICE

#mrsqdesignstudio Mrs.Q Design Studio - GRAPHIC DESIGN Mrs.Q Design Studio offers a range of specialised design services. Their small business package includes branding, stationery design and advertising for print and web. They also design promotional material such as flyers, posters and brochures. Mrs. Q designs bespoke invitations for weddings and special occasions. Their designs are inspired by watercolour paintings merged with contemporary design. If you would like a custom painting, designed especially for you, they can create a design that you’re sure to love. Visit their Etsy shop to view her work www.etsy.com/shop/MrsQdesignstudio.

Open until 11pm every day of the week, they can repair your computer in 24/48 hours using well-tested procedures. Repairing software and hardware failures, saving your personal files and returning your computer fully operative. In addition to having internet access they do printing, copying and binding jobs.

D'Astúries 78 (Plaça de la Virreina, Gràcia).

T. 93 368 5770 serviciocliente@cibervirreina.com

77-80 Business Mar18.indd 45

mrsqdesignstudio@gmail.com www.mrsqdesignstudio.com Instagram #mrsqdesignstudio

2/26/18 2:05 PM

COACHING COLUMN

SAM SAYS...

SCRAP THE NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS Dear Sam, This may be an unoriginal query, but 2018 has barely begun and 50 percent of my resolutions have already fallen by the wayside. It happens every year; January 1st arrives and I’m motivated and excited to make changes in my life, but several weeks go by, ‘real life’ takes over and I fall back into the same old routines and the same bad habits. Last year, I did ‘dry January’ (no alcohol for the whole month), but as soon as the month was over I fell back into old patterns. This isn’t about my alcohol consumption (although I’m sure that could be reduced); I want to know how to not only stick to my plan, but also to make it sustainable, rather than giving it my all for a short time and then nothing for the remaining 11 months of the year. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much, Craving Sustainable Change

A recent article in The New York Times (‘The Only Way to Keep Your Resolutions’ by David DeSteno) reported that by January 8th, 25 percent of resolutions have fallen by the wayside and that by the end of the year, fewer than 10 percent have been maintained. As you can see, you’re not alone!

According to DeSteno, “The problem of New Year’s resolutions is, in a way, the problem of life itself. Our tendency to be shortsighted—to value the pleasures of the present more than the satisfactions of the future—comes at a considerable cost.” This isn’t to say that you’re being short-sighted: it’s human nature. A year ago, someone else wrote in with a similar question and I gave them some tips for how to implement and keep your resolutions. This year, however, I’m going to suggest something different: Scrap the resolutions altogether.

Waiting for a single day out of the whole year to change so many things and start afresh is daunting and unrealistic. We dream so big for one night a year and then when we return to our daily routine, the enormity of what we’ve promised ourselves can be intimidating to the point of inaction. If you want to create sustainable change, try swapping the resolutions for some of the following options.

1. Regular check-ins. Schedule uninterrupted time every week to make sure you’re on track. You can also use this time to monitor progress towards certain goals. Ask yourself, did I do my best to: set clear goals? make progress in achieving my goals? find meaning? be happy? build positive relationships? be fully engaged? You can use these questions, or others that resonate more with you, but the overall idea is to stay on top of things, rather than waiting for one day at the end of the year to act.

2. Connect with your feelings. This sounds cheesy, but it’s one of the most practical tools you can use.

My coach used to tell me that, in life, feelings drive the bus. The problem is that if we don’t know what we’re feeling, it’s hard to steer the bus in the right direction—one that makes the most sense for our lives. Being able to identify your feelings is one of the pillars of emotional intelligence. So try stopping two to three times a day and ask yourself: What am I feeling right now? Name the emotion and then move on. You don’t have to act on it, the idea is to get into the habit of being more in tune with yourself and your emotions. This will allow you to better focus your life and live the change you want to see.

By Ben Rowdon

SCOOP

Sam Mednick is a professional life and executive coach based in Barcelona (www.blueprintcoaching. ca). A Canadian native, she’s been living in the city for eight years working with companies and individuals focusing on transitions, communication, leadership training, time management and productivity, as well as emotional intelligence development. For more coaching tips, tune into Sam’s podcast: blueprintcoaching.podomatic.com

Hi Craving Sustainable Change,

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2/28/18 1:07 PM

A new concept store in the heart of Barcelona www.caroylina.com

CaroyLina MAIN PAGES march_1.indd Mar 18.indd1 2

Carrer de Mallorca 243, Local 2

931 571 614

2/13/18 2:56 2:53 PM

MAIN PAGES Feb 18.indd 1

1/29/18 11:57 AM