Barcelona metropolitan issue 255

APRIL 2018 Nยบ 255

Cleaner,

Greener

ORANGE COUNTRY Follow the citrus trail in Valencia

PERMACULTURE IN THE CITY

RECORD STORE DAY The global music event is back

LIVING IN FEAR Narcopisos in the Raval

PLUS! ART 01 cover.indd 1

MUSIC

INTERVIEW

NEW IN TOWN

STREETLIFE

RESTAURANT REVIEWS

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CONTENTS

ISSUE 255 · APRIL 2018

18 REPORT: NARCOPISOS Rachel Shue reports on a drug dealing crisis in the Raval

23 MUSIC TO YOUR EARS Record store day is back

24 PERMACULTURE How to go green in the city

38 WORK WONDERS An interview with Patricia Curty

IN THE CITY 06 09 10 12 14 17 40

New in town Five things Streetlife Place of my own Best of History Photo essay

WHAT’S ON 28 31 32 34 36

IMAGINE DRAGONS P.30

Music Art review Art Calendar Misc

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

TRAVEL 46 Valencia 50 Alella

FOOD & DRINK 52 Restaurant review 55 Quick bites 56 Recipe

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, Gemma Macmillan-Fox, Marie Martin, Poppy McAlister Design Assistant Anna Baxter Contributors Paul Cannon, Ben Cooke, Natalie Donback, Catherine Howley, Helen Iles, Roger Larsen, Sam Mednick, Will Shank, Rachel Shue, Tori Sparks, Tara Stevens, Sam Zucker Illustrator Ben Rowdon Photographers Isabel Cocker, Ben Cooke 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

GEMMA MACMILLAN-FOX Gemma is a history and Spanish student from Durham University, currently on her year abroad.

Before joining Metropolitan’s editorial department, she volunteered in Buenos Aires with a charity that focuses on children’s nutrition. Since moving to Barcelona, Gemma has enjoyed exploring the city’s newest bars and restaurants and interviewing their owners for the magazine. She can frequently be found tasting tapas in the Gothic Quarter or visiting her local cinema.

ROGER LARSEN Roger studied photography at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California, specialising in editorial, commercial and fashion photography. There he worked as a photographer for a startup, and shot behind the scenes for several film projects before moving to Barcelona in 2016. His photos have also been featured in the book ‘Full Sirkel’, a hip hop history book. Originally from a small town in Northern Norway, his photography is inspired by the tranquility of nature. rlarsenphoto.com

RACHEL SHUE Rachel is a freelance writer and researcher. She writes about public policy issues and creates travel and culture content for clients such as Travelocity, Expedia and Holmes Place.

She also does fun projects such as helping to put together the Australian version of ‘The Book of Everyone’. Rachel is a bornand-bred Australian, now based in Barcelona by way of Lebanon, South Africa, Afghanistan and Lao PDR. rachshue.com

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IN THE CITY

new in town

BIG IN JAPAN oishii. sant pere 26.  FACEBOOK.COM/OISHIIRAMENSTREET This new ramen restaurant transports diners to the streets of Tokyo. Inspired by Kabukicho—an entertainment district in Shinjuku often called the ‘Sleepless Town’—the restaurant is set in a lofty space designed as a detailed replica of a Tokyo street. “Ramen can be consumed at any time of day,” explained manager José Luis Jin Hu. “In Japan, you can see people eating it in the street even late at night, which is what inspired the restaurant’s decor.”

Coming from a family of sushi restaurateurs, Jin Hu noticed a gap in the market for ramen and joined forces with the Oishii brand, which also has a branch in Madrid, to create his own restaurant. Historically, ramen was a peasants’ dish, but Oishii has reimagined the nutritious noodle-based meal and tailored it to European tastes.

ADDICTED TO PASTA Vapiano. aVda. diagonal 3.  VAPIANO.COM Freshness is the name of the game at this newly opened, Italian-inspired restaurant in Diagonal Mar. The Vapiano chain, which is present in more than 30 countries, opened its first Spanish location in Barcelona at the beginning of January in a light and airy space dedicated to showcooking. “This iconic site is perfectly set up to transmit the unique spirit of Vapiano,” said Spanish CEO Ignasi Ferrer at the opening. Diners place their orders directly with the chefs in the long, open kitchen, and watch as their dishes are cooked according to their exact preferences. Friendly staff give the eatery a personal touch, creating a chic yet casual ambience, something not commonly achieved by an international chain. Ferrer also emphasised the use of fresh ingredients, sourced locally where possible, as well as the restaurant’s 11 different types of pasta and its pizza dough, which are all made on-site each day.

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HAPPINESS IS HOMEMADE Yellow BakerY. regomir 4.  YELLOWBAKERY.ES “We met at the Yellow bistro in Sydney, and yellow is our daughter’s favourite colour,” explained Paul Stoykowich, smiling at his wife, Layla, in their bakery that could have carried no other name. The Australian family moved to Barcelona two years ago and have been baking bread wholesale for businesses ever since. Their organic bakehouse in the Gothic Quarter, which opened its doors last year, brings together Paul’s love for artisan practices and the tradition of the neighbourhood bakery. They sell sourdough bread and pastries made using techniques Paul learned during his training in Sydney and San Francisco. “I always knew I wanted to start a business,” he said, “but it wasn’t until I worked in a real commercial bakery for the first time that I knew I was here to make bread.”

THE SPICE OF LIFE Chaka khan. hospital 104.  CHAKAKHAN.ES Featuring a two-storey indoor palm tree, this eclectic gastro bar has two floors: Chaka and Khan. The Pantea Group’s latest establishment in the Raval is inspired by the legendary funk artist in both its name and exuberance. With dishes and drinks taken from different national cuisines, Chaka’s menu uses rich, imported spices to transport patrons from Latin America to Africa and back again. “We use strong spices in both our cooking and cocktails to bring them to life,” explained manager Nima Rigi. “These authentic flavours attract people who want to explore different cultures.”

Khan, located upstairs, is a chic, intimate restaurant, with space for only 20 people. Diners sit together at a bar surrounding the open kitchen, and choose from one of three tasting menus, or from a selection of small plates and dishes, such as spicy, coal-fired Asian eggplant dip, shrimp, pumpkin and kale stew, and Thai-style surf and turf with a homemade green curry base.

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FIVE THINGS

RAINY DAY

When April showers fall on Barcelona, these activities will keep you dry and happy

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NAILED IT

Stormy weather is the perfect excuse to stay inside and pamper yourself. At New York-style beauty salon The Pink Peony (Pg. de Gràcia 100), indulge in a holistic facial that will leave your skin feeling rejuvenated, or tend to your toes with a complete pedicure. Peony Herrera Sy and her team go above and beyond to ensure that every treatment is a relaxing, therapeutic experience. Cowshed Spa at Soho House Barcelona (Pl. del Duc de Medinaceli 4) is a similarly tranquil retreat. The Relax and Refuel package (€50) includes a 30-minute treatment of your choice (a signature massage, facial, manicure or pedicure), followed by a two-course lunch and coffee at the hotel’s Italian restaurant, Cecconi’s. Available Mon-Fri 12pm-3.30pm.

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JUMP FOR JOY

Jumping—or ‘salting’ in Spanglish—is a fun way to stay active when you can’t go outside. Salting CET10 Barcelona (Perú 160-162) is an indoor trampoline park with 33 horizontal and 18 vertical jumping beds. An activity for all ages, the whole family will have a blast tumbling around this high-energy jumping joint. At one end of the centre, you can play ‘Salting smash’, a version of trampoline basketball with hoops at three different heights, while the other end holds a large foam pit into which you can dive, flip and belly flop. Open seven days a week, jumping slots range from 15 minutes to an hour, with prices starting from €4.

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PADEL POWER

Rainy days don’t have to be lazy days. Try your hand at one of Spain’s most beloved racquet sports, padel, which combines the rules and techniques of squash, tennis and ping pong. Whilst the phenomenon is still gaining ground in the rest of Europe, padel is arguably more popular than tennis in Spain, with the International Padel Federation preparing to make a case for its inclusion in future Olympic Games. Padel is typically played in doubles, on a court roughly a third of the size of a tennis court. Scoring is the same as tennis, but, as in squash, players can use the walls to challenge opponents with trick shots. Rent a court at Indoor Padel Barcelona (Veneçuela 78) for as little as €5 per player.

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DOWN UNDER

Travel back in time and explore the underground remains of Roman Barcino at the MUHBA (Museu d’Història de Barcelona). Located five metres below Plaça del Rei in the Gothic Quarter, the ruins date from between the first century BC and the start of the Middle Ages, and were opened to the public in 1943. Visitors can walk along the streets of the ancient city and see the remains of a second-century laundrette, Roman baths, a fish salting factory and winery, as well as the city’s first Christian community and some important medieval buildings, including Palau Reial and the Chapel of Santa Àgata.

A NARROW ESCAPE

Locked in one of Barcelona’s escape rooms, you’ll have to unleash your inner detective to get out in time. At BarceLocked (Arc de Sant Silvestre 3), players must find the original plans for Gaudí’s Sagrada Família—which have supposedly been hidden by George Orwell, who famously described the building as ‘hideous’. Chicken Banana (Rocafort 12) has three escape room themes, each with different scare tactics and levels of difficulty. Or, for the ultimate quest, immerse yourself in the alternate reality of one of Maximum Escape’s rooms. With two locations in Barcelona, you can try your luck as a bootlegger during the American gangster wars of the Twenties, use magical spells as a prisoner of Alkaban, search for Sherlock Holmes in a horrific and treacherous London, and more. Prices range from €17 to €120.

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c a de l a

IN THE CITY

Co n

rdia co

Pl a

streetlife

CARRER DEL DOCTOR IBÁÑEZ

d S ala Ki

ER DEL DOC TOR IBÀÑEZ CARR

Picants Curtidillo

La

s

No 15

EL MARAVILLAS

Bodega Iniesta La Llibreria

BODEGA INIESTA

This charming street and square are at the traditional heart of the Les Corts neighbourhood, tucked away from nearby traffic

This is where you can try and buy wines that hail from the vineyards of FC Barcelona skipper Andrés Iniesta. The family-run winery comprises 200 hectares of vineyards in the province of Albacete in Castilla-La Mancha, where Iniesta grew up. The winery was established in the Nineties by Andrés’ father, José Antonio Iniesta, when he bought the first 10 hectares of vineyards. Now selling nationwide and internationally, the vineyard expanded after he joined forces with his son, and the first wines were produced in 2010.

In addition to the various wine varieties—including wines named after Andrés’ two children—the shop, which opened in 2015, also sells cheese and olive oils. bodegainiesta.es

PICANTS CURTIDILLO

This little hole-in-the-wall owned by neighbouring Fragments Cafe is an ode to all things saucy. Reminiscent of the grocery shops of yore, fresh chillies and dried choricero peppers hang by the entrance. Doubling as a sandwich bar, made-to-order bocadillos and tapas allow customers to taste test sauces from around the world before making a decision. French Dijon mustard, sweet chilli from Ireland, spice from Cantabria—you name it, it’s somewhere on the neat red shelves lining the walls. The mishmash of international influences is also evident behind the counter; the popular ‘Harissa’ sandwich features hints of Italy, with pancetta, rocket, mayonnaise and chilli on ciabatta, and the currywurst tapa mimics popular German street food.

Plaça de la Concòrdia

No 24 LLIBRERIA COCKTAIL BAR

La Llibreria has all the magic and mystique of an apothecary, library and speakeasy combined. A world of buckram and old English-style portraits, the curious cocktail bar has more than 1,000 antique books, along with drinks made exactly to your taste. Volumes of science, religion and literature can be spotted in the soft lighting, written in English, Spanish, Catalan and French. Hiding at the rear is a pantry-style restaurant, which serves light bites for hungry bookworms. lallibreria.eu

No 11

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Plaça de la

Concòrdia

No 15 EL MARAVILLAS

With country-esque vibes, El Maravillas belongs to Grup Confiteria, which runs popular bars across the city, including Paradiso in the Born, La Confiteria in the Raval, and Rilke, the newest addition to the group, in the Eixample. Originally the brainchild of Lito Baldovinos and Enric Rebordosa, the vibrant wine bar-restaurant lights up Plaça de la Concòrdia. While they offer a delectable selection of modern tapas, it is the wine that takes pride of place on the menu. Since 2015, the cocktails have been similarly sought after, following the success of bartender Miriam Campa at the Concurso Coctelería de Catalunya, where she won first prize for her ‘Fancy Coctel’. Always coming up with new ideas, the team’s latest addition to the menu is a selection of cocktails inspired by sporting greats of the last century. elmaravillas.cat

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No 32 LA SALA KIDS

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3/27/18 11:38 AM

IN THE CITY

A PLACE OF MY OWN NANCY AND LEO’S ARTISTIC FAMILY HOME IS AN IDYLLIC COUNTRYSIDE RETREAT

S

et in the rural hills just outside Sant Pere de Ribes, Nancy Jack and Leo Purcell’s family home is a tranquil oasis, detached from busy city life. Housed in an 18thcentury Catalan masía, the couple have combined artistic touches from home and abroad to create an eclectic space that showcases their design talents.

The British couple lived a fast-paced life in central London for 14 years but, after having children, they started to question whether the big city was the best place to bring up a family. When Leo started commuting weekly to a new job in Barcelona, they realised this was their opportunity for a change.

Nancy and her family moved to Barcelona in 2012 and chose to base themselves south of the city in the rural outskirts of Sitges.

“The only caveat of moving to the country was that Leo wanted to be able to cycle to work [in Barcelona]—something he’s always done.

Fortunately I managed to win him over!” Nancy laughed. The family moved into their latest home last October, just a 20-minute walk from Sant Pere de Ribes.

The house is located in a ‘pueblo blanco’, a tiny hamlet of whitewashed houses. Entering through a gate set into the white perimeter walls, a sheltered courtyard separates the house from the residential street. This little refuge leads to Nancy’s studio annex—her favourite part of the house. Having trained at the Glasgow College of Art and worked as a production designer and art director for the BBC, art has always been part of her life, and her work space is lined with paintings and moodboards.

The country home dates back at least two centuries, with pitched roofs and terracotta tiled floors. A spiral staircase at the end of the entrance hall leads to the upper storey where, as Nancy pointed out, there is “not a right angle to be found”. Off the hallway, a traditional farmhouse kitchen looks out onto the courtyard, while the living and dining area—the heart of the home—lie straight ahead.

Upon entering the lounge, the eye is drawn to a large canvas of a woman swimming that dominates one wall—part of a new

series Nancy is creating. The ocean blue canvas hangs above a long vintage sideboard, designed by Alexander H. McIntosh and made in Scotland. Nancy thought it was fate when she found out that the original Sixties piece of furniture had been made where she used to spend holidays as a child, Kirkcaldy, and that the model, a Dunvegan, shared its name with the place where she was born.

Nancy’s studio is her refuge. See more of her work on Instagram @senyoranancy

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If you’ve made yourself an interesting home from home, please send an email to editorial@barcelona-metropolitan.com

There are other mementos from back home dotted around the house, including an intriguing collage made from Golden Syrup tins, Scottish knick-knacks and a sparkling disco ball that hangs in an archway between the dining area and living room—a throwback to her time working in children’s TV. The rest of the lounge decor is chic yet colourful, with white walls offset by blue and yellow accent chairs and cushions. Nancy laughed at the mention of colour: “As an artist, I tend to get into colour ruts where the paintings I do, the furniture I choose, and even the clothes I wear follow the same colour scheme.”

The dominant feature of the lounge is its feeling of space. The double-height ceiling, supported by original wooden beams, slopes up towards the centre of the house and is painted white to match the clean walls. “It’s a great space for entertaining,” Nancy commented.

“On Boxing Day, we moved the piano in here, pushed the furniture back and had people dancing and singing all day.” Overlooking the lounge is a quirky Juliet-style window from an upstairs bedroom, situated above a large fireplace. French doors with large windows open out onto a back patio and curved pool, which the family is looking forward to using on hot summer afternoons.

Alongside Nancy’s canvases, the house is filled with curiosities and artefacts that allude to the rest of the family’s interests: vintage cycling posters hang on the walls, a quirky papier-mâché head sits on the sideboard and a framed wall hanging from Vietnam takes pride of place in the dining area.

Although they are renting the house, the family have managed to fill it with their own pieces and personality. “Initially, we tried to convince ourselves that living with none of our own furniture was more liberating,” Nancy said, “but I felt homesick and realised that decorating would make the house feel more like my own.”

Relaxing on the sunny patio with Jackson, the family dog, it is clear that the change of pace suits Nancy and her family. “We originally said two years,” she recalled. “But now...who knows?”

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IN THE CITY

best of

BOOKSHOPS

WHERE TO GRAB A GOOD READ IN THE CITY DOCUMENTA

Pau claris 144 documenta-Bcn.com Drawing the attention of passers-by with an interesting mix of art and philosophy, Documenta's window display features the portrait of a man and a French quote: ‘le désir nous force à aimer ce qui va nous faire souffrir’ (meaning ‘desire makes us like that which makes us suffer’).

Avoiding the run-of-the-mill bookshop vibe, it focuses on art, literature and human sciences. In the bright and uncluttered interior, titles cover the finer points of anthropology, philosophy and psychology, alongside fiction and poetry in English, Spanish and Catalan.

The space also hosts experts who run weekly sessions that delve deep into the literary world, from Dante’s inferno to Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

HIBERNIAN BOOKS montseny 17 HiBernian-Books.com

In May 2004, partners Viky Ferré and Ray Brock shipped 30,000 books from Dublin to Barcelona to fill a gap in the city’s English-language book market. This second-hand haven in Gràcia is full of surprises; perusing the shelves, you never know what you might find. The categories are well organised, from antiques to nutrition, including small sections in French, German and Dutch, and an eclectic collection of texts in other languages. If you’re looking for a timeless classic or a new release, there is a limited selection of these at the front of the store. Hibernian Books is an expat haunt as much as a place to get your English literature fix, with a trade system in place that encourages readers to exchange pre-loved books for different titles.

COME IN

Balmes 129 Bis liBreriainglesa.com Come In has perhaps the most comprehensive selection of English-language books in the city. Offering familiar titles, expert advice from a passionate team and an atmosphere reminiscent of your favourite bookshop back home, it’s rare to leave here emptyhanded. One side of the store is devoted to books of every genre, from biographies and classics to the latest releases, alongside children’s books, colourful displays of toys, board games and audiobooks. The other half of the shop is filled with everything you need to teach or learn English, including phrase books, graded readers and exam preparation guides, as well as more limited materials for studying French, German, Spanish and Catalan.

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AltaïR

gran Via de les corts catalanes 616 altair.es Divided into sections by continent, Altaïr could instill wanderlust in the most adamant homebird. With in-depth guidebooks for every country, elaborate globes, fiction and nonfiction travel literature, and a cafe downstairs that serves international cuisine, the shop is tailor-made for discovery. Maps from bygone eras adorn the walls above the bookshelves, tempting browsers to discover the most ancient corners of the world. Take a seat in one of the vintage armchairs to plan your next trip or enlist the help of Altaïr Viatges, an inhouse travel agency at the rear of the shop.

GIGAMESH Bailèn 8 gigamesH.com

Founder Alejo Cuervo named his bookshop in honour of the epic of gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian poem considered to be the oldest surviving literary text. The shop is devoted to the wonderful world of fantasy and science fiction, with books as well as games, magazines, comics and figurines. The shelves are organised into cleverly referenced sections, such as ‘The desolation of Smaug’ and ‘Memory Alpha’, rather than by author or title, which is a delight to customers in the know. The English section is also extensive, with a whole wall dedicated to paperbacks. The bookshop was originally set up to support Cuervo’s publishing house of the same name. From its beginnings as a small publisher in the Eighties struggling to make ends meet, Gigamesh’s fortunes turned around when it won the contract to become the sole Spanish publisher of George R.R. Martin's a game of thrones (1996) and the rest of the fantasy novels from the a song of ice and fire series. In an interview with el mundo, Cuervo said drawing up the contract to print the series was “the best $5,000 spent in the history of the genre in Spain”.

LLIBRERIA ANTIQUÀRIA FARRÉ canuda 24 lliBreriafarre.cat

Wooden ladders slide along shelves lined with waxy, leather-bound covers that make up the city’s most comprehensive collection of rare and out-of-print books.

Llibreria Antiquària Farré, with its signature smell of old volumes, is the bricks and mortar of the Farré network of antique document enthusiasts, Coleccionismo Pol Farré.

First editions and enticing oddities are commonplace in this shrine to bibliophilia. Browsing the stacks, you can uncover books on subjects ranging from the history of viticulture in France to Catalan grammar, each in its original language.

While some books have a hefty price tag, it’s possible to take home a piece of literary history for as little as €20.

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HISTORY

MILKING IT BARCELONA’S URBAN DAIRIES ONCE PROVIDED FRESH MILK TO THE CITY

By Catherine Howley

J

ust a few decades ago the population of Barcelona depended on urban dairies or ‘vaquerías’ for its fresh milk supply. In the Forties, the city contained more than 500 enclosures, housing up to 10,000 cattle that were milked daily.

Their produce was sold directly to residents in neighbourhoods across the city.

This service began in the 19th century when it became the norm for adults to consume fresh milk. Prior to this, raw milk was generally reserved for children, while adults relied on cheese, particularly cottage cheese, as their source of calcium. By the 1930s, milk was one of the most valued products amongst working families in Barcelona, but during the Spanish Civil War it became scarce, along with eggs and bread, as the city fell on hard times.

The growing popularity and demand for fresh milk was not welcomed across the board, however. Urban dairies were often housed in small enclosures at the back of buildings or in internal courtyards, forcing local businesses and residents to coexist with animals. Hygienists at the time continuously fought the presence of these city-centre dairies, arguing that livestock spread disease, attracted insects and let off a foul smell.

In 1850, La Abeja Médica Española, a medical journal published from 1846 to 1853, began a campaign against the dairy farms, calling for the prohibition of the production of raw milk in a city where epidemics were frequent and deadly. It wasn’t until 1961, however, that a law was passed to move the dairies out of the city—farmers were given 10 years to close their establishments. Despite the new law, illegal milk production continued in the city until the Eighties. One of the last dairies to be closed down was located on Passatge d’Aymà in Poblenou.

Today, numerous vestiges are still visible throughout the city, indicating the existence of the former vaquerías. In Sants, on the facade of Carrer de Sants 141, the sculpted heads of two cows protrude from a building that once sold fresh milk, while at Carrer del Carme 95 in the Raval, the former signage of an urban dairy still takes pride of place above the front entrance of the building.

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REPORT

NARCOPISOS DRUG DEALING IN THE RAVAL IS POSING A SERIOUS PUBLIC HEALTH AND SECURITY ISSUE

By Rachel Shue. Photos by Ben Cooke

T

here’s a permanent sense of fear in certain areas of the Raval. A growing problem of drug dealers operating from vacant residential apartments, dubbed ‘narcopisos’, in the neighbourhood means local residents and businesses are living with a constant flow of dealers and clientele waiting for their next hit. The resulting violence and disturbance both day and night has created a tense situation.

The issue is not new, but has been steadily brewing. Drug dealers and users have been infiltrating the neighbourhood’s empty apartments and buildings since the financial crisis a decade ago, using them as distribution points and makeshift drug dens.

An article published in La Vanguardia in February of this year reported that there are an estimated 50 active narcopisos in the Raval, posing a serious security and public health issue. A further 228 vacant properties are considered vulnerable to being appropriated by drug dealers. According to the city council, there are four zones severely affected by the narcopiso problem, which include some of the city’s prime tourist attractions: La Boqueria, the MACBA, the CCCB and La Rambla.

Raval residents are rising up to take back their homes and the streets. Acció Raval, a local association established in 2016 to represent the community interests of Raval residents, published a map in January of this year pinpointing known narcopisos in the neighbourhood. It has also been organising public demonstrations

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1 LA MB RA

ZONE 2 Riereta Reina Amàlia Vistalegre Cera Aurora Sant Pacià

3

LA

ZONE 3 Paloma Lleó Lluna Guifré Cardona Sant Erasme Sant Gil Nou de Dulce

ZONE 1 d’En Roig Picalquers Malnom Riera Baixa Egipcíaques Jardins de Rubió i Lluch between Hospital and Carme

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ZONE 4 Entorns de Baluard Nou de la Rambla Tàpies Santa Madrona Av. Paral·lel Portal de Santa Madrona La Rambla

AV. DEL PARAL• LEL

AFFECTED AREAS Four zones of the Raval have been highlighted for their concentration of narcopisos

and events to raise awareness of the issue. On January 17th, residents of Carrer de la Reina Amàlia organised a protest calling on the owners of the occupied apartments to take action. It’s the latest in a spate of similar demonstrations over recent months.

The group also organises regular meetings to discuss current problems and collaborative actions to deal with them, ranging from the symbolic hanging of red rags from street lights to instigating caceroladas (a collective banging of saucepans in protest), which they believe forces the issue onto the agenda of the government and the press.

Residents who have lived in the area for several decades are concerned that the situation could regress to how it was in the Eighties. Heroin addiction and the misuse of other drugs became a major problem in Spain in the late Seventies, when an economic boom and increased trading with overseas drug traffickers meant that citizens had money and access to harmful substances. Cocaine and heroin were only classified as ‘hard’ drugs in the reformation of the Penal Code in 1985, by which time it was already too late to stop the epidemic. In Barcelona, the Raval, or Barrio Chino, was the worse affected area due to its already-established reputation as the red-light district. The drug epidemic also brought violent crime to the area, which was only resolved towards the end of the Eighties as part of a concerted effort by the Ajuntament to clean up the city before the 1992 Olympic Games. Since the Nineties, the rate of drug use in the city has decreased, spiking slightly between

2003 and 2010 before decreasing again and plateauing since 2014.

But the current issue goes beyond the drugs and the dealers to housing and real estate. Why are there so many vacant apartments in the prime, high-density neighbourhoods of Barcelona?

When the financial crisis struck, many residents who had bought houses at pre-2008 prices defaulted on their mortgages.

According to Vidas Hipotecadas (2012), co-authored by the current mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, in Barcelona alone, more than 65,000 properties were repossessed between 2008 and 2011. This comprised around 19 percent of the total number of repossessions across Spain during that period. As a result, many of the vacant apartments are now owned by banks and investment funds.

Felipe Ibarra, founder of the Ateneu de Raval (Carrer de la Reina Amàlia 3), is critical of investors and banks. The Chilean architect founded the community centre three years ago, but has lived in the neighbourhood for more than 10 years. Ibarra believes that foreign speculation, investors buying up property to lease for profit, and banks retaining properties to increase revenue have caused rents to rise dramatically. Furthermore, he stated that they have “taken advantage of the many immigrants living in the area, including those who have a lower level of education and socioeconomic status, who are more susceptible to falling victim [to inequitable rental prices]. Usually the owners of these flats are those that want to make maximum returns with minimum investment and are not concerned about the social welfare of local residents.”

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Investors don’t seem to have been deterred by the narcopisos problem. The latest apartment development at Carrer de la Cera 5355, right in the heart of Zone 2, is due for completion by June 2018.

With prices ranging from €315,000 for a one-bedroom apartment (53m2) to €635,000 for a two-bedroom apartment (147m2), it is the most ambitious building project to date in the Raval, with a price per square metre (€4,300-€6,000) well above the average.

Murals in the neighbourhood’s public spaces demonstrate how strongly residents feel about these issues. In Plaça de Terenci Moix, a mural painted by a group of local residents just behind the CCCB conveys hard-hitting messages, such as ‘Raval is not for sale’, ‘Stay out speculators’ and ‘Stay out drug traffickers’. Meanwhile, a billboard hoisted above the Doña Rosa bar just outside the MACBA states the neighbourhood will not tolerate ‘real estate violence’, ‘speculation’, ‘inaccessible rental properties’ or ‘evictions’.

Derek, a Dutch investor who purchased two flats and renovated them to let—on Carrer de l'Hospital and Carrer del Marquès de Barberà, respectively—commented that while the social issues are frustrating, the area’s historic features and its central location override doubts about public health and security from an investor’s perspective. “We did some superficial research, but it’s always hard as you never know where all the problems are. It turns out that there’s [a narcopiso] across the street and it’s terrible the scenes we have witnessed. I feel sorry for the neighbours, some of whom have small kids,” he said. He’s realistic about the situation and the improbability of any immediate action, but believes the responsibility lies with the officials: “We hope the Ajuntament, police, etc. take responsibility as people pay a lot of taxes to feel safe. There’s no role for investors here, it’s a public administration matter, not something for the private sector.”

During 2017, the police seized 36 narcopisos and arrested 48 people found inside or connected with the properties. But bureaucratic processes can hinder progress. Even with consistent interventions, the police can only do so much. If a drug dealer occupies an

apartment without permission, the police can enter and detain the inhabitants or, if they are caught red-handed dealing drugs, they can be arrested. However, due to the considerable rights afforded to squatters by law, the police have to demonstrate without doubt that a crime has been committed in the flat and, even so, judges often err on the side of caution.

Concerned residents and police are pushing for further action to be taken against drug traffickers, which may require a reinterpretation of the law. They want judges to issue eviction orders as standard if it can be demonstrated that the apartments in question are being used for selling and using drugs illegally. Benito Granados, the head of the Guàrdia Urbana in the Ciutat Vella, said in a February 2018 La Vanguardia article, “If we can prove that the flat was used as a platform for drug trafficking, we can ask the judge to close it as an extra security measure.” If drug dealers re-enter a closed property the police also have the right to enter and detain the inhabitants. “We therefore have a guarantee that the apartment cannot be re-occupied,” stated the deputy head of Mossos d'Esquadra of the Ciutat Vella, Miquel Hernández. Whether this will be enough to deter drug dealers remains to be seen.

So what is the city council doing about the situation? “The Ajuntament has been implementing an emergency plan since summer 2017 and recently compiled a report of all actions and interventions to date,” said Noelia Vida Marin, a press representative of the mayor. Since then, more than €1 million has been dedicated to tackling the problem, which has been used to form a team to search the Raval for empty homes and reinforce the police presence in the area. They have also invested in drugrelated education and increased the hours of the Centre d’Atenció Sociosanitària clinic on Avinguda de les Drassanes. To deal with the more complex, long-term issue of releasing vacant flats into the public housing stock for rental, the Ajuntament has attempted to negotiate with owners.

Between October 2017 and February 2018, the number of

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properties whose owners are in negotiations with the Ajuntament has increased from 128 to 269. Thirty-six apartments have been voluntarily ceded to the city council, and a further 169 owners have been contacted. However, 187 owners were unreachable.

Other measures have been taken in recent years to stop the rising number of vacant properties. In 2014, the Catalan government introduced a fine for bank-owned properties left empty for more than two years. The Empty Housing Tax (Ley 14/2015, Impost sobre els habitatges buits), which came into effect in July 2015, was related to permanently vacant properties owned by banks. In 2014, approximately 40,000 empty flats were owned by financial establishments, concentrated in the hubs of Barcelona, Tarragona, Lleida and Girona.

"Narcopisos that have been reported at least once should automatically pass into the social housing stock" A mural close to Drassanes reads 'Get out speculators', 'Get out drug traffickers' and 'No Drugs': a plea for better living conditions in the neighbourhood

EMPTY APARTMENTS Distribution and ownership of empty apartments in the Raval

DISTRIBUTION

13% Zone 4

25% elsewhere in Raval

9% Zone 3

18% Zone 1 35% Zone 2

OWNERSHIP 2% other 4% unknown 33% private individuals 32% companies

29% financial entities

Banks were fined €5,000 per apartment, and were given a month to find tenants or face an additional charge of €10,000. If no action was taken after two months, they could face another fine of up to €15,000. Built into the law were generous incentives for the banks to release the properties for social housing. Recently, however, this law has been overturned by the Tribunal Court in Madrid, which declared the tax 'unconstitutional' following modifications to the law in 2016 to include all property owners.

But even if drug traffickers are evicted permanently and the narcopiso problem is eliminated, what will happen to the users and addicts? Moving them out of the Raval could simply mean more open drug use on the streets or in a different neighbourhood.

Either that, or the drug dealers will be forced deeper underground, which would increase public health and security issues, bolster the black market and only serve to move the drug problem elsewhere.

Ultimately, Ibarra believes that it is up to the authorities to do something, but realises that the law is open to interpretation.

“Narcopisos that have been reported at least once should automatically pass into the social housing stock,” he proposed. He believes that the police and the Ajuntament are doing a good job, but that the problem will only be solved if empty flats are outlawed.

A strong advocate of coordinated community action, he is part of a community platform which advocates the introduction of a tax aimed at limiting the number of properties any one owner (individual, bank or investor) can have.

The city council maintains that there is a clear strategy being implemented in collaboration with the police, the justice system, citizen platforms and other stakeholders. At a meeting on February 22nd, 2018, attended by Gala Pin (Councillor for the Ciutat Vella District), the PAH (Platform for Persons Affected by Mortgages), the Mossos d'Esquadra and the Guàrdia Urbana, Colau stated: “We are doing everything we can according to the power we have, and are contacting all the owners of the vacant apartments to convince them to allocate the properties to social housing. I am making this issue a priority.”

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RECORD STORE DAY CELEBRATING THE CULTURE OF INDEPENDENTLY OWNED RECORD STORES

By Tori Sparks

T

he first Record Store Day took place on April 19th, 2008, with a meet-and-greet by Metallica at the Rasputin Music store in San Francisco. It was conceived as a celebration of the unique culture of indie record stores. Fast-forward to 2018, and what started as a fun, grassroots celebration of vinyl in the US has transformed into an international phenomenon. Today, there are Record Store Day events happening across the globe. In Spain, and particularly in Barcelona, Record Store Day has become an annual highlight for music collectors, creators and indie music stores.

This year, Record Store Day falls on April 21st, and will be celebrated with free daytime and evening concerts at Revolver Records, SURCO, Discos 100, BCore, Disco Paradiso and many other stores. But it isn’t just about free concerts, it’s about getting your hands on limited-edition vinyls by national and international artists that aren’t available anywhere else. Serious collectors know to show up early, as there are often queues at participating stores.

The first edition of the event in Spain was organised by the nowdefunct Disc K7 store in 2011. The following year, Carlos Pascual, from Revolver Records in Barcelona, took over its coordination. Since then, participation nationwide has grown exponentially.

“Barcelona loves it, and it’s a huge day for artists and music lovers,” Pascual said. “For local businesses, it is also one of the most

important billing days of the year. In the case of some stores, revenue from this day alone allows them to keep their doors open. It’s a reminder and a celebration: ‘We’re still here, still fighting the good fight as independent vendors of music’.”

Only stores that function independently are allowed to participate.

Pascual sees Record Store Day as an opportunity to support independent and local artists, as well as big names, and to give fans a tangible experience in an age of digital, disposable culture.

Barcelona resident Eduardo Benatar is a professional drummer for the bands Luz Verde and Side Chick, and owns an Eighties-themed bar, Polaroid (Còdols 29), in the Gothic Quarter. An avid collector of vinyl records, he never misses this annual event. “Record Store Day gives you a marvellous feeling of belonging to a like-minded community,” he said. “Seeing the music shops full of people makes me incredibly happy—even if it means the records I’m looking for might sell out before I get one for myself!”

Benatar believes that Record Store Day is not just for die-hard collectors, but has something for everyone. “The younger generations, who were raised on MP3s, are discovering the beauty of holding an actual physical thing created by their favourite artists,” he said.

“Record Store Day is helping to keep music alive as an art form and needs the support of the people who enjoy it.”

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EVERY LITTLE HELPS PERMACULTURE IN THE CITY

By Helen Iles

“I have an idea for those of you who commute. What would happen if your journey took five minutes longer, but incorporated a short walk or cycle through a park? That little space to be surrounded by greenery, where you can be affected by the weather and notice the change in seasons, could be really healthy for your body and mind. If you commute by public transport, maybe you could get off one stop early and find a park on your way home?

If you change buses or trains at any point, maybe there’s a chance to walk somewhere nice in-between? If you cycle, maybe find a longer but more attractive route? If you drive, maybe park on the other side of a park? (I say this because I cycle up and over a hill on my way to work instead of down with the traffic. I find going to work more pleasant because I see trees in blossom and green space).”

Anna Gurney, permaculture teacher, Barcelona

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P

ermaculture was developed in Australia in the Seventies by David Holmgren and Bill Mollison.

Originally standing for ‘permanent agriculture’, it concentrated on the potential for making land-based projects more self-sustaining by following patterns observed in natural ecosystems. It was developed as a response to the industrial-agricultural sector, which Holmgren and Mollison believe is exploitative of the Earth’s resources.

For many people, to practise permaculture still means needing access to land, which is out of reach for most city-dwellers.

However, after spending many years developing Melliodora, a leading rural demonstration project showcasing cool climate permaculture in Australia, Holmgren has recently released a new book called Retrosuburbia (2018). The book explores how city living can be made more enjoyable and more sustainable—both from the point of view of human psychology and species biodiversity. To do this, it draws on one of the core messages of permaculture: the need to adapt in response to our environment. Permaculture has now been expanded to mean ‘permanent culture’, to acknowledge that social changes are also integral to finding a permanent and sustainable way of living.

Anna Gurney is an English permaculture teacher who lives in the Montjuïc area of Barcelona. She is also a maths teacher and mum to a lively four-year-old. She belongs to several Barcelonabased permaculture groups and owns and manages a land-based project about two hours outside of Barcelona in the Matarranya region. Named Boodaville, after a nickname that Gurney was given in her twenties, it is an environmental education and permaculture site where she hosts courses, weekend retreats and family camps.

Gurney advocates the ‘12 Permaculture Principles’, as laid out by Holmgren in Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability (2002), as key to making manageable yet meaningful changes to life in the city. She believes that they can be easily applied to daily life.

“Alone, you can make a small difference, but coming together with others makes our actions more effective and more enjoyable” “Take principle number six: produce no waste,” she said. “That can feel like a massive undertaking, but even remembering to carry reusable bags limits the amount of plastic bags in circulation.”

Following a ban on free plastic bags introduced by the Catalan government in March 2017, there are a few euros to be saved too.

“Carrying a refillable water bottle also makes a difference,” said Gurney. This example resonates with number nine: make small and slow changes. Rather than going ‘no plastic’ from one day to the next, carrying reusable bags and a refillable water bottle develops positive habits which can then be built upon. “As they say in Catalunya, ‘poc a poc’,” said Gurney.

The question of plastic bottles is particularly pertinent in Spain, where bottled water is prevalent. Three and a half billion drinks bottles are used every year in Spain according to Seas at Risk, a Brussels-based umbrella organisation of environmental NGOs from across Europe. The organisation highlighted the massive scale of the single use plastic problem in Europe in an October 2017 report,

12 PRINCIPLES OF PERMACULTURE

1. Observe and interact. Planning your commute through a local park will let you engage with nature and increase your energy levels for the whole day.

2. Catch and store energy. Flush less, switch off the lights, central heating and air conditioning when not needed, and take fewer flights to make the resources we have last longer.

3. Obtain a yield. Community connections strengthen our network and increase opportunities for mutual support, but be careful—we need to feel rewarded for the work we do.

4. Apply self-regulation and accept feedback. It’s easy to get caught in unhelpful loops of thought and behaviour. A good friend or mentor can help us identify patterns that we can’t, or don’t want to, see for ourselves.

5. Use and value renewable resources and services. Supermarkets may be cheap and convenient, but supporting local businesses keeps wealth in the local economy.

6. Produce no waste. Reduce, reuse, recycle. It’s easy to be wasteful in times of abundance, but this waste can lead to hardship later.

7. Design from patterns to details. Step back and observe the patterns of everyday life to help you manage the smaller details. Look at your daily routine and streamline it to save energy and time.

8. Integrate rather than segregate. Building a community makes life easier for everyone, helping people to be better prepared in the face of future uncertainty.

9. Use small and slow solutions. You don’t have to change everything at once. Remember, poc a poc!

10. Use and value diversity. Just as a habitat needs many types of animals and plants, society also benefits from a range of different people and viewpoints.

11. Use edges and value the marginal. The most popular approach to a problem is not necessarily the better solution for you. Take risks, and you’ll be surprised at the new opportunities that arise.

12. Creatively use and respond to change. We know the environment is changing in a way that seems out of our control, but you can take small steps individually, or as a community, to create a positive impact socially and environmentally.

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Photo by Bernat Rueda, RiD Produccions Permaculture in the city is closely related to community building

while in June of last year, The Guardian reported that a million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute.

Implementing these new habits is also likely to influence the people around you, which leads to principle number eight: integrate rather than segregate. “Alone, you can make a small difference, but coming together with others makes our actions more effective and more enjoyable,” said Gurney. “Sharing your energy and waste-saving tips with friends encourages everyone by normalising the behaviour. We are all at different places on our journeys, but even people who seem very different to you can still be involved in the conversation.”

Gurney is a big believer in the power of community. She has found that taking part in permaculture activities helps to ground people and provides opportunities to meet like-minded people in a relaxed environment. This reasoning is embodied in the activities she hosts at Boodaville, but also applies to city-based groups. In the Born, there is a community garden group, Hortet del Forat, where you can get your hands dirty and grow vegetables. In partnership with Permacultura Barcelona, they also offer workshops on various topics, such as how to make compost on your balcony and how to create a space-saving vertical planter.

Permacultura Barcelona is also active at Can Masdeu, on the edge of the Serra de Collserola Natural Park, where work in the garden is followed by a shared lunch and interesting discussions. In Poblenou, ConnectHort has a similar approach. This group has converted an abandoned building site into a thriving huerto (allotment) and hosts weekly get-togethers. As well as gardening, they hold film screenings, yoga sessions, talks, workshops and more. Permaculture activities normally begin with gardening, but often end up incorporating many more aspects of everyday life.

Even in a city like Barcelona, close to both the mountains and coastline, the hustle and bustle can still result in a feeling of disconnection. Whether through small adjustments to daily life or through community projects, we should be inspired by permaculturists on their mission to re-connect people and nature.

MORE INFO Boodaville Events and retreats at Anna Gurney’s community permaculture project in Mattaranya: April 7th-14th. Living Permaculture Course May 25th-27th. Boodaville Festival July 21st-28th. Living Permaculture with the family boodaville.wordpress.com ConnectHort Workshops every Saturday 10.30am-2pm Àlaba 24. facebook.com/connectHortBarcelona Permacultura Barcelona Events, education, courses facebook.com/groups/pb.comunidad.eventos Permacultura Activa Events in and around Barcelona facebook.com/permaculturactiva

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music CROSSING THE THRESHOLD

LANA DEL REY. PALAU SANT JORDI. PG. OLÍMPIC 5-7. APRIL 19TH. Since her singles ‘Video Games’ and ‘Blue Jeans’ became viral hits on YouTube in 2012, Lana del Rey has captivated indie pop-rock fans across the world. With a melancholic air underlined by haunting tones, the singer-songwriter is known for her vintage aesthetic and references to Fifties and Sixties America. Del Rey’s first full-length album, Born to Die (2012), sold three million copies globally. Since then, her albums Ultraviolence (2014) and Honeymoon (2015) have woven a journey through climactic rock riffs to glossier dream beats, all the while maintaining the midcentury nostalgia for which she is famous.

In her latest album, Lust for Life (2017), del Rey returns to her roots, both lyrically and musically, inspired by American iconography. Stopping in Barcelona on her LA to the Moon Tour, del Rey sets out to show fans her true self; as she puts it in ‘Get Free’: ‘Finally/I’m crossing the threshold/From the ordinary world/To the reveal of my heart.’

EVERYTHING NOW

ARCADE FIRE. PALAU SANT JORDI. PG. OLÍMPIC 5-7. APRIL 21ST. Arcade Fire rose to prominence in 2004 with the release of their critically acclaimed debut album Funeral. Founded in Montreal in 2000 by classmates Win Butler and Josh Deu, the lasting effects of childhood have been one of Arcade Fire’s central themes since the band recorded its first demos. While over the years hit singles such as ‘Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)’, ‘Rebellion (Lies)’, ‘No Cars Go’ and ‘Ready to Start’ have won them invitations to headline the world’s biggest music festivals, including Glastonbury and Coachella, the Canadian indie rock band have a history of staying true to themselves. Today, the band consists of Butler, his wife, Régine Chassagne, and his younger brother, William Butler, along with three newer additions. They released their single ‘Everything Now’ on a limited edition 12-inch vinyl at Primavera Sound in Barcelona in May 2017, which became Arcade Fire’s first single to reach number one on a Billboard chart. The band’s fifth studio album of the same name came out in July of last year and was met with polarised reviews; nevertheless, Rolling Stone praised the album for its lyrical content and Slant Magazine stated that “the result is by far Arcade Fire’s most upbeat and easily digestible album to date”.

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LIVE MUSIC

THURSDAY, APRIL 5TH

DAMIEN MCFLY

23:00 H • FREE ENTRY

23:00 H • FREE ENTRY

ÀNIMA NEGRA

DANNY THE LIp

23:00 H • FREE ENTRY

23:00 H • FREE ENTRY

DON VITO ROCK BAND

MARC SMITH

23:00 H • FREE ENTRY

23:00 H • FREE ENTRY

DOS CABEzAS

THE LONG pLAYERS

23:00 H • FREE ENTRY

23:00 H • FREE ENTRY

JANE JAUME

THURSDAY, APRIL 12TH

THURSDAY, APRIL 19TH

THURSDAY, APRIL 26TH

SUNDAY, APRIL 8TH

SUNDAY, APRIL 15TH

SUNDAY, APRIL 22ND

SUNDAY, APRIL 29TH

MEET GIULIA VALLE

GIULIA VALLE ENSEMBLE. JAMBOREE. PL. REIAL 17. APRIL 14TH. This month, Italian bassist and composer Giulia Valle will record her third live album with the Giulia Valle Group at Jamboree. An established figure on the Spanish jazz scene, the Barcelonabased artist makes an impression with her electric stage presence and avant-garde compositions. So far, she has released eight albums with various ensembles and toured jazz festivals across Europe and North America. We caught up with her in her Poblesec studio ahead of this month’s live recording. “As a woman, it’s been much harder for me to prove myself,” she said. “Not because of the musicians, who have always welcomed anyone with talent, but because of the bookers. Here in Barcelona I’m well-known, but in other places they ask me to play in all-girl bands, as if my gender were the main attraction.” Instead, Valle’s main appeal is undeniably the atmosphere she creates on stage and her pure connection with the other band members. She leads several projects of varying sizes—including the Giulia Valle Trio and the Giulia Valle Group—which, as a bassist, is fairly unorthodox. Nevertheless, it lends the performance a sense of freedom that is often not found in performances led from the piano. “As a bassist, my line lies right in the middle of the performance space, between the drums and the piano. I hold the other instruments together, and can drive them forward or play around more with the music, depending on the mood and the audience.” Of course, it helps that she is the composer of all the music her ensembles perform and controls the inflection of every note. “I am more than just a bassist,” she explained. “What I do, what we create on stage is not mainstream. It’s a completely different energy.”

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CARLA HABERMEYER MONDAY, APRIL 9TH, 16TH, 23RD AND 30TH

22:30 H • FREE ENTRY

*This information is for your reference. Hard Rock Cafe Barcelona reserves the right to make last minute changes due to force majeure. For further details, please visit our website: http://www.hardrock.com/cafes/barcelona/event-calendar.aspx

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music

IN CONCERT

3rd. Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein BARTS. Paral∙lel 62.

5th. Norah Jones Gran Teatre del Liceu. La Rambla 51-59.

6th. Imagine Dragons Palau Sant Jordi. Pg. Olímpic 5-7.

7th. Luz Casal Gran Teatre del Liceu. La Rambla 51-59.

13th. Thirty Seconds to Mars Sant Jordi Club. Pg. Olímpic 5-7.

13th. Roger Waters Palau Sant Jordi. Pg. Olímpic 5-7.

14th. Amy Macdonald Razzmatazz. Pamplona 88.

19th. Lana del Rey Palau Sant Jordi. Pg. Olímpic 5-7.

21st. Arcade Fire Palau Sant Jordi. Pg. Olímpic 5-7.

RADIOACTIVE

IMAGINE DRAGONS. PALAU SANT JORDI. PG. OLÍMPIC 5-7. APRIL 6TH. Imagine Dragons got their first big break in 2009 thanks to Train’s frontman Pat Monahan. Hours before Train’s headline slot at the Bite of Las Vegas Festival, Monahan fell ill, and Imagine Dragons swooped in at the last minute to take their place, playing to a crowd of more than 26,000 people.

Nine years, three albums and one Grammy Award later, Imagine Dragons are one of the most successful rock bands of the 21st century.

Their music has been featured in numerous films, including Passengers (2016), Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) and Suicide Squad (2016), and they have sold 12 million albums and more than 35 million singles worldwide. In 2013, the band

founded the Tyler Robinson Foundation, a charity that supports families with children suffering from cancer. Tyler Robinson, an Imagine Dragons fan who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at the age of 16, was inspired by a lyric from the band’s hit single ‘It’s Time’: ‘The path to heaven runs through miles of clouded hell’. Lead singer Dan Reynolds met Robinson at one of their concerts and invited him on stage to sing the song with him.

The scene, filmed by Robinson’s younger brother, went viral. Since his passing, the band have worked closely with Robinson’s family, raising money and awareness on social media with the hashtag #slaycancerwithdragons.

26th. Asaf Avidan BARTS. Paral∙lel 62.

26th. Editors Razzmatazz. Pamplona 88.

27th. Pablo López Gran Teatre del Liceu. La Rambla 51-59.

28th. Octave One Nitsa Club. Nou de la Rambla 113.

30th. Antonio José Gran Teatre del Liceu. La Rambla 51-59.

FEELIN’ THE SAME WAY

NORAH JONES. GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU. LA RAMBLA 51-59. APRIL 5TH. Although she’s spent the past decade dabbling in pop, rock and folk music, Norah Jones’ heart clearly lies in jazz. Harking back to the sound of her first hit album, Come Away With Me (2002), the American singer’s latest album Day Breaks (2016), has a more mellow, piano-led vibe that underlines the smoky raw power of her voice. After studying jazz piano at the University of North Texas, Jones channelled the genre that she was most familiar with in her original records and reached platinum in the US sales charts with songs such as ‘Don’t Know Why’. Her intermediate releases ventured beyond the smooth, coffee house genre into which she was placed by many pop critics, but Day Breaks comes full circle. In an interview with Billboard, Jones spoke about her goal to do everything live for this album: “When you have great musicians, there’s no reason to overdub. That strips the soul out of the music.” When her tour comes to Barcelona, the singer will be at the keys playing original songs and covers of jazz classics, accompanied by her live studio band.

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ART REVIEW

NIGHT

Will Shank visits Brassaï at the Fundació MAPFRE Until May 13th

B

orn Gyula Halász in 1899, Brassaï landed in Paris in 1924 and quickly adopted a pseudonym meaning ‘from Brassó’, his native city in Romania. While trying to make a living as a visual artist, he recorded the seductive environment of his adopted city, a hobby that eventually took over his life. His soulful and insightful black and white images speak profound truths about not only the most beautiful city in the world but also the universality of human experience.

Long-time MoMA curator Peter Galassi, working with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, has chosen wisely from Brassaï’s vast output for the current exhibition at the Fundació MAPFRE. His poetic passages of explanatory texts on the gallery walls complement the photos beautifully and give them social and historical context.

Although Brassaï’s images often appear spontaneous, they rarely were. Taking a photograph in the Thirties was not the simple point-and-click activity that it is today.

Photographers like Brassaï could not anonymously frame and shoot strangers in the street; he was hauling around a tripod topped by a large Voigtländer-Bergheil apparatus. Nevertheless, although his tableaux of figures were meticulously framed and then sensitively cropped, his subjects often seem unaware of the photographer.

Artist Joan Miró floats unnoticed through throngs of people in Barcelona’s ‘Barrio Chino’ and Plaça Reial, choreographed by the photographer, while in the brothel scenes, the girls are real but the customer is played by the photographer’s assistant.

By the later years of his career, Brassaï was creating portraits of such luminaries of art and literature as Jean Genet, Eugène Ionesco, Salvador Dalí and his wife Gala, Anaïs Nin and Henry Miller. Tuxedoed gents and high society ladies float in and out of the doors of the Lapin Agile or Les Ambassadeurs Club, and Joseph Kennedy Sr. can be spotted at a black-tie celebration for the newly redecorated Maxim’s. Brassaï also travelled the world for Harper’s Bazaar, and the final galleries of the exhibition are full of his photos of Brazil, Madrid, London and New York City.

©Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris

Paris by But the soul of the show can be found in the ground floor galleries, which are devoted to his ‘Paris At Night’ photographs. Brassaï’s professional breakthrough came with the publication of Paris de Nuit in 1932. Its format was innovative—spiral bound, without margins—and its content attracted keen public interest with images that reached out from a space beyond photojournalism. The haunting nature of many of the nocturnal images was enhanced by a coincidence of timing in lighting technology—the gaslights that had lit up the Parisian streets since the mid-19th century had not yet been replaced by electric lamps. In Brassaï’s Paris, lovers kiss, butchers move slabs of meat around the wholesale market of Les Halles, and Kiki de Montparnasse, her lips and her eyebrows painted onto her Kabuki-white face, entertains her guests. Same-sex dancers amuse themselves at ‘Magic City’, and ‘Fat Claude and Her Girlfriend’ enjoy a night out on the town at Le Monocle during the annual Lenten celebrations when gay Paris became openly gay. As a sympathetic documentarian of the down-and-outs and those marginalised because of social status or sexuality, Brassaï paved the way for many important later 20thcentury photographers, from Diane Arbus to Nan Goldin.

Simple scenes like the ‘Bal des Quatre Saisons’, where a woman’s displaced hand distracts the eye from a mirrored view of a couple in a cafe, or the threatening figures staring directly at the cameraman from around a darkened wall in ‘Two Thugs Near Place d’Italie’ show Brassaï’s brilliant instinct for design. In almost every case, the beauty of the image lies in its power to transport the viewer into the scene, to a Paris much explored by those who went before him. “The unbroken continuity of an enduring civilisation,” was Brassaï’s theme, according to Galassi. “He was not exploring unknown territory, and his great body of work is not reportage. He reinvigorated a rich mythology of literature and visual arts by transposing it to the fresh medium of photography at its most visceral and immediate.”

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© Patricio Vélez

art

PatriCio Vélez. las forMas del tieMPo. fundaCió suñol. oPening aPril 27th.

Art, for Patricio Vélez, is a means of reconstructing experiences and journeys, but also of exploring beyond the boundaries of his imagination. His work, incorporating inspirations gleaned from observations of nature in Tenerife and Brazil, is defined by weightless images that seem to grow, expand and float. A trained architect and skilled draughtsman, the Ecuadorian artist uses oil paints and ink pens to create free-flowing images through which he has developed a singular calligraphic syntax. These skills have been honed through years of studying in Quito, Paris, Marseille and Barcelona, as well as through his time teaching fine art at EINA since he moved to Barcelona in 1976.

The new exhibition at the Fundació Suñol presents a complete panorama of his career, bringing together more than 50 drawings, engravings and photographs.

Part of the Josep Suñol Collection, it is testimony to the richness and diversity of Barcelona’s creative scene during the last quarter of the 20th century. Divided into eight ‘chapters’ that pull together the different themes expressed in his work, the exhibition explores his relationship with nature, the city and his feelings of alienation.

Title: Waiting For Freedom © Neil Aldridge

NATURAL INSPIRATION

REPORT THIS

World Press Photo exhibition. CCCb. Montalegre 5. oPening aPril 28th.

Showcasing stories that make people stop, think and act, the World Press Photo competition highlights the best photos taken by photographic journalists each year, connecting citizens with the stories that surround them. The 2017 Photo of the Year will be awarded in Amsterdam on April 13th, and the featured photos will then be toured around the world, coming to Barcelona on April 28th. For the 2017 competition, more than 70,000 images were submitted, of which 143 photos have been chosen as category winners.

This year, six photos have been nominated as the most representative image of 2017, including work depicting the Rohingya massacres, the London terror attack and the battle for Mosul. The exhibition will feature these, alongside other emblematic images chosen by the committee in categories such as nature, contemporary issues and people. In Barcelona, the exhibition will be complemented by debates, screenings and other activities organised by the Photographic Social Vision foundation to consider the social benefits and limitations of photojournalism.

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EXHIBITIONS

OPENING GALERIA JOAN PRATS Muntadas. Edicions II Winner of the Spanish Prize for Visual Arts in 2005, Antoni Muntadas uses photography and video to comment on the relationship between architecture and social spaces, and the tension between public and private spheres. With this exhibition, the Barcelona-born artist returns for the second installation of a series he began at the gallery in 2003.

Opening April 5th. Balmes 54. .

MACBA Seguranyes Vic-born sculptor Joan Seguranyes i Redorta collaborates with the MEAM to bring his latest creations to the public eye. Twenty-five works created using mixed materials, including terracotta, plaster and bronze, as well as a collection of drawings, will be donated to the Fundació de les Arts i els Artistes.

April 12th-29th. Pl. dels Àngels 1.

MACBA Domènec. Not here, not anywhere Concrete structures, including social housing, decrepit buildings and controversial public statues, inspire the work of Domènec as he examines the dysfunction and breakdown of society triggered by neoliberalism and individualism. This exhibition offers an insight into the artist’s work over the last 20 years.

Opening April 19th. Pl. dels Àngels 1.

LAST CHANCE GALERIA H2O ‘Estranys habitatges’ by Diego Guirao Local artist Diego Guirao seeks balance in his latest collection of paintings, ‘Strange Houses’. The lyrical brush strokes evoke a sense of abstraction, which he contrasts with round, organic shapes, to reveal a dark and mysterious beauty.

Until April 6th. Verdi 152.

MACBA Rosemarie Castoro. Focus at Infinity.

The work of New York minimalist Rosemarie Castoro is exhibited in detail for the first time. Her unique approach to ‘intermedia’ combines abstract painting, sculpture and conceptualist installations, and her work provokes a reevaluation of Minimalism to include a wider scope of artists and media.

Until April 15th. Pl. dels Àngels 1.

ARTS SANTA MÒNICA Biblioteques Insòlites This exhibition reinvents the traditional idea of a library.

Selected artists present their ‘personal libraries’, each one a space that includes reference books, personal objects, drawings and artistic editions, highlighting the evolution of book collections in the 21st century.

Until April 23rd. La Rambla 7.

CCCB After the End of the World Eight interactive installations created by international artists present a ‘spatial essay’ on one of today’s pressing issues: the climate crisis. This is a journey into the potential future of the planet and its expanding anthropogenic ecosystems.

Until April 29th. Montalegre 5.

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(24TH)

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BLUES JAM SESSION Led by Argentinian guitarist Hernan ‘El Chino’ Senra, this jam session unites a variety of instruments.

10.30pm. Harlem Jazz Club.

A well-known installation artist from Barcelona, Antoni Muntadas displays the second edition of his work, capturing the power of the media.

Galeria Joan Prats. Until June 17th.

These weekly classes are open to both beginners and experts who want to learn the calming techniques of meditation. 6.30pm. Centro de Meditacion Kadampa Mahakaruna, Girona 102.

JACOB SARTORIUS The 15-year-old American pop singer continues to melt hearts all over the world as he tours his debut EP, Left Me Hangin’ (2017).

7.30pm. Razzmatazz.

10 MUNTADAS EDICION II

9LEARN TO MEDITATE

VIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS The classical composer's most famous work is performed by La Orquesta Sinfónica Estatal del Teatro de la Ópera de Rostov.

5.30pm. Palau de la Música Catalana. April 2nd.

Electronic musicians Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein perform music from the Netflix phenomenon. 8pm. BARTS.

This not-for-profit festival allows dancers from near and far to share their passion for swing with the people of Barcelona. City centre.

April 1st & 2nd.

PENTATOMIC BAND Four young musicians join veteran saxophonist Eladio Reinón for a jazz performance as part of the Emergents Barcelona Music Festival.

10.15pm. L’Auditori.

3STRANGER THINGS

TUE SDAY

1/2 BARSWINGONA

MONDAY

LIVE STAND-UP COMEDY This weekly open mic night welcomes professional and novice comedians to the stage.

9.30pm. Craft Barcelona.

BARCELONA HAPPY HOUR This monthly networking event will keep you up to date with the Englishspeaking community of Barcelona.

8pm. Pomarada, Pg. de Gràcia 78.

11 AMERICAN SOCIETY OF

WOMAN: CREATOR AND MOTIVE An exhibition uniting the work of artists from Barcelona, the Basque Country and China, who focus on the concept of figures frozen in time.

N2 Galería. Until April 19th.

More than 150 photos, magazines and newspapers comprise this exhibition dedicated to the best work of the late Francisco Gómez, in which he achieves a poetic interpretation of the architectural concept.

Foto Colectania. Until June 17th.

4PACO GÓMEZ ARCHIVE

WE DN ESDAY

SILENZIO A circus show directed by Robert Magro, which gives voice to women who, until now, have been forced to live in silence. Mercat de les Flors.

Until April 15th.

Returning for its 37th edition, this internationally-renowned trade fair celebrates the work of acclaimed illustrators and welcomes new talent.

Fira Barcelona - Montjuïc.

Until April 15th.

12 COMIC FAIR

CARMEN The famous four-act opera by French composer Georges Bizet is reimagined on stage and directed by Xavier Puig. 8pm.

Palau de la Música Catalana.

The nine-time Grammy winner and ‘Come Away With Me’ singer brings her tour to Barcelona, playing original songs and covers of jazz classics with her live studio band. 9pm. Liceu.

5NORAH JONES

T HURSDAY

ROGER WATERS The 74-year-old singer-songwriter and co-founder of Pink Floyd tours his first solo rock album in nearly 25 years, Is This the Life We Really Want (2017). 9pm. Palau Sant Jordi.

The Los Angeles heavy rock band visits Barcelona as part of their European tour. 9pm. Sant Jordi Club.

13 THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS

CRUÏLLA DE PRIMAVERA Headlined by Catalan pop-folk group Els Catarres, the second edition of this springtime festival takes place in Poble Espanyol. 8pm. Avda.

Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia 13.

One of the most popular rock bands of the 21st century tour their latest studio album, Evolve (2017).

9pm. Palau Sant Jordi.

6IMAGINE DRAGONS

FRIDAY

THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS (13TH)

NATOS Y WAOR The hip-hop rap duo and YouTube stars from Madrid visit Barcelona for one night. 8.30pm. Sant Jordi Club.

Having sold more than 12 million records worldwide, the beloved ‘This Is the Life’ singer may be soft-spoken, but she has a booming singing voice. 9pm. Razzmatazz.

14 AMY MACDONALD

DIABETES EXPERIENCE DAY Talks by doctors and patients help to educate attendees of this annual event on the disease affecting more than 422 million people worldwide.

8.30am. Fira Barcelona - Montjuïc.

Returning for its fifth edition, this two-day avant-garde electronic music festival showcases exciting, new underground music. 8pm. CCCB. April 6th & 7th.

7LAPSUS FESTIVAL

SAT URDAY

PASSEJADA AMB BARRET A relaxed and entertaining annual walk, starting at the intersection of Rambla de Catalunya and Diagonal, that requires participants to wear their favourite hat or headpiece.

12pm. City centre.

CHAMPIONSHIP The fourth edition of this annual rallycross series comes to Montmeló, featuring fearless drivers and fast cars. Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

April 14th-15th.

15 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS

CURSA EL CORTE INGLÉS In its 40th year, this 10.7-kilometre fun run is free to enter and passes through some of the city's most iconic sites, including the Olympic Stadium.

9am. City centre.

'One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ at this monthly secondhand flea market. 10am. Pl. de Blanquerna.

8FLEA MARKET

SUN DAY

APRIL 2018

THIS MONTH

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T.REX EN COSMOCAIXA An impeccably preserved, 66 millionyear-old dinosaur skeleton is on display at CosmoCaixa Barcelona.

Isaac Newton 26. Until May 21st.

After gaining recognition from a TV talent show, Antonio José now boasts four platinum records and is one of Spain’s best-loved musicians.

9pm. Liceu.

CARMEN (5TH)

ARTE FLAMENCO The fiery flamenco phenomenon comes to one of Barcelona’s most beautiful theatres. 9pm. Palau de la Música Catalana.

BARCELONA OPEN One of the country’s most exciting tennis tournaments welcomes back Rafael Nadal and other tennis stars for a week-long clay court spectacle.

Real Club de Tenis Barcelona.

April 21st-29th.

30 ANTONIO JOSÉ

EU STARTUPS SUMMIT 2018 The annual event invites more than 750 startup enthusiasts, founders and investors for a day of professional networking and learning.

10am. Auditori AXA.

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ALIMENTARIA (16TH)

PHOTO

DIADA DE SANT JORDI Celebrate Catalunya’s patron saint with a day of roses and books. Traditionally, men give their sweetheart a rose and ladies give their beau a book.

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SEGURANYES Catalan sculptor Joan Seguranyes i Redorta has donated both his and his father’s work, consisting of 25 sculptures in terracotta, plaster and bronze, to the Museu Europeu d’Art Modern. MEAM. Until April 29th.

The leading food, drink and gastronomy trade show in Spain and the Mediterranean. Fira Barcelona Gran Via. Until April 19th.

16 ALIMENTARIA 2018

MERCADO DE REALIDAD VIRTUAL The second edition of this virtual reality market offers conferences, classes and networking opportunities, alongside cinematic displays.

Museu del Disseny de Barcelona.

Until April 28th.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RENEWABLE ENERGY The annual conference helps those interested in using renewable energy to create a more sustainable future.

Balmes 132. Until April 27th.

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JOBARCELONA Presenting more than 8,000 career opportunities in the form of employment, internships, scholarships and more, this three-day job fair offers advice and networking on a national and international level.

Fira Barcelona - Montjuïc.

April 17th & 18th.

This innovative networking event is inspired by the Italian piazza and renounces all professional stereotypes and social labels.

7.30pm. COCO-MAT, Balmes 229-231.

18 HUB DOT: BOUNCING BACK

.

BELY BASARTE (26TH)

AFTER THE END OF THE WORLD In its final month, this exhibition shows the impact of human life on the Earth’s natural systems.

CCCB. Until May 1st.

PABLO LOPEZ The Spanish singer tours his latest album, Camino, fuego y libertad (2017), in which he claims he has merged everything: “My life, my stories, and even my house.”

9pm. Liceu.

AARON ABERNATHY The soul and R&B musician and songwriter returns to Jamboree after a sell-out show last December.

8pm & 10pm. Jamboree.

Directed by Guy Nater, a Lebanese artist living in Barcelona, this new dance performance seeks to convey the infinite, time and memory.

8pm. Mercat de les Flors.

28 SETS OF SETS

ALL THOSE FOOD MARKET The artisan culinary market presents a selection of the tastiest Catalan cheeses. Teatre Nacional de Catalunya. Until April 22nd.

B TRAVEL This three-day trade show helps globetrotters plan their perfect holiday, alongside concerts and expert speakers. Fira Barcelona Montjuïc. Until April 22nd.

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The annual two-day Barcelona Earth Fair hosts an eco market in conjunction with Earth Day. Parc Central de Nou Barris.

April 21st & 22nd.

The Canadian rock band tour their fifth album, Everything Now (2017).

9pm. Palau Sant Jordi.

BIG performs its crazy, funny improvised theatre.

8.30pm. Tinta Roja.

EDITORS (26TH)

THE BASEBALLS Returning to Barcelona for the first time in seven years, the musical trio perform Sixties-style covers of music from modern day artists, such as Rihanna and Katy Perry.

8.30pm. BARTS

BIERGARTEN The eighth edition of this Germaninspired beer festival.

Poble Espanyol. Until May 6th.

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CURSA BOMBERS DE BARCELONA Every year since 1999, Barcelona’s firefighters have joined forces with the public to run 10 kilometres around the city. 9am. City centre.

22 FIRA PER LA TERRA

21 ARCADE FIRE

20 BARCELONA IMPROV GROUP

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

BELY BASARTE The singer-songwriter from Madrid, who gained fame for her YouTube covers, performs for two nights.

Sala Bikini. Until April 27th.

EDITORS The five-man rock band from Birmingham will perform some of their best-known hits, as well as hits from their latest album, Violence (2018). 8pm. Razzmatazz.

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JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR See the original version of the rock opera directed by Andrew Lloyd Webber that has previously triumphed in London’s West End and on Broadway. Teatre Tívoli.

Until April 29th.

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, known professionally as Lana del Rey, tours her 2017 studio album, Lust for Life.

9pm. Palau Sant Jordi.

19 LANA DEL REY

misc SMASH HIT

BArceloNA oPeN. reiAl cluB de TeNNis BArceloNA. Bosch i GiMPerA 5. APril 21sT-29Th. The second most anticipated tennis tournament in Spain, after the Madrid Open, is El Trofeo Conde de Godó, known commonly just as ‘Godó’ or the Barcelona Open. In its 66th edition, this year’s annual men’s tournament welcomes some of the sport’s most talented players, including Grigor Dimitrov, Dominic Thiem and, of course, the Spanish sporting superpower Rafael Nadal. “Playing at home is special to me,” Nadal told EFE news agency ahead of this year’s tournament. “The Barcelona Open is a very important tournament in my calendar, and I have always tried to play in it ever since I became a professional.” Having won the tournament 10 times, last year the Reial Club de Tennis Barcelona renamed its centre court in honour of the ‘King of Clay’; it’s now officially titled ‘Pista Rafa Nadal’. With tickets available from €9, the ball’s in your court now.

SAY CHEESE!

All Those Food MArkeT. TeATre NAcioNAl de cATAluNyA. Pl. de les ArTs 1. APril 21sT & 22Nd. The All Those Food Market celebrates people with a passion for good food. Each event showcases some of Barcelona’s greatest artisans, entrepreneurs, cooks, farmers and food enthusiasts in a maze of food and drink stalls buzzing with a festive atmosphere. The market champions local produce and independent businesses, providing visitors with an opportunity to meet the creators behind each dish and to take an interest in where it is coming from. Participants include Rafa Peña’s Gresca restaurant and Bernat Bermudo’s Mano Rota, among many others. This month’s edition will be dedicated to Sant Jordi, and will include the presentation of new books from independent publishing houses and rose stalls. Alongside All Those, the first edition of the Crua Festival will also take place—a cheese feast involving some of the best artisan cheese-makers in Catalunya. There will be cheesy workshops and a contest to choose the best cheese of 2018.

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RUN LIKE THE WIND

lA cursA el corTe iNGlés ANd lA cursA de BoMBers. BArceloNA ciTy ceNTre. APril 8Th ANd APril 22Nd. Dust off your running shoes and get ready for two of the most popular races in Barcelona—the Cursa de Bombers and the Cursa El Corte Inglés. These races offer a manageable alternative to the previous months’ marathon and half-marathon events, with distances of 10 and 10.7 kilometres respectively. The Cursa de Bombers has been celebrating the firefighters of Barcelona for the past two decades, and each year hundreds of fully-equipped bombers run the race together with thousands of citizens. Starting and ending along Avinguda Marques de l’Argentera in the Born, the route follows the main thoroughfares of central Barcelona: Via Laietana, Gran Via, Avinguda del Paral•lel and Passeig de Colom.

This year, the Cursa El Corte Inglés is also celebrating, with its 40th anniversary race. The free event is Europe’s biggest fun run and sees more than 70,000 runners of all ages take to the streets. The course, which starts and ends near Plaça de Catalunya, includes a climb up Montjuïc and a lap of honour in the Olympic stadium.

MARVEL AT THIS

BArceloNA iNTerNATioNAl coMic FAir. FirA BArceloNA - MoNTjuïc. APril 12Th-15Th. The Avengers, The Invincible Iron Man, Superman, Spiderman—all of these blockbuster movies were first published as comic books, designed and written by some of the greatest international illustrators.

Paying homage to past greats and encouraging new talent, the Barcelona International Comic Fair returns for its 37th edition.

Offering the opportunity to meet illustrators and publishers, guest artists for 2018 include Dann and Roy Thomas, who together wrote Arak, Son of Thunder, and Matt Fraction, who wrote The Invincible Iron Man. There will also be a range of exhibitions featuring the best Spanish and international comic art. The fair runs an annual competition to introduce children to comic book writing, as well as a larger prize ceremony for more established authors. Tickets are €10.

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WONDER

WOMAN AN INTERVIEW WITH BUSINESS WOMAN AND GALLERY OF IDEAS CO-FOUNDER PATRICIA CURTY

By Esther Jones

B

razilian-born Patricia Curty is on a mission to inspire us. After many years of running her own businesses, she is now a public speaking trainer and the brains behind Gallery of Ideas, a platform that brings people together to share ideas. A self-confessed people person and unrelenting optimist, Curty talked to us about what inspires her.

Curty credits her outlook on life and business to her birthplace and childhood home, Rio de Janeiro. “My city is known as the ‘Cidade Maravilhosa’ (‘Wonderful City’), and that’s always been with me. I’ve always looked for wonder, in people and in places.”

As a child, Curty travelled extensively with her single mother, a journalist by profession and a big influence on her life. “She was a strong woman and a role model for me. Travelling created a curiosity in me as a child to keep looking for more. I wanted to meet more people.”

Curty has continued to travel throughout her life, and has spent periods in Stockholm, Buenos Aires, Paris and Milan. She finally ended up in New York, where she cut her teeth in the business world, first working in cinema and television, then in a glamorous restaurant in Manhattan, where showing Danny de Vito and Michael Douglas to a table was “just a normal working day”. It was there that her passion for people and business, and her love for the finer things in life, came together.

She finally landed in Barcelona in January 2000. “I love this city.

There is just so much art and beauty. I fell in love with it and said to myself that I would stay here forever.”

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Above: Patricia with the co-founders of Gallery of Ideas, Andrew Pitt (left) and Eric de Keizer (right)

She became involved in a number of business projects straight away, from solar power to a restaurant and a night club. She describes a giddy time of fast-paced work and play in the city, punctuated with lazy downtime in Ibiza. “It was a wonderful time.

It was so good to be around all these people with so much energy.”

Fast forward to 2016, and Curty was ready to make changes in her life. Now living with her husband and three young children, she began to channel her business knowledge into helping other people find or recover the wonder that she always looks for in life.

The concept for Gallery of Ideas first came to her while living in Buenos Aires some years ago but, after talking to many people, she concluded that she was ahead of her time. Over the years, she kept the idea in mind and, in 2016, realised that the time was right.

“Finally people knew what this was about. There were Ted Talks and Creative Mornings. It wasn’t about giving lectures, but about getting inspirational thinkers together and sharing ideas.”

Gallery of Ideas brings speakers together for an evening of 10-minute talks designed to inspire and challenge. Always themed around one particular concept, so far the themes have included ‘inspire’, ‘dare’ and ‘provoke’. “It’s about hearing different ideas.

Some of them you’ll love and you’ll say ‘okay, I’m going to take that one with me’. Others you’ll say ‘no, I’m not sure if I like that’.”

The first Gallery of Ideas took place in October 2016 at the Mobile World Centre in Plaça de Catalunya. “We had no idea what was going to happen or how many people would come, but it was full.”

The second and third editions were equally successful, leading Curty to look for a bigger, better space. The next event, on May

The Very Present Future is a series of interviews spearheaded by videographer Milo de Prieto. Metropolitan has teamed up with Milo to interview interesting thinkers and doers from all walks of life, all of whom have had a positive influence on the city in some way. Visit our website to watch the accompanying video to this interview.

10th, will be held at Café del Mar Club at the Fórum, this time with a lighter theme: ‘delight’.

So, what delights Curty? “People. People energise me,” she answered without missing a beat. “I am a social nerd. I need to be around people. I would never survive on a desert island. I would probably start talking to the coconuts.” Barcelona clearly energises her too. She lives a couple of blocks from the beach and when she needs to recharge she heads to the sea with her children. It reminds her of her childhood when she would go surfing with her mother in Rio. She laughs and adds that after some time reconnecting with herself at the beach, she’s always ready for some social time.

Curty says that she doesn’t dwell too much on the future, as there’s so much that can’t be known or understood yet. But she sees the Gallery of Ideas concept gaining more ground. She sees it not so much as a business but as a movement that will help present and future leaders and business people grow. “It’s not about building a business or growing. It’s about how many people really understand the concept.”

Not knowing what’s coming next doesn’t faze Curty. She comes back to the idea of wonder and how she applies it not only to discovering new people and places, but also to the less agreeable aspects of life. “A problem takes me out of my routine but it’s exciting. I like to look at a problem and ask why it is happening.

Where can it take us? Even if it’s difficult, maybe it can change our lives.” goi-galleryofideas.com

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PHOTO ESSAY

WATER SOURCES ROGER LARSEN REFLECTS ON HIS WORK AND INSPIRATION

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L

ooking back over my portfolio of work, I’ve noticed that wherever I am in the world, I always end up photographing water—whether it’s a fjord in Norway, San Francisco Bay, seas, rivers or lakes.

Growing up on the edge of a fjord in northern Norway and coming from a long line of fishermen, I have always felt a strong connection to the sea. Some of my earliest memories are of fishing trips with my grandfather in his tiny rowboat and of canoeing with my family on mountain lakes.

My portraiture and commercial work—for which I work a lot with lights and sets—are varied, and I love a good challenge or new experience, but it is always comforting for me to be back near the water. I find myself shooting by the water whenever I feel homesick or want to clear my mind.

Even though I love the organised chaos that comes with living in a metropolitan city like Barcelona, what I enjoy most are the silent moments. In the early morning or late at night is when I truly feel in my element— when the fog comes rolling in over the beach or just as the sun rises on the Mediterranean horizon. rlarsenphoto.com

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WORKING LIFE

startup of the month

FUTURE FUNDED

LAURA FERNÁNDEZ GIMÉNEZ, 31, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, FUTURE FUNDED

By Natalie Donback Future Funded is the first and only crowdfunding platform providing women with funding to learn tech skills. Through eight-week campaigns, participants raise the money needed to cover the fees of the bootcamp or course they want to attend. We work closely with each woman to create her campaign. A lot of work goes into each one, so we look for highly motivated, proactive women who can take on the challenge.

The idea was born when my co-founder, Cecelia Tham, and I were working on a project called Project Young Fish. It taught unemployed youth about technology and entrepreneurship by giving them a challenge and two weeks to solve it. As we were working on the project we started thinking, ‘What if we could run these programmes all the time without having to rely on outside funding?’

That’s when we had the idea of creating a crowdfunding platform for education.

We started doing research and saw that there was a big skills gap. A lot of companies are looking for individuals with tech skills, although a lot of unemployed young people lack this in-demand knowledge. With so many code academies and bootcamps popping up around the city, we saw that the infrastructure for gaining those skills existed—only the funding was lacking.

It all fell into place one day when we were participating in an event where all of the other speakers were men. It wasn’t a surprise—we know what this industry is like—but we got really angry that day. We realised that we had to do something about the lack of women in the tech industry and decided that the crowdfunding

platform should focus on women in tech specifically. The goal of Future Funded is not only to raise funds but also awareness of women in tech, and to create a platform where we can discuss these issues collectively.

The nature of crowdfunding allows you to engage a lot of people as contributors. Your backers become the foundation of a professional network, as the rewards are based on the new skills you are going to learn. So your contributors are, in a way, your future clients.

The idea is that companies looking for individuals with tech skills back at least half of each campaign. In exchange, the participant will work for them for a period of time, usually a few months, after having completed her course.

If it’s a good match, she might end up working for the company full-time. Each participant’s circle of family and friends tends to contribute as well, and then you’ve got the entrepreneurs and startups who want to contribute to the cause but also might need help fixing up their WordPress site or coding something.

I left my job at Makers of Barcelona last year to take this challenge on fulltime. It’s been a lot of hard work since then, but we’ve now managed to secure some funding, and we’ve got a great team of five committed to encouraging women to enter the tech industry. I think we often put barriers up for ourselves or give ourselves excuses not to try things. My advice to other women thinking about entering the tech sector or launching their own startup is to just do it! There’s nothing we’re not capable of.

GET INSPIRED...

STARTUP GRIND BIRTHDAY BASH

EU STARTUPS SUMMIT

ADIDAS HACKATHON

Antiga Fàbrica Estrella Damm.

April 19th. 6.30-9.30pm.

Startup Grind is a global community of entrepreneurs powered by Google for Entrepreneurs, which hosts monthly networking events in cities around the world.This April, the Barcelona chapter celebrates its fourth anniversary. The special event will feature an open-mic platform for entrepreneurs to present their business plan and ask questions, and a chat hosted by Chapter Director Àlex Rodríguez Bacardit, followed by networking over beers and empanadas. startupgrind.com

Auditori AXA. April 24th.

Do you have a great business idea? This oneday summit brings together 750 founders, startup enthusiasts, companies and angel investors from across Europe to encourage the incubation of new businesses. The event will feature talks by entrepreneurs such as Oscar Pierre, the founder and CEO of Glovo, and Morten Lund, a serialentrepreneur with more than 115 investments in companies, including Skype. There will also be a pitch competition with 15 promising EU-based startups bidding to win a €65,000 prize. eu-startups.com

IronHack Barcelona. April 14th & 15th.

Challenge yourself to create the new global shopping experience at the 2018 Adidas Hackathon Barcelona.

Participants will attend workshops from experienced engineers about technologies such as machine learning and big data, and work in teams to create usable software for the company. Competitors have 48 hours to perfect their idea, which they will then pitch to the judges. The winning team will be invited to a final competition at the Adidas global headquarters in Germany for a chance to become the global hackathon champion. adidas-hack.com

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WORKING LIFE

Markus settled in Barcelona five years ago after working in the aviation industry. Instead of immediately being drawn to the beach, he started exploring the nearby mountains and forests by bike. In January 2017, he decided to make his passion his job and founded Wildcoastbikes, a mountain bike rental and tour guide service based in Castelldefels.

A DAY IN THE LIFE MARKUS AKESSON, 37, SWEDEN, MOUNTAIN BIKE GUIDE 9AM This is the earliest I can get out of bed—I’ve never been a morning person.

I like to start the day with a solid breakfast of oatmeal and vegetable milk, and coffee, of course, to have plenty of energy for the day ahead.

10AM I allocate time in the morning for bike repair. I check and restore all our rental bikes to make sure they are in great condition for the next customer. Every detail counts and I go through a checklist in my head: chain lubricated, gears nice and crisp, enough brake pads and tyre tread left. Our bikes are used by beginners, professionals and anyone in-between, so a safe, well-functioning bike is our number one priority.

1PM It’s time for lunch. I love to cook but I’m not very good at it, so I usually whip up something simple—pasta or rice with tomatoes, avocado and various nuts is a favourite of mine.

3PM ‘Me time’, which means you’ll most likely find me in the forest, checking out a new trail or putting together a new route for an upcoming event. We are currently working with restaurants, vineyards and other Barcelona establishments to create tailor-made experiences.

Last week, I gave a tour for a local school. We met in El Refugio, a cosy restaurant at the edge of the Canyars forest between Gavà and Castelldefels, before setting off on a nearby mountain bike trail. I helped the students practise their technique and showed them places to try jumps along the way. We cycled to a viewpoint of Barcelona and the sea that’s only reachable by bike or on foot, then back to the restaurant for a well-deserved, refreshing drink. There’s no better feeling than seeing an exhilarated group high-fiving each other after a ride.

5PM I have to pick up today’s rentals and deliver tomorrow’s—this can be a hectic couple of hours. When we give each customer a bike, we check everything once more to make sure it’s safe to ride.

7PM The rest of the evening I relax and plan upcoming events and check the latest industry trends and news. Perhaps a new bike park has opened nearby that I want to check out or innovative new bike models are coming out soon for testing. This is my time to get ready for the next day.

12AM I fall asleep happy to have the best job in the world and dream about the serenity of nature, the wind in my face and a new trail waiting to be discovered.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Sant Pau UNESCO World Heritage Site

Sant Pau Recinte Modernista Sant Antoni Maria Claret 167 08025 Barcelona recintemodernista@santpau.cat www.santpaubarcelona.org

S

ant Pau, the largest Modernista structure in Europe, was named a UNESCO

pavilions that utilised design techniques to guarantee maximum natural

World Heritage site in 1997. Designed by Catalan Modernisme architect

light and ventilation—cornerstones of early 20th-century medical practice.

Lluís Domènech i Montaner as the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau,

Since reopening to the public in 2014, both self-guided and private tours of

and constructed between 1902 and 1930, it remained an important healthcare

Sant Pau have been designed to enable visitors to enjoy the unique architectural

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and artistic beauty of this city within a city. Additionally, visitors can learn more

building underwent a massive restauration process to return it to its former glory.

about the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau and the impact it continues to

The maxim around which Domènech based the project was, simply,

have on life in Barcelona, and can further explore the life and work of Lluís

the well-being of the patient. He believed in the therapeutic power of

Domènech i Montaner.

beauty and wove allusions to nature into his ornate work. After travelling

The site also acts as a venue for various concert series, conferences and

across Europe to study the latest advances in hospital architecture, he

private events throughout the year. Scan the QR code above to take a virtual

came up with the plan for a garden-city containing a series of independent

tour of the Art Nouveau site of Sant Pau.

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3/27/18 11:19 AM 3/27/18 11:24 AM

TRAVEL

ORANGE COUNTRY

VALENCIA AND THE SURROUNDING COASTAL REGION IS A JUICY DESTINATION

By Rachel Huffman

S

trolling along the streets of Valencia, you can’t miss the orange trees; after all, there are around 14,000 of them in the city, each drooping under the weight of some 500 oranges come autumn. However, the sweet fruit— at its best from November until well into spring—can also be spotted on hundreds of market stalls, in brightly coloured cocktails and even spa treatments around town.

Spain is Europe’s biggest orange producer, and approximately two-thirds of these citrus bombs come from orchards in the coastal region around Valencia, lovingly referred to as the ‘Costa del Azahar’ (‘Orange Blossom Coast’). Unlike the Costa Brava, the Costa del Sol and the Costa Blanca, this stretch of shimmering sand and stunning springtime blossoms remains relatively untouched by mass tourism.

The secret to the region’s citrus success is its specific climatic conditions. Cold snaps help to produce the deep colour of the oranges—like the pigments in autumn leaves—and the long hours of sunshine tempered by low winter temperatures give the fruit a perfect balance of sweet and sour flavour.

Regardless of how juicy the oranges look nestled amongst the evergreen leaves of the trees lining the city streets, they’re just for show. The tastiest oranges can instead be picked from one of almost 1,000 market stalls at the Mercat Central in the Ciutat Vella neighbourhood. This imposing showpiece of cast iron, stained glass and ceramic embellisments is the largest indoor market in Europe.

The extent to which Valencia’s economy has, for centuries, relied on

oranges is evident at the stunning Estació del Nord. A prime example of Valencian Art Nouveau, the azulejos (tiles) and decoration on its facade and in the station hall tell the story of the Valencian orange.

A BOOST OF VITAMIN C While the Valencian harvest is divvied up between exports, domestic consumption and processing—in fact, 90 percent of the oranges from the ‘Blanca’ group (one of three main varieties of oranges grown in the region) is intended for juice production—the antioxidant properties of oranges are also exploited by spas in Valencia to offer beauty treatments with a twist.

At the stylish five-star hotel Hospes Palau de la Mar, a subtle, tart perfume of orange blossom wafts through the lobby. Follow your nose to the hotel’s Bodyna Spa, which offers a luxurious orange massage (50 minutes for €98). This exclusive massage proves that oranges are not only healthy for your insides, but also hydrate the skin, stimulate blood circulation to combat cellulitis and revitalise the whole body. The intense citrus aromas that accompany this one-of-akind treatment also help digestion and can act as an antidepressant.

Similarly, the Caroli Health Club at The Westin Valencia offers a rejuvenating body peeling scrub (25 minutes for €39) and illuminating facial (80 minutes for €119) based on natural sources of vitamin C. To add a touch of decadence to your spa day, splurge on the two-hour Royal Citric Experience (€176), guaranteed to nourish your skin and leave you feeling invigorated, body and soul.

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Photo courtesy of Bodyna Spa

AGUA DE VALENCIA While Valencians typically start the day with a breakfast of coffee, toast and freshly squeezed orange juice, and many of the city’s restaurants offer orange slices as dessert on their menú del día, the most popular way of enjoying local oranges— certainly amongst visitors—is in the delicious local cocktail, Agua de Valencia.

This dangerously quaffable concoction is a mix of cava, freshly squeezed orange juice, sugar, vodka and gin. The drink was reputedly created in the Fifties by Café de Madrid, a true Valencian institution located a few doors down from the spectacular baroque facade of the Palau del Marqués de Dosaigües (home to the National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts “González Martí”). Sadly, the classic cafe has been closed for some years, but is set to reopen soon as part of the new Marques House luxury hotel.

Other bars, specifically in nighttime hotspots such as the El Carmen and Ruzafa districts, serve Agua de Valencia.

Alternatively, Café de las Horas, a three-minute walk from the Gothic-style Valencia Cathedral, is an atmospheric place to savour its sweet taste. “[Café de las Horas], my favourite place in Valencia, is a feast for the eyes and the soul,” said New Zealander Penny Bainbridge when she visited. “Its Agua de Valencia is the perfect medicine for everything, and you are sure to feel uplifted by the time you leave.”

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LA RuTA de LA NARANjA An hour’s drive north along the coast is Burriana, the beating heart of orange country. A small town of 34,000 people, everyone here is involved in the orange trade. While the town has survived for centuries from the export of oranges, growers happily keep the smallest, and sweetest, for themselves.

With vibrant orchards stretching as far as the eye can see, it’s not just the fruit that is highly regarded. This region puts the entire orange tree to good use. The orange blossom is used for perfumes, honey and salads, and no Valencian bride would dare to marry without a sprig in her bouquet—a symbol of eternal love and purity. Agua de azahar, a liquid made from the distilled petals, can be found in cake recipes, such as the roscón de Reyes, traditionally eaten to commemorate the Epiphany.

And a number of local chefs swear that a paella cooked over an open fire using wood from an orange tree has extra flavour.

Burriana is the ideal base for an orange excursion. The local tourist office conducts guided tours throughout harvest season, from when the first clementines appear in late October to the last navel harvests in mid-May. The tour includes a visit to an orange factory, where you’ll learn how the fruit is sorted, according to ripeness, colour and shape. Then it’s off to a sunlit grove for a crash course in orange picking. The day’s activities conclude with a zesty tasting and boost to your immune system.

Thirty minutes outside of Valencia, Horta Viva also gives orange tours for groups of 15 people or more, and occasionally for individuals. The tour meanders along three and a half kilometres of quiet farm roads and explains the history of the crop, the cultivation of the land and the properties of the orange and orange blossom. A subsequent visit to a citrus cooperative provides a sweet feast: in harvest season, you can collect your own oranges out in the groves, and out of season, you can enjoy a relaxed tasting of derivative products, such as orange liqueur, orange juice and beer with orange peel.

USEFUL INFO Mercat Central Pl. de la Ciutat de Bruges Open Mon-Sat 7am-3pm Hospes Palau de la Mar, Bodyna Spa Avda. de Navarro Reverter 14 hospes.com/en/valencia-palau_mar The Westin Valencia, Caroli Health Club Amadeu de Savoia 16 westinvalencia.com Marques House, Café de Madrid Abadia de Sant Martí 10 Café de las Horas Comte d’Almodóvar 1 cafedelashoras.com Horta Viva Sol 48, Meliana hortaviva.net Oficina de Turismo de Burriana Plaça Major 1, Burriana

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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

ALELLA

GETTING THERE ________________________________

THIS COMMUTER TOWN NORTH OF BARCELONA BOASTS AN ANCIENT WINEMAKING HISTORY AND EXPANSIVE NATURAL LANDSCAPES

By Paul Cannon

A

ncient vineyards, masías and dolmens dot the Parc de la Serralada Litoral, a green lung traversing the coastal mountains north of Barcelona. South-west of the park is Alella, a well-heeled settlement of spires and palaces springing from the umbrella pines and coastal foothills of the Maresme. Alella’s old town, centred around the church of Sant Feliu and Plaça del Ajuntament, is one of the prettiest sights in the whole county. It’s perched above the busy seaside town of Masnou, which boasts an impressive beach and marina.

Take the R1 train from Plaça de Catalunya to Masnou (27 mins), then catch the 690 bus for Alella. The bus departs from Masnou’s Port Esportiu, just beside the train station, and it’s a 10-minute journey.

EAT ___________________________________________ Belonging to one of the major local wineries, La Taberna de la Companyia d’Alella is all about the noisy sharing of heaped plates of embotits (cured meats) and cheeses, as well as delicious wines and vermouths. Patates frites are served with a special local sauce called ‘salsalella’. Located close to the town centre on Carrer Riera Coma Fosca, it’s open for lunch all week, and dinner on Friday and Saturday. varietalis.com

PARC DE LA SERRALADA LITORAL This huge natural park connects the two counties of Vallès Oriental and the Maresme, with a topography of smooth ridges dipping gently down to the fishing towns and ports along the coast. If you come with your hiking boots, the ancient dolmens of Can Gurri and Castellruf are an easy ramble from Alella. Start on Carrer Salvador Espriu in the Alella Park urbanización (suburb). From here, it’s a gentle climb along a signposted track to the dolmen of Can Gurri, a megalithic burial ground more than 4,000 years old, where archaeologists have found Bronze Age pottery similar to that of the Celtic Hallstatt culture in Austria. From this prehistoric site, it’s a brief jaunt to the ruins of the ancient Iberian village of Castellruf and the dolmen of the same name. The walk is nearly six kilometres, beginning and ending in Alella Park. Find out more at parcs.diba.cat.

WINES OF ALELLA Alella is one of Spain’s smallest wine-producing regions, yet one of its most venerable. Wine from Alella was enjoyed by the kings of Aragon during the Middle Ages, and has been widely savoured for millennia.

When Catalunya formed part of the Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis, writers such as Piny the Elder and Martial made mentions of what they called its ‘vins laietans’. Since then, the phylloxera virus and advancing urban developments have reduced the extent of the vineyards, but the brand is still flourishing. A good introduction to the world of local wine is at Bouquet d’Alella, one of the younger vineyards, which offers tasting tours at its fine 14th-century masía. Prices start at €15 per person for a tour plus samples of two wines. bouquetdalella.com

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Photos courtesy of A Restaurant

RESTAURANT REVIEW

A RESTAURANT SLEEK HOTEL DINING DEEP IN THE GOTHIC QUARTER

A

By Sam Zucker fter years of making mental notes to try the restaurant at the Hotel Neri in the heart of the Gothic Quarter—the only Relais & Châteaux property in Barcelona—I ended up waiting too long. The Neri Restaurant shut its doors last year for a complete overhaul. The new dining room in this five-star hotel opened for business in November 2017, redesigned and renamed ‘A Restaurant’, with Franco-Catalan chef Alain Guiard at the helm.

The menu has a mix of influences, from Korea to Italy, which make an interesting juxtaposition to the stately, medieval building in which the restaurant is housed. Diners look out onto the picturesque Plaça de Sant Felip Neri while devouring kimchi and yuzu-spiked oysters and sipping a ‘Bloody Neri’ cocktail—the restaurant’s signature blend of pink tomatoes, sherry, vodka and housemade bloody mary mix.

Overall my dinner at A Restaurant was an enjoyable experience, though some dishes were more successful than others. At the time of visiting, the menu seemed to be in a state of change, with certain ingredients swapped for others that hadn’t been noted on the written menu.

We listened intently as our waiter described the kitchen’s latest seasonal substitutions.

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The meal began with the aforementioned kimchi oyster, which had a light and subtle kimchi flavour that managed not to overpower the delicate brine of the plump Normandy bivalve. It was tasty but not groundbreaking.

The first real revelation of the night was the freshly baked fougasse. Grilled in the Josper oven and crusted with Provençal herbs, this superb, pull-apart bread was piping hot and deliciously chewy. Served with a tomato pesto, the dish soundly trounces the typical restaurant bread basket or the standard pan con tomate.

Next, out of curiosity, we tried the nori tacos—sheets of seaweed topped with nasturtium leaves, seared scallops, Iberian pork crackling and a passion fruit couli. The scallops themselves were nice and meaty, though with a lighter sear than I prefer. The overall flavour was well-balanced, but the desiccated pork rinds, meant to add texture and salt, were a bit too hard for my taste.

One of the best executed dishes of the evening was the carpaccio of prawns, which was rich and fatty with a hint of the sea

Alain Guiard

MORE INFO

Pl. de Sant Felip Neri 2 T. 93 317 7442 a-restaurant.top Mon-Sun 1.30pm-3.30pm, 7.30pm-11pm Average price per person: €35 ✪✪✪✪

Along with the tacos, we tried the Andalusian-style fried calamari with soy sesame mayonnaise, which was neither unpleasant nor unique. Perhaps a lighter, crispier coating of flour would have helped make this a standout on the restaurant’s appetiser menu.

One of the best executed dishes of the evening was the carpaccio of prawns, which was rich and fatty with a hint of the sea and loads of succulent sweetness. Sliced paper-thin and topped with tarragon oil, chives, and citrus zest and gelée, the unctuous meat of the prawns was almost buttery; a common trait of this famous Mediterranean delicacy.

The meat course was definitely memorable: a seared and sliced breast of duck, served with a mini apple Tatin and little balls of sobrasada. The duck bled out a bit on the plate, which made me think that it hadn’t been fully rested before slicing. Other than that, the dish was a success, with the caramelised apple tart adding sweetness and acidity to cut through the rich and savoury fat of the tender duck.

I have to be honest and say that I don’t generally like typical Catalan canelons, as they are almost always heavy on the plate and in the stomach. A Restaurant’s version of this classic, stuffed pasta tube had a filling of beef and chicken that I found a bit dry. The white almond sauce with teriyaki and sunflower seeds felt heavy-handed, while the final anointment of rendered pork fat seemed quite unnecessary. Of all the dishes we tried, this is probably the only one I would not recommend.

Last, but certainly not least, a Moroccan spice-crusted skewer of grilled organic chicken was served, laid across two yin yang dollops of hummus and baba ganoush with a simple garnish of lime and mint. Moist and well-seasoned, the chicken was an uncomplicated but thoroughly gratifying finale to our meal.

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

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QUICK BITES

HAWKER 45 A TASTING TOUR OF SOUTH EAST ASIA

By Sam Zucker

MORE INFO

Casp 45 T. 93 763 8315 facebook.com/Hawker45

Photos courtesy of Hawker 45

N

amed after the lively street food stalls of South East Asia, Hawker 45 serves flavour-packed, hawker-style dishes inspired by chef-owner Laila Bazham’s native Philippines, as well as Korea, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Laos. Bazham is FilipinoBrazilian but has trained in kitchens around the globe, from Manila, Dubai and Singapore to San Sebastián and Barcelona. She has formed a team at Hawker 45 that she proudly proclaims is “without ego” and is dedicated to one thing: offering guests an unforgettable culinary experience. Here, there are no waiters, the chefs do it all—cooking, serving and scrubbing plates when needed.

The menu at Hawker 45 is broken down into five sections: snacks, seafood, vegetables/salads, meat and desserts. Bazham respects and cherishes classic cuisines, but always tries to evolve with her recipes, whether it’s applying new techniques to traditional dishes or refining rustic food to elevate it to a higher gastronomic level.

We began our meal with a fresh, citric Filipino kinilaw, a ceviche-style dish with ruby-red cubes of Atlantic tuna, coconut, avocado and lime. Fresh coconut pulp is used in place of the typical coconut vinegar, giving a rich and subtle sweetness to this delicate starter.

Another highlight was the ‘Crying Tiger’ salad— grilled veal flank that maintained a nice fattiness, served with a tamarind-chilli emulsion, mesclun greens and pickled vegetables. I was surprised and delighted by the intensity of the dish’s slow-building heat, which left my ears tingling as I gulped down a Hoptimista IPA from Barcelona’s Edge Brewing.

In the Philippines, an adobo marinade is most traditionally used with chicken, but at Hawker 45, culinary traditions are there to be broken. The grilled and slow-simmered octopus in adobo with roasted sweet potato purée, soy-vinegar emulsion and ‘onion textures’ was deeply satisfying and cooked to perfection.

The parade of dishes moved on, meandering from the streets of Singapore with the sambal of silky butter fish, shrimp paste and green mango, to Korean barbecue houses with kalbi short ribs, rice cakes and pepper threads. A must-try to finish your meal is the ‘Street Ice Cream’, coconut ice cream sandwiched between brioche buns and filled with salted caramel pork rinds—an assault of sweet and savoury, built to send hedonistic diners out on a giddy high.

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RECIPE

SPRING LAMB WITH FENNEL (SERVES 6)

By Tara Stevens

T

he Spanish tend to eat suckling lamb, which is incredibly tender, if a little milky. But it is possible to get slightly older meat from a good butcher, usually aged between 12 and 18 months, known in British butchery as hogget. This is the preferred meat for this recipe, rather than mutton. Spring is the best season for lamb and this dish, served on top of piles of fennel that have been braised directly beneath the leg or shoulder, and this dish is perfect for entertaining. Serve with stacks of baby potatoes roasted whole with plenty of rosemary and garlic, and a heap of simple green salad tossed with asparagus in a mustardy French vinaigrette. Simple food does not get better than this.

IN SEASON

APRIL POTATOES, GARLIC, LEEKS, ASPARAGUS, STRAWBERRIES

INGREDIENTS 1 large shoulder lamb (approximately 2.5 kg), trimmed 3 medium-sized fennel bulbs with stalk and root attached, halved 3 tbsp butter, room temperature

2 tbsp cumin 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 glass of white or rose wine Handful of fresh rosemary Salt and pepper

METHOD 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Trim the lamb then make small incisions all over the meat using the tip of a knife, inserting a small sprig of rosemary into each slit.

Mix the cumin, garlic and plenty of salt and pepper into the butter.

Massage the butter into the lamb then place on a baking tray on top of the fennel bulbs.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, turn over and bake for another 15 minutes, then turn over again.

Turn the oven down to 160ºC, add a glass of wine to the pan then cover the lamb with foil and bake for 1.5 hours until the lamb is spoon tender and falling off the bone.

Keep an eye on the lamb while it cooks to make sure it isn’t drying out.

Serve the lamb whole in a shallow dish in the middle of the table, pour the juices over it and encourage your guests to pull off chunks with their hands or two forks, rather than carving it.

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

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

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

TOTORA4EIXAMPLE

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.

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

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

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

3/22/18 10:57 AM

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

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com

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

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Narayn Yadave AYURVEDIC DOCTOR 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

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

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

Dr Bassas - DERMATOLOGY

Hestía - PSYCHOTHERAPY

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.

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.

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

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

FREE CONSULTATION

3/22/18 11:04 AM

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

3/22/18 11:05 AM

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.

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

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

Yoga con Gracia - YOGA

Tàctum - HAIR SALON

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.

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.

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

73-76 Health APR18.indd 45

10% DISCOUNT FOR METROPOLITAN READERS

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

3/22/18 11:05 AM

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

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ntary ey

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 APR18 .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

3/22/18 11:10 AM

Spanish with Angeles -

PWN Barcelona - NON PROFIT 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”.

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.

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

77-80 Business APR18 .indd 44

FREE TRIAL CLASS

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.

M. 647 626 487 info@spanishwithangeles.es www.spanishwithangeles.es

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

3/22/18 11:10 AM

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

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COACHING COLUMN

SAM SAYS...

OWN YOUR EMOTIONS Dear Sam, I was recently passed over for a position at work and the job was given to a colleague who I considered a close friend. This person knew how badly I wanted the role and, although she didn’t directly compete with me for it, once I was told I wouldn’t get it, management approached her directly and she accepted it. I understand that people need to look out for themselves, but a part of me wishes she would have declined the offer out of solidarity.

It feels like an irrational request, yet I haven’t been able to shake the feeling of resentment that has been building since it happened. I haven’t said anything to her, but I’ve been distant and she knows something’s changed. How can I move on, stop resenting her and, in the future, not take things so personally?

Thanks for your help, Eating Me Up

Although this is clearly bothering you, it sounds like you’re trying not to dwell on it and would rather reconcile the situation, which I applaud.

As actor and writer Malachy McCourt once said, “Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” As natural as it is to feel bitterness towards someone who we feel has wronged us, it can be one of the most detrimental emotions—especially if we don’t deal with it head on.

First, I’d like you to answer a few questions that might help uncover the heart of the issue: • What is bothering you about your colleague’s actions?

• How much of this is about her and how much of it is about you?

The more you’re able to articulate answers to these questions, the better you’ll be able to understand why it is affecting you.

You mention solidarity, yet I question whether that’s at the crux of this or if you’re projecting something else onto her. Things that bother us about other people are often things that we’re frustrated about within ourselves.

It’s not always clear as to what that is, but it’s worth pausing to reflect.

Your feelings are valid and I’m not questioning them—I’m challenging you to dig deeper in order to understand what is at the core of your reaction. Once

you gain clarity, it’ll allow you to better deal with the situation. Whatever the reason, here are a few tips that might help with your current and future dilemmas.

1. Have an uncomfortable conversation. Tim Ferris, author of The 4-hour Workweek (2007), said, “A person’s success in life is measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations they’re willing to have.”

If you want to know how to move past your feelings of resentment, talk to your colleague. Speak openly and honestly with her. You might also consider talking to your manager, the one who overlooked you, and find out why.

There are ways to have hard conversations that don’t result in confrontation, such as using ‘I’ instead of ‘you’ when speaking about your feelings.

2. Own your emotions. Instead of trying not to take things personally, I would suggest that you acknowledge that you can and do take things personally. (We all do.)

Then figure out what you need to do in order to ease your emotions and not let them affect your confidence.

Sometimes just sitting with yourself, thinking, reading, writing or going for a walk is helpful to gain perspective and remind yourself that a rejection in the workplace doesn’t equate to a rejection of you as a person; perhaps this particular job just wasn’t right for you.

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 Eating Me Up,

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