Metropolitan tourist guide_Autumn 2012

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Your Autumn Guide to Barcelona

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contents 7

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What’s new

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City season

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A day in the city

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Food & Drink

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Culture

_Music

_Festivals

_Art

_Festes & Traditions

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Maps

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Metro map

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Need to know

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Little Black Book

Ciutat 7 2-4, 08002 Barcelona Tel. 93 451 4486 Enquiries: info@barcelona-metropolitan.com Advertising: sales@barcelona-metropolitan.com 50,000 copies of this guide are distributed every quarter in Barcelona's four- and five-star hotels.

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com

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new in town

Photo by Pau Fabregat

Café de la Pedrera

One of Barcelona’s leading landmarks, La Pedrera, has just opened a new café. Designed in keeping with its unique surroundings and with a menu focused on Catalan specialities, there are now even more reasons to visit ‘The Quarry’.

Provença 261. www.lapedrera.com Photo courtesy Wrap it

Photo courtesy Grokstore

The Grokstore Wrap it

If you’re taking in some autumnal sun at Barceloneta beach, then why not stop for a snack at recently opened hunger hatch, Wrap it? You can DIY it, by choosing your own fillings, or pick from amongst the many preprepared options on offer. Sevilla 80. www.facebook.com/wrapitbcn 6

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Although it can be easy to miss, this little shop in the Eixample is worth hunting out for the treasures it houses. Specialising in vintage photography, iPhone gadgets and furniture, they also create personalised typography wood decorations—just tell them what you’re looking for and they’ll take care of it! Paris 215. www.thegrokstore.com

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Photo courtesy Ximenetas

Ximenetas

Named after the Hungarian pastry that is sold here, this new city centre bakery gives you the chance to sample a range of ‘chimneys’. With a hollow centre and delicious outer layer, you’ll find them in a variety of flavours including caramel, cinnamon and hundreds and thousands. Free tastings and weekly offers are just the cherry on the cake. Jaume I 10. www.facebook.com/ximenetas

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Photo courtesy costagroup.net

Creperia del Mar

Despite the name, this multi-faceted restaurant in the city centre (and nowhere near the sea) serves up more than just delicious crêpes. You’ll also find ice creams, salads, pasta, juices and pastries, many of them freshly made in front of you. Ronda Universitat 12. www.creperiadelmar.com

Dónde? On? Where? Find the location of these places with our maps on pages 40-44.

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city season

TIME FOR FEASTING The coming months see Catalans doing some serious eating. By Hannah Pennell.

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s the days get shorter and the weather colder, Catalans turn from sunning themselves on the beaches to one of their other passions—food.

The coming months include some of the high points on the local gastro calendar so, where you can, it is certainly worth trying out some of these traditional specialities to get a real taste for the region.

One of the first products to fill the markets and restaurants of Barcelona this season are bolets, or wild mush8

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rooms. In these parts, they are almost as prized as their Italian truffle cousins, although probably less well-known abroad. Those boletaires (mushroomhunters) who have discovered sources for rovellons, girgoles, rossinyols and the like guard the location jealously.

Bolets aren’t cheap to buy, but you are bound to find them in some form on the menus of many local eateries; they might simply be fried with garlic and parsley or served up in a more elaborate (and thus costly) style. If you’re a mushroom lover, you should give them a try.

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Moving into October, street vendors appear around the city, set up in small green cabins and armed with a brazier with which to roast chestnuts (castanyes) and sweet potatoes (moniatos). Buy a paper cone filled with one or the other, to warm both your hands and your stomach on colder evenings—a dozen chestnuts (una dotzena) will set you back about two euros. On October 31st, you’ll see queues at these stalls, as locals buy up the two autumnal goodies for the traditional castanyada, when families get together to gobble them up.

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Many people will also be eating panellets accompanied by sweet moscatell wine. These are small, marzipan-like cakes that were once made with potatoes, moniatos, almonds and sugar, although nowadays many pastisseries use flour instead of the vegetables. Despite this, they are still impressively expensive, but if you’re visiting at this time of year, it’s worth treating yourself to one or two (they are sold by the kilo but no one minds if you do just purchase a couple at a time) to give them a try, especially if you have a sweet tooth. They 9

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city season come in a variety of flavours: traditional sorts include those covered with pine nuts (the most pricey), crushed almonds and coconut; more innovative options include fruit flavours and ones dipped in chocolate to look like chestnuts.

In November, the calçot season begins.

Created in Catalunya during the 19th century by an enterprising farmer, these large, thin onions remain an exclusive local production. They are grilled over an open fire so that the outer layer becomes well charred. To eat them, this layer is carefully pulled off to leave the inner vegetable ready to be dipped in the accompanying romesco sauce (made of tomatoes, almonds, hazelnuts and olive oil) and then gulped down in a few big bites. Totally delicious and totally messy. Groups of friends and family get together for calçotades, which can see the hardier participants eat 30 to 40 calçots to be followed by grilled meats and vegetables accompanied by wine, and perhaps (if there is actually any space left) some kind of dessert.

Ideally, to enjoy a true calçot experience, you will head out to a traditional, stone-built countryside restaurant where they will bring you seemingly endless ‘teules’ (tiles in English; many restaurants serve the onions on terracotta tiles) of calçots, having first supplied bibs to keep your clothes pro-

tected from the dripping sauce, which inevitably runs down your chin. However, there are various Barcelona restaurants that also offer calçots, albeit in less copious amounts or ‘authentic’ surroundings.

And so into the festive season. Like every place that celebrates Christmas, Catalunya has developed its annual gourmet treats for this time of year, with turrons (a variety of nougat) and neules, long, (usually) hollow biscuits, popular with those who enjoy sweeter tastes. Both are widely available to buy in pastisseries, although neules notably cheaper than turrons.

You should also look out for escudella on local menus. This broth is eaten at the start of Christmas lunch and is made from chicken and vegetable stock used to cook the ‘pelota’ (rugby-ball size meatball), which in family homes is served after the escudella along with the vegetables cooked in the stock. To make the escudella more interesting, huge pasta shells (galets) are added to it. In recent years, and presumably this year again, the city’s Christmas decorations have featured the huge galets lit up from within on various streets. Just another example of the Catalans’ love affair with food.

Hannah Pennell is the senior editor of Barcelona Metropolitan, the city’s magazine in English.

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Look beyond the Sagrada Família and discover a host of other places worth visiting in the area.

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Sagrada Família image: AciStock; photos of flower market, La Monumental, Encants Vells and Les Gens que J’aime by Ieva Sliziute

A DAY IN THE CITY

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Sagrada Família image: AciStock; photos of flower market, La Monumental, Encants Vells and Les Gens que J’aime by Ieva Sliziute

9:00 Get started with a morning visit to the

Mercat de la Concepció (Aragó 313) and its neighbouring 24-hour flower market (left, entrance at València 317). Breakfast at one of the market cafés, always great places for delicious, fresh dishes (1, 2).

10:00 Look for some shopping bar-

gains on Girona street (below Gran Via), which is home to a range of fashion outlet shops, including Mango, Nice Things and Javier Simorra (3).

11:15 As of January this year, bullfighting is no longer allowed in Catalunya. But the last working bullring, La Monumental on Gran Via, still stands and has some impressive architecture that you can see from the outside (right); look out, too, for the old entrances offering the option of shade (sombra) or sun (sol) to those watching the corridas (4).

12:00 On Mondays, Wednesdays,

Fridays or Saturdays, take a trip to Els Encants Vells (left, Plaça Glòries), Barcelona’s biggest flea market (5).

14:00 Enjoy lunch at Can Miral-

letes (Sant Antoni Maria Claret 310), a Catalan restaurant set in a small park (6).

The numbers in pink refer to location points on the map on page 15.

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16:30 Visit the Hospital de la San-

Image courtesy Hospital de Sant Pau

ta Creu and Sant Pau, a Modernista masterpiece created by Gaudí contemporary Lluís Domènech i Muntaner. While the hospital has moved to modern premises around the corner, the pavilions are being done up and guided tours of the works are available in English every hour between 10am and 1pm daily (7).

18:30 Head along Travessera de

Gràcia towards the villagey neighbourhood of Gràcia and stop in a bar for an early evening drink (8).

21:00 You have a lot of options for dining in this area: a few suggestions are Catalan cuisine at Cal Boter (Tordera 62), exotic Asian dishes at Thai Gracia (Corsega 381) or Mediterranean dishes at Romero (Bailén 115) (9, 10, 11).

23:00 End your day in Les Gens Que J’aime (València 286), a small, almost-hidden bar that has a cool jazz soundtrack and an intimate atmosphere ideal for couples or intellectual discussions, Paris-style (12).

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Joanic

Sagrada Familia

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Girona

Passeig de GrĂ cia

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Arc de Triomf

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Photo by Richard Owens

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food & drink

by Tara Stevens, the food expert for Barcelona Metropolitan. She reviews restaurants, writes on local gastronomy and blogs about all things gourmet. For more Barcelona food tips, follow her on Twitter: @taralstevens

Reviewed: El Boo

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he real joy, as suspected all along, was in finding a place to enjoy very simply steamed and grilled local seafood, so fresh that wafts of brine float up to hit your nose while the sea splashes up against the rocks that support the pier. So we gorged on a huge bowl of steamed Sant Carles de Ràpita mussels and escopinyes Gallegues (Galician clams) bathed in wine, followed by perfect fideus rossejat (which refers to the process of toasting the noo-

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dle first to give it that glorious golden-pink colour), all empinado (perky and standing to attention the way they are supposed to), tossed through with cuttlefish and served with a mellow confit of allioli. Washed down with a bottle of Abadal Picapoll from the Pla de Bages, it was one of the best seaside lunches I’d had in a while.

Read Tara’s full review at: www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/ elboo Platja Nova Mar Bella s/n.

Tel. 93 225 0100. www.elboo.es

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Top three snack bars at La Boqueria

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here shall I go for lunch?” you ponder, forgetting that some of the best food in the city is in the market itself. It is, after all, the veritable belly of Barcelona, the place that has sustained the good folk of the city for centuries. I have led gastronomic tours around the stalls here for years, introducing visitors to the wonders of boquerones (anchovies) and mojama (air-dried tuna), different types of olives and jamón (cured ham), a cheeky glass of cava and some seafood, and what never fails to impress is that there’s always something new to uncover.

Photo of Kiosko La Rambla by Tara Stevens

Kiosko La Rambla: Blink and you’d miss it, but this little market stall remains a popular place for a cold beer, or a vermut and an anchovy fillet (priced €1 each).

Bacallaneries Gomá: Carmen takes more pride in her bacalao than anyone I know and if you’re after a hunk of this glossy, pearlyfleshed salt cod for supper...this is the place to get it.

El Quim de la Boqueria: For a proper sit-down breakfast or lunch, look no further than the chef’s favourite...which boasts more than 50 regular dishes.

Read the full blog at www.barcelonametropolitan.com/boqueriabars

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Tip-top tapas: Ohla Gastrobar

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garden salad is nicely dressed and dotted with plump, tender artichoke hearts, and the xató—the revered Costa Daurada salad of escarole lettuce, salt cod, tuna and anchovies all tossed together in a light romesco sauce and scattered with meaty black olives—is earthy and satisfying.

Canelons with white truffle butter were madly decadent, but the gambas al ajillo croquettes won out for lip-smacking richness applied with a feather-light touch. The inside, while soft and unctuous, was delicate as Angel Delight and you could hear the shell crunch from across the

Photo by Richard Owens

room when you popped it in your mouth. If ever there was a contender for best croquette in the city, these must surely make the list.

Estrellados (fried eggs cracked over potatoes) with pork neck and artichokes were tempting, but didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the order so I’m holding out to have them for breakfast should I find myself in the area after a big night out anytime soon.

Read the full version of Tara’s reviews at: www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/restaurantreviews Via Laietana 49. Tel. 93 341 5050. www.ohlahotel.com.

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Vision of loveliness: Cafè 1907

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onsidering Barcelona is a Mediterranean city, it’s surprisingly limited when it comes to special places for dining al fresco.

I explained this dilemma to a friend who came up with a suggestion: the Cafè 1907 near Tibidabo. Now, Tibidabo is not an area of town I venture to very often. But the website of Cafè 1907 painted a bonny picture of a restrained Modernista dining room with panelled French doors that opened onto an intimate terrace shaded by bougainvillea and vines, and a menu that showed it cared.

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Photo by Richard Owens

Black-footed chickens were sourced from the Penedès, organic beef had been aged for seven days, and vegetables were plucked from the restaurant’s own garden in Sant Cugat. Naturally, I was raring to go. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Tara recommends: homemade burratta with fresh garden herbs; rocket and herb salad; monkfish and seafood canelone; Café Paris-style steak; tarte tatin.

Cister 25 (Tibidabo).

Tel. 93 418 4998. www.cafe1907.com

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Comfort food: Nonono

Photo courtesy Nonono

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hat really caught my eye over lunch were the giant slabs of meat being set down for entire tables to share: racks of lamb and beef ribs, pork loin and osso bucco, guineafowl and duck, all roasted, grilled and stewed. It was this that lured me back a couple of nights later for supper with friends. They were not as busy as they deserved to be, but it was great.

We had a glass of freshlymade ajo blanco (a chilled

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soup of almonds and garlic from Andalucia), a salad of kumato beef tomatoes and juicy yellow pear varieties with no dressing, just the bright, fresh flavours of the fruit, and then this hunk of meltingly tender osso bucco beef, which at first we carved gracefully and then tore at with our hands, revelling in this deep, primal connection to the food.

Passatge LluĂ­s Pellicer 12, Tel. 93 444 9901. www.nonono.es 23

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

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culture music

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e September 27th Miguel Bosé Palau Sant Jordi. From €30 The 50-something Spanish-Italian singer shows no signs of tiring as he returns to Barcelona with his ‘Papitwo’ tour, featuring some of his most popular collaborations.

October 3rd

October 24th

Leonard Cohen Palau Sant Jordi. From €45 The Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee travels to Catalunya with a guitar case full of classics.

Keane Razzmatazz. From €26 The acclaimed band have stayed true to their British roots and will be performing songs from their newest album, Strangeland.

October 4th

October 26th

The Cranberries Poble Espanyol. From €40 The Irish rock band come back to Barcelona with their indie-rock and folk influences to perform material from their Roses album.

Richard Hawley Apolo. From €26.50 The Sheffield musician presents the new creative direction evident on his 2012 album, Standing at Sky’s Edge, which showcases his guitar skills.

October 6th

October 29th

Lady Gaga Palau Sant Jordi. From €55 The US megastar (left) brings us her unmistakable dance-pop sounds, alongside her army of ‘Little Monsters’, for one wild night.

Scissor Sisters Razzmatazz. From €27 Kicking up the volume, this New York-based chart-topping glamrock band (above) performs from their latest album, Magic Hour.

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November 8th

November 20th

Gerry McAvoy Apolo. €20 Belfast-born McAvoy is best known for his professional association with Rory Gallagher. The guitarist is here for a night of rock and blues.

Mika Razzmatazz. From €37 His single Grace Kelly shot the singer-songwriter (above) to the top of the charts in 2007. He’s visiting the Catalan capital to perform from latest album Origin of Love, released in September.

November 10th Bonaparte Music Hall. €15 This Berlin-based punk band is made up of around 20 performers known for their characteristically expressive live performances.

November 12th Andrew Bird Apolo. €22 The indie-rock multi-instrumentalist has released a series of EPs and albums, both as a solo artist and as part of the band Bowl of Fire. He’s in Barcelona to perform some of his newest and best material.

November 22nd Bat for Lashes Apolo. €23 Ringo Starr said she was one of his favourites and the artist has been nominated for numerous BRIT Awards. Bat for Lashes brings us her unique folktronica.

December 2nd The Hives Razzmatazz. From €25 The Swedish garage-rock band are back to perform some of their greatest hits as well as present new material from their 2012 album Lex Hives.

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festivals September 9th to 26th

September 21st to 23rd

www.amjm.org

www.bcn.cat/bam/2012

L’Hora del Jazz Festival Now in its 22nd year, AMJM’s L’Hora del Jazz is a celebration of Catalan jazz and contemporary music, (this year including the Joan Vidal Sextet, shown above right) held in various venues.

September 21st to 24th Festival Asia

www.casaasia.es

Discover the artistic and cultural diversity of the Asian continent with various events that are completely free of charge. Part of La Mercè (below).

BAM Festival 2012

The annual Barcelona Acció Musical festival is a three-day event featuring European bands, this year including The Kooks (above), and dance performances in mostly open-air venues.

Part of La Mercè (see below).

October 4th to 14th

Sitges Film Festival www. sitgesfilmfestival.com

As ever, a panel of international judges will be looking for the best films, actors and film-makers at this festival, which focuses on the fantasy genre and is one of the most recognised in

September 21st to 24th La Mercè

www.bcn.cat/merce

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Barcelona celebrates the feast day of its patron saint, Mercè. From fireworks to human towers, concerts, parades, light shows and fairs, there’s a wide range of events to enjoy.

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Europe. This year’s theme is ‘The End of the World’.

October 8th to 14th

VI Festival Internacional Corearte www.corearte.es

Barcelona has hosted this non-competitive musical festival since 2005, attracting choirs of all ages from around the world. The choirs perform as well as take part in workshops led by maestros of the genre.

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October 18th to 28th

Barcelona International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival www.barcelonafilmfestival.org

Both audiences and a jury get the chance to vote for different awards (such as Best Feature, Best Short and the Diversity award) at this annual event that is now in its 12th year.

October 25th to November 4th In-Edit Beefeater 2012

www.in-edit.beefeater.es

This film festival centres on music documentaries from all over the world.

With sister events in cities such as Buenos Aires and Sâo Paulo, this year In-Edit celebrates its first decade.

September 27th to October 21st

Barcelona Comedy Festival www.barcelonacomedyfestival.com

Back by popular demand, this fourweek chuckle-fest in five languages will send the whole city into hysterics. The headliners are Irish comic Séan Hughes (left) and US legend Rich Hall.

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October 30th to November 30th Barcelona Jazz Festival

www.barcelonajazzfestival.com

Bringing you the best live acts in the sphere of jazz music, this year’s festival includes local and international acts such as Grammy nominee Melody Gardot and legend Sonny Rollins.

October 2012 to April 2013 14 Festival Mil-lenni

www.festival-millenni.com

This annual event features top names in the world of music. From recording artists to flamenco singers, choirs to operatics, the festival gathers only the best. At the time of going to print, this year’s programme wasn’t finalised, but confirmed acts include The Divine Comedy, Patti Smith and Dianne Reeves. Check the event website for the full line-up.

November 20th to 25th MiRA Festival

www.mirabcn.cat

The Music and Audiovisual Re-

search Festival of Barcelona, held at the Fabra i Coats factory (above), focuses on the relationship between music and visual arts, showcasing innovative ideas and creating a unique experience for audience members.

November 16th

Fnac Music Fest www.fnacmusicfestival.es

The stage is set for the second edition of Fnac’s autumnal music festival, to be held at the Pavelló Olímpic de Badalona. International chart-topper Jason Mraz is the headlining act with two support acts still to be confirmed.

November 20th to 25th

L’Alternativa Independent Film Festival www.alternativa.cccb.org/2012

The festival includes both featurelength films as well as shorts and a whole host of premieres, tributes, roundtables and work by both upand-coming directors and independent film-makers.

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Angel Ferrant CaixaForum www.obrasocial.lacaixa.es

A celebration of the pioneering Spanish sculptor. Both Ferrant’s earlier naturalistic work and his later transformable sculpture are on display. Until October 28th

Luis Claramunt. El viatge vertical MACBA www.macba.cat

A display of works, including paintings, drawings and photographs, by the late Barcelona-born artist. The work displayed depicts Claramunt’s creative journey and explores the passage of time, distances and relationships. Until November 4th

Ferran Adrià i elBulli. Risc, llibertat i creativitat Palau Robert

www.gencat.cat/probert

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Owl. Plat Espagnol (May 1957). Donated by Jacqueline Picasso, 1982. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. © Successió Pablo Picasso, VEGAP, Madrid 2012. ’

art

The culinary visionary and his team explore the use of food in art and technology. Until February 3rd, 2013

Ceràmiques de Picasso Museu Picasso

www.museupicasso.bcn.cat

Forty-one ceramic pieces (above) are exhibited in new and improved display cases to celebrate Jacqueline Picasso (the artist’s last wife) having donated the collection to the public exactly 30 years ago. October 26th until April 1st, 2013

Nasrin Tabatabai i Babak Afrassiabi. Pages MACBA

www.macba.cat

This exhibition is based on two separate archives, that of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tehran,

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1982. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. © Successió Pablo Picasso, VEGAP, Madrid 2012. ’

Ten Embarrassed Men (2010). Annika Ström.

Taken from ‘Feminism #2: A Performing Archive’

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inaugurated in 1977, and another showing the origins of oil company BP in Iran in 1901 and going to 1951, when its operations ceased there. The artists search for solutions to the perceived issues of modernisation and globalisation. October 2012 to February 2013

El Paral·lel, 1894-1939 CCCB

www.cccb.org

This exhibition documents the rede34 velopment of the central Nou de la Rambla—Paral·lel area that marked

the beginning of a new Barcelona and became an issue of social and political expression. October 26th until February 24th, 2013e.Act.

Feminism #2: A Performing Archive Fundació Antoni Tàpies www.fundaciotapies.org

Critical performance art by a number of different feminist artists. Work displayed dates from the Sixties to the present day and aims to strengthen cross-generational and transcultural dialogue and end barriers. November 16th until February 17th, 2013

Tal Cual. En torno a la fotografía de Miki Kratsman Palau de la Virreina www.lavirreina.bcn.cat

First exhibition in Spain of Argentinian/Israeli photojournalist Miki Kratsman who has recorded over 20 years of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with his camera. October 24th until January 13th, 2013 36

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Abu Dis #3 (2006). Courtesy Miki Kratsman and Chelouche Gallery, Tel Aviv

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his fantastic restaurant and lounge is located at the top of the Rambla de Raval just a short walk from the MACBA art gallery. Whether you’re looking for lunch or dinner, they provide a wide range of Spanish dishes and tapas that are made with traditional Mediterranean recipes, using fresh and exciting ingredients.

Thre emen course u of the day a incr t an edib le €10 .50

If you prefer to eat ‘al fresco’, they have a great terrace situated on the Rambla de Raval so you can relax and watch the world go by.

Inside they have a fresh new vibe making it a great place to meet up with friends for cocktails. It also has private rooms available for groups and couples.

The friendly and attentive service is what really makes this restaurant stand out.

It is open every day, with the kitchen open till midnight and the cocktail lounge until 3am. www.facebook.com/restaurantebarraval 104 Carrer Hospital 08001 Barcelona Tel. 93 329 8277

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festes & traditions One of the best things about autumn in Barcelona is the number of public holidays. Here we explain what they are all about.

Día de la Hispanidad—October 12th

Spain marks its national day, which, to be frank, many Catalans look upon as simply a day off rather than a day to be celebrated. The main event is a military procession held in front of the royal family, politicians and other worthies in Madrid (if you catch it on TV, look out for the ‘star of the show’, the mountain goat mascot of the Legión Española). Here, the day is often referred to as the Día del Pilar, after the saint whose feast day it is.

Tots Sants—November 1st

Across Spain, people remember their family and friends who have passed away; many people visit cemeteries and other significant places at some point during the day. In Catalunya, many families eat roasted chestnuts,

sweet potatoes and panellets—small but expensive cakes with a marzipanlike base flavoured with almonds, hazelnuts, coconut and the like.

Día de la Constitución + Inmaculada Concepción—December

As if the days off for Christmas and St. Stephen’s day (Boxing Day) weren’t enough for Catalans (many other parts of Spain have a holiday on Christmas Eve and not Boxing Day), the start of the month sees two other public holidays to be enjoyed. The first is a celebration of the Spanish Constitution (6th) and the second commemorates the Immaculate Conception (8th). Many people take at least one additional day of leave to make a longer break of it.

It’s worth noting that if a Spanish or Catalan public holiday falls on the weekend, no other day is given in compensation. Boo.

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Need to Know BARCELONA: the practical info

EMERGENCY NUMBERS General emergencies Ambulance service (Ambulancia) Catalan Police (Mossos d’Esquadra) City Police (Guàrdia Urbana) Fire Service (Bomberos)

112

061 088 092 080

IF YOU LOSE YOUR CREDIT CARDS

Visa & Mastercard - 902 192 100 Amex - 902 375 637 Diner’s Club - 93 467 0145

IN THE EVENT OF A CRIME

The most central place to report a crime is the Guàrdia Urbana station at Ramblas 43. Tel. 93 256 2457 (24 hr; English spoken). www.bcn.es/guardiaurbana To get a police report for your insurance you can go to the Mossos d’Esquadra station at Nou de la Rambla 76-80, Raval. Tel. 93 306 2300. You can also fill in a report online: go to the website www. gencat.net/mossos and select ‘Denúncies’ then ‘Denúncies per internet’ (English option available). You will still have to take the completed form to the station to be signed within 72 hours.

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OTHER USEFUL NUMBERS Barcelona general information: 010 National directory enquiries: 11818

LOST PROPERTY

Anything left on public transport or found by police is sent either to the TMB office at Diagonal metro station (top of Passeig de Gràcia) or to the Oficina de Troballes (municipal lost property office) at Pl. Carles Pi i Sunyer 8-10; open Mon-Fri, 9am-2pm. Most items are kept for three months.

CONSULATES

AUSTRALIA: There is currently no Australian consulate here. If advice/help is needed, contact the Madrid embassy: tel. 91 353 6600. www.spain.embassy.gov.au CANADA: Plaça de Catalunya 9, 1º 2ª.

Tel. 93 270 3614. www.canadainternational.gc.ca NEW ZEALAND: Travessera de Gràcia 64. Tel. 93 209 0399 www.nzembassy.com REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Gran Via Carles III 94. Tel. 93 491 5021. www.irlanda.es UK: Avda. Diagonal 477. Tel. 902 109 356. www.ukinspain.fco.gov.uk USA: Pg Reina Elisenda 23. Tel. 93 280 2227. www.madrid.usembassy.gov

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Little Black Book ESSENTIAL ADDRESSES FOR YOUR BARCELONA STAY

house & home souvenirs Buy something to remember Barcelona by that will also look good at home CERABELLA: Boters 5. www.cerabella.com. Beautiful candles ‘handmade in Barcelona’.

VINÇON: Passeig de Gràcia 132. www.vincon.com. Designer houseware fit for any modern home.

BE HOUSE: Bonavista 7. www.behouse.es. Wide selection of goodies you never knew you wanted.

hidden barcelona MUSEU DEL MODERNISME CATALÀ: Balmes 48. www.mmcat. cat. Still not well-known among locals and away from most popular city landmarks, this small museum is a great place to get an introduction to one of Catalunya’s most important art periods from the early 20th century.

SINAGOGA MAJOR: Marlet 5. www.calldebarcelona.org. Easy to miss as you walk down the narrow streets of Barcelona’s former Jewish quarter, the small door opens into part of what some say was the city’s main synagogue in the Middle Ages.

TEMPLE OF AUGUSTUS: Paradís 10. Built when Barcelona was the Roman settlement of Barcino, the majority of this building has been destroyed, but four columns were recovered unexpectedly in the 19th century. Today they sit in the inner courtyard of the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya.

SNACK IN STYLE—Tapas bars that are a cut above the rest PACO MERALGO. Muntaner 171: www.pacomeralgo.com. Traditional and modern tapas rub shoulders at this popular Eixample eatery. Book ahead or get there very early. Note they don’t have table and chairs but breakfast-bars and stools.

DOS PALILLOS. Elisabets 9: www. dospalillos.com. Pricey Japanese-Mediterranean tapas that will serve you well for a special (and sometimes gastronomically challenging) night out. Recommendations include dumplings (gyoza) and sautéed vegetables.

BAR CAÑETE. Unió 17. Another one of those places where a reservation is strongly recommended, this stylish Raval venue offers a good range of raciones (small plates of food) with excellent service.

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