Old Barcelona Flats. A different way to travel!

Here comes the sun in Barcelona

2010-04-23T07:22:00.005+02:00

It is 17th April, the sun has finally arrived to our city. Now, we can say Spring has arrived to stay with us!.

We are strolling, quietly, through the port area in Barcelona, people around us are biking, skating, walking their dog, walking alone, togheter, sitting on the floor, dancing with music groups that play in the street, and of course eating and drinking at the terraces we find in our short tour when a sweet voice arrives to our ears in a well-known tune that says "Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter..."

I thought, yes! as it actually has been. We were desperately waiting for the sun and once this Gentleman Star has arrived, people were taken to the streets. So after the wise singer's advice, we decided to stop to hear
and see what more he could whisper to our ears and suggest to our eyes.

"Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here Here comes the sun, here comes the sun and I say it's all right"

Lovers that simply love, an old man walking and thinking of his last love, teenagers talking and lying about the last film they haven't seen, the love escorts that push with their legs the weight of the couples that get in to their taxi bikes (that is unselfish love!), gay & lesbian people that are happy with their faces towards the Lord Sun, runners and sportsmen that love their bodies, beautiful women that show their beauty, patient families with crying children, the fastest Barceloneta bikers and the slowest bikers ever seen!, people walking their beloved pet, the generous woman that gives money to the singer....all these little stories are hidden in this little video . Enjoy it!

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...

This article has been post by Old Barcelona Flats. Holiday apartments in Barcelona
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Tel. +34 676433037

Snow in Barcelona

2010-03-25T22:27:00.004+01:00

Now that we have got back our usual Mediterranean weather it is time to speak about snow. Incredibly the first week of March our city and Catalonia suffered an spectacular snowfall.

On Monday the 8 March I was coming from a sunny week in London when my daughter called me to explain that her terrace was covered with snow. I still had to land in Barcelona so when we arrived at the airport our surprise was total. All the city and its surroundings were covered in snow until the beach. During the usual trip to Barcelona where usually the landscape is dry, ugly and fully urbanized with chaotic roads and buildings, that day became a magic place. Snow has this quality; if you are not used to seeing it, it transforms vulgar landscapes like the way from the airport to Barcelona into a pleasant place. Time slows down and becomes relative....nothing matters much.

In Barcelona city things looked even better. From noon until midnight it didn't stop snowing, so the thickness of the snow became something important. Bus-lines and the underground started to have problems to circulate, and cars and motorcycles were abandoned on the streets. Even people than had tire chains for the wheels of their cars didn't know how to put them on, so the chaos for a few hours was considerable and guaranteed....but at the same time children were happy to see this unusual landscape.

In Mediterranean countries we are not used to see this quantity of snow in our streets, so for one day it was a magic gift.

Now the mayor and government of our city have strong and powerful reasons to declare a Barcelona candidate for the winter games in 2022. Of course I'm joking. Personally I prefer if Jaca, in the Aragonese Pirinees, organizes them.

Here I show you a little film taken from the terrace of the building where I live for the occasion

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Tel +34 676 433 037

Can Barcelona be a cheap city?

2010-02-11T15:53:00.003+01:00

'Barcelona és bona si la bossa sona' this expression in Catalan means that Barcelona is good if the purse jingles, but I'm here to show you that you can have a very good time, even if your purse is empty or almost empty.

As Barcelona is a Mediterranean city, life is in the street; so many things can be done in it, but there are even cheaper choices than these. Let's see some of them:

Theater: Barcelona is plenty of them, but as in any part of the world you have to pay to see a play, except if you go to a rehearsal. At this moment, on February 2010, American Buffalo of Julio Manrique can be seen at Teatre lliure in Plaça de Margarida Xirgu, 1 (Poble-sec) T. 93 289 27 70 (www.teatrelliure.com).

Balearic folklore in the street: if you are in Barcelona and you want to enjoy the atmosphere of popular festivals in Mallorca, you can stroll through Gracia quarter at the end of January. You will find els Foguerons de Sant Antoni de sa Pobla (Majorcan village) and the xeremiers, puppets, bagpipes, cercavila, "giants", trabucaires, "demons"... and finally, when the night comes the burning of bonfires, and dancing and singing around the fire. It has never been so cheap to go to the Balearic Iles (ses illes!). You will find it in Barcelona in Travessia de Sant Antoni, 6-8 (Gràcia) T. 93 218 44 85 (www.tradicionarius.com)

To dance: If what you want is to shake your bones without spending a pound, you have to go

to Marula. You will find there a wooden dancing floor to stomp until the floor breaks. You will find it at Escudellers, 49 (Gòtic) (www.marulacafe.com)

Barter: You don't have money, but you came with the burden of an appliance like a hair dryer or a ping pong paddle you don't want to carry back to your country. What to do with that? You can exchange it in some of the exchange markets temporarily installed in the city. You will find information about dates and schedules in: www.intercanvis.org

Puppets: I'm not talking about the american TV show the Muppets, I'm talking about traditional puppeteers, who are nomads and go from one part of the world to the other to show their art. In Barcelona we have Brazilian, French, Scottish, even Catalan puppeteers! who perform this noble profession. You will find them at the English Yard of CaixaForum at Av. del Marquès de Comillas, 6-8 (Montjuïc) T. 93 476 86 00 (obrasocial.lacaixa.es)

There are many activities that can be done without spending money, or just for a coffee; All you have to do is sit down at one of the several terraces in Barcelona and enjoy the human landscape that the city offers.

But if you still need information about free activities or very cheap activities in Barcelona you have to read this article. The only thing you have to do it is to learn Catalan. Easy!

Information offered by Holiday apartments in Barcelona. Old Barcelona Flats

If you are interested in to rent a flat in Barcelona near some of the areas I described, here I attach you some links:

- Ample apartment in Barcelona Gothic area

- Mercé apartment in Barcelona Gothic area

- Gotic apartment in Barcelona Gothic area

Pau Nadal
e-mail: info@oldbarcelonaflats.com
Tel +34 676 433 037

Barceloneta

2010-02-05T14:43:00.001+01:00

Barcelona has a beach!

This expression that can be used in any part of the world washed by the sea; in Barcelona it has a special meaning.

In which part of the world can you (on a week-day, after working hard all day, still suit dressed) go to the beach, change your working dress for a swimming suit, and surf in the sea?

This is one of the reasons that the beach in Barcelona is so special; you can enjoy it at any time, any season. There are different ways to enjoy it, regarding the weather, hour, mood, skills...
Besides all this you have to add that in front of the beach you will find a whole quarter, in which one of its specialities is the making of delicious food: Barceloneta quarter. You can find here all kind of restaurants specialized in seafood and fish. From expensive and exclusive places to cheap and familiar restaurants. Some of my favorite ones are those that are in front of the beach, between the twin towers and the Forum area; they aren't particularly expensive -if you are careful with your choice you can eat for 15 €- and you can eat delicious fish while you contemplate the sea. A wonderful scene!

On weekends I usually go biking with my kids on the sea front. There's always something to do. Depending on the weather we can fly a kite, make a sand castle, play basketball, skate, sail a boat (you have to be part of a city sail club, if not, you can take a golondrina or take a tour through the port), and of course, if the weather allows it, bathe in the sea!

Oh!, before I forget: on this video I will show you some of the treasures that Barceloneta beach offers you. Enjoy it!

e-mail: info@oldbarcelonaflats.com
Tel +34 676 433 037

Culture And Beauty Can Be Found On The Hill of Montjuic in Barcelona

2010-02-01T18:36:00.004+01:00

Culture And Beauty Can Be Found On The Hill of Montjuic in Barcelona

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Walk in time. A tram ride in Barcelona, 1908

2010-01-12T18:24:00.008+01:00

Would you like to travel in time?

Who does not like to travel in time without risking when you decide to return because things are get rough so you can do it without problems?

At the moment travel agencies don't offer this type of journey. What a pity! the only way to have acces to the past is thanks to these marvelous people that are the filmmakers. But there is still another problem: we can't go to the past beyond 28 December 1895 when the Lumieres brothers showed their films to the public that assisted to the Salon Indien of Paris. The "Arriving of a train to Ciotat station" caused considerable excitement; some people who were in the salon tried to run away thinking that the train was real.

One year later in Barcelona on 20 December 1896 the Lumieres brothers also made a public cinema projection in a place in las Ramblas that belonged to some photographers who called their company "Napoleon".

The first films made in Catalonia were shot by the pioneer Fructuós Gelabert -filmmaker, inventor and designer of the first film studios in Spain-. He made several fiction films and reports such as "Riña en un café" or "Visita de Doña María Cristina" and "Don Alfonso XIII en Barcelona" that were the first films sold abroad.

Following an alliance with some exhibitors they created Diorama enterprise, which once had several movie theaters. Later they founded Films Barcelona.

Around the same time other firms such as Hispano films appeared in the young business of Catalan films. Was in this context that Ricardo Baños appeared. From 1906 he and other filmmakers devoted them selves in the making of comic and historic films period.

In this short film he just tried to capture the atmosphere of the city in 1908 on a tram ride.

Enjoy it!

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Bumblebees at the Buff Epic Run in Montjuic. Barcelona, December 2009

2010-01-06T17:18:00.010+01:00

There are many activities that you can do in Barcelona in winter. Here I will show you one of them, literally on a video.

In December 2009, a group of foolish people had decided to participate in the steeplechase called Buff Epic Run that every year OCISPORT organizes in Barcelona for runners who like to run disguised in any costume that can be imagined.

Our team decided after some arguing to disguise as bumblebees. Before this decision was made, several option were taken into account. This first option I offered was to disguise as a hippie. There is a reason to explain this offer. I have in my house a spectacular afro wig that I wanted to show to everybody. But this option didn't win. My friend Alex proposed to disguise as a pirate, but nobody saw it clear. Finally Alex sent a drawing of a bumblebee-man with his little wings, his hairy black dress, his beak, their antennas and their eyes made with tea strainers. Everything was set! we had to disguise our selves as a bumblebee.

We were five women and five men committed to fight strongly in order to leave our bumblebee team in a good position in the general ranking of the races of insects and other rare species in the world.

We had a bad start because we were poorly positioned at the beginning of the race. But our strength was still intact (yes, we can... fly!).

After two minutes of race we realized that everything was lost. Wait a moment: everything but our bumblebee dignity. So we had to change quickly our aim. Instead of now winning the race we had to try not to be the last.

We not only aimed our purpose but besides we had a really fun time!

Welcome to the insect and other rare species race in Barcelona. We encourage you to participate next year.

Information offered by Old Barcelona Flats. Holiday apartments in Barcelona
http://www.oldbarcelonaflats.com
e-mail: info@oldbarcelonaflats.com
Tel +34 676 433 037

Fair trade and sustainable tourism

2009-12-21T00:08:00.003+01:00

Let's see what wikipedia says about it:

"Fair Trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as social and environmental standards. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, chocolate and flowers. Fair Trade's strategic intent is to work with marginalized producers and workers in order to help them move towards economic self-sufficiency and stability. It also aims to allow them to become greater stakeholders in their own organizations, as well as play a wider role in international trade. Fair Trade proponents include a number of international development aid, social, religious and environmental organizations..." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade)

As an owner of a vacation rental agency in Barcelona, and as a person concerned about sustainable tourism I ask myself. What can I do to facilitate that some attitudes related to tourism improve.

Firstly I would try to do things that help the environment, as for example always buy coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, that comes from fair trade. It is a little bit more expensive but it's worth. When I do it I feel somewhat more connected to the other side of the world where, probably someone has made these products with their own means of production and I remember that when I used to buy trademarks I didn't feel anything. So buying fair trade things I help someone that needs my aid to overcome the unfair competition that big brands do to small producers, and also makes me more aware than I was. Two for one, what else do I want!

Let's turn now to what my business is: Tourism.

What can we do to help improve sustainable tourism in Barcelona city and its surroundings?

Regarding our apartments, particularly the apartments where the owner is sensitive to these issues, we are trying to change all the light-bulbs to low-power ones. We also try to prevent the appliances that stay with the stand-by lights on. In the rest of the apartments we try to convince the owner to change houses will be usefull not only to reduce their costs but also to improve the image of their business. The planet awareness of people is changing! fortunately...
Another thing is that we insist to our customers that when they leave the flat, they throw the garbage in the corresponding container.

In relation to responsible consumption, we provide our customers a list of places where to buy fair trade products or go out to restaurants or shops that work with regional and handcraft products.

About the activities that our customers can do in Barcelona and its surroundings we are starting to work with other companies in Barcelona that have a wide offer of green activities, such as bike guided tours, sailboat guided tours, routes through the parks and historic neighborhoods and wine cellars tastes, oil cooperatives, honey farms and other gastronomic areas of interest like organic cultivation farms.

e-mail: info@oldbarcelonaflats.com
Tel +34 676 433 037

From war and violence in 1909 to peace and love in Barcelona 2009

2009-11-21T19:46:00.002+01:00

One century ago Barcelona was defined as the Fire Rose ("la rosa de foc" in catalan) or Bomb City ("la ciutat de les bombes" in catalan) by several authors that were in Barcelona at that time.

In 1909 the Fire Rose was burning in flames, and there was a violent antimilitarist riot which burned more than eighty religious buildings in Barcelona, more than half of the convents that were built in the city. A revolt that began caused by the war in the Spanish protectorate in Morocco, resulting in the recruitment of more than 40.000 reservists, most of them young parents.

The reasons of the revolt were:
- The economic interests of Catalonia's oligarchy (Count Romanones, Marquis de Comillas and Count Güell) in the war to controlate the ownership of moroccan mines were known
- The depletion of the population after the independence war of Cuba in 1898 were of more than 150.000 young men, most of them humble and proletarian, who were killed in a hopeless war.
- The rich people had the advantage of avoiding war, supported by the Catholic Church and after having paid 6.000 reales to the State.

All these reasons formed the necessary ground that sparked the revolt that ended in the declaration of martial law. Lots of churches were burned because rioters considered that the Church formed part of the bourgeoisie that didn't go to war.

In this context churchs and convents were assaulted, graves were desecrated and the subversives danced in the streets with skeletons extracted from the tombs.

Antonio Maura's govern held a strong repression and two thousend people were arrested arbitrarily; Following the accusations that the Bishop (curia) of Barcelona did against him, the educator and free thinker Francesc Ferrer i Guardia was arrested and accused of being the instigator of the revolt. In october of that year, Ferrer i Guardia and Eugenio del Hoyo Manjón, Antoni Malet i Pujol, Ramon Clemente i Garcia i Josep Miquel i Baró were shot in Montjuïc castle.

Such executions created a widespread rejection in Europe and the king Alfonso XIII ("En Cametes" "little legs" in catalan because he had very thin legs), scared by this reaction, dismissed Maura and appointed Segismundo Moret in his place.

Today in Barcelona there are many acts and exhibitions that remember those days and allows us to understand better the city and our days. Here I attach some of them.

You can visit the interesting exhibition about this subject in:
Exposició "1909: fotografia, ciutat i conflicte"
You can have more information:
Un programa variat per reviure la Setmana Tràgica
La Rosa de foc, la Rosa de fuego
La setmana tràgica

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Is it possible to taste a good bear produced in Barcelona's nearby country?

2009-11-20T07:38:00.003+01:00

Yes, it is!

Rosita, Glops, Bleder, Guineu, Keks, Moska, Cap d’Ona, Companyia Cervesera del Montseny, Pubilla, and Ales Agullons are different catalan brands produced entirely in Catalonia and served in some public bars in Barcelona and its environment.

In the bar El Flabiol -Rambla de Brasil, 55, Barcelona (google maps)- you can find all these beers in a suitable atmosphere to taste them. Not far from here you can find another beer temple named Terra d'escudella -Premia, 20. Barcelona (google maps)- whose bid is to offer land products made in an artisanale way.

If you want to find beer from any part of the world you must go to la Cerveteca -at Gignàs, 25 street. Barcelona (google maps)- there you will find all kind of beers from the most artisanal to the most commercial from all over part the world, specially Germany.

Who signs this article is a good beer fan. After spending some weeks in Bamberg (Germany) last summer I began to appreciate the difference between a good beer and a bad beer. One of their secrets is mineral water from a spring which is in the same brewery. German breweries are real role models to consider that I think catalan breweries are following.

Now you know that if you want to visit Barcelona, besides doing many other things, you can also drink good catalan beer. At OldBarcelonaFlats. Barcelona Holiday apartments we will help you to enjoy this experience

Cheers!

Based on an article published in Timeout Barcelona (in catalan)

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Tel +34 676 433 037

2009-11-03T18:52:00.002+01:00

We were born in Barcelona. We know and love our city. We like the old Barcelona, the popular Barcelona, the genuine places with a taste of its own, which still survive far from massive tourism.

In OldBarcelonaFlats we want show that of what we value of our city. From the most spectacular view from Montjuic Mountain or Tibidabo to a visit of a small wine cellar that resists time with a calm and paused rhythm, through a place where bikes can be hired, or introduce you to who can give you a ride on a sail-boat by the Mediterranean coast that washes the shore of Barcelona… we know almost everything about our city. All you have to do is ask.

Our experience allows us to offer a selection of lodgings with charm: apartments in Barcelona special for their location, their views, their fine decoration, and finally, for a treatment and information that will help you enjoy this Mediterranean Barcelona where we live.

In OldBarcelonaFlats we want to offer our guests all the chances and information that promote the values of ecology and environmental sustainability, and therefore we intend that our apartments have the energetic efficiency at its most, without leaving aside the comfort.

e-mail: info@oldbarcelonaflats.com
Tel +34 676 433 037