Barcelona Metropolitan Issue 196

May 2013 Nº 196 Free

Interview Muse

Design

Marguerite Olivier

Restaurant The Mirror

Features

Crafts in the city George Orwell American Businesses PLUS WHAT’S ON CULTURE REVIEW TRAVEL FOOD NEWS

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MAY Contents Features 18 American businesses 24 City crafts 30 George Orwell

Regulars 06 Inside Look 07 Around Town 08 Fact-checker: La Renta 11 Recipe: Toblerone cookies 12 Making Plans 23 Design: Marguerite Olivier 29 Interview: Muse 32 Escape the City 34 Gastronomy 50 Back Page

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Directories 37 Food & Drink 40 Shopping 41 Business

From the Senior Editor:

48 Jobs

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It’s no secret that Barcelona is an inspirational place for creatives from all walks of life. The special light, the amazing architecture and the busy city streets, not forgetting the local cuisine and culture, all create sparks with artists, writers and musicians both native and foreign. This month’s issue is an homage to just a small part of that creativity. Louise Johnson introduces us to some of those sharing their knowledge and skill in the field of crafts, poet Tomàs Arias Soler gives us his personal take on the annual Barcelona Poesia festival and Lynn Baiori delves into the centuries-old process of Raku ceramic-making. We tell you about three Gràcia places enabling artists of all stripes to connect with the public. But this being Metropolitan, there is a lot more besides: day trips to the north of Catalunya, a celebration of the 75th anniversary of Homage to Catalonia and local businesses dedicated

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to Americana; an exclusive interview with Muse bass player Chris Wolstenholme, a blinder of a restaurant and taxes. All of life is here! Hannah Pennell

Publisher Creative Media Group, S.L. Founder Esther Jones Managing Director Andrea Moreno Senior Editor Hannah Pennell Editor Lynn Baiori Art Director Aisling Callinan Account Executives Richard Cardwell and Dan Whitehead Design Assistants Juan Capitoni and Michaela Xydi Editorial Assistants Erin Handley, Said Saleh, Megan Schuman, Júlia Tejeda and Hannah Webb Sales Assistants Mehdi Chabi and Christopher Murphy Contributors Tomàs Arias Soler, Jonathan Bennett, Roger de Flower, Louise Johnson, Seán Kenehan, Tori Sparks, Tara Stevens, Jennifer Theriault and Helen Vass Photographer Richard Owens Cover illustration Karmen Ferret Haynes Illustrator Ben Rowdon Editorial Office: Ciutat 7 2º 2ª-4ª, 08002 Barcelona. Tel. 93 451 4486, Fax. 93 451 6537; editorial@barcelona-metropolitan.com Advertising: ads@barcelona-metropolitan.com. General enquiries: info@barcelona-metropolitan.com. www.barcelona-metropolitan.com Printer: Litografia Rosés. Depósito Legal: B35159-96 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.

Find your nearest distribution point on www.barcelona-metropolitan.com

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06 THIS MONTH

ON THE COVER Illustrator Karmen Ferret Haynes www.karmenferret.carbonmade.com

I was born in Barcelona and I´m half guiri (my mum is from London) and half Catalan. I started drawing when I was little, behind the counter in my dad’s photography shop in Sitges, a beautiful coastal town just south of Barcelona, where I had the best childhood playing in the streets and spending all day on the beach. I have a degree in Graphic Design from Elisava (in Ciutat Vella) and a Postgraduate course in Advanced Illustration from La Massana (in Raval). These schools are in great areas of Barcelona in which to lose yourself exploring after coming out of class.

When I was studying graphic design, my teacher said to me that I should become an illustrator as I was always drawing on everything… and so I did! Illustration is my passion. I always have pens and pencils in my bag just in case I find an interesting corner to draw (including on napkins and coasters). Currently, I am working on an illustration and design for a traditional beer label called Tecla.

Barcelona is gorgeous and full of light!

I never miss going to the openings of art exhibitions… for the free cava, of course!

I always avoid Mossos d’Esquadra and the chain of food shops called Nostrum.

A view: Barcelona from the plane when you’re landing, all tiny and beautiful.

A building: Estació de França An inspiration: Food markets, the sea and Messi.

A place to go with friends: Museu de la Ciència to touch all the interactive exhibits, followed by a few beers and mussels in Barceloneta.

On my to-do list: My own exhibition with free cava, of course!

About the cover It was made for an exhibition where we had to express a critical view of the difficulties and expense of getting a flat in the city when Barcelona is full of empty re-possessed apartments that are owned by the banks. I thought “why not just live on a comfy lilo with great views of the city?”

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THIS MONTH 07

AROUND TOWN

Barcelona x-games A spectacle for extreme sports enthusiasts

If you have a need for speed or a thirst for air, you’ll want to go up to Montjuïc this month for the X-Games, a showcase for Moto X freestyle and enduro racing, BMX biking, skateboarding and rally cross events.

Extreme sports enthusiasts can revel in the devastating heights and crushing lows, with bikes in flight, skateboard grinds and racecars skidding through the mud. Events are spread out across various locations in Montjuïc, including the Olympic stadium and Palau Sant Jordi, while the municipal swimming pool will serve as a huge vert ramp for the BMX and skateboarding events.

Complete programme information and tickets are available on their website.

Montjuïc May 16th-19th www.xgamesbarcelona.com

MUM’S THE WORD Craft charity event Arts and crafts lovers will be spoilt for choice at this charity market, organised by MumAbroad. Enterprising mothers and grandmothers will be selling their wares at Gràcia’s Coco-Mat. Handmade artisan products, including jewellery, cards, gifts, upholstery and keepsakes, will be sold.

Massages, Reiki, facials and creams will also be available, and there will be a pop-up café and a kids’ corner. It’s a heart-warming initiative, with 20 percent of all sales being donated to local charities.

Coco-Mat, Balmes 229, Gràcia May 4th, 10am-2pm www.mumabroad.com

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08 THIS MONTH

(aLMOST) aLL YOU nEED TO KnOW aBOUT: La REnTa QUICK FaCTS - Hacienda is the common name for the Illustration by Juan Capitoni.

‘state tax administration agency’ (aEat).

- regional tax rates across spain’s autonomous communities are not equal, with Catalunya having the highest.

- taxpayers have the option to decide if they want to send 0.7 percent of their personal income taxes to social causes or the Catholic Church (or split it 50-50 between the two).

- In 1991, singer lola Flores announced that she “didn’t know she had to do it” when accused of not declaring her taxes.

So you managed to earn €22,000 or more last year here. Great job.

Now the Declaración de la Renta is waiting for you. For many residents of Spain, May is the time of year to start filling out the income tax declaration (AKA La Renta) for the previous tax year, which has to be submitted by the end of June. It is not necessary for salaried workers earning less than €22,000 to complete a declaration as long as they have a single employer and those whose income is less than €8,000 a year do not need to fill in a declaration at all, so every cloud has a silver lining. Nonetheless, the tax law keeps changing. For instance, this year, a new decree states that Spanish residents must declare all the assets that they own outside Spain if they are worth more than €50,000.

TAX AVOIDANCE It is said by some that without tax avoidance the economic crisis would be over. This issue has become pertinent in recent times by an impressive number of stories about corruption and hidden accounts in tax havens that have surfaced in the Spanish media. Trying to avoid paying taxes is an issue for all classes, but is particularly scandalous when undertaken by those with great fortunes, such as the long list of Spanish politicians, celebrities and even members of the royal family that have (allegedly) been involved with or related to cases of hiding wealth abroad. For example, tennis player Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and opera singer Montserrat Caballé were accused of avoiding taxes by pretending to live in Andorra. Nevertheless, Switzerland still seems to be the wealthy Spaniard’s favourite tax haven, especially for sheltering money gained through corrupt means. In just one recent example, Luis Bárcenas, the former treasurer of the Partido Popular, was caught in a controversial scandal of political corruption thanks to his Swiss bank account, said to hold around €22 million.

Although an exact calculation of all the money not declared to the taxman here is impossible, the Tax Justice Network (www.taxjustice.net) estimates that tax avoidance represents 22.5 percent of the Spanish economy, meaning that around €82 billion never make it to Hacienda.

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In FIGURES It is estimated that 19,525,000 tax declarations will be submitted this year. Of these, 14,935,000 will be done by taxpayers entitled to a tax rebate (worth a total of €10.7 billion), while 4,100,000 declarees will have to pay extra tax to the government (totalling around €6.5 billion).

SPANISH TAX SYSTEM Although the overall Spanish tax system is quite complicated, it is easiest to think of it in the three tiers of government: the central government, autonomous regional governments and local municipalities. The Spanish Government has taxation agreements with other countries including the UK, so British citizens only get taxed once.

However, if you are American, you will have to file two tax returns, since the US bases tax on nationality, not residence.

Still confused? Check out the article on our website by British accountant David Cook, which explains the practical ins and outs of submitting your Spanish income tax return: www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/tax2013

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THIS MONTH 09

METROPOLITan PEOPLe

Q. WHICH programME woulD you like your tax money to go to?

Name: TAYLOR PERRY Occupation: Student From: US Answer: If I could choose where my taxes go, it would be to the maintenance of infrastructure like buildings and public spaces for keeping up the city.

Name: Alessandra Mazzini Occupation: Photographer From: Mexico Answer: I would send my taxes to culture and art programmes. I work as a photographer and I think more money is needed to promote this sector.

Name: Nanna誰g le Bolloch Occupation: Shop assistant From: France Answer: I can think of a lot of sectors but I would like my tax money to help old people who have no other option than looking into the garbage to find food and clothes.

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>>

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Back to Basics Gràcia has always been a neighbourhood with its own particular community vision, paradoxically solidary and independent at the same time. Quietly Catalan, it stubbornly holds its place as a refuge for artistic and social movements and provides a rich breeding ground for creativity. Perfectly aligned with the current grassroots movements that aim to move away from the grip of big business, Gràcia is cultivating its own artistic vision of the future. We offer insight into three of these ventures, each developed to bring the heart of art closer to the street and a little deeper into the larger community.

sounds good

Gràcia Territori Sonor www.gracia-territori.com hertziosfera@gracia-territori.com A non-profit organisation created in 1996, Gràcia Territori Sonor has as its aim the assimilation of artistic forms through a focus on musical experimentation.

Organisers of the popular LEM festival, they host interdisciplinary events year round and invite artists from fields as diverse as culinary arts and experimental musicians to participate in cooperative projects. They hold workshops and offer a resident artists programme as well.

Upcoming events include Impronit­ —a monthly collective improvisation laboratory­and public performance—and the Hertziosfera Workshop, where the musically curious can investigate space, elements and the broadening of the sound palette in order to develop different ways of listening.

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food for thought

La Parada, Mercat de l’Abaceria, Stalls 14 and 15 (corner of Travessera de Gràcia and Torrijos). www.laparada.org Barcelona’s markets play a central part in the life of each neighbourhood, as a place to source food, of course, but also as a social meeting point, a place to learn what’s new, share a piece of your life with the fish vendor or with a familiar or unknown neighbour. At Gràcia’s main market, l’Abaceria, this concept has been taken a step deeper, into the artistic heart of the community, with the opening of La Parada. Two outdoor stalls, normally reserved for selling items such as housewares or clothing, bring a completely original concept to Barcelona’s market scene: original photography and literature packaged brightly and enticingly and offered up to the public in order to feed another need. Xènia Bagué and Raquel Villa set up La Parada as a way to introduce artists and their work into the dialogue; as food is for the body, art is for the soul, and the response to La Parada has been continuous and growing. Wooden boxes display little gems from postcards to poetry.

On Saturday, there is a ‘speaker’s corner’, where authors and artists come to read or explain more about their work, as a crowd gathers to listen while sipping vermouth.

It’s a cultural feast out on the street, and a fresh, dynamic addition to la plaça.

For the People L’indiscret Milà i Fontanals 46 www.lindiscretbcn.com

Independent, active and cooperative are the key features of this project, recently opened in order to bring together musicians, artists, editors, producers, designers and members of the creative community to generate projects that move directly from the creator to the public.

L’indiscret offers everything from readings to music to fashion, making it not just a showcase for new talent, but a direct connection between artists and an open door for art to flow to the street.

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BARCELONA BAKING

TOBLERONE COOKIES Ingredients 100g Toblerone 75g butter 75g white sugar 75g light muscovado sugar 1 egg 175g self-raising flour

GIVE IT A TRY

Method Preheat the oven to 180ÂşC. Line a couple of baking trays with greaseproof paper. Chop the Toblerone into pieces and set aside.

In a bowl, cream together the butter and two types of sugar using a hand mixer until they become light and fluffy. Then beat in the egg. Sift the flour and mix it together with the butter, sugar and egg. Once done, stir in the Toblerone pieces until well distributed. Use two teaspoons to spoon blobs of the mixture onto the baking trays. Pop in the oven for around 10-15 minutes until they are golden. Then take them out of the oven and leave them on the baking trays for a few minutes. Finally, using a fish slice, take them off the trays and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

BAKE & WIN! To win a Silikomart Whoopie pie mat (www.silikomart.com), post a photo of your Toblerone cookies on Helen Vass’s Facebook page, The Diary of a Cakemaker. Helen will then choose a winner, and their name will be announced on her page.

Helen Vass is a British baker based in Barcelona. She is a self-taught baker and has been producing delicious cakes, cookies and cupcakes for 20 years.

As well as writing recipes and sharing her passion on the web through her popular blog, www.thediaryofacakemaker.com, Helen teaches baking classes in various locations throughout Barcelona.

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12 culture

MAKING PLANS

A few suggestions about things to do tonight, this weekend, later on...

Magic in Motion Georges Méliès: La Màgia del Cinema CaixaForum. Until June 24th www.obrasocial.lacaixa.es This fascinating exhibition honours Georges Méliès, the father of modern cinema. The French film-maker was a pioneer in the field of visual effects, using his skill as an illusionist to craft such techniques as time lapse photography, superimposition and hand-painted reels. Interest in the ‘cinemagician’ has been piqued recently with the release of Martin Scorsese’s Hugo which featured

Méliès prominently. The exhibition boasts props and art from the maestro’s most famous works, as well as showings of his many films. The real centrepiece of the showcase must surely be the display of A Trip to the Moon (1902, shown above), where Méliès uses technical mastery to bring to life his vision of the moon as a dreamscape populated with crustacean creatures; this film is the perfect demonstration of his virtuosity. In addition to the main exhibition, there are a plethora of other events taking place such as cinema concerts and magic shows for kids. Don’t miss your chance to witness the genius of Méliès.

In the Loop

Loop Barcelona 2013 May 16th to 25th www.loop-barcelona.com LOOP is Barcelona’s not-to-be-missed meeting point for all video art lovers. An international festival, it is organised into three platforms—the Loop Fair, the Screen Festival and Loop Studies.

The Loop Fair’s focus is on premieres. Organised by highly-specialised video art professionals, screenings of new videos and films are held in galleries throughout the city. The Screen Festival is a coordinating platform for collaborative projects. Over 50 locations in Barcelona—from the MACBA to alternative independent spaces, galleries and coffee houses—host a wide range of exhibitions, screenings and perfomances of the most recent innovations in moving-image art. For a more theoretical approach, Loop Studies is the place to head.

Those who seek a more profound understanding of the field can benefit from professional talks and discussions related to el sèptim art.

FIND MORE EVENTS ON OUR WEBSITE WWW.BARCELONA-METROPOLITAN.COM

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culture 13

Sounds of Spring

Parc del Fòrum May 22nd to 26th www.primaverasound.com The annual Primavera Sound Festival returns to Barcelona this month, bringing with it the familiar eclectic line-up. The event is one of the largest festivals in Spain, with attendance records reaching over 100,000 in previous years. Both a celebration of independent music and a showcase for recently established musicians, Primavera hosts the hottest new talent as well as long established names in the alternative music scene. The 12th edition promises a wide range of genres, from Grizzly Bear (pictured) to hip-hop legends Wu-tang Clan. Headlining this year’s line-up of hundreds of artists is international talent such as Phoenix, The Postal Service and Blur, as well as Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.

Foundations of Identity

Un segle d’escultura catalana MEAM. Until June 23rd. €7; €5 concessions www.meam.es Set in the splendour of the Gomis Palace, a stone’s throw from the long lines of the Museo Picasso, the European Museum of Modern Art is a gem, housing some of the best modern figurative art from Catalunya. The current exhibition, ‘A Century of Catalan Sculpture’, presents a global and integrating overview of local sculpture, with nearly 300 works covering the creative output of 80 artists. Pieces reflecting early influences by masters such as Rodin and Meunier give the viewer an understanding of later trends seen throughout the region. This is the first time some of these valuable works have made their way into public viewing.

Wander slowly through 16 large rooms, following an extensive chronological thread from the mid-19th century up to contemporary works. “Art and culture are the foundations of our identity,” says José Manuel Infiesta, MEAM’s director, and the exhibition presents a solid foundation of the heart and beauty of the local culture. The MEAM’s entrance patio has been reserved for large-scale works from emblematic artists such as Salvador Dalí, Joan Rebull and Julio Antonio, among others.

On May 18th, 52 museums in Barcelona and its metropolitan area will offer free entrance from 7pm to 1am in this year’s edition of La Nit dels Museus. Don’t miss this special night of museum hopping, combining more than 100 permanent exhibitions and collections with a wide selection of concerts, workshops, dance shows and activities for all ages.

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culture 15

Up on stage Some of the concerts happening this month in Barcelona

Comeback Kid—Wednesday 1st at Estraperlo The xx—Thursday 2nd at Poble Espanyol The Ataris—Saturday 4th at Apolo [2] Imagine Dragons—Tuesday 7th at Apolo [2] Grigory Sokolov—Friday 10th at Palau de la Música The Lizards­—Saturday 11th at Espai Jove La Fontana L.A.—Friday 17th at Bikini Alessi’s Ark—Friday 17th at Club BARTS One Direction—Wednesday 22nd at Pavelló Olímpic Badalona James Blake (pictured)—Friday 24th at El Parc del Fòrum (Primavera Sound) Alejandro Sanz—Wednesday 29th at Palau Sant Jordi

Out of Africa

North Africa. Ortiz Echagüe MNAC. Until July 21st www.mnac.cat José Ortiz Echagüe, considered by some critics to be one of Spain’s leading photographers, is currently being celebrated at the Museu Nacional d’Art Catalunya (MNAC). In 1906, Echagüe travelled to Rif, a region in northern Morocco, as a member of the photography service of the Spanish Army. He captured the humble side of life in this city­—the local customs and everyday aspects that could otherwise be overlooked.

Echagüe returned to Morocco 50 years later only to find that the primitive exoticism that he had once captured through a lens had disappeared. The country was now modernised. Echagüe attempted to communicate a nostalgia for the original Rif he had experienced by photographing the few remaining people, who were now out of context in the modern society, against a backdrop of solitary landscapes.

The MNAC has collected 79 of his photographs from these stages of his work to facilitate an understanding of Echagüe’s experience in North Africa.

Mack the Knife

Sala Poble Nou. May 11th, 12th, 18th and 19th www.escapadetheatre.es Escapade Theatre presents a modern version of the classic Mack the Knife story, in which sex, murder, prostitution and poverty are prevalent in London during the year 2014.

Mack the Knife tells the tale of JJ Peachum, an entrepreneur who struggles to make an honest living to support his family in a society that is built on corruption.

The show takes a hard look at crime in our current world, the result being an original and daring production. With a solid cast of 20 actors and singers, a seven-piece orchestra and video projections, the show is sure to be a unique experience. Check out Escapade Theatre’s website for more information regarding tickets and reservations.

VISIT WWW.BARCELONA-METROPOLITAN.COM FOR MORE CONCERTS, EXHIBITIONS AND FESTIVALS

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CULTURE 17

festival

Spring brings the return of Barcelona Poesia.

By Tomàs Arias Soler.

Nit de Poesia al Palau, 2012

T

here are bars, cafés and bookstores in Barcelona that have weekly poetry recitals throughout the year, allowing lovers of this minority art the option of sharing in its dissemination on a regular basis. Rarely does a week go by when there are not recitals somewhere in the city. One of my favourite places to go for poetry is the Horiginal, in Ciutat Vella, where they have been offering poetry readings each Wednesday for more than 10 years. Such bars constitute the centre of the social life for many poets such as myself. They are modern public spaces, the Greek agoras of our time. Here is where one can go to discover new voices in poetry; here is where the old and new are discussed; here are the places where numerous favours are exchanged and, mostly, here is where the public comes to hear poetry, talk of poetry and drink… certainly to drink.

There are times when I have the sensation of living rare, singular moments, just as Picasso, Apollinaire, Modigliani, Max Jacob and Juan Gris did in the all-night bars of Montparnasse. But only at times. Other times I think that the whole thing is a great waste of time, that I should have stayed at home to write, just to write, but I can’t. I am always drawn back to the agora because there is nothing that compares to human contact and because art, in the end, is a festival with all its virtues and defects; a great binge of the senses that needs to be shared with friends and the rest of humanity.

And in this way, Barcelona’s poets spend the year, until the arrival of spring which brings with it our festa major, our semana grande, the week that the city calls forth its best poets and invites to our streets the finest poets from around the world.

Barcelona’s international poetry week, Barcelona Poesia, is a major cultural event that has been hosted each spring in the city for the past 28 years. Set in numerous venues throughout Barcelona, the festival makes it possible to attend a large and varied number of free poetry readings and related activities for a full week each May. The festival was introduced in 1985, when the poet Àlex Susanna and the editor Mario Muchnik created the Festival Internacional de

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Poesia. The popularity of the festival was immediate and it grew in each successive year. In 1997, the Ajuntament de Barcelona became involved with the event, coordinating it with the existing Jocs Florals (a historic Catalan poetry writing competition) and creating a week of public readings, called Barcelona Poesia. Since 2011, the three events have been unified to collectively be known as Barcelona Poesia.

It is worth noting that this is one of the oldest poetry festivals in Europe. In previous editions, the week has kicked off with the Nit de Poesia al Palau, at the Palau de la Música Catalana. This is a solemn act and one of the festival’s most beautiful. At the building’s entrance, the organisers hand out gifts to participants, a book containing the poetry that will be read and a small light with which to read, as the lights of the Palau are turned down while each poet takes to the stage to recite. The magic of the Palau’s Modernista architecture along with the thousands of small lights add a rare and powerful poetic image to the scene. The poets invited to read come from around the world and have included names of such stature as Patti Smith.

Another special moment is the ceremony presenting the winner of the annual Jocs Florals. With nearly 700 years of history behind it (the first Jocs Florals took place in 1323), it is considered to be the oldest poetry competition in the western world. The winner is honoured with the illustrious title, Poeta de la ciutat­—Poet of the city of Barcelona.

The ceremony takes place in the Saló de Cent of the Ajuntament, a jewel of Catalan Gothic architecture. Attendance is free and highly recommended as it offers an opportunity to visit the magnificent Saló.

Plaça del Rei, the Palau de la Virreina and the Museu Marès are some of the historical settings where, for seven days, it is possible to hear recitals, lectures, conferences and debates, and see exhibitions, each conceived to awaken the heart of poetry in the city.

Barcelona Poesia, May 8th to 14th. Various venues www.bcn.cat/setmanapoesia Follow this event on Twitter #BCNPoesia

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18 FEATURE

Apple pie and all that Get your fix of Americana from a range of local businesses. By Tori Sparks.

‘A

mericana’ in Catalunya is not a new phenomenon. As you wander through the city centre, it’s impossible to avoid the Subway, Starbucks and KFC franchises on what seems to be every other corner. Just when you start to think that it’s Invasion of the Body-Snatching Fast-Food Restaurants, there are a few companies in and around Barcelona that are anything but just another imported burger joint. These companies and organisations are an imported slice of US culture and, sometimes, American kitsch, thriving in the middle of Catalunya. Think Blues, BBQ , Fifties’ diners, Tennessee whiskey and Campbell’s Soup.

And the most intriguing part is that these companies are almost all founded and run by Spanish people, not by US residents here.

So, what is the appeal of iconic Americana to the Barcelona population? Are these places upgraded tourist traps posing as a trend or do they represent something more profound? Jaume Ramon Espignol, the founder of Catalunya’s only Jack Daniels museum, emphatically agrees with the latter option.

L’Oncle Jack is a Jack Daniels museum, bar and live music venue that has been around for over 15 years. In 1996, Jaume and his wife Dolors decided to open a bar with the intent of, says Espignol, “creating an atmosphere that is 100 percent Tennessee in Catalunya”. A place where people can come to hear American music and appreciate “not just the whiskey, but the attitude” that is Jack Daniels. The bar is a constantly evolving private collection of American memorabilia, an ole Southern-style honky tonk located over in L’Hospitalet, near the end of the red metro line. They have shelves lined with limited edition bottles brought over by hand from the whiskey distillery just

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outside Nashville and authentic 19th-century ‘WANTED’ posters featuring portraits of American outlaws. Maybe you’d expect to find a few homesick expats hanging out at the bar, but the Espignols say that almost all of their clientele are locals and that the bar is not much of a tourist attraction at all.

Espignol reminisces about his trip along Route 66, where he saw “so many parts of America, and heard so many stories that fascinated me. That visit convinced me that I needed to bring something back so I could share it with people from here, and the response has been wonderful. Most of my clients are people from the local neighbourhood who have a passion for these aspects of American culture, almost as much as I do! We do get the occasional traveller or collector, but this is a place for the locals.”

L’Oncle Jack has been actively participating in Barcelona’s live music scene for the past seven years. It showcases American or American-style musicians in front of local audiences both at the bar and at various festivals, and encourage collaborations and co-bills with Catalan singer-songwriters.

If cowboy-esque silver belt buckles are not enough to convince you that there is an audience for this kind of thing in Barcelona, plan your next lunch date at one of the Peggy Sue’s diners in the city, such as the one on Balmes. Warning: The decor alone is enough to make you do a double-take. The white and blue vinyl booths, jukebox and pink walls make the restaurant look like a piece of the set from Grease, rather than a place located just two streets over from the famous examples of Modernista architecture that pepper Passeig de Gràcia.

Peggy Sue’s started in 2007 in Madrid, but, according to the founder and owner José Muñiz, they first spent a year in planning; this

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FEATURE 19

meant visiting the US to try to make sure that the experience was authentic, handcrafted and personal for every customer. The inspiration for a self-proclaimed “100 percent Spanish company” to open a 100 percent old-school Fifties’ diner was a combination of nostalgia and forward thinking.

Muñiz says that “the Fifties represented a magic time, an era of optimism that we wanted to recreate here in Spain. The founders of Peggy Sue’s are all Spanish, but we’ve always been big admirers of American culture. At the same time, like it or not, the US continues to be the reference point for modern culture.”

Like L’Oncle Jack, most of Peggy Sue’s clientele are Spanish or Catalan, and the locations in Barcelona have been particularly successful because the city is filled with young people who are open to discovering new things. Their menu includes typical diner dishes such as chicken fingers, customisable burgers, tacos, milkshakes and onion rings.

Muñiz says that aside from bringing an atmosphere of hope and nostalgia to Barcelona and other cities around Spain, one of their other goals is to contribute to the local economy and improve the lives of the community. The company is deeply involved with los Mensajeros de Paz (the Messengers of Peace), an organisation that helps feed hungry children in the local community. “It’s our obligation.

Even though we’re feeling the effects of the crisis just like anyone else these days, to work in the food industry while kids in your community go hungry and not do anything about it, just seems crazy.”

Speaking of food, it’s impossible to talk about the imported tastes of America without mentioning, well, Taste of America. It was the first grocery store to offer a complex variety of American food prod-

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Top left: Peggy Sue’s Top right: Taste of America co-founders, Dana Knowles and Alicia Vaño Bottom: L’Oncle Jack All photos provided courtesy of the businesses mentioned.

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ucts in Spain. A group of Spanish and American friends founded the first location on Calle Serrano in Madrid, and expanded into other cities, such as Barcelona and Valencia, over the past decade and a half.

They sell products that are nearly impossible to find anywhere else in Barcelona, such as Arizona Iced Tea, Pepperidge Farm, Celestial Seasonings, Campbell’s Soup, Duncan Hines, Hershey’s, even Stubbs BBQ Sauce, straight from Austin, Texas. The labels are adapted to the market, written in both English and Castilian. Their purchasing team travels to the US to try new foods, in order to immerse their customers in American culture and cuisine, not just to offer them alternate buying options.

“Like it or not, the US continues to be the reference point for modern culture.”

But what is the appeal for this kind of store in Barcelona? Cofounders Alicia Vaño and Dana Knowles admitted that they were surprised by the strong demand for these kinds of products outside the local American community. The Barcelona location has been open for four years, and is constantly growing its customer base. They say that well over half of their customers are not American, hardly any are tourists, and that they mostly get new business from word of mouth. “It’s not uncommon to overhear someone phoning a friend on the spot, to say ‘you have got to come check out this store!’” says Knowles.

She was born in Arkansas and has been living in Spain for 20 years. Her business partner is originally from Madrid but, comments Knowles, “has a deep love of American food and culture”. Like the people at Peggy Sue’s, they also see themselves as unofficial ambassadors of American food and culture. Besides filling the demand for US-produced snack foods, they also make it a priority to import the health-conscious side of the American diet.

“We have taken on that notion that the US produces only high-calorie junk foods,” says Knowles. “That’s a part of the American culture, but we also bring a wide variety of the newest trends in healthy eating, including organic, gluten-free and products appropriate for diabetics.” They offer in-store demonstrations to show people how to add variety to their everyday cooking using their products.

The people at Taste of America have found that it’s something that many of their health-aware clients from the US miss from home, and that interests their Spanish clients as well. Or, to put it another way: “We want our customers to find inspiration in our shops,” explains Knowles. Whether that inspiration comes in the form of soft-baked chocolate chip cookies or probiotic yogurt, take your pick—they’ve probably got it in stock.

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Before you get nervous about an American invasion, don’t worry—the sword cuts both ways, and it’s not all about Blues and BBQ. Organisations such as the American Society of Barcelona (ASB) are promoting a very real cultural exchange between Barcelona’s American community and natives of Catalunya. “Among other things, we work to promote the beauty of the Catalan landscape, food and culture to Americans,” says ASB president, Victor Horcasitas, “and connect Catalans with opportunities to learn about US culture, to practise English, and sometimes even with jobs in the United States.

The mission of the ASB is not to Americanise Catalunya, but to promote connection and understanding between two cultures that have a lot to offer to each other.”

Founded in 1974 by a group of American entrepreneurs, the ASB was originally established for the purpose of connecting with other foreign businessmen within the local community. In the last few decades, the American Society has grown to include members from numerous countries.

“Things have changed in the US-Catalan relationship over the last several years. The US didn’t have a lot of friends here during the Bush era,” Horcasitas says. “When Obama came into office, Americans were strongly embraced by Catalunya. There was a great sense of possibility.” Horcasitas attributes the success of American-themed businesses, in part, to this feeling of hope. He says that it’s possible that the ASB’s work has helped to foster some of the appeal of businesses like L’Oncle Jack, Peggy Sue’s or Taste of America, but that it’s really a positive side effect and evidence of the deepening relationship between the two cultures.

So, in the end, what does Barcelona’s growing passion for American culture represent? US invasion or cultural exchange? Hope for the future, or a nostalgic longing for a real or imagined Golden Era of the past?

You decide. Can we talk about it over a milkshake at the diner?

MORE INFO L’Oncle Jack Roselles 32, L’Hospitalet del Llobregat. Tel. 610 718 828. Metro: Av. de Carrillet (L1). www.onclejack.com Peggy Sue’s Balmes 24. Tel. 93 304 2094 Travessera de Gràcia 35. Tel. 93 414 2520 Benet Mateu 57. Tel. 93 252 0890 www.peggysues.es Taste of America Balmes 322. Tel. 93 211 9792 www.tasteofamerica.es FGC: Pàdua (L7) The American Society of Barcelona Sant Eusebi 3, 2-1. Tel. 93 368 4689 Metro: Fontana (L3). www.amersoc.com

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DESIGN 23

Marguerite Olivier

The element of chance Having had the opportunity to attend a Raku workshop with Dutch ceramic artist Marguerite Olivier, I soon became seduced by the beauty of its alchemical magic.

I found my way to Marguerite’s country home just outside Ametlla de Mar on a bright Saturday morning.

I was handed a cup of coffee in a stout, shiny Raku mug and observed Marguerite and a small group of participants prepare their ceramic ware to be transformed by fire, smoke and water, the three essential elements in the Raku process.

“Children often have excellent results,” Marguerite tells me. “You have to be in the moment; you have to use what’s given.” Marguerite has been working with ceramics since arriving in Barcelona more than 20 years ago. She is drawn to her craft because, as she says, it encompasses many art forms and because of its “functionality”.

CERAMICS Developed in Japan in the 16th century, Raku ceramics are immediately identifiable by the richness of their colours; the raw, natural and, at times, uneven appearance is drawn out during a highly-controlled three-step creation process with often very unpredictable outcomes. By Lynn Baiori.

The first step requires coating a previously fired piece of stoneware ceramic with glaze. The durability of the stoneware is essential, as the piece will be fired again in a handcrafted brick oven at extreme temperatures.

After glazing, the piece can then be decorated with oxides and pigments to add further detail. Once placed in the kiln, it slowly heats to over 900 degrees. This takes about an hour. “It’s a little like a gestation,” said Lorenz as we stood by the kiln waiting. One must be patient. But once the period of fire is complete, the work is quick and intense. As Marguerite yelled “positions”, each participant prepared for burning plates and cups to go from the kiln to a metal barrel filled with twigs and dried leaves collected from the surrounding woods. “Now it’s going to be like a birth,” said Marcia as she threw sawdust into the bursts of flame that erupted from the barrel containing the burning twigs and hot ceramic. The barrel was covered, allowing the smoke to build up inside, altering the oxides and glazes. Finally, the shining hot pieces were passed from the smoke and flame into water, the last step of the process.

As they are lifted from the bath, each is a surprise of nature, made unique by the unpredictability of the elements which have transformed them.

I recommend you take advantage of a rare opportunity to see Raku on the streets of Barcelona—and to create your own piece—this month at the Tallers Oberts de Poble Sec. Or treat yourself to Marguerite’s upcoming workshops in Ametlla de Mar (May 25th and 26th).

To learn more, check out: ceramicamar.blogspot.com.es or write to: margueriteolivier@gmail.com Tallers Oberts de Poble Sec: May 10th to 12th; tallersobertsbarcelona.cat

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24

FEATURE

Top: All You Knit is Love Bottom left: Duduรก students show off their hard work Bottom right: a work in progress at Duduรก

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Made by

hand Proving that handicrafts are not just for your granny, we speak to the new wave of Barcelona’s crocheting, knitting and sewing creatives.

By Louise Johnson.

I

remember it well. My sludge-coloured hand-knitted jumper with the too short sleeves in scratchy wool that marked me out as different from my classmates. Changing for school sports was a nightmare because it had no high-status label inside. I coveted one of the flawless silver grey numbers from John Lewis, worn by my peers and which looked as if they had come off an assembly line. I didn’t care that my mother, Florence, had masochistically slaved over her knitting machine late into the night or that my homespun garments meant there was money spare for other necessities. I just wanted to fit in—and look good.

So it was with some trepidation that I went along to meet some of the creatives at the helm of the contemporary arts and crafts movement currently sweeping the city. Would this be a Proustian moment when I was reduced once again to the girl with braces and a wonky fringe (the result of another ill-advised, cost-cutting idea of my mother’s)?

These astute individuals, with their flourishing craft stores and packed-out workshops, have pulled off a rare feat. They have managed to capture the spirit of the age and buck the recession. Bad timing, Florence.

I am also reassured to learn that nowadays handicrafts encapsulate everything right on; they are no longer about keeping unhappy women chained to hot sewing machines.

Aviv Kruglanski, whose background is in fine arts, runs the Centro de Cultivos Contemporaneos del Barrio, a neighbourhood centre in

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Poble Sec. His courses run the gamut from the more conventional—crochet, sewing and Indian embroidery—to the offbeat, such as tempeh (fermented soybeans) workshops and ‘Make Your Own Boxer Shorts’.

“Some people confuse what people are doing now with what people did in the Fifties and Sixties,” Kruglanski explains. “Back then, crafts were part of a conservative social and economic system which was repressive to women. Today, things are more about creative expression and experimentation. The idea of things having to be perfect and pristine creates a psychological barrier for people wanting to learn textile crafts.”

Alícia Roselló, a former design and graphics student, tapped into the craft phenomenon some seven years ago when she saw what was happening in the States and realised Barcelona had nothing similar.

Over there, craft enthusiasts were busy preserving semi-forgotten traditions, like crocheting, but doing so in a progressive and dynamic way. Here, it was a different story. “I called my aunt and asked her to teach me how to crochet,” she explains. “Back then, young people [in Barcelona] were not doing it.”

She now runs Duduá, a popular shop and workshop space in Gràcia, where you can buy locally-sourced craft-related items or attend a course. Her aim is to get away from the old-fashioned ‘lace doily’ connotations often associated with handicrafts and to put a new twist on traditional crafts. A student might be taught to crochet with XXL needles (which look as if they have been made for a giant) to create a rug or basket. In times past, people used regularsized crochet needles to produce a smaller range of products both in terms of size and scope.

“When I started offering crochet classes, people freaked out and said, ‘but they’re for grandmothers!’ Now I advertise a crochet class on my blog and by the next day, it’s full.”

Miquel Saurina and Jen Callahan (a former advertising man and translator, respectively) set up natural yarn store/workshop venue All You Knit is Love in 2006. The idea was to offer natural merchandise, not the acrylic, ‘old lady’ type wools of yore. But they had a hard time convincing their bank manager.

“When we went to the bank to ask for a loan,” says Saurina, “the bank manager needed to understand our proposal and said, ‘Oh, yes, I remember when I was young, old ladies used to sit on the street and knit. Are you sure you can make this work?’”

Even this tradition of benign old widows clicking their knitting needles on the carrers of Barceloneta has been given a fresh spin by Aviv and his students. His ‘documentary project’ has nothing to do with TV. Rather, they go to a neighbourhood, sit themselves down and start to do some embroidery. The purpose is to get the community interacting and Kruglanski says it doesn’t take long before this happens. “People stop and get involved. You connect with those who are usually not so empowered.”

I am interested to know what workshop participants derive from their endeavours, given that crafts sound painstakingly slow and that mass-produced products in the shops are often so cheap.

Alícia Roselló says that as well as the social aspect with like-minded folk, handicrafts are therapeutic. (Try telling Florence.) “This may be the only time in someone’s day that they can be creative,” she says. “They can escape from routine, relax and not think about everyday problems. When I crochet, I’m in another galaxy.”

Aviv Kruglanski believes that the lack of experience most people have of making anything for themselves these days creates “an alienation, maybe even a depression.” In contrast, “it’s an empowering moment when something 2-D suddenly becomes 3-D,” he claims.

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And while it might be fun to own an Imelda Marcos-style walkin closet full of shoes and dresses, it is clearly not environmentally friendly. “When you do something with your hands,” says Roselló, “you realise how difficult it is and you start to think about how you consume and where things are made. Maybe I don’t need 25 skirts—perhaps three good ones will do.”

The saga about my homespun jersey has a happy ending. At least for me. One day, exhausted by a woman’s work, my mother accidentally turned the washing machine up high. My jumper came out toddler-sized—and thus unwearable.

MORE INFO Centro de Cultivos Contemporaneos del Barrio: Purissima Concepció 28 (Poble Sec). http:// bbva.irational.org All You Knit is Love: Barra de Ferro 8 (Born), www.allyouknitislove.com Duduá: Diluvi 5 (Gràcia), www.duduadudua.com Nido de Abeja (see below): www.nidoabeja.com FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE I chatted to some students taking advantage of the wide range of craft workshops now available in Barcelona. Many of the teachers speak English, while participants tend to be young, professional, female trendsetters.

Carme Clua Raso (32) became a part-time vintage clothing designer (L’Armoire de Meliette) after a spell of unemployment and completing several workshops at Duduá.

“My mother never sewed and we weren’t taught at school. These skills skipped a generation. Maybe they were seen as sexist in the past but now women are trying to reclaim them. Being out of work isn’t always negative—it can mean you reinvent yourself.”

Tonya Gates (40) works for a Barcelona-based literary agency. Tonya is also a Duduá student. She wanted to relearn skills acquired as a child.

“Going out on the town is no longer an option for everyone [because of the crisis]. More people are hanging out at home or in parks but instead of TV or drinking, they are getting inspired. It’s good to see the resurgence of a community from arts and crafts.

People with a design background are also realising that practising old traditions can be avant-garde.”

Marga Gonzalez-Rothvoss (39) is a former events organiser. After doing some workshops at Nido de Abeja in Gràcia, she was addicted.

“I worked in an office as an executive but I came to realise that this wasn’t the right environment for me. In workshops, you meet people with a different philosophy—DIY and slow living. I wanted to sign up! I still don’t know where this will lead, whether I’ll earn my living from it or it will be a hobby, but right now I’m enjoying the journey.”

4/24/13 12:54:26 PM

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INTERVIEW 29

cHRIS WOLSTENHOLME Bass player with Muse, 34, British

(L-R): Chris Wolstenholme, Matthew Bellamy and Dominic Howard

British rock band Muse return to Barcelona next month as part of their Stadium Tour 2013. Formed in 1994 by Matthew Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard, their sixth studio album The 2nd Law (2012) was nominated for two Grammy Awards and a host of other awards and honours. Chris Wolstenholme—football aficionado, father of six and Muse’s bass player—spoke to me from the airport in Chicago, having just survived the hassle of airport security. “They tore apart my [effects] pedal board,” he said with a sigh. “But, what are you going to do? It happens.”

Muse’s upcoming Barcelona concert is their only show in Spain on this year’s tour. Of course, I had to ask the question, “Why Barcelona?” “It was the obvious choice!” Chris answered without hesitation. “Barcelona is always an amazing crowd, plus the city has a wonderful vibe. You just want to soak up the atmosphere… you know, take a day to walk around and enjoy the place.” He thought for a moment, and added, “You know, playing in Barcelona is almost like being at a football match. It’s just the kind of energy of the crowd here. Do you know what I mean? The people here are big into football, yeah?”

We talked about the differences between the kinds of places Muse has played over the years. “The stadium shows are just massive. You know that maybe half the fans in a stadium are hard-core fans, but the rest are probably just friends or girlfriends or cousins who came along for the ride, so you’re basically introducing yourself to people. It’s cool because you have more freedom to mix things up a bit.”

Some of the sounds on the latest record delve into electronica influences, which is new musical territory for a band known for its alternative/symphonic/progressive rock anthems. I asked Chris if the changes were a result of the band’s evolving tastes or if they were influenced by the other people involved in the studio process. Electronica icons Nero and Skrillex as well as famed composer David Campbell all had a hand in The 2nd Law. “It was a pretty natural progression, but we also wanted to push our-

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selves. Having the guys you mentioned involved in the record just made it all the more interesting for us as a band as we created the sounds in the studio, but didn’t really affect our process.” In spite of the success of their previous five studio albums, the band agreed that it was time to go beyond their comfort zone. “We thought, we know we can play our instruments as well as anyone. Maybe it’s time to challenge ourselves.

It’s rewarding as well as important to take a risk sometimes.”

Speaking of delving into new territory, Chris wrote and sang two of the songs on the record, which was a first for him. He mentioned that these are the first songs he’s finished on his own—completing songs is not something that comes naturally to him. “I’ve always struggled lyrically, but this time I just sat down and forced myself to do it.” But were the other band members supportive of his first attempts at composition?

“Definitely, most definitely. I think that the other guys were keen to have someone else write some of the songs for once.”

The lyrics to Chris’s two compositions don’t so much reflect the postapocalyptic, Brave New World-type themes that are typical of Muse songs. “That’s more Matthew than the rest of us, but that’s fine with me. Lyrics are really different than playing an instrument. I can adapt a bass line to make a song work, but the words to a song, those are one person’s feelings and opinions. Nobody has the right to mess with that. I feel like if you want to tell someone else how to write a song, the proper response is, ‘well, fuck off, you write it then!’”

Before heading off to sound check for their next concert, Chris added, “You know, everything about this record was us as a band intentionally breaking the formula a little bit. Returning to the places that know us, like Barcelona, and playing the new songs for those audiences is part of that process of evolution. It’s something we really look forward to.”

Muse perform at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on June 7th. We have a double set of tickets to give away to the concert—check out the Metropolitan Facebook page for details. Interview by Tori Sparks.

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30 FEATURE

Hope and camouflage Published exactly 75 years ago, George Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia has become a classic but its beginnings were anything but auspicious.

By Jennifer Theriault.

G

eorge Orwell came to Spain in November 1936 with the intention of reporting on the Spanish Civil War, which had erupted the previous July.

Just 18 months later, in April 1938, Homage to Catalonia appeared. Although it has now become essential reading for anyone interested in the Civil War, its controversial content meant that Orwell’s usual editor refused to publish the book; and by the time of the writer’s death in 1950, less than 1,000 copies had been sold.

When Orwell, then impoverished and relatively unknown, arrived in Barcelona with his wife Eileen, he was immediately swept up in the revolutionary atmosphere of the city, a stronghold of Anarchists, Communists and Socialists shored up on the side of the Republicans.

Despite a privileged background (born in Burma and educated at Eton, Orwell had worked as an imperial policeman), he resolved to fight for Republican Spain, believing that the war was the front line against the rising menace of Fascism across Europe. “If you had asked me why I had joined the militia,” he explained, “I should have answered: ‘To fight against Fascism’, and if you had asked me what I was fighting for, I should have answered: ‘Common decency’.”

Orwell enlisted as a volunteer soldier with the militia of the POUM (Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista or Worker’s Party of Marxist Unification), one of several hastily cobbled together by the Spanish trade unions at the start of the war. The POUM, a revolutionary Socialist and anti-Stalinist party, was the foremost workers’ political party in Catalunya at the time, with Orwell estimating that there were 10,000 members when he joined. He had no idea, as Christopher Hitchens points out in his Introduction to Orwell in Spain (Penguin Classics, 2001, ed. Peter Davison), that just two months prior, Aleksandr Orlov, the top liaison in Spain for the NKVD, the Soviet espionage agency, had assured his headquarters in Stalinist Russia that the POUM was a “Trotskyist” organisation that would be easy to “liquidate”.

Orwell served roughly five months on the Aragon front before the Communist-led witch hunt to suppress the POUM forced him to flee.

“I greatly hope I come out of this alive if only to write a book about it,” he wrote in a letter to his editor, Victor Gollancz, in May 1937, just a few weeks before he was shot in the throat. On June 23rd, Orwell and Eileen, along with the leader of Britain’s Independent Labour Party (ILP) in Spain, John McNair, and another soldier, Stafford Cottman,

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ensconced themselves among tourists in the restaurant car of a Barcelona train that spirited them without incident to France. Once back in Britain, Orwell, still recuperating from his injury, commenced the arduous task of chronicling his Spanish experience.

Homage to Catalonia, this year celebrating its 75th anniversary, had a first run of 1,500 copies. However, because Orwell’s blistering attacks against Communism were out of step with conventional wisdom in leftist circles, he initially ran into difficulties in getting the book published.

Victor Gollancz, a Communist sympathiser still smarting from a dispute over Orwell’s previous book, The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), declined to publish Homage, citing that it might “harm the fight against Fascism”. The day after Gollancz’s refusal, Roger Senhouse of the antiCommunist and anti-Fascist publishing firm Secker & Warburg stepped up to the task, enthusing to Orwell that “a book from you would not only be of great interest but of considerable political importance.”

Orwell’s towering legacy as the great 20th-century foe and whistleblower of Stalinism, and of the perfidious lies, cover-ups and illusions that permeate politics, stretches back to his celebrated chronicle of fighting in Spain’s war, a period which also laid the groundwork for his chilling satires on Communism, Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949).

“When I came to Spain and for some time afterwards,” confesses Orwell, “I was not only uninterested in the political situation but unaware of it.” Joining the POUM militia had been an accident owing to the fact that his introductory papers had come from members of the ILP, which was affiliated with the POUM. He had idealistically assumed that the Popular Front (Frente Popular), the motley patchwork of political parties and workers’ organisations united against Fascism, was in favour of the proletariat revolution simmering in Catalunya. “It was the first time I had ever been in a town where the working class was in the saddle. Practically every building of any size had been seized by the workers and was draped with red flags or with the red and black flag of the Anarchists; every wall was scrawled with the hammer and sickle and with the initials of the revolutionary parties.”

The revolutionary mood persisted on the battlefield, despite the fact that the war was unfolding like “a bloody pantomime.” When Orwell returned to Barcelona on leave in April 1937, however, any hint of a revolution had been nixed. It dawned on him that his initial days in the city had been “mainly a mixture of hope and camouflage”. He

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FEATURE 31

realised that a fearful bourgeoisie, just as horrified by workers’ control as by Franco, had been masquerading as revolutionary workers. Meanwhile, the actual Spanish working classes, primarily the Anarchists and the POUM, had fomented a revolution that was now being suppressed by the Spanish Communist Party (PCE), which was under Stalin’s spell. “For under the surface-aspect of the town… there was an unmistakable and horrible feeling of political rivalry and hatred… It was the antagonism between those who wished the revolution to go forward and those who wished to check or prevent it— ultimately between Anarchists and Communists.” Grasping the vast discrepancies between the “bourgeois democracy” being promoted by the PCE and the interests of the working classes, Orwell came to realise the fundamentally divisive nature of the Popular Front.

For Russia, the chief ally of Republican Spain, revolution would have been bad for business. It had political interests to protect with Britain and France, neither of which wanted a Spanish revolution. Russia was the major supplier of arms, equipment and military strategists to the Republicans, which explained why none of it ever reached the POUM, the most revolutionary swathe of the Spanish working class. This Republican dependence on Stalin, and the significant foreign capital invested in Spain, gave the Republicans little choice but to adopt the Communist line. “The Spanish Government (including the semi-autonomous Catalan Government) is far more afraid of the revolution than of the Fascists,” Orwell deduced.

The Communists churned out blatant lies and propaganda aimed at making the POUM out to be, writes Orwell, “no more than a gang of disguised Fascists, in the pay of Franco and Hitler.” The deliberate obfuscation of the truth surrounding the May 1937 Barcelona riots, during which Orwell held down the rooftop of the POUM headquarters in Plaça Catalunya as the Anarchists fended off an attack by government forces at the Telephone Exchange, set the stage for the abolition of the POUM. The POUM, the Communists maintained, had abandoned the front in order to spearhead an insurrection with the Anarchists. This lie, along with a host of others cited by Orwell, was taken for truth inside and outside of Spain. As Orwell writes in his 1943 essay, ‘Looking Back on the Spanish Civil War’: “I saw newspapers in London retailing these lies and eager intellectuals building emotional superstructures over events that had never happened. I saw, in fact, history being written not in terms of what happened but of what ought to have happened according to various ‘party lines’.”

The sinister tactics of the Communists eventually ran Orwell out of Spain. “The most terrible things were happening even when I left,” he

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Penguin re-issued Orwell’s popular book earlier this year.

Image courtesy Penguin Group.

later wrote. “Wholesale arrests, wounded men dragged out of hospitals and thrown into jail, people crammed together in filthy dens where they have hardly room to lie down, prisoners beaten and half starved.”

The POUM, accused of collaborating with the Fascists, was declared illegal in June 1937. Its offices and newspapers were shut down and, on NKVD orders, POUM leader Andreu Nin was arrested and murdered.

Ultimately, Orwell’s illumination of the truth about the suffering of the Spanish people, and of the Stalinist repression happening inside Spain, was too stark an examination for its own time. However, his narrative shot to iconic climes during the Cold War, when fears about Communism reached a crescendo; it is now widely regarded as one of the most valuable eye-witness accounts of the Spanish Civil War, as well as an indispensible disquisition on 20th-century politics. Lionel Trilling eulogises in his Foreword to the first US edition of the book, from 1951: “At a time when most intellectuals still thought of politics as a nightmare abstraction, pointing to the fearfulness of the nightmare as evidence of their sense of reality, Orwell was using the imagination of a man whose hands and eyes and whole body were part of his thinking apparatus.”

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32 TRAVEL

Head north The journey to the northern reaches of Catalunya may not be easy, but the culture and nature make these two day trips worthwhile. Text and photos by Said Saleh.

Day 1: Cadaqués Tucked away in the easternmost part of Spain, Cadaqués is a beautiful fishing village on the Costa Brava, whose picturesque façades and monumental church have inspired countless artists and writers, including Salvador Dalí and Gabriel García Márquez. Its serpentine streets invite you to spend the day wandering and discovering breathtaking views of the Cap de Creus peninsula and Cadaqués itself.

7.51am: Take the first Media Distancia train from Barcelona to Figueres (there is a direct bus to Cadaqués which can be taken at either the airport or Estació del Nord, but is no good for a day trip with only one daily service each way, both leaving in the morning).

9.36am: Arrive in Figueres (note that the journey will take longer if you take the Regional train service) and head to the bus station, a block away from the train station.

10am: Take the bus from Figueres to Cadaqués. The winding bus ride from Roses to Cadaqués yields breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea and the Costa Brava, although it may cause travel sickness for some—I felt a bit woozy during this part of the trip!

11am: Arrive at Cadaqués. Ah, finally. The first thing you should do is to get lost in the town’s sinuous cobbled streets and explore Cadaqués’s charm. What I enjoyed most about wandering through its alluring lanes was stumbling upon the Església de Santa Maria, the towering 16th-century Gothic church that can be seen from afar when entering the town, as well as when you’re strolling about. Inside you’ll find a splendid bronze Baroque altarpiece dedicated to the Verge de l’Esperança (Virgin Mary of Hope) and one of the oldest

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organs in Catalunya. A mirador (viewing-point) outside the church offers amazing views of the bay and Port Alguer.

1pm: Lunch. If you haven’t found anything you like the look of while roaming through the streets, head towards Port Alguer, where you will find a lovely little plaça with various restaurants and an archway. Head through the archway and you’ll end up at Es Cau. I would suggest sitting on the terrace, enjoying the stunning view of the bay and the Església de Santa Maria while eating some of the best burgers in Catalunya. For those not in a hamburger mood, they also have various other dishes available. Es Cau: Riba Pitxot 16.

2pm: Head along the coast or cut through the town towards Port Lligat to visit the Casa-Museu Salvador Dalí. If you do the former, the last thing you’ll notice before leaving Cadaqués is a large, magnificent Modernista house with blue tiles and an orange roof, known as Casa Blava (Blue House). In the early 20th century, a large number of Cadaquesencs (inhabitants of Cadaqués) emigrated to the Americas in search of better economic conditions. When these expatriates returned to Cadaqués with their newfound wealth, they built luxurious and ornate houses such as this one. Sadly, you can only enjoy the splendour of Casa Blava from the outside since people still live there.

If you opt to cut through the town to head towards Port Lligat, you need to look for the old house to the right of Casa Blava and follow the signs towards Port Lligat. This is the quickest, yet less scenic, route to Dalí’s one-time home.

3pm: The shortcut to Port Lligat is a 15 to 20 minute walk. Along the way, you will come across the Ermita de Sant Baldiri, an 18th-century

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TRAVEL 33

Top: Cadaqués. Bottom right: an egg on Dalí’s house in Port Lligat. Bottom left: ‘Dalí’ in front of the Tourist Office

hermitage, which means that you’re heading the right way.

3.30pm: To visit the Casa-Museu Salvador Dalí, it’s a wise idea to make a reservation beforehand (www.salvador-dali.org), although you may get lucky as I did and be able to enter without getting a ticket in advance. This is where the Surrealist painter lived until 1982, when his wife Gala died. After her passing, Dalí went to live in the Castell de Púbol and stopped painting altogether because, without his muse, he had lost his passion. The house itself comprises various fishermen’s houses that have been woven into a peculiar, labyrinthine structure.

As the house is located on Cap de Creus, the easternmost point in Spain, Dalí would say that he was the first Spaniard to watch the sun rise. Inside the house, you will find two unfinished paintings, as well as an intimate view into the artist’s life and work. Once done here, it’s time to head on back to Barcelona.

Note: The last bus to Figueres leaves Cadaqués at 7pm. All times shown are for a Saturday trip; for other days, please consult www. renfe.com and www.grupsarbus.com Day 2: Jardins Artigas You will already know of Gaudí’s beautiful Parc Güell, but did you know there’s another such gem by the famous Catalan Modernisme architect that lies hidden away near the French border? In a town called La Pobla de Lillet, Gaudí designed a fantastic garden where nature and architecture merge in perfect harmony. The gardens were built as a symbol of gratitude to Senyor Artigas, who had let Gaudí stay at his estate while he was constructing the chalet of Catllàras for

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Clockwise from top left: Jardins Artigas and the Pont dels Arcs; el Berenador; and the Pont d’Arc Coix

the industrial magnate, Eusebi Güell. Sadly, the gardens remained abandoned and largely forgotten from 1939 to 1989, but in 1991, they were restored under the supervision of the Reial Càtedra Gaudí.

Start: Take the train either to Manresa or Campdevànol; from either place, take a bus to La Pobla de Lillet. I must say, though, that this trip is a lot easier to make with a car since you may not be able to return to Barcelona on the same day by using public transport. For train information, check www.fgc.cat and www.renfe.com. For buses, check www.alsinagraells.com (Manresa to La Pobla de Lillet) and www.autocarsmir.com (Campdevànol to La Pobla de Lillet).

Arrival: Once you’ve arrived at La Pobla de Lillet, make your way towards Jardins Artigas by taking the Tren del Ciment, which traverses the old railroad tracks from La Pobla de Lillet to a cement factory in Castellar de n’Hug. As you explore the gardens, you will encounter various religious symbols and structures, inspired by Gaudí’s devout Catholicism, such as the Font del Bou (a cow symbolising St. Luke), the Font del Lleó (a lion representing St. Mark) and the Font de la Cascada (where there is an angel symbolising St. Matthew). There are two bridges that cross the Llobregat River: the Pont d’Arc Coix and the Pont dels Arcs.

The Pont d’Arc Coix takes you to the gardens’ emblematic Glorieta, where you can catch panoramic views of the gardens. The Pont dels Arcs is adorned by two amusing caryatids of a man and a woman, called ‘el Berenador’.

Opening hours: Saturdays—10am to 1.45pm, 3.30 to 6.30pm; Sundays—10am to 1.45pm, 3.45 to 5.30pm. Entrance costs €4.

4/24/13 11:30:26 AM

34 RESTAURANT REVIEW

reflectionS The décor is questionable at The Mirror but the food really shines.

By Tara Stevens. Photos by Richard Owens.

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

C

aramba, as they say here. It’s a great word, but sadly not one I can use for the style of The Mirror, which conjures up all manner of horrors ranging from food reflecting off your plate to bad hair days staring you in the face. But this month I’m all about checking out the rise of hotel restaurants and the fact is, despite the all-white-with-mirrored-panels décor that makes you feel like you’re about to go into surgery (ask for the table in the right hand corner by the water feature, where you get some reprise from it all), the food at The Mirror is very, very good.

José Carlos Capel, the food critic for El País, declared theirs the best croquettes in Spain not so long ago. I’m afraid I don’t agree with José—they are good, but not as good as the squid ink ones at Lolita’s—but what I will say is that it’s rare to come across a tasting menu where each of the dishes is so flawless and the wine pairing actually works, but doesn’t dominate. So it is that one blustery Saturday afternoon I pitch up with a friend in search of sustenance and the €45 executive menu, because there are times in this life when you need a treat.

The Mirror is managed by chef Paco Pérez, who owns Miramar, the two Michelin starred fish restaurant in Llançà (up on the border of France near Cadaqués), and he’s focused on contemporary seafood here too with lots of surprising little details that make for serious eating that is also fun. The problem with much of the ‘modernist cuisine’ movement is that it takes itself so damned seriously that all the joy is taken out of it somewhat. Not Pérez, who coaxes unlikely combinations into partnership—artichokes and prawns, say—and makes them sing.

Our lunch began with a splendid little mussel on a black, enamelled shell. No mucking around, just a splash of lemon and oil, a couple of salted capers, a sliver of red onion—just enough to make the ozoney mussel meat flavour pop without stultifying the thing.

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Croquettes were gooey and unctuous, just how I like them, and the bread was crusty and chewy with a fine array of accoutrements like herbed butter, tomato jam and posh olive oil to go with it. It was rounded off with a shot of fish caldo topped with a quail’s egg and the sexual organs of an erizo (sea urchin), which should have been salty, creamy and soothing all at once, but was strangely bland. Still, that was the only dud and we hadn’t even started the five-course menu yet.

One: a deeply flavoured onion consommé with chipirones (baby squid), egg yolk and Parmesan cheese was a thing of beauty, cleverly balanced with textures first taut then squashy, creamy then crystal, mixed with a taste bud dazzling umami-ness that was swoon-worthy. Two: a bowl of tiny, tender artichoke hearts in Iberian ham jus, topped with plump, pink prawns and dotted with crumbled pinenuts and black truffle. I don’t think I’ve known artichokes to work quite so well in anything. It was a lovely dish, one that you dream of recreating at home to then bask in the inevitable glory. Not an easy wine pairing for these dishes either, but sommelier Roberto from Madrid choose an Austrian Alzinger Mühlpoint Grüner Veltliner to go with them, which worked like a dream. I’d proclaim it my new favourite white if only my local bodega would stock it.

Three: arroz meloso—wet as opposed to soupy rice—studded with baby vegetables. Cute little nuggets of broccoli, a teeny carrot and some baby mushrooms sprouting from the grains, a lone spear of perfect spring asparagus arranged just so on the back of a hunk of langoustine. Three dabs of aioli and the dish was a triumph.

Four: croaker suquet—croaker by the way is a type of bass.

Meaty chunks of snowy white fish with crunchy skin surrounded by potato towers crowned with dollops of salsa verde. I wonder if Paco watches Game of Thrones, I mused, while sipping an artfully

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RESTAURANT REVIEW 35

chosen musky glass of Espelt Vailet (Garnacha Blanca and Macabeu).

Five: cream caramel ice cream and foam, gravelly chocolate and almond dust, oh my. It went down extraordinarily smoothly with a snifter of toffee sweet Castillo Perelada, Garnatxa de l’Empordà.

I shall happily return to The Mirror, but next time I might wear shades.

Còrsega 255, Eixample. Tel. 93 202 8685. www. themirrorbarcelona.com. Open Tues-Thurs, 1.303.30pm and 8.30-10pm; Fri and Sat, 1.30-4pm and 8.30-11pm; Sunday, 1.30-4pm. Mondays closed. The executive menu including wine for €45 is a good deal. If you go à la carte, expect to spend upwards of €60 for three courses with wine. ✪✪✪

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4/24/13 2:31:38 PM

36 QUICK BITES

fonda espanya

By Tara Stevens. Photos by Richard Owens.

H

ere is a little somewhere that often gets overlooked, but is actually a brilliant place to have up your sleeve when the inevitable onslaught of visitors starts for the summer. It’s also one of my preferred places for dining alone because they sit you in the best spot for people watching and admiring the extravagant Modernisme dining room crafted from the imagination of Lluís Domènech i Montaner, while wait staff dart about ensuring you’re comfortable without conspicuously hovering.

It’s a place to tuck into some staunchly Catalan classics, too, although designed by Basque superchef Martín Berastegui, and to do so on a budget of €26, day or night, including a glass or two of wine.

So it is a tiny bit depressing to survey a dining room of strangers in a foreign land ordering steaks and salad when the region’s traditional dishes are so much more exciting, but hey ho. Not me. One of my favourite things is habas a la Catalana and they do them extremely well here: baby broad beans retaining just the shadow of a bite, silky blood sausage oozing naughtiness, robust chunks of pork belly and ribs, all swimming around together in a broth of unlikely lightness freshened with a sprig of mint. Bravo.

I had it with a glass of Bot (Terra Alta—only 12.5 percent, I’m happy to report, since my new obsession is finding Spanish wine that

36. Quick bites PDF.indd 42

doesn’t clobber the hell out of you on first sip), which was very drinkable. They filled it up without my even asking just in time for a second course of monkfish the size of my fist on a just-big-enough mound of black rice. It was topped with ribbons of barely seared squid, reeked of garlic—in a good way—and was so tasty I was tempted to call over the lone steak-eater ahead of me and make him try some.

Then I order the borracho, which is a cake soaked in dangerous amounts of liquor and served with a scoop of the most chocolately ice cream imaginable. It’s wonderful, just the thing for finishing the last of the Bot while kissing my bikini bod goodbye. Thankfully, noone pays me to be thin!

Sant Pau 9-11, Raval. Tel. 93 550 0000. www.hotelespanya.com.

Open daily 1pm-4pm, 8pm-11pm. Closed Sunday evenings. Menu €26 for three courses including wine. A la carte €40+ for three courses including wine.

CORRECTION: In last month’s Quick Bites, we inadvertently misspelt the name of the featured shop—it is called Casa Ametller. In addition, we credited the photos to Lee Woolcock; in actual fact, they were taken by Michaela Xydi. We apologise to all concerned.

4/24/13 11:41:33 AM

FOOD & DRINK 37

FOOD&DRINK

For more in food&drink visit our online directory www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/eating-and-drinking

€ under 20 | €€ 20-30 | €€€ 30-40 | €€€€ over 40 RV Reservation Advised | NEW in food & drink this month

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DISCOUNT FOR METROPOLITAN READERS.

Bar COCKTAILS €5

BAR 68RAVAL

€1 BEERS + €6 MIXES

Red Rocket was opened in 2008 and has become a hangout for musicians and DJs in Barcelona. They offer the most authentic rock sessions with top DJs in a friendly environment. Metropolitan readers get fantastic drink offers such as €1 beers from 8pm until 10pm and €6 mixed drinks. €

Sant Pau 68 I Metro Liceu I Tel. 93 441 3115

Calle Codols 21, Ciutat Vella | Metro Drassanes | www.facebook.com/bar.redrocket Open every day 7.30pm-10pm

SUB ROSA BARBARRI GÒTIC

BOLLOCKS BARBARRI GÒTIC

This cute little bar is a bundle of fun and has an energetic buzz from the mixed crowd of locals and tourists enjoying their fantastic cocktails and shots. Their fresh fruit cocktails are very potent making this a great pre-club place to hang out with friends and warm up for a big night out on the town. A visit to the bathrooms is a must! €

The quintessential rock bar in downtown Barcelona. Covered in posters and graffiti from top to bottom, the bar has the air of an abandoned subway station where daily riffs and whiskey bring together all those who carry rock & roll in their blood. € Ample 46 | Metro Jaume I | Every day 7pm-3am M. 663 710 095 | www.bollocksbcn.com

Rauric 23 | Metro Liceu I Opens at 8pm

NEVERMINDBARRI GÒTIC

MOJITOS €3.50

RUBI BARBARRI GÒTIC

Nevermind is a cult place for those looking for a more alternative scene in touristy Barcelona. Mixing large amounts of grunge music, graffiti and urban sports, they serve up amazing cocktails, special house shots, cheap beer, Happy Hour till 10pm, free freshly-made popcorn, authentic decoration, skate videos and much more. €

Located near the church of Santa Maria del Mar in the Born, this friendly bar has a great vibe with a fantastic playlist and prices that won’t destroy you. They serve the best mojitos in town and have a selection of fun and interesting Asian tapas. hendricks Gin and al the rest from €5, food from €3 to €4. €

Escudellers Blancs 3, 08002 | www.nevermindbcn.com | Open every day from 7pm

Banys Vells 6 I Opens at 8pm

ANDÚBARRI GÒTIC Andú offers an escape from Barcelona’s mayhem, without sacrificing the fun. The cool music and relaxed vibe draws a diverse and bohemian crowd making it a warm and spirited bar full of animated locals enjoying a great wine list and classic Spanish tapas, including fantastic Catalan cheeses and hams. € Correo Viejo I Metro Jaume 1 I M. 646 553 930 Mon-Sun 6pm-2.30am

TUESDAY SPECIALS

RED ROCKETBARRI GÒTIC

Located in the heart of Raval, Bar 68 has established itself as a classic cocktail joint over the last 12 years. As one of the pioneering hotspots in the area, Bar 68 combines a great atmosphere, cool urban funk and soul sounds, and tasty cocktails, to make this an ideal location for a great night out. Open every day from 8pm until 3am. €

BAR 32BARRI GÒTIC This bar is one of best kept secrets in the Gothic area, you’re guaranteed a friendly reception from their staff and their fantastic mixture of customers & friends.They have a great list of cocktails, beers and even a bar menu. Their laid back tunes will be setting the mood every night – so you’ll want to come back again and again. € Ample 32 | Tel. 93 268 4826 | www.bar32barcelona.com

SUGAR BARBARRI GÒTIC

MANCHESTER BARBARRI GÒTIC

Located in the back streets of Plaça Reial this small bar is renowned for its huge personality and fun vibe. The friendly bar staff dish out great mojitos that don’t cost a mint. Good tune selections, Happy Hour until 11pm and great mingling opportunities make Sugar a sweet spot. €

Manchester Bar brings together friends and music fans to enjoy great tunes from the Eighties and Nineties. From Joy Division to Placebo to The Smiths and all the way through to the Happy Mondays, Manchester Bar has it all. A must-visit place for anyone who knows and loves their music! €

Rauric 21 | Metro Liceu I Opens at 8pm

Milans 5 | Metro Jaume I | Every day 7pm-3am M. 627 733 081 | www.manchesterbar.com

BARRAVALRAVAL Barraval is located at the top of the Rambla de Raval where they have a fantastic terrace for you to enjoy great, seasonal Mediterranean food. On Friday and Saturday nights, they have a live DJ so you can enjoy tasty cocktails in a trendy atmosphere.

Weekend menu €12.95. €

TO ADVERTISE HERE IN F&D CALL 93 451 4486 OR EMAIL ADS@BARCELONA-METROPOLITAN.COM

Hospital 104 (Rambla del Raval) | Metro Liceu / Sant Antoni | Tel. 93 329 8277 M. 609 221 400 | Wed-Sat 7.30pm-2.30am, Sat-Sun open at 1pm for lunch | RV

Food & drink May 2013.indd 45

4/24/13 2:43:16 PM

38 FOOD & DRINK Delivery

Bagel BE MY BAGEL GRÀCIA

VITALI PIZZA BARCELONA

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.

They have 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. €

Gourmet pizza delivery from 3 locations offering 50+ thin-crust, homemade pizzas. With specials like three large cheese pizzas for €15 and the option to pay by credit card, it makes for an affordable meal at home without all the fuss. Special offer: 2X1 on every Monday home delivery! €

Paris 109 I Metro Hospital Clinic Tel. 93 444 4737 Rosselló 270 I Tel. 93 458 0710 Taxdirt 13 I Metro Joanic/Gràcia Tel. 93 285 41 95 www.vitalipizza.com

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

Burger PIM PAM BURGERBORN

LILIBURGEREIXAMPLE

Here quality is of the utmost importance, making it the best burger and frankfurter take-away in town. Special hamburgers, chicken burgers, bratwurst, frankfurters, home-made chips and stroganoff are also available and are all prepared on the premises. €

You can choose from four types of burger: classic, cheeseburger, barbecue as well as bacon cheese, for €8 to €9.50. Sides include fries, bbq chicken wings, chicken nuggets and salads.

Free delivery. €

Sabateret 4, Born I Metro Jaume I Tel. 93 315 2093 I burger@pimpamplats.com Calle Bigai 1, Bonanova, 08022 I Tel. 93 211 5606 www.pimpamburger.com I Every day 1pm-12am

Tel. 93 458 0710 I Tue-Sun 1pm-4pm and 7pm-11pm www.liliburger.com

Cocktails €1 BEER BEFORE 9PM

PALAU DALMASES COCKTAIL BAR BARRI GÒTIC

MESSIÉ PIZZA GRÀCIA Messié Pizza is the new place in Gràcia that strives to be cheap and cheerful. It’s the perfect venue to have a few drinks after going to the cinema or theatre, or simply for meeting up with friends. In this charming Gràcia spot you will have the pleasure of sampling a great pizza with a homemade thin and crunchy base, topped with fresh ingredients from the local market. Messié Pizza offers all of this at a good price and in a unique atmosphere decorated with style and great music.

Home delivery is also available. €

Located on Carrer Montcada, just by the Picasso Museum, the Dalmases Palace is one of the most notable city palaces from the 16th century. This gorgeous palace of Baroque influence is a testimony to the artistic, political and cultural life of Catalunya. With live music every day, it’s the perfect place to drink a cocktail and enjoy their live flamenco, opera and jazz show starting at 9.30pm. €

Torrent de L’Olla 65 I Metro Fontana / Diagonal Tel. 93 218 9345 I www.messiepizza.es Mon-Fri 6pm-11.30pm, Sat-Sun 6pm-Midnight

Montcada 20 I Tel. 93 310 0673 espaibarroc@gmail.com I Open every day from 8pm

Thai 7SINS BAR AND LOUNGE EIXAMPLE E

Food & drink May 2013.indd 46

THAI GRACIAGRÀCIA

If you’re looking for a friendly and good value place to get a bite to eat, 7Sins is the place you’re looking for! The menu has a vast selection of dishes to share as well as a large choice of gourmet 100% beef burgers. After your meal there’s an elegant lounge with Chesterfield sofas and impressive decor, ideal for having a drink or cocktail. 7Sins also has a terrace where you can enjoy a meal or a drink outdoors. You can see their full menu at www.7sinsbar.com. €

Expect authentic ingredients all imported from Thailand and cooked by experienced Thai chefs. The Pad Thai and green and yellow curries have excellent subtle flavours. Simply delicious! The special tasting menu for €21 is a huge hit and allows you to try all the exotic dishes Thai Gracia has to offer.

An affordable €12 menú del día is available during the week. The warm hospitality and attention to detail to every dish at Thai Gracia will keep you coming back for more. €€

Muntaner 7 | Metro Universitat Tel. 93 453 6445 | www.7sinsbar.com Mon-Sun 1pm till late | RV

Còrsega 381 | Metro Verdaguer / Girona Tel. 93 459 3591 | www.restaurante-thai-gracia.com Every day 1pm-4pm, 8pm-12am | RV

4/24/13 2:43:19 PM

FOOD & DRINK 39 Mediterranean

Vietnamese COCKTAILS FROM €3.50

PATXOCA BORN This fantastic restaurant has tapas and traditional dishes that use local and seasonal produce, including vegetarian options, all prepared in a home-cooked style. Enjoy a daily menu from Monday till Saturday, and brunch on Sunday!

Patxoca also has a beautiful terrace on a pedestrianised street, with a children’s play area just next door. They don’t use MSG. Every Saturday night, come and enjoy dinner followed by a DJ–and get a free shot! €

Mercaders 28 | Tel. 93 319 2029 Close to Santa Caterina market Mon-Sat 10am-2am, Sun 10am-3pm, 8pm-midnight

MAGNOLIA  BARRI GÒTIC In the heart of the Gothic quarter, Magnolia offers exquisite signature cuisine from chef Gianni Fusco at affordable prices. With its warm and loungy interior, it is the place of choice at any time of the day. During the week, breakfast and lunch menus attract big crowds thanks to their great quality and reasonable prices. In the afternoon, clients can choose from a variety of tapas or enjoy mojitos for just €3.50. €€ Breakfast from €2.70, Lunch from €9.

Dinner menu €17.95 (Sun-Thurs) €25 (Fri-Sat) Ciutat 5 | Metro Jaume I | 93 304 2376 | 691 504 942 noche@magnoliabarcelona.com | www.magnoliabarcelona.com | www.facebook.com/magnolia.rna Mon-Thurs 9am-1am, Fri 9am-3am, Sat 1pm-3am, Sun 1pm-1am

BUN BO VIÊTNAMRAVAL Now you can satisfy your craving for fresh and healthy Vietnamese food in the heart of the Raval. Following the success of their first restaurant next to the Gothic Cathedral, Bun Bo has recently opened a second restaurant on the other side of La Rambla where you can find all your favourite Vietnamese dishes such as prawn and mango salad, savoury pancakes, Vietnamese pork sandwich or a classic chicken or seafood curry. Try their Pho (the house speciality) a traditional soup with flat rice noodles which is jam-packed with fresh vegetables and herbs.

If you’re a vegetarian you can also find tasty options like Com voi rau which is fried rice with cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, carrot and onions for under €7. Try the lunch menustarter, main, dessert and a drink for only €9. €

Carrer Dels Angels 6, 08001 | Tel. 93 412 1890 | Fri-Sat 1pm-1am, Sun-Thurs 1pm-12am www.bunbovietnam.com

LA VIETNAMITA GRÀCIA

BODEGA GRANADOS EIXAMPLE D

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Opened in December 2012, Bodega Granados is causing a stir in the Eixample district. It is the perfect tapas bar, combining stylish decoration, exquisite dishes and an extensive wine cellar. And, if you prefer sitting outdoors, then the magnificent terrace is for you.

Granados is the ideal place to spend any time of the day, from breakfast to the last gin-tonic of the night. So come on in and experience why Bodega Granados has quickly earned a reputation for the finest great value tapas in Barcelona. €€ Enric Granados 6, 08008 | Tel. 93 323 8727 www.bodegagranados.com Mon-Thurs 8am-1am, Fri 8am-2am, Sat 9am-2am, Sun 9am-1am

VINYA ROSA EIXAMPLE E

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Food & drink May 2013.indd 47

Come to Restaurant Argentina Vinya Rosa for one of the most authentic Argentinian steak experiences in Barcelona. Over the past five years this elegant restaurant has become a clear reference for the presentation of high quality meats of all types. The cuts, from cattle raised naturally in the Argentinian pampas, are the best proof of their commitment to Argentinian quality. The young team have also created other types of dishes, such as Angus, Nebraska and Wagyu. Now you can relive the memories from a trip to Argentina at Vinya Rosa! €€

La Vietnamita is a new food concept in the heart of Gràcia, offering fresh and healthy Vietnamese inspired cuisine. They serve light and nutritious dishes such as traditional ‘Pho’ soup, the typical rice noodle dish ‘Bun Xiau’ and classic ‘Goi Cuon’ spring rolls. All their dishes are prepared in the moment and served with ingredients that are naturally full of flavour. Veggies and vegans: they have a lot to offer you, too! So what are you waiting for? New branch opening soon in the Born. € Torrent de l’Olla 78 | Metro Diagonal | Tel. 93 518 1803 | www.lavietnamita.com

Vegetarian AMALTEAEIXAMPLE E

Visit Amaltea vegetarian restaurant, where 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 with home-made puddings. The cuisine is creatively international with care taken to ensure that each meal is well-balanced and made with the freshest ingredients. Menu of the day €10.70, night and weekend menu €15.30. € Diputació 164 | Metro Urgell | Tel. 93 454 8613 | www.amalteaygovinda.com Mon-Sat 1pm-4pm, 8pm-11pm, Closed Sun

GOVINDA (VEGETARIAN) BARRI GÒTIC

Founded 25 years ago, Govinda continues to thrive on a blend of experience and fresh innovation in vegetarian Indian cuisine.

The international menu features talis, a salad bar, natural juices, lassis, pizzas and crêpes. Govinda offers a vegan-friendly, nonalcoholic and authentically-decorated environment with lunch and weekend menus. €

Plaça Villa de Madrid 4-5 | Metro Catalunya | Tel. 93 318 7729 www.amalteaygovinda.com | Tue-Sat 1pm-4pm, 8pm-11am, Sun-Mon 1pm-4pm

TO ADVERTISE HERE IN F&D CALL 93 451 4486 OR EMAIL ADS@BARCELONA-METROPOLITAN.COM

Avinguda de Sarrià 17, 08029 Tel. 93 430 0003 | Metro Hospital Clínic www.restaurantargentina.es

4/24/13 2:43:22 PM

40 SHOPPING

SHOPPING DIRECTORY For more shopping visit our online directory www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/shopping

BOO

Bonavista 2 · www.boobcn.com www.facebook.com/boobcn

Carrer de la Ciutat 14 · T. 93 601 1830 · www.ojala.es Mon-Sat 10am-8,30pm

Born in 2006 with the intention of looking for brands that have a story to tell. Each season, BOO carefully selects products of historical labels (such as Penfield, The Cambridge Satchel Company and Saint James) for which they feel a special affinity, along with emerging brands that are full of potential. BOO’s story is embodied in these special products and you can find them in their vintage, Brit-inspired shop in Gràcia.

OJALA! is the fashion brand by Paloma Del Pozo, hailed as one of today’s most original and creative Spanish designers. Her new Barcelona boutique is located on a charming street in the Gothic quarter, only 50 metres from the Plaça Sant Jaume. Del Pozo designs joyful, colourful and elegant quality garments that will make any women stand out in a crowd.

CABOCLO HAND MADE SHOES

24 KILATES

Baixada de la Llibreteria 8 · T. 93 317 2929 www.caboclobrasil.com

Comerç 29 · T. 93 268 8437 · www.24-kts.com

Hand made by the best artisans from the north of Brazil, the Caboclo team defines themselves as an Eco & Social company.

Each sandal and shoe is made with chrome free leather, and uses recycled tyres to form the sole. Visit them just steps from the city hall and look over their unique and elegant styles that compliment an easy going lifestyle. Don’t miss the sustainable decoration!

Located in the Born shopping area, this exclusive streetwear store has become internationally renowned thanks to its exciting design collaborations with many famous brands like New Balance, Stussy, Reebok, Lacoste, Puma, Asics, Nike, Saucony, Adidas, New Era and more. Definitely worth a look.

EL MUNDO DE HAMACAS

BUDDA BAG

Josep Anselm Clave 3 Drassanes · Mon-Sat 10.30am-2pm, 4pm-8pm · T. 93 317 5115 · www.mundodehamacas.es

www.buddabag.es

Ever thought of spending your mid-day rest in a comfy, restful hammock, rather than on the old living room couch? You can find this friendly hammock heaven just 25m off Les Rambles (close to the Colombus statue) in the historical centre of Ciutat Vella. El Auténtico Mundo de Hamacas offers high quality hammocks in different sizes and styles, suitable for all.

Budda Bag is a revolution in home furniture. After falling into their foam-filled phenomena for the first time you will never willingly relax on anything else. There are six sizes, from cosy footstools up to ultra-comfy three-seater sofas, all available in a range of interchangeable colours and fabrics. Whatever your needs, there’s a Budda to fit the bill. Visit their shop today and try them out for yourself.

GREY STREET/SATAN’S COFFEE CORNER

PARRUP

A small corner where the best coffee products meet gifts and garments from all over the world, including many local designers. Located in the Raval, Grey Street and Satan’s Coffee Corner brings you a wide range of goodies from new and vintage clothing to stationery, ceramics, jewellery, teas and a number of coffee varieties. Plus Satan’s coffee corner offer 3-day coffee courses. You’re sure to find something you like!

PARRUP brings together the best from local designers, carefully selected unique pieces, limited edition products and finely crafted clothes, jewellery, art and furniture.Why PARRUP? Because they love talented people. Because they want to showcase what they can offer. Because they believe in the local economy and production transparency. Because they don’t believe in the “made in Asia” business. Nothing more but nothing less.

LU INK

BATEAU LUNE - TOYSHOP

Lu Ink is a one-of-a-kind shop in Barcelona full of art, design and decor for your home and personal life. Here you will find handmade objects, illustrations, paintings, books, cushions and other textiles, and plenty of unique gift items. Located in one of the lesser-known areas of the city, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, off the beaten tourist track, full of little shops and restaurants.

Bateau Lune is a shop for kids where you can find a large variety of traditional toys including; wooden bicycles, trains, micro scooters, kites and outdoor games and many more rare and original toys.

Come visit them today and get ideas for special occasions such as birthday presents and Christmas gifts. Check out their free activities for children twice a month on the Virreina square in Gràcia!

FURTIVO SKATEBOARDING

MICROGESTIO

Peu de la Creu 25 · T. 600 334 639 www.facebook.com/GreyStreetBarcelona

Madrazo 141 · T. 93 200 8806 · www.lu-ink.com · facebook.com/luink

www.furtivoskateboarding.com

Furtivo Skateboarding is an online skateboarding shop with selected products of premium brands, offering hi-end skateboarding products. Pro-Models represent 80 percent of their stock.

You can find: Plan B, Flip, Blind, Cliché, Darkstar, Enjoi, Element, BLVD, Toy Machine, Foundation and many more. They deliver world wide in 24 to 48 hours. Register now to take advantage of their offers and promotions.

shopping directory 2013.indd 45

OJALA!

Banys Nous 20 · www.parrup.com www.facebook.com/ParrupBarcelona

Plaça Virreina 7 · T. 93 218 6907 · info@bateaulune.com www.bateaulune.com · www.facebook.com/bateaulune

València 87/89 · T. 93 454 1001 · info@microgestio.es www.microgestio.com

Need help with your Mac? Want to buy an iPad? Microgestió supplies everything a Mac user needs, including service and repairs, classes on how to use different programs, useful tutorials, and the latest new products on the market. You can count on Microgestió for all of your Mac needs... and a friendly, professional service!

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BEAUTY

BUSINESS DIRECTORY 41

BUSINESS DIRECTORY To advertise in this section, call: 93 451 4486 or email: ads@barcelona-metropolitan.com See also our online directory at www.barcelona-metropolitan.com DISCOUNT FOR METROPOLITAN READERS.

Scissors of London BRITISH HAIRDRESSER

HAIR CUT AND HOT SHAVE FOR €27

BCN Cuts - BARBER SHOP

Tim aspires to listen to your needs and suggests how they might be met in distinctive and exciting ways.

Style is unique and Tim will craft you a look achieving a harmony of shape and style. Tim has been hairdressing for over 12 years, and has trained, taught and worked in London’s top salons including Toni & Guy and vidal Sassoon. Tim works to fit in with the modern pace of life and offers a one to one service around your needs.

Directly from Boston to Gràcia comes BCN Cuts Barber Shop to offer you time to relax surrounded in a welcoming environment. With a drink in hand and jazz music playing in the background, you can have a hair cut or try their hot lather shave the classic way. BCN Cuts is a traditional barber shop with a contemporary atmosphere. You will keep coming back for the excellent service.

Carrer Viladomat 45-47, Atico M. 633 382 787 timbulmer@btinternet.com www.scissorsofldn.com

Gran de Gracia 223 T. 93 611 1813 bcncuts@gmail.com Open Mon-Sat 10am-8pm

10% OFF

Kinki - HAIRDRESSER Kinki peluqueros is an international hairstyling group from Holland with over 40 salons in their home country.

They put their heart and soul into cutting and colouring the most beautiful hairstyles, from the latest trends to classic cuts. If you bring a friend for a full treatment they will give you both a 15% discount and a free glass of cava. English, Spanish, Dutch, German and French speaking.

Pintor Fortuny 14, Raval Metro: Catalunya (L1, L3) T. 93 302 3379 www.kinkipeluqueros.es Open Mon 4pm-8pm, Tues-Fri 11am-9pm, Sat 10.30am-8pm

Anthony Llobet English Hair Salon - HAIRDRESSER Don’t let your Spanish come between you and your hair. Anglo-Catalan Anthony Llobet has over 20 years’ experience in hairstyling and a passion for excellent client service. Anthony leads a dedicated team of stylists who specialise in a variety of services, including Afro hair, extensions, straightening and make-up (and speak over 11 languages between them).

The original retro interior and friendly staff create a very special atmosphere where you can relax and enjoy a stylish cut. Put your trust in Anthony and the team, who are strongly committed to providing you with outstanding service at affordable prices.

Barceloneta, Almirall Churruca 8 T. 93 221 1612 / M. 619 224 695 Gràcia, Ros de Olano 19 T. 93 218 0449 / M. 692 371 307 Raval, Sant Pau 122 T. 93 441 3177 / M. 692 371 308 El Born, Carders 34 T.93 295 4871 / M. 692 371 404 Gòtic, Avinyó 34 T. 93 301 4513 / M. 692 371 405 www.anthonyllobet.com

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READER OFFER €45 ⁄ hr

Merce Soler - REFLEXOLOGY AND MASSAGE THERAPY

If you’re feeling tired and stressed treat yourself to a relaxing foot and body massage. Merce will help you to leave your worries behind and gain a new sense of energy. She is a qualified reflexologist, and also trained in Tai Chi, Qi Gong and Zen meditation as well as natural medicines including DMC and EFT. She can also help with emotional management through diet.

M. 667 909 465 mercesoler9@gmail.com

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42 BUSINESS DIRECTORY 10% OFF

BEAUTY · DENTISTS

The Vital Touch - MASSAGE The vital Touch Massage clinic helps you relax, energise, re-balance and improve your health and lifestyle with a therapeutic, holistic full-body massage.

- Enjoy a revitalising Spring massage with homemade oils, while relaxing to soothing music. Makes you feel fantastic!

- Helps relieve tension, reduce stress, detoxify your body and boost your self-esteem.

-Central Barcelona location. English, Swedish and Spanish spoken.

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

€100/hr COUPLES

Ambrosia - URBAN SPA Treat yourself to a moment of luxury for your body, mind and spirit. At Ambrosia Spa, nature and science blend harmoniously to assure the finest skin care, massage and spa treatments.

They use the best oils and lotions, and the finest ingredients to exfoliate and soften the skin, including a new ‘cava-therapy’ treatment. You can also try their Depiflax wax to ensure gentle and effective hair removal.

Their authentic Japanese treatments are done by expert Yoshitaka Nagata.

Passatge Domingo 9, 08007 T. 93 186 3342 / 628 317 320 info@ambrosiaspabcn.com www.ambrosiaspabcn.com

SPECIAL OFFER

Dr. Christian Eickhoff deutsche zk - DENTIST Highly recommended among the international community, they use the latest in dental technology such as digital prosthetics and orthodontics.

The entire German team is English speaking and the doctor has an American training in implantology and orthodontics. Check-ups and X-rays are free. Centrally located.

Indulge your senses at The Oriental Jasmine, an all-natural Day Spa. Have a girly talk with your friends while enjoying your manicure and pedicure, all at the same time! Relax and beautify yourself with their signature Philippine Hilot Massage and a wide range of other beauty secrets, such as threading, done with love and care. The warm chill-out atmosphere makes it ideal for beauty parties and unwinding.

Muntaner 88, 08011 Metro: Hospital Clinic (L5) Universitat (L1, L2) T. 93 453 7551 info@orientaljasmine.com Facebook: The Oriental Jasmine

Dr. Alistair Gallagher -

DENTIST

The British Dental Clinic has a patientfriendly 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 Metro: Sagrada Familia (L5) Monumental (L2) T. 93 265 8070 M. 607 332 335 info@thebritishdentalclinic.com www.thebritishdentalclinic.com

Dra. Susana Campi - DENTIST For all your dental needs, a team consisting of our first-class professionals can offer you excellent treatment. We have more than 30 years of experience and are pleased to offer you our services in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Catalan.

Consell de Cent 249, bajos Metro Universitat (L1/L2) T. 93 323 9629 info@deutsche-zk.com

Rosselló 95, local, 08029, Barcelona Metro: Hospital Clinic (L5) Entença (L5) T. 93 322 9114 Fax. 93 322 0220 susanacampi1980@gmail.com www.clinicadentalcampi.com

Tingsvall & McCarthy -

Sanz Pancko Dental Clinic -

This eco-friendly clinic promotes great patient care using natural products.

The Swedish-trained dentist Dr. Stefan Tingsvall is on hand to provide a very caring way of treating people—he solves the problem and gets the job done. Qualified USA-trained dental hygienist Elena McCarthy provides education on preventive care using effective herbal rinses and essential oils. She also offers the leading teeth whitening treatment ‘Brite Smile’.

Sanz Pancko Dental Clinic in Barcelona provides excellent oral care in an English speaking environment. Dr. Nancy Pancko, an American dentist trained at Columbia University in New York, is a board-certified orthodontist.

Dr. Javier Sanz is an American boardcertified periodontist and implantologist that lectures on periodontal technological advancements and leads research projects at the university.

Together, they provide comprehensive and affordable dental care.

DENTIST & DENTAL HYGIENIST

Castellnou 47 T. 93 205 1903 M. 636 312 522 / 696 664 430 FGC Les Tres Torres (L6) Bus: 16, 30, 66, 70, 72, 74 tingsvall.mccarthy@gmail.com www.tingsvall-mccarthy.com

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The Oriental Jasmine -

DAY SPA

DENTIST

Rogent 40, local 2, 08026 T. 93 246 9043 www.clinicadentalsyp.com Open Mon-Sat 9am-9pm

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DENTISTS · DOCTORS · PSYCHOTHERAPY

BUSINESS DIRECTORY 43

Pascual La Rocca - DENTIST

Dr. Boj - DENTIST

With 15 years of experience and academic excellence, Dr. Mónica and Dr. Andres Pascual La Rocca open the doors of this new dental centre which features the latest in dental technology and equipment, and a warm, friendly atmosphere. In an international environment, they strive to make their patients feel comfortable and cared for.

English, Italian, Spanish, Catalan and

Dr. Boj and his team provide specialized comprehensive pediatric dental and orthodontic treatment for children and teens. Dr. Boj also lectures about all treatments related to these age groups, including laser dentistry.

Portuguese are spoken.

Vilamur 15, 08014, T. 93 119 1931 plr.odontologos@gmail.com www.plrodontologos.com

Mary D. McCarthy - DOCTOR

Dr. Steven Joseph - DOCTOR

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 is also certified as a Specialist by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Established in 2005, Googol Medical Centre offers its patients comprehensive healthcare in a friendly, discreet and relaxed environment. UK doctor Steven Joseph provides a wide range of medical care for the English-speaking community in Barcelona with access to all medical specialties and tests.

His practice includes mental health.

Aribau 215 Pral. 1a T. 93 200 2924 M. 607 220 040 FGC Diagonal or Gràcia

Gran Via Carles III nº-37-39 Metro: Les Corts (L3) T. 93 330 2412 M. 627 669 524 stevedoc1965@gmail.com www.googolmedicalcentre.com Open Mon-Sat

Nick Cross - PSYCHOLOGIST / PSYCHOTHERAPIST

Nick Cross is a registered psychologist, specialising in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy can help you with the causes of distress and unhappiness and it provides treatment for anxiety, fears, relationship difficulties, depression, problems adjusting, loss and trauma.

M. 644 193 825 ncross@copc.es

Eugenia Espinosa -

FREE CONSULTATION

Hestia - PSYCHOTHERAPY The Hestia International Centre of Psychotherapy has become a reference in the city. The professional team works with individuals, couples and families through psychotherapy, coaching, counselling, clinical hypnosis, art therapy, NLP and EMDR. They speak English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, German, Portuguese, Greek, Polish, Swedish, and Catalan. The first consultation is free.

Passeig Sant Joan 180 Pral 2a Metro: Joanic (L4) T. 93 459 2802 info@hestia.es www.hestia.es

Jonathan Lane Hooker -

PSYCHOTHERAPY

PSYCHOTHERAPIST

Eugenia is a dedicated professional who specialises in psychological issues related to immigration. She offers effective treatment for mood and anxiety disorders as well as couples and family therapy. The first consultation with Eugenia is free.

Jonathan Hooker can help if you’re looking for support, guidance or help with any aspect of your life.

An English-speaking psychotherapist, counsellor, coach and guide, he is dedicated to helping people make sense of their lives. Jonathan provides one-to-one sessions or workshops for groups of four to 12 people.

Metropolitan readers are invited to a free 20-minute introductory meeting.

M. 677 090 479 genaespinosa@yahoo.com

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

T. 93 590 7654 M. 639 579 646 jonathan.hooker@yahoo.com www.jonathanhooker.com

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44 BUSINESS DIRECTORY

HEALTH

Institute Dr. Natalia Ribé AESTHETIC MEDICINE

€15 OFF

Make acupuncture your first choice, not your last resort! Tania is offering all Metropolitan readers a €15 discount on first appointments with this voucher. Acupuncture treats many conditions from pain, stress and depression to infertility and more.

Call now to make your appointment or to see if acupuncture is right for you. Tania is a UK university trained acupuncturist with her own clinic in the centre of Barcelona. English, Spanish and German spoken.

Dr. Natalia Ribé is qualified in Medicine and Surgery, with a Masters in Aesthetic Medicine and Aging from the UAB. She offers the latest techniques in the field of aesthetic medicine, including botulinum (Botox), laser and collagen induction treatment, tailored in each case to provide a comprehensive rejuvenation. English, Spanish, Catalan, French and Italian spoken.

Passeig de Gràcia 60, 3A T. 93 272 4228 M. 678 720 581 info@institutnataliaribe.com www.institutdranataliaribe.com

Enric Granados 133, 4-1 bis 08008 M. 644 322 161 info@taniaspearman.com www.taniaspearman.com

Centre Medic Matterhorn-

Susan Kempster -

The Centre Medic Matterhorn is an holistic medical centre, where the reliable and professional team will help you to solve your health problems and promote an integral psychophysical health program. Our specialists in holistic medicine, general practice, sports medicine, osteopathy, physiotherapy and massage will be pleased to take care of your needs. English, German, Spanish and Catalan spoken.

Experienced healthcare professional, working with Bach Flower remedies, homeopathy, diet and nutrition, massage and functional recuperation, can help you with a wide variety of health issues, from stress and anxiety to weight problems, back pain, headaches, digestive disorders and skin problems. For a better state of health and well-being without harmful drugs, she can help you with practical measures for improving your health issues. English and Castilian.

HOLISTIC MEDICINE

NATUROPATH / HOMEOPATH

Lepant 303-305 2º 4ª T. 93 347 6529 Metro: Sagrada Familia (L2, L5) Info@centremedicmatterhorn.com www.centremedicmatterhorn.com

M. 630 336 435 susankempster@hotmail.com www.susankempster.com

Krishinda Powers Duff

Pharmacy Serra Mandri

Bsc Hons - MIDWIFE

CHEMIST

Krishinda is a fully-qualified and trained British midwife offering home birth and home dilatation services.

She also provides antenatal and postnatal care and support to mothers and babies for six weeks after birth.

She is supported in her practice by a team of Spanish but British-trained midwives and alternative health care professionals as well as a breast feeding consultant/Doula.

Midwife means ‘to be with woman’.

The helpful and qualified pharmaceutical staff at this wellknown Barcelona chemist 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. The pharmacy is open 365 days a year and also offers a home delivery service.

Av. Diagonal 478 Metro: Diagonal (L3, L5) Chemist T. 93 416 1270 Homeopathy T. 93 217 3249 Open every day 9am-10pm

Marenostrum Centre de Salut familiar

Fontanella 16 Principal, 08010 M. 665 143 437 krishinda@gmail.com

Hypnosis Consult HYPNOSIS Having quit smoking using hypnosis himself, Stephan Moellmann knows that you too can effectively quit smoking using his method, with no withdrawals or anxiety. Unlike replacement programmes, hypnosis effectively breaks the smoking habit from day one–meaning no six month cravings. His method consists of a two-hour session, either in a group or privately.

M. 696 738 852 info@hypnosisconsult.com www.hypnosisconsult.com

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Tania Spearman -

ACUPUNCTURE

€40 READER OFFER

Puff - ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE If you`re looking to cut down or stop smoking then Puff electronic cigarettes allow you to get the nicotine without the smoke, tar and odour of a conventional cigarette!

This great product is the market leader in Italy and surpasses existing Spanish products. For a free trial quote Metropolitan to qualify for our exclusive reader offer–€40 for the electric unit and charger plus 20ml of the nicotine flavour of your choice to last you a whole month, at 70 percent less than normal cigarettes.

Aragón 430, 08013 Metro: Monumental (L1) T. 93 245 4116 www.puffcigarette.com

4/24/13 2:04:06 PM

LIFE COACH · SCHOOLS · TRANSPORT · BUSINESS SERVICES

BCN L.I.P. LANGUAGE SCHOOL

Natalie Jovanic - life COACHING Are fears controlling your life? Are you overwhelmed by unpleasant emotions such as sadness or shame? You can break free of this vicious circle. Contact Natalie today and she will accompany you on your journey to help you find the freedom and empowerment to live your authentic life.

You will feel happier and energized with more self-esteem. She offers coaching for individuals and relationship coaching.

BCN L.I.P. Languages is a small school with a warm and welcoming atmosphere in Barcelona’s old town. They offer both intensive and extensive courses and it’s the perfect place to ensure success in your language immersion. The centre is equipped with the most advanced facilities to enable you to succeed in your chosen language.

M. 693 236 929 nataliej@jovanic-coaching.com www.jovanic-coaching.com

Van BCN - Removals VanBCN offers experience, good service and inexpensive rates to make your move or removal safe and easy. Whether you are looking for a man with a van for a quick move or if you want to do a complete removal, just call or send your request online.

VanBCN adapts its service to your needs. They can pick up your stuff or take it to the port, airport or storage.

Deliver your purchases from IKEA or any other shop to your home. Move your office, your room or your house.

Just contact VanBCN. They know how to do it.

T. 93 426 7684 M. 647 533 344 www.vanbcn.com

BUSINESS DIRECTORY 45

T. 93 318 6591 info@bcnlip.com www.bcnlip.com

10% OFF

Mondorent - RENTAL MONDORENT is the leader in motorcycles and scooter rentals in Barcelona. With over 500 vehicles distributed throughout Barcelona and the Balearic Islands, they offer a fun, new way to see the city. You can rent a scooter, a motorcycle, a quad or a bike. And don’t miss out on their newest offer, the Renault Twizy electric cars. It’s never been more fun and easy to experience the city like a native. Be Free! Rent a Scooter!

Passeig Joan de Borbó 80-84 Passeig de Colón 24 T. 93 295 3268 info@mondorent.com www.mondorent.com

Geo Mac - COMPUTERS 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.

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

Mrs.Q design studio - GRAPHIC DESIGN

Michaela Xydi - PHOTOGRAPHY

Mrs.Q Design Studio offers a range of specialised services from branding to graphic design, web design, ceramics, photography and bespoke invitations.

Whether you have a new concept in mind that you want to see brought to life or need assistance rebranding your company, contact Mrs.Q design studio. They specialise in bespoke wedding invitations, tailor-made to suit the style of your wedding. Match your wedding invitations with save the dates, menus, place cards and thank you cards to create a polished look. They are now offering wedding stationary packages. At Mrs.Q design studio they love to design creative, engaging brand identities that help their clients flourish. They will help you bring some of your personality to your brand and use their knowledge of colour, passion for typography and creative flair to create an identity that engages your customers. They are now offering 10 percent off their branding packages.

Are you are looking for photographic services for portfolios, books, events and advertisements with economical prices and outstanding results? Then contact Michaela Xydi now to discuss what you would like to create. Michaela is an artist. She has a wealth of experience in both photography and design, which is reflected in her skillful eye for detail and the elegant style of her work.

M. 699 260 938 mrsqdesignstudio@gmail.com www.mrsqdesignstudio.com

M. 600 60 40 22 xmikela86@gmail.com www.michaelaxydiphotography.com

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46 BUSINESS DIRECTORY

BUSINESS SERVICES

Barcelona’s Guest -

Quilter - PERSONAL CONCIERGE

This company provides assistants who can help you with daily tasks and provide language support if you are not confident speaking Spanish. You can delegate your chores, however large or small, to their staff with total confidence, giving you complete peace of mind about the organisation of all your appointments and events.

They have impeccable references from their clients. Contact them today to discuss your requirements.

Their personalised and discreet service relieves you of tasks that distract you from your work and your family, allowing you time for everything that is really important to you. Quilter provides you the necessary help to regain control over your time and life. They provide services related to relocation, home management and personal assistance. Let them manage all your paperwork and to-do list so that you can live your life with less stress and less worries!

PERSONAL ASSISTANTS

Ganduxer 14, Desp 9 08021 T. 93 539 6106 M. 666 816 168 christian@barcelonasguest.es www.barcelonasguest.es

Creategy Consulting -

M. 618 059 530 contact@quilter.es www.quilter.es

Entity Data Protection -

SERvICES

SERvICE

They help small businesses and entrepreneurs to increase their profit margin by sharing their marketing knowledge and creativity with them.

How? By creating a successful brand, understanding the market dynamics, creating a marketing strategy and communicating effectively with the target audience. www.creategy.es

Failing to take the correct precautions with data protection in Spain can lead to the government placing sanctions on you as a sole trader, or your company. EDP is a firm based in Barcelona that provides services to ensure you comply with the data protection law. Don’t take the risk— give EDP a call today to see if you’re covered and get a free quote!

Written communication, copywriting, editing, translation. They unique blend of business knowledge, creativity and excellent writing skills, allows them to create high quality content in Spanish and Catalan. www.textolia.net

Green Bean Coaching -

BUSINESS COACHING

Helps small businesses and entrepreneurs grow their business through coaching proven growth techniques that have helped thousands boost their income.

New for 2013: · Two small business programmes: Increase productivity in the workplace and increase your free cashflow coaching. · New online entrepreneur coaching: A cheat sheet to entrepreneur success— the 10 critical areas one must master when launching a business.

T. 93 112 6757 admin@freegreenbeans.com www.freegreenbeans.com

Av. Josep Tarradellas 134, 08029 T. 93 545 9235 M. 617 041 260 info@entitydataprotection.com www.entitydataprotection.com

Sánchez Molina -

LEGAL PRACTICE

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.

Gran Via Carles III, 84, 5 Metro: Maria Cristina (L3) T. 93 490 9669 javiergarcia@sanchezmolina.com www.sanchezmolina.com

Spain Accounting -

Find everything you need here!

TAX AND ACCOUNTING SERvICES

Qualified UK accountant with 25 years experience in Spain offers: · Tax services for freelance ‘autónomos’ & companies · Income tax returns for employees & non-residents · Registration of ‘autónomos’ & company incorporation (SL) · Practical advice on setting up a business in Spain · Fast, reliable email service

In our online directory of English-speaking businesses in Barcelona www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/directory

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Call David Cook 678 702 369 info@spainaccounting.com www.spainaccounting.com

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BUSINESS SERVICES

BUSINESS DIRECTORY 47

FREE REVIEW

The Spectrum IFA Group - INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL ADvICE Providing advice to the English Speaking International Community. Our team is here to help with: • Pensions/ Retirement Planning • Savings & Investments • Life Cover • Health Insurance • Currency Exchange • Mortgages • Tax Planning • Asset Management Why call us for advice? We are independent, regulated, qualified and very experienced, with offices in 6 European countries.

Through our unique client centred approach, we will work together to build a strong, ongoing relationship that you can depend on for support and advice whenever you need it.

Passeig de Gràcia 63, Principal 2A, 08008 T. 93 665 8596 barcelona@spectrum-ifa.com www.spectrum-ifa.com

BritSat - TELEvISION SERvICE BritSat offer the best Tv packages from the UK, Ireland and much of Europe, including Russia. They have been installing satellite Tv in Catalunya for 15 years and have an excellent reputation for quality, reliability, price and aftersales service. * Sky cards with or without a UK address * All the latest Sky HD equipment * Sound systems and multi-screen viewing Freesat services will almost certainly be lost to this region of Spain by the middle of summer and BritSat have the solutions. * They supply and install all the latest internet-based Tv systems * No internet? No problem, they are the official installers of the market leading TOOWAY Satellite internet system * Extensive channel list from the UK and Ireland.

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

INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR SALES TEAM? Easi-Sat - TELEvISION SERvICE Have you lost Channel 5 and others? By summer 2013 most people will lose access to a wide range of UK Freesat channels.

Solutions? They have them. Call them for details and options.

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48 EMPLOYMENT

JOB directory To advertise in this section, call: 93 451 4486 or email: ads@barcelona-metropolitan.com We also have a new job section on our free classifieds www.classifieds.barcelona-metropolitan.com

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50 BACK PAGE

The sleight diversions of summer

S

city grammar, the one that dictates how people move and stand and interact. If it’s your first metro ride, perhaps you don’t know that jostling is frowned upon, that close proximity is suspicious, that holding a magazine over your bag isn’t right. If not, you’ll soon find out.

In Barcelona, whether it’s the colours or the crowds, pickpockets seem to like their Gaudí.

Perhaps they’re budding architecture students just trying to pay their way through college.

All city maps, Gucci bags and Chanel shades (fake, one assumes), they dress how they think tourists dress, as a kind of Platonic ideal. The only giveaway is the map. Generally maps are for looking at. When you see someone waving a map around and not looking at it, it’s probably a diversion. With this simple camouflage, they are able to mingle with their prey. “Look at my map! I must be a tourist!” they whisper.

“Now, can I have your wallet, please?”

But at least they’re the ones who have made an effort to blend in, unlike the snarling, spitting tykes on the metro, who wear their uniform with pride and stand out from the crowd

like a pantomime horse. “We’re robbers and we don’t care who knows,” they scream. “Now, where’s your wallet?”

These mufti-villains are more like the Spotthe-Pea scamsters on the streets above. Shuffling huge wads of bank-notes, their lack of disguise is the most amusing thing about them, followed by the sly way they look around for fresh targets. It’s not just the man with the pea, but his six or seven companions, the ones winning big payouts with such regularity and laughter. For supposed strangers, their appearance is always suspiciously similar, to say nothing of their behaviour.

Presumably their victims don’t notice, in the same way they don’t notice—or don’t care— that you always find three games in a row on the same stretch of pavement, mimicking the three egg-cups in a row on their scrap of card.

And like the disappearing pea, they evade arrest, with a similar sleight of hand (and foot) as they vanish into thin air. So make sure your money doesn’t vanish with them.

Richard owens

JENNIFER THERIAULT

The regular Metropolitan photographer hails from North Carolina, although he lived for a long time in Denver, worked in the McMurdo Station in Antarctica for the National Science Foundation and was based in Alaska when he met his wife. He has been taking pictures most of his life and says that he mainly enjoys taking photos of people. “The endless faces of Barcelona are a world of experiences which I enjoy capturing with photography.” Vineyards are a favourite place to visit for him and he is currently working on a project about Catalan wine-making.

California native Jennifer has been an ‘un-innocent abroad’ since 2005, when she hopped on a plane for Italy the day after finishing graduate school. In Barcelona since 2012, she has also lived in Paris and Rome, where her fascination with European history was sparked while working as a docent for a top cultural association. She writes the monthly column ‘History 102’ for The American in Italia, and has contributed to Budget Travel and Swell City Guide. “Barcelona is the most passionate and unpretentious city in Europe. I wish I would have discovered it ages ago.”

--Roger de Flower

By Ben Rowdon

scoop

ummer is on the way, and with it the seasonal return of several migrant species: boisterous crocodiles of cruise ship visitors, swaying through the streets on sea-legs; flighty flocks of earnest exchange students, spouting Erasmus; and chilly minnows at the beach, braving the waves several degrees too soon. And close behind come the cautious prides of pickpockets, who trail them as carefully as lions trail wildebeest. And with similarly unfortunate, if less bloody, results.

For a profession predicated on stealth, the amazing thing about pickpockets is how indiscreet they can be. Lurk around the metro or outside major tourist attractions for long enough, and you’ll soon see them emerge from the crowd. Whether they’re the type who don’t make the slightest effort to blend in, or the ones that try but don’t quite succeed, what marks them out is their behaviour. They’re just doing it wrong. Even so, they get away with it.

This is because, unfortunately, most people are too busy to notice. Or if they’re not too busy, they’re too unfamiliar with European

contributors

LOUISE JOHNSON Originally from London, Louise worked for many years in local journalism before a stretch at the BBC and an Arabic satellite TV station. She now freelances for publications including The Big Issue, the Morning Star and Speak Up. Her short stories have appeared in The People’s Friend, Scribble, Barcelona INK and various online magazines; they often seem to be about women on the edge who break the rules. On writing for Metropolitan, she says: “it’s given me a chance to find out more about the city and make some new friends along the way.”

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