Barcelona Metropolitan Issue 216

JANUARY 2015 Nยบ 216

BRIGHT IDEAS

Currency in cyberspace

Put your money to work with crowdfunding

The BitCoin lands in Barcelona

Popup Going, going... gone!

Andorra

The pistes await

PLUS! ART 01 cover.indd 1

MUSIC

Fashion

restaurant reviews

A PLACE OF MY OWN

TRAVEL 12/19/14 1:50:42 PM

main pages Jan 2015.indd 11

12/18/14 3:56:46 PM

main pages Jan 2015.indd 8

12/17/14 12:30:08 PM

C O N T EN T S

Publisher Creative Media Group, S.L. Managing Director Andrea Moreno Consulting Editor Esther Jones Editor Carol Moran Publishing Consultant Tim Parfitt Art Director Aisling Quigley

{ISSUE 216} January 2015

Account Executives Jalil Alui, Richard Cardwell, Aline Davis Sales Assistant Malú Branda Editorial Assistants Laura Bonicelli, Rachel Huffman, Jessica Salter Design Assistant Hayley Cantor Contributors Anthony Bain, Miquel Hudin, Tara Stevens, Sam Zucker

Regulars 06 New in Town 08 In the City 10 A Place of My Own 31 Fashion 34 Travel 36 Food & Drink 50 Interview

Photographer Hayley Cantor Illustrator Ben Rowdon Editorial: editorial@barcelona-metropolitan.com Advertising: ads@barcelona-metropolitan.com General: info@barcelona-metropolitan.com.

Carrer de la Ciutat 7 2ª-4ª, 08002 Barcelona.

Tel. 93 451 4486

Features What’s on 20 22 24 26

Music Art Misc.

Pullout Calendar

12 REPORT: THE POWER OF THE CROWD Rachel Huffman looks at the growing crowdfunding trend 18 Crypto-Barcelona The cybercurrencies making money out of thin air 28 GOING, GOING...GONE! The pop-up shop phenomenon comes to town 33 080 BARCELONA A sneak preview of the city’s fashion week

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com The views expressed in Barcelona Metropolitan are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Reproduction, or use, of advertising or editorial content herein, without express permission, is prohibited.

Depósito legal: B35159-96

JANUARY 2015 Nº 216

BRIGHT IDEAS

CurrenCy in CyberspaCe

puT your money To work wiTh crowdfunding

The BiTCoin lands in BarCelona

PoPuP GoinG, GoinG... gone!

andorra

The pisTes awaiT

Directories PLUS! ART

METROPOLITAN contributors

40 42 45 48 49

Food & Drink Health & Beauty Business Shopping Jobs

AISLING QUIGLEY

ANTHONY BAIN

Aisling graduated with a degree in graphic design/communication from LSAD Ireland. As a student she was awarded membership of The International Society of Typographic Designers in London for a student design project. She has a passion for typography and paper goods and creates beautiful wedding stationery for her online Etsy shop Mrs Q design studio. In her spare time, she enjoys getting crafty in her studio. www.mrsqdesignstudio.com

Anthony Bain studied at the London School of Journalism and currently writes articles for several travel magazines including regular features for the Expeditioner Magazine and the Lowestoft Chronicle.

Anthony has just recently discovered the concept of running as a new form of Barcelona urban exploration. As a result, he has discovered places way off the normal spectrum.

MUSIC

FAShIon

ReSTAURAnT RevIewS

A PLACe oF MY own

TRAveL

This month’s cover is inspired by the global trend of crowdfunding, giving the man on the street a chance to invest in bright ideas.

HAYLEY CANTOR Hayley is originally from a small town on the south coast of England, near Southampton.

She studied BSc Psychology, followed by working in homeless and psychiatric services. She moved to Barcelona in 2009 to train as an English teacher. She is currently studying to get a university diploma in Graphic Design and works freelance as a photographer and audiovisual artist under the pseudonym vj ayl. www.vjayl.com.

04

04. contents.indd 1

12/19/14 2:15:00 PM

GUIRI BUSINESS DRINK NETWORKING 2015 Free Drink & Tapas

21st January

Guiri Business Group is a LinkedIn community of 6000 + members designed to facilitate professional networking through the exchange of information, knowledge, contacts, jobs and opportunities.

Entrance is free for Guiri Business LinkedIn members and an RSVP is required to attend.

For more information and to RSVP please visit www.GuiriBusiness.com RESTAURANT CINCO JOTAS Gran vía de las Cortes Catalanes 373 Las Arenas Centro Comercial, Top Floor

Plaza España Tel. 93 423 7752

Guiri 2014.indd 1 mainAdpages Jan 2015.indd 2

12/19/14 12/19/14 1:48:25 1:49:47PM PM

new in town Well Equipped

Darna Home. Comte Borrell 83-85. www.darnahome.com Conveniently located next to the Mercat de Sant Antoni, the Darna concept store offers the latest in cookware design and technology with an endless array of brightly-coloured kitchen products. Winner of a Red Dot Award in 2012, all Darna products feature a unique design and functionality and use innovative materials, such as ecolon, an ecologically friendly, non-stick technology. By making specialised cookware and kitchen appliances available to the average shopper, as well as the experienced chef, Darna hopes to bring the world of gourmet cooking into everyone’s home. So, no excuses now—a bad workman blames his tools, and all that.

OUT TO BRUNCH

Oma Bistró. Consell de Cent 227. www.facebook.com/OMABarcelonabistro The large front windows of Oma Bistró reveal the rustic, yet trendy, interior of this new breakfast and brunch spot, making you want to scamper in from the chilly Eixample streets and get all cosy inside. From the high bar, to the red and brown leather sofas by the windows—perfect for peoplewatching—and a variety of tables, there’s a place for everyone and every occasion; whether it’s a solo lunch or a reunion with old friends. Oma boasts a great team that brings together some of the best baristas, beer experts and pastry chefs in town.

Jump on the brunching bandwagon here, and you’ll find yourself nibbling on a thick slice of carrot cake, sipping on a Pilsner Urquell unfiltered draft beer or savouring a hearty pastrami sandwich, packed with 150 grams of Hungarian meat.

DIY Discs

Cutting Sound. Paloma 4. www.cuttingsound.com Calling all aspiring and amateur musicians; we’ve got the perfect platform for you. At Cutting Sound—Europe’s only walk-in recording studio—you can turn up, record some tunes, and walk out with a mixed and mastered vinyl copy, all within six hours. And yes, don’t worry—you will also receive a 21st-century-friendly USB containing the digital version. This little establishment in the Raval boasts a fully equipped studio, complete with instruments and all the equipment needed to create a professional record. For those who have already recorded their music and have it saved on some form of media, Cutting Sound can improve the sound quality and put it on vinyl in just half an hour. “While you wait, browse through our new and second-hand vinyl records, have a complimentary coffee and watch the process,” says owner Mikael.

You are what you eat

NABIBI Vital Cooking. Marià Aguiló 61. www.nabibivitalcooking.com NABIBI Vital Kitchen is an ideal spot for your January detox, filled with all sorts of health-conscious fare, made using natural, seasonal, organic, and locally sourced ingredients. Basically, it’s as wholesome and healthy as imaginably possible. Not surprisingly, the menu is largely vegetarian and includes vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free options. There are no frozen or processed foods and no microwaves, and with a tangibly family-friendly atmosphere, NABIBI is a great place to nourish the next generation.

06

6-7. new in town.indd 6

12/19/14 1:53:28 PM

iberian pride El Nacional. Passeig de Gràcia 24.

T

he mantra at El Nacional is ”products from the peninsula”. This grandiose shrine to the foods of Spain, Portugal and Southern France now occupies a massive building on Passeig de Gràcia, just above Plaça Catalunya. At the time of its christening in 1889, this impressive space held a majestic theatre, but later fell into the far less glamorous role of a fabric dyeing plant, car showroom, and ultimately a lowly car park. However, this beautiful Industrialist-era edifice has been meticulously restored (decorated by renowned Barcelona interior designer, Lazaro-Rosa Violan), and returned to the spotlight in early November. Open from noon until late, 365 days a year, El Nacional’s 2,600 square metres have already hosted 80,000 diners in the first seven weeks alone. However, this high volume does not mean a lack of quality; quite the contrary. El Nacional consists of four bars (cocktails, beer and conservas, wine and cured meats, and oysters served with cava) and four eating spaces—La Llotja (fish), La Taperia (classic tapas and rice dishes), La Paradeta (‘rapid delicatessen’ and self-service) and La Braseria (grill), all of which stake their claim in offering top-quality food and drink.

While the list of pristine Iberian products is endless— cheeses, fish, wine, cocktails, oysters, sausages, canned seafood and more, one of the biggest draws is the La Braseria dining area of El Nacional and the prospect of experiencing some of the best beef you may ever taste.

Purchased from the world-famous El Capricho restaurant in the small town of Jiménez de Jamuz (León), the beef at El Nacional is exquisitely-marbled and dry-aged for over 40 days, and comes from retired, blissful steers that live out their final years eating corn and wild herbs in the pastures of northern Spain. El Nacional is actually one of very few restaurants in the world to serve the famous meat of El Capricho, and the deep, beefy flavour of these expertly-raised cattle is likely to make all other steaks pale in comparison, in Barcelona or beyond.

Overall, El Nacional is an exceptional space with a lot of buzz surrounding it, considering it has only been open a few months and, with countless options and combinations to explore, it is safe to say that one visit is surely not enough.

By Sam Zucker

6-7. new in town.indd 7

12/19/14 1:53:33 PM

5

THE INFORMER MORE FINANCING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES The city will inject €22 million into small and medium-sized companies in order to encourage them to provide employment contracts to people over 40 years old who have difficulty finding work. This forms part of the ‘Barcelona se compromet’ scheme.

BARCELONA GRANTED ISO 37120 CERTIFICATE Barcelona is one of the first cities to be granted the ISO 37120 certificate by the World Council on City Data. Only nine cities obtained the maximum score, including Barcelona, London, Toronto and Dubai. 90 indicators were scored, and Barcelona was deemed outstanding for average lifespan (83 years) and usage of public transport.

ENERGY POVERTY ON THE RISE The price of energy has risen by 50% in Catalunya since 2007. Coupled with falling incomes, many families are unable to pay their bills and face having their electricity and gas cut off. The number of people affected in Catalunya has risen to 320,000.

January

1

4

2

5

hit the sales

Get out there and grab some bargains! The winter sales in Barcelona start on January 7th, the day after the Dia dels Reis public holiday, and last all the way till March 6th.

Forget about New Year’s resolutions and unattainable goals and just enjoy the present!

Mindfulness meditation has proven benefits for the body and mind, so what better way to start the year? For more on meditation and mindfulness in the city see www.aemind.es, www. esmindfulness.com and www. meditacioespaiobert.com.

Fill up on Fondue If you can’t make it up to the mountains this month, enjoy a little hearty Alpine cuisine right here in the city. Wrap up warm and head to La Carassa in the Born, a walk-in cabinet of curiosities, and enjoy a filling fondue cooked at your table.

See www.lacarassa.com

sip a winter cocktail There’s nothing quite like a warm rum cocktail for cheering up a chilly day, so treat yourself at one of the city’s most renowned bars: Boca Chica (Pg. Concepció 12), Apotheke (Pl. Reial 13-15), Slow Barcelona (París 186), Collage (Consellers 4) or Ohla Boutique Bar (Via Laietana 49).

learn soMethinG new Barcelona’s 51 civic centres offer a host of courses, from ballroom dancing, African drumming, gardening and just about everything in between. The courses are usually weekly and last for three months. They are also excellent value for money and fill up quickly. Go to www. centrescivics.bcn.cat to find your nearest centre and browse what’s on offer.

NEW DESIGN MUSEUM OPENED Barcelona saw the opening of a new museum in December. The Museu del Disseny in Plaça de les Glòries covers all aspects of traditional and contemporary design. Entry is free until January 31st.

EL PRAT AIRPORT GOING STRONG Between January and November of this year, 35.1 million passengers used El Prat airport, representing a 6.8% increase from 2013.

Be MindFul

3

MEGA SHOP FOR DESIGUAL Desigual is due to open a new store in Plaça Catalunya. The shop, which will be the clothing company’s biggest, will cover over 3,000 square metres.

SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION ENDURES Despite a decrease of 19% in funds for scientific research, scientific production in Catalunya has managed to maintain its level.

Experts warn that unless funding is increased, the levels are likely to fall.

THINGS TO DO in

COMPETITION TIME We’re giving away two ski passes to Vallnord!

JUST VISIT OUR HOMEPAGE

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com to find out how to enter the competition.

CHECK OUT OUR FRIDAY INFORMER FOR A WEEKLY NEWS ROUNDUP.

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com

See page 34 for more travel tips.

08

8-9. In the city PDF.indd 8

12/19/14 11:22:44 AM

a little ere in head walk-in njoy a table.

METROPOLITAN people What New Year’s resolutions do you think you will make this year?

Bernadet

50, Managing Director, The Netherlands

I say this every year, but to visit my family in the Netherlands more. I don’t visit that much because I don’t really like it there, but I should go back more often.

ail

warm a t one bars: 12), ow ge ue Bar

Meritxell

28, Coolhunter, Barcelona

My plan is to leave the country in the New Year. I don’t know where I will go, but I want to improve my English and find work in my field. Here it’s quite difficult and competitive. I guess you can call that a resolution.

Vanessa

28, Yoga Instructor, USA

To give up smoking. I know it’s a classic one, but that’s it. If I had to think of another one, I’d say that my New Year’s resolution is to learn to love cooking.

I really hate cooking and I wish I didn’t.

Rachel

30, Creative, USA

This year I went on a yoga retreat and there was a vegan chef there. The food was delicious and ever since I have become obsessed with the idea of becoming a vegan chef. That’s my plan.

8-9. In the city PDF.indd 9

12/19/14 11:22:46 AM

A place of

my own

Trinkets and treasures line the walls of Patricia’s apartment— an Aladdin’s cave in the Born.

10

10-11. my space.indd 10

P

atricia Neish lives with her husband, Alex, on the ever-changing Carrer de Sant Pere Mès Alt. When they made the move there from Brazil, the Born neighbourhood was still a fairly seedy place. Luckily, Patricia respected the history of the district, rather than being deterred by it, and had faith that it could only get better. Today, looking back at her photos from the late Nineties, when they chose to retire here, the area is barely recognisable. “The drastic transformation in just under 19 years is fascinating,” said Patricia. “This is where the textile trade grew up. This is where the painter Josep Lluìs Sert—who was instrumental in saving Catalan art during the Civil War—was born. If these bricks could talk, you know.”

Stepping off the street and into the apartment, you don’t know if you’ve entered a museum or a home. First-time visitors gasp as they venture under marble white arches into the living room and take in the sheer size and elegance of the place. You would never know it was originally a factory that made costume jewellery, abandoned and left to become derelict. Patricia once met a man who was brought up on Sant Pere Mès Alt and used to play hide and seek in her apartment. She admits, “When I first looked at this place, I wanted to cry. But I saw the potential and had time on my hands.” She was also persuaded by the layout of the apartment.

After viewing numerous apartments with typical Barcelona floor plans—a long, dark corridor with big rooms on either end, but nothing in the middle—she was overjoyed by the rectangular shape of this apartment, with rooms branching off from the centre. It’s incredible how Patricia’s vision, hard work and 52 years’ worth of belongings have transformed this once-derelict apartment into a spectacular home.

At the start of the renovation work, Patricia had a number of internal doors removed to gain movement and achieve a sense of openness throughout the apartment. She also had to wash all the ceilings to reveal their true colours. She was inspired by the colours of the living room ceiling, but inverted them, making the soothing sea green more prominent to match her vibrant couches and chairs, covered with green peacocks and giant, pink flowers.

The ceiling of the couple’s bedroom is a patchwork of textured, wood-coloured plaster. And if that wasn’t enough, the ceiling of the office is a truly breathtaking, gold-painted, three-dimensional marvel. One of Patricia’s construction workers told her that every plasterer has a signature that they hide within the designs of their rooms. After staring at her ceilings for countless weeks, they found it in the tinned crown molding of the dining room—a tiny snail and frog, meaning there were two people who worked on the ceilings. “If we had a euro for every photo taken of our ceilings, we would be extremely rich,” she joked. “But they are something to behold.”

Besides the overall grandeur of the apartment itself—the location, size and intricate ceilings—it’s the small trinkets and

12/19/14 1:11:19 PM

inconspicuous items with interesting histories that make the Neish home so special. Patricia personally created the stained glass ceiling of the front room to represent her life. Underneath this personalised masterpiece, is a wall of shelves holding endless pewter pieces. Alex collects pewter and donated much of his collection to the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum in Scotland. He kept enough, however, that it took Patricia eight hours to place all the pewter plates, chalices, candlestick holders, ink stands and snuff boxes on the shelves. “Everything was shipped, unpacked and spread out on the floor. That’s when we were like, now how do we set this out?” said Patricia. “It was quite overwhelming.”

When asked what her favourite thing in the apartment is she laughed and said, “That depends on my mood.” Some days it’s a special pewter snuff box with two faces of newlyweds on it.

Patricia excitedly slid it out from under a glass lid to show me that the image is, in fact, an ambigram; turning it upside down, the newlyweds faces remain the same. She has a whole showcase of divinos—various types of bird statues from Brazil that represent the Holy Spirit—and one in particular that she fancies. But, as her pace quickened and her voice raised a pitch, she revealed her true favourite—a dental cabinet in the corner of her bedroom.

“When I saw it in one of the antique magazines, I begged Alex to get it for me. Look. Look,” she said ardently. “All these little drawers spin out, and I can put away all sorts of random, small things that would otherwise get lost.”

There are prominent pieces that Patricia loves, as well, like the dark, wooden wardrobe from a home in Edinburgh, which extends the entire length of the guest bedroom wall and has a rare curved centre door. Or the number of books by Manuel Moleiro that she has propped up and open to her favourite pages. M. Moleiro is a prestigious publishing house, specialising in the reproduction of codices, maps and works of art—usually made on parchment The remarkable ceilings are particularly detailed.

or papyrus between the 8th and 16th centuries—in the form of illuminated books. “I am amazed by Moleiro’s wisdom and skilled craftsmanship every time I look at the pages of his books. They’re art,” Patricia praised.

Inside Patricia´s apartment, you don’t know where to look first, and you certainly don’t want to get your fingerprints on anything.

Although a lot of the things are collectors items, displayed in glass cases throughout the apartment, Patricia said, “It’s home. I’ve had this stuff my whole life. It’s a conglomeration of all our old homes, the structures and the cities”. Who would want to keep such interesting things in boxes anyway? She proudly displays the tangible pieces of her past just like the photos that show the evolution of her family. “It’s all laid out so I can reminisce every day, so I can keep my memories alive and part of my present. Alex and I don’t get out that much these days, so we have to find joy in the walls around us.” She did say, however, that she has warned Alex that, although the apartment is spacious, they mustn’t let it get too cluttered. “I said to him, for heaven’s sake, don’t go on buying stuff. I’ve nowhere to put it.”

10-11. my space.indd 11

12/19/14 1:11:22 PM

POWER OF THE CROWD

SAY GOODBYE TO BANK LOANS. NOW ALL YOU NEED IS THE AVERAGE JOE TO FINANCE YOUR IDEA.

BY RACHEL HUFFMAN

C

crowdfunding platforms raised some €2.2 billion and successfully funded more than a million campaigns, according to a Massolution industry report. Estimates from the crowdfunding platform, Fundable, say that by the end of 2014, crowdfunding created approximately 270,000 jobs and injected more than €52 billion into the global economy. By 2025, the global crowdfunding market could reach between €72 billion and €76 billion—roughly 1.8 times the size of the global venture capital industry today—according to a 2013 study commissioned by the World Bank. In addition,

Estimates from the crowdfunding platform, Fundable, say that by the end of 2014, crowdfunding created approximately 270,000 jobs and injected more than €52 billion into the global economy.

Crowdfunding switches this idea around, allowing anyone with a feasible idea and motivation to raise the capital they need via small amounts of money from a large number of people, through crowdfunding websites, or online ‘platforms’. Those seeking funds set up a profile of their project on a crowdfunding site, chosen according to the kind of project it is and the type of relationship the entrepreneurs want to have with their investors. They then use social media, alongside traditional networks of friends, family and work acquaintances to raise awareness, create a buzz and eventually reach their monetary goals.

If you’ve been sceptical of the growing crowdfunding fever, consider this. In 2012,

since Kickstarter’s launch in 2009, 7.5 million people have pledged over €1 billion via the platform, successfully funding 74,880 creative projects. Nearer to home, Spanish crowdfunding platform, Arboribus, founded in early 2012, has already received over €1.1 million in loans for the companies who have taken their campaigns live on their website. And Mataróbased Verkami has had an unprecedented 70 percent of its projects close successfully. Besides examining the statistics, anyone who looks into crowdfunding can see the energy and excitement behind this new approach to financing.

The high-street banks have got competition; there is a seemingly magical funding phenomenon taking place.

CROWDFUNDING €

IN 2012 CROWDFUNDING

€

PLATFORMS RAISED SOME

€2.2 BILLION AND SUCCESSFULLY FUNDED MORE THAN A MILLION CAMPAIGNS

€

€

€

                                        2014 C R E AT E D CROWDFUNDING

BY THE END OF

APPROXIMATELY

270,000 JOBS



rowdfunding is rapidly becoming one of the most viable and popular financing options for startups and creative projects across the globe. A concept first launched over 10 years ago in the US, it has finally started to make waves in Spain.

Until recently, funding a business, project or venture involved asking a few people for large sums of money and dealing with dispassionate banks and venture capitalists, suffocating loans and interest rates.

ECONOMIC VALUE OF

INJECTED €52 BILLION INTO THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

7.5 MILLION PEOPLE PLEDGED

€1 BILLION+ FUNDING

74,880

CREATIVE PROJECTS

70%

OF VERKAMI’S PROJECTS CLOSED SUCCESSFULLY

BY 2025 THE GLOBAL CROWDFUNDING

MARKET COULD REACH BETWEEN 72 BILLION AND 76 BILLION

€

12

12-16. Report.indd 2

12/19/14 1:55:04 PM

2

NG

ME

N

 

G

D

S

DGED

N+

80

CTS

CTS LLY

4

1

F

Countries like Spain, where access to capital has been almost frozen since the financial crisis, are natural markets for crowdfunding. However, the Spanish government has drafted a regulatory proposal for crowdfunding, including so many restrictions for projects, potential funders and platform operators, that it seems to want to kill the buzz. The first thing that is striking about the proposal is the economic restrictions imposed on investors. As far as it goes, they can only invest up to €3,000 per project within the same platform. It also stipulates an investment ceiling of €6,000 per platform in a 12-month period. A hindrance for foreign investors is that they are required to have a NIE in order to invest in a Spanish company. These limitations on the type and number of investments that a Spanish company can receive are forcing companies who want a global presence to turn to international, rather than local, platforms for their campaigns.

“Currently, the entrepreneurial world is much more developed in the UK and United States than in Spain. The idea of making an investment in a startup comes more naturally overseas,” said Mac Parish, Business Development Manager for CrowdCube España. “We’re here in Spain because we’ve seen the quality of projects coming out of hubs like Barcelona, and we want to provide a platform through which anyone can participate in this world of innovation and entrepreneurship.” Right now, a big challenge facing Spanish-based crowdfunding platforms is educating the prospective Spanish investor about the potential benefits of investing in startups. Even though investing in a startup carries a risk, Spain shouldn’t be missing out. They should be taking advantage of the access they have to creative opportunities.

Through the wide variety of crowdfunding platforms, anyone can participate in the world

10 wEird and wondErfuL Crowdfunding CaMpaignS 1) CoLour-CHanging worKout CLotHES Shirts by Radiate change colour based on the wearer's thermal output during training. The colour changes in different parts of the shirts corresponding to the muscle groups that are reaching optimal levels of exertion.

Amount raised: $580,000

6) tardiS in orBit In around 130 days’ time, a Tardis will be sent into orbit. For the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, a father and daughter team from Florida raised double their initial target to launch a twofoot Tardis into low-Earth orbit.

Amount raised: $88,880

2) LionEL riCHiE’S HEad The founders of Bestival, a festival on the Isle of Wight, funded this huge inflatable sculpture of Lionel Richie’s head. A phone in the middle rings and visitors hear, ‘Hello…Is it me you’re looking for’. Apparently Richie’s lawyers have been in touch.

Amount raised: £4,900

7) fuLL-SiZE origaMi KayaK Combining the ancient art of origami and hightech materials, the Oru Kayak is a foldaway kayak that you can fit in a suitcase.

Amount raised: $444,000

3) dEtroit’S StatuE of roBoCop A random tweet led Detroit to have its own iconic statue to rival Philadelphia’s Rocky. It stands proudly outside Wayne State university campus.

Amount raised: $67,436 4) 3doodLEr 3d-printing pEn Draw in the air with this Wobble Works’ 3D pen that uses the same technology as a 3D printer to create objects.

Amount raised: $2.34 million 5) gLowing pLantS These glowing plants use synthetic biology tools and a design print transform cycle. The seeds of the plants then grow into natural nightlights. The project has generated widespread media attention and a discussion about appropriate uses of biotechnology.

Amount raised: $48,400

8) BLuEtootH-powErEd LoCation StiCKErS This is for all those forgetful people who can never find their keys. All you need is a smartphone and a Bluetooth connection. Attach a Stick-n-Find Bluetooth sticker to any object, and when you need to find it the sticker buzzes and flashes.

Amount raised: $932,000 9) tHE inSECt SHotgun Bug-A-Salt turns insect eradication into a sport.

Just hunt your prey down, aim and fire. A spray of table salt decimates the insect on contact.

Amount raised: $578,000 10) griLLEd CHEESuS This sandwich-maker ingeniously toasts the face of Jesus onto your cheese toasty.

Amount raised: $25,600

>> 13

12-16. Report.indd 3

12/19/14 1:55:05 PM

of investments. There are four different models in the crowdfunding landscape to assess, however, before taking the plunge: rewards, equity, donation and lending.

REWARDS MODEL Investors receive a tangible item or service— usually a product of the company—in return for their funds. Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Verkami, RocketHub and PledgeMusic are all examples of reward-based crowdfunding websites.

EQUITY MODEL Shares of a company are acquired and investors become part owners of the project. The major benefit of this model for a startup is that it is both a financing and marketing opportunity. After the campaign closes, investors are converted into brand ambassadors, talking up the company at dinner parties, sharing its blog posts, etc. Some equity crowdfunding platforms include CrowdCube, SociosInversores, The Crowd Angel, Upstart and Fundable.

DONATION MODEL With this model of giving for nothing in return, contributions generally go towards a not-forprofit project or initiative, or medical expenses, personal causes and hardships. Many artists, musicians, writers and filmmakers—who understand that creative industries today require many people to take their careers into their own hands—also use this method of crowdfunding, relying on their fans, friends and acquaintances to help them raise the money they need to record a new album, print a new photography portfolio, go on tour, shoot their next documentary or pay for travel expenses. Peerbackers, GoFundMe and YouCaring are examples of donation-based crowdfunding websites.

LENDING MODEL Also known as debt crowdfunding, this model pays investors back with interest. The investor is essentially providing a loan to the company.

Websites that offer this crowdfunding platform are Kiva, Lending Club, Arboribus and Prosper.

All areas of crowdfunding give startups and creative projects an alternative to the traditional high-street bank lending process. And investors—from university students to small business angels—can relish in the satisfaction of helping a great idea become a viable business. Through international platforms, anyone and everyone can bear witness to the ups and downs, the delays and the struggles that come with starting a business or financing a project. And the crowd can experience, first hand, the thrill of seeing a dream they believed in turn into a real-life success story.

14

12-16. Report.indd 4

Equity Crowdfunding in Spain:

6 Things Every Investor Should Consider

1 2 3 4 5 6

WITH RISK COMES REWARD

Investing in early stage businesses has the potential for great returns—according to Barcinno.com, the average British business angel gets an overall return of 2.2 times the capital invested. This kind of investing does, however, involve a high risk. Research investment opportunities thoroughly, utilise forums to ask questions of the entrepreneurs and other investors and only invest what you can afford to lose.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLATFORM FOR YOU

If you’re an investment novice and want to start small, concentrate on crowdfunding sites that have minimum investments of less than 100 euros and are open to everyone. Some sites also do your due diligence for you. They vet each company, filter out projects and present the crowd with startups that have realistic business plans, tangible products, bylaws, etc. These sites are good for investors unable to spend a lot of time doing their own research.

GENEROUS TAX BREAKS AND INVESTMENT INCENTIVES

When investing in companies that are less than three years old, investors in Spain are entitled to an income tax write-off of 20 percent of their investment. In addition, Catalunya investors receive a supplementary 30 percent break, which means if you live in Cadaqués and invest in a new Barcelona startup, you can write-off 50 percent of your investment on your income tax return at the end of the year.

As an additional incentive, if the company fails, you can recover your investment by writing off your capital gains tax for up to four years.

INVESTOR FEES

Beware of platforms that take a slice of your profits despite not taking any of the risk.

SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS AND DILUTION

Before investing, it is essential that you understand your rights as a shareholder and what will happen to those shares (and their value) as the company grows. Some platforms offer companies the option to emit voting and/or non-voting shares during their campaign. It is important to determine what kind of role you want to play in the company before investing. Dilution occurs when a company issues more shares. Every existing shareholder who does not buy any of the new shares being issued will face a reduction, or dilution, of their proportionate shareholding of the company.

EXITS

Given the higher risk of equity investments, it is a good idea to diversify your portfolio. If your invested companies are successful, there are different ways you could earn a return on your investment. Firstly through dividends, which are cash payments to investors taken from a company’s retained earnings. Secondly, when a company is sold to another company, shareholders are entitled to their share of this liquidity event. And finally, a company can choose to buy back investors’ shares for a multiple of what investors paid.

>>

12/19/14 1:55:05 PM

12-16. Report.indd 5

12/19/14 1:55:08 PM

FEATURE Interview

18

BAMBOO BIKES BARCELONA: A crowdfunding success story Give US A brief overview of Bamboo Bikes Barcelona. What is it?

Bamboo Bikes Barcelona is adding a twist to the traditional concept of the city bike. Our bikes are handmade in Barcelona with the best sustainable materials, such as bamboo and natural hemp fibres. Among other desirable qualities, bamboo is well-known for providing maximum resistance and flexibility when used in manufacturing. The result of our specialised materials and attention to detail during production is a unique and completely personalised bike, which combines an exceptional design with supreme driving comfort.

by a passion for creativity, art and research. We wanted to use a platform at the national level, to publicise Bamboo Bikes in our area mainly, but we also were won over by their eagerness to help people see their projects come to life.

We truly believed we could be a success using Verkami as our platform.

What inspired you to start the company?

When Marc and I were living in Hong Kong, we took a trip to the interior countryside of China.

Along the way, we saw a bamboo bike for the first time. We immediately fell in love with the simplicity and design of it. It was there and then that we decided we wanted one and began researching how to make it ourselves. When we returned to Barcelona after travelling for nearly three years, we started to create prototypes. A year and a half later, we created the company Bamboo Bikes Barcelona.

What were the benefits and struggles of doing crowdfunding?

The main benefit of crowdfunding is that you gain an incredible amount of visibility in the market, promoting your brand and your products while simultaneously increasing your capital.

In addition, Verkami made it easy to directly contact other live projects on the platform if we had any doubts or questions about our own campaign or a similar product in the process of being financed. Overall, crowdfunding is a great way to reach out to potential customers, but also have supporters come to you. The public tends to support projects like ours, and the campaign's rapid success has confirmed that we are doing something worthwhile; providing a useful product that people get excited about.

In terms of negative points, they are fewer, and far less important, than the positive. You have to keep in mind that while your campaign is live, people only vouch to contribute a certain amount of money to your project. It is when the campaign closes that they have to give their credit card information, and some people do not follow through with the payment. Also, you receive the money generated from the campaign two weeks after it closes, not right away. This delays the delivery of rewards to your investors because you don’t have the necessary resources to produce and send them.

Why did you decide to do a crowdfunding campaign?

We received great feedback from the press and public from the moment we began selling our bikes. People expressed how much they liked them—our fresh take on cycling attracting a popular niche here in Barcelona—but a lack of resources and funding limited us in growing our business as planned. When we started to look for financing alternatives—we were never interested in bank loans or venture capital—we discovered crowdfunding, and ultimately decided to take our campaign live, believing it to be an ideal monetary solution for a project like ours.

Why did you choose Verkami as your crowdfunding platform?

After considering the many crowdfunding platforms that exist, we finally chose Verkami because it is the strongest crowdfunding platform based in Spain and is currently known for having the most experience and success in Catalunya. Verkami was established in Mataró by Joan Sala and his two sons, Adrià and Jonàs: a biologist, an art historian and a physicist, driven

How did the campaign go?

The campaign was a success. We reached our objective in just 12 minutes! Our initial goal was 1,000 euros but, in the end, we raised 5,819 euros within the 40 days that our campaign was live on Verkami.

Would you suggest crowdfunding to other startups in Barcelona?

Yes, for sure! Crowdfunding is a great way to promote your startup or project and create a buzz. Just make sure you pick a platform that fits your needs and style and keep an open mind, then crowdfunding can be a very good experience.

16

12-16. Report.indd 6

12/19/14 1:55:09 PM

main pages Jan 2015.indd 10

12/18/14 2:37:52 PM

CRYPTO

BARCELONA AS THE BITCOIN GAINS GROUND IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY, BARCELONA IS A HUB OF ACTIVITY FOR PROGRAMMERS AND BUSINESSES DEDICATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRYPTOCURRENCIES. BY ANTHONY BAIN

J

ust a stone’s throw away from Park Güell, there’s an old Guardia Civil watchstation nicknamed Kasa de Muntanya.

Here, in an occupied fortress, lives Amir Taaki, a world-renowned crypto-anarchist, named one of Forbes’ top 30 tech entrepreneurs under the age of 30.

Amir Taaki hides out with a merry band of progressive software developers, collectively known as Unsystem, developing a project that is both politically incendiary, and a potential economic game changer on a global scale.

The project, called Darkwallet, is an off-thegrid money transfer software which uses the cryptocurrency, BitCoin, to transfer funds anywhere in the world, obscuring the user’s identity and circumnavigating established banking systems.

Darkwallet cuts out the middleman and allows a free flow of funds. Transactions are grouped together and become completely untraceable, thanks to a system known as ‘trustless mixing’. It has the ability to cross frontiers where investment and financial transactions are prohibited due to political sanctions, such as between the USA and Iran. The software works like an anarchist version of Western Union, without the exchange rates and charges, and its recent release has got governments across the world scrambling to impose regulations and legislation.

BitCoin came into existence in 2008, known officially as a cryptocurrency. The word ‘crypto’ is based on the cryptography branch of mathematics and represents the process of writing and programming electronic codes. Digital cryptocurrencies have undergone a steady and controversial rise, gradually gaining a foothold in the infrastructure of the world’s economy.

From his base in Barcelona, Amir Taaki has

been a global pioneer in establishing digital currency as a potential, and more stable, alternative to the current monetary situation.

BitCoin was created by a mysterious software developer based in Japan, known as Satoshi Nakamoto. The idea was to create a decentralised digital currency that does not rely on market fluctuations, with an infrastructure that works using peer-to-peer technology. In other words, instead of using a centrally established computer system, Bitcoin uses individual computers, so that every BitCoin holder provides a framework for its existence. In order to approve and solve the complex mathematical transactions needed to support a digital currency, a mining process is used. This began as individual computer processors but, with the growth of BitCoin, has since evolved into a complex, sophisticated operation, instigating the growth of a spin-off industry, comprised of entire computer chip farms dedicated to processing transactions.

The movements of BitCoins are electronically recorded in a public ledger known as the Block-Chain, which makes sure the transactions are legitimate and the currency cannot be double-spent. All transactions are signed off digitally using a private key that belongs to the BitCoin owner, stored in their virtual wallet on their computer hard drive or smartphone.

BitCoin’s rise to fame has been controversial. It began with Silk Road—an eBay-style marketplace website that allowed people to clandestinely buy and sell drugs and arms via secure web browsers—and it gained infamy as a quick and easy money laundering tool. The users would simply purchase the BitCoins in a perfectly legal way via exchange websites.

At its height, Silk Road had an annual turnover of $20 million, but the online black market was shut down in 2013 by the FBI, and its creators were eventually charged with drug traffick-

18

18-19. Cypto.indd 2

12/19/14 1:55:51 PM

WHAT IS BITCOIN? B

DIGITAL CURRENCY SENT VIA THE INTERNET

TRANSFERRED FROM PERSON TO PERSON VIA THE WEB WITHOUT GOING TO THE BANK

WHY COMPANIES ACCEPT BITCOIN?

 OPEN UP NEW MARKETS

B

B B

MICROPAYMENTS





B

WITHOUT THE INVOLVEMENT OF BANKS OR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

WHY PEOPLE USE BITCOIN?

?



  B

NO FEES

ing and murder for hire. Since the site’s closure, however, a multitude of sites have sprung up in its place. One such website is OpenBazaar, which was created by Amir Taaki and his Unsystem team. It does not use centralised servers, and therefore cannot be traced or shut down by the authorities. CytoCoin News, an online independent BitCoin news source, called it “The unstoppable evolution of the Dark Net”.

The Dark Net refers to the web space where these pages exist, which can only be accessed via a private, secure web browser. Only 0.03% of the internet is openly searchable; the rest belongs to the Dark Net. Despite its sinister connections, BitCoin continues to grow exponentially. In Barcelona, a local startup company, BTC Point, founded

by Borja Rossell and Albert Caus, has created one of the world’s first two-way BitCoin cash machines, which allows users to buy and sell BitCoins with local currency, with a limit of €2,500.

The first prototype ATM was installed in Madrid in April 2014, and proved to be a huge success. Since then, a couple of machines have been installed in Barcelona, and BTC Point has gone from strength to strength, producing ATMs that have been shipped from Washington DC to Equatorial Guinea.

“BitCoin is still in its early stages,” says Ros-

SECURE

CANNOT BE COUNTERFEITED

CONVENIENT

ANONYMOUS

sell. “The one great strength it has is that it cannot be stopped because there is no way to lock it down. People will have no choice but to accept it.”

Rossell and Caus are now seeking to implement an idea called Boulevard BitCoin in Barcelona, which has already been implemented in Madrid. The objective is to encourage businesses to accept digital payments.

The initiative was first launched on Calle Serrano, in the heart of the Spanish capital, and participants have grown steadily, with more than 20 businesses now accepting payments. In Barcelona, the chosen area will be within Ciutat Vella. The BTC Point pioneers are aiming to incorporate between 20 and 30 businesses into the scheme by February, in time for the Mobile World Congress, when the eyes of the technology world turn to Barcelona.

The promotion of BitCoin as an alternative currency has been increasingly at the forefront of global business, and while it remains the dominant market leader, it is not alone. The former executive chairman of BitCoin, Jon Matonis, submitted an open letter to the Mobile World Congress in 2014, describing BitCoin as “Money without government”. “BitCoin is a survivable digital scarcity,” stated Matonis. “In just five short years, BitCoin has unequivocally demonstrated that we don't need kings to coin

INSTANT TRANSFER

 PROOF OF TRANSACTION

our money and we don't need central banks issuing debt-based paper notes and deciding what our money should be. Money is anything we collectively determine it to be.”

On the whole, banks have yet to fully acknowledge the potential of cryptocurrencies, although some are starting to pay more attention. Just recently, Bankinter invested in a Barcelona-based startup, Coinffeine, that provides an online BitCoin exchange for people wishing to buy and sell their BitCoins, with the platform acting as a negotiator for the exchange.

BitCoin, and cryptocurrencies in general, are still suffering from the stigma of money laundering and drug trafficking. Currently, the cryptocurrency concept is a double-edged sword balancing a fine line between opportunity and anarchy. Some sceptics have referred to it as little more than a pyramid scheme, whilst others have been quick to attach Orwellian connotations. Supporters (and optimists), on the other hand, believe that the cryptocurrency concept could offer a real alternative to the current status quo, by providing a monetary system that cannot be manipulated by central banks, and escapes political influences. However you see it, BitCoin et al could be key stakeholders in the future of currency, although how it could be controlled or regularised is yet to be seen.

19

18-19. Cypto.indd 3

12/19/14 1:55:51 PM

MUSIC 15th Way to go

Gerard Way January 15th Sala Apolo. Nou de la Rambla 113.

After My Chemical Romance split in 2013, lead singer Gerard Way decided to take on the music world by himself. After many successful gigs and festivals, including Spain’s first edition of the Dcode festival, the singer is touching down once more in Barcelona this month. The former frontman will be promoting his first solo album, intriguingly named Hesitant Alien. With Nineties Britpop influences and Jarvis Cocker-esque sounds, Way’s new venture bears little resemblance to the post-hardcore, alternative rock sound of My Chemical Romance. The musician has deliberately chosen a completely different path, in a bid to re-boot Britpop in his native America. The album contains 11 tracks, including the first two singles, ‘No Shows’ and ‘Action Cat’, which will be part of his set list in Sala Apolo.

15th-17th Silver Screen Sounds

0 editor’s pick

Hollywood’s Best Soundtracks January 10th Palau de la Música. Palau de la Música 4-6.

If you’re an avid follower of the Big Screen, bring back memories of your favourite blockbusters with this performance by the Cinema Symphony Orchestra. Playing at the Palau de la Música, the orchestra is known worldwide for its film music repertoire, Hollywood’s Best Soundtracks, which includes songs from the most highly acclaimed film scores in movie history. Normally just the backdrop to the action, this time the tunes take centre stage, with tear-jerkers from Titanic and Beauty and the Beast, and toe-tappers from Grease, West Side Story, and many more. So, in the run up to the Oscars, why not take a trip down movie memory lane with a bit of glitz and glamour direct from Tinseltown.

10th

19th Van the Man

Suite Festival: Van Morrison January 19th Gran Teatre del Liceu. La Rambla 51-59.

Six Grammies, one Brit Award, and over 30 studio albums–Van Morrison has certainly made his mark on the music world, rightfully earning him an OBE and a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Hailing from Northern Ireland, ‘Van the Man’ started his professional career as a teenager in the Fifties doing the rounds with Irish showbands, before forming a host of different bands with different sounds over the years. With a career spanning four decades, encompassing Celtic, soul, blues, jazz, country, folk, and even gospel, Morrison is considered to be one of the most influential musicians of his generation. Don’t miss your chance to see him in action this month as part of the Suite Festival. Opened

by Woody Allen on December 31st, the Suite Festival BCN Music Experience is a new musical offering based at the Liceu, which runs until April and includes eight concerts from a diverse group of artists. www.suitefestival.com

20

20-21. Music.indd 6

12/19/14 1:13:59 PM

.

IN CONCERT 3rd. Alabama Gospel Choir Palau de la Música. Palau de la Música 4-6.

7th. Ted West & Friends Harlem Jazz Club. Comtessa de Sobradiel 8.

10-11th. Violetta Palau Sant Jordi. Pg. Olímpic 5-7.

14th. Izah & RCA Flacos Jamboree. Plaça Reial 17.

15th. Band of Skulls Bikini. Av. Diagonal 547.

15th. Amélie Angebault L’Auditori. Lepant 150.

15th. Gerard Way Sala Apolo. Nou de la Rambla 113.

19th. Van Morrison Gran Teatre del Liceu. La Rambla 51-59.

22nd. India Martinez L‘Auditori. Lepant 150.

23rd. Fink Bikini. Av. Diagonal 547.

24th. Sandra Kolstad Sala Apolo. Nou de la Rambla 113.

29th. IS Tropical Bikini. Av. Diagonal 547.

30th. Hammerfall Razzmatazz. Pamplona 88.

31st. Red Square Razzmatazz. Pamplona 88.

20-21. Music.indd 7

12/19/14 1:14:02 PM

ART UNTIL

Feb 8th

0 editor’s pick

in the beginning Genesis Until February 8th CaixaForum. Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia 6-8.

Genesis is the result of an epic eight-year project undertaken

by Brazilian photographer, Sebastião Salgado. This exhibition comprises over 200 spectacular black and white photographs taken on his travels across the globe. With scenes of vast natural landscapes, wild animals, and indigenous peoples, Genesis takes us back to a time before modern society and infrastructures took hold of the planet. Whilst almost half our planet is still “as it was at the time of Genesis”, according to Salgado, these images are intended to serve as a reminder that Earth’s untouched natural beauty will continue to disappear if more steps are not taken to combat climate change and protect the environment. “We must preserve what exists,” declares Salgado, whose dedication to global issues has led to three long-term projects: Workers (1993), Migrations (2000), and Genesis (2013).

UNTIL

Feb 1st UNTIL

Jan 30th an architect’s legacy La Herencia de Coderch Until January 30th MINIM. Via Augusta 185.

artistic activism

On the Table Until February 1st La Virreina Centre de la Imatge. La Rambla 99.

Following his controversial arrest in 2011—when he was mysteriously detained for 81 days with no outside contact and no official charges— dissident artist, Ai Weiwei, continues to find new ways to voice his criticisms of the Chinese government through his powerful exhibitions.

On the Table takes a look at the Chinese artist’s multifaceted career as a photographer, sculptor, architect, and documentary film producer, through a collection of over 40 works, many of which share a common theme: exposing the Chinese government’s practices, violations of human rights, and seeking greater freedom for China. In addition to displaying some of his key pieces, On the Table also includes a number of previously unseen works, and some new productions and installations created specifically for this exhibition. Ai Weiwei is active on Instagram and Twitter; find him @aiww on both platforms.

The Disa Lamp (or Coderch) lamp is probably one of the most iconic lighting designs of the 20th century. Created

by Josep Antoni Coderch i de Sentmenat in 1957, this became his most renowned work, although it is only a small snapshot into a lifetime of creativity that made him one of the most important postwar architects in Spain.

Contemporary furniture showroom and gallery, MINIM, celebrates his life with a tribute exhibition to the 20thcentury master showcasing his final project, which he quite aptly referred to as his ‘legacy’. The project—a theoretical housing development—was never realised, and has only recently come to light, 30 years after his death. It aimed to create a flexible housing archetype, whereby each unit could grow and shrink adapting to the needs of its inhabitants.

The exhibition includes a one-hour documentary film, ‘Remembering Coderch’, directed by Poldo Pomés (screened on Tuesdays at 6pm), as well as a giant Disa lamp. There is also a reconstruction of a typical Coderchdesigned interior space, where visitors can grasp an insight into his personal life through his music, photography, hobbies, and even his favourite tipple.

22

22-23. Art.indd 22

12/19/14 1:16:09 PM

ART PICKS

Through the resident’s lens

Last chance

Objective BCN. We portray the city Until January 25th La Virreina Centre de la Imatge. La Rambla 99.

3 PUNTS GALERIA Mr Brainwash. An exhibition showcasing the most representative work of Paris-born street artist, Thierry Guetta, aka Mr Brainwash, as well as some unique pieces created especially for this show.

Until January 17th.

Enric Granados 21.

CAIXAFORUM La Belleza Cautiva. A collection of 120 small works on loan from the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, this is a journey through the history of art, from the late 14th century to the 19th century.

Until January 5th.

Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia 6-8.

FUNDACIÓ SUÑOL Perfect Lovers: Art in the Time of AIDS. A selection of works by artists who have worked closely with issues related to AIDS, all of which seek to raise awareness of this devastating illness.

Until January 24th.

Passeig de Gràcia 98.

UNTIL

Jan 25th

Everything seems to come with a built-in camera these days. Laptops, smartphones, ipads, watches, glasses, and even contact lenses. But in a day and age when everyone can be a photographer, will today’s photography really explain our society in a few decades time?

‘Objective BCN. We portray the city’ is a documentary photography project that addresses this issue and aims to create an ‘urban memory’ of our society today. From February to June 2014, nearly 200 budding photographers took part in the project in 12 civic centres across the city.

Led by award-winning photographer, Samuel Aranda, participants attended a series of workshops and lectures that featured an impressive line-up of artists from across the globe, who guided them in capturing the city’s 10 districts through the lens. The challenge: to narrate everyday stories and build up a visual time capsule for future generations, who may one day ask what life in Barcelona was like in 2014.

The end result is an orderly chaos of ideas that bring many ‘voices’ together to create a visual portrait of Barcelona.

Comprising over 100 images; the familiar and the surprising, the joyful and the melancholic, the decadent and the grandiose, and a nod to the international; in short, the city in a nutshell.

ARTEVISTAS GALLERY Santo: Apotropaion. Local artist, Santo, has replaced canvas with other materials, such as wood and pieces of objects, in this exhibition inspired by metaphysics.

Until January 11th.

Passatge del Crèdit 4.

BLUEPROJECT FOUNDATION Spectral Synthesis. An exhibition by artist Luis Macias that consists of five audiovisual installations, which explore the materiality of light, the colour spectrum, and the mechanics of the human eye.

Until January 25th.

Princesa 57.

LA PEDRERA El Lissitzky: Experience of Totality.

This exhibition brings together 130 works

by El Lissitzky, a leading figure in Russian art during the Twenties and Thirties.

Until January 18th.

Provença 261-165.

23

22-23. Art.indd 23

12/19/14 1:16:16 PM

MISC. Down with the kids

0 editor’s pick

Sonar Kids, Cosmocaixa Until January 4th www.sonarkids.com SonarKids is back this month at Cosmocaixa with more musical and creative experiences for both children and adults, bringing a family-friendly focus to the Sonar philosophy and spirit. An initiative designed to inspire creativity among the little ones, SonarKids was conceived for a new generation of parents who want to share their interests in art, music and travel with their kids. The line-up includes an interactive tech show by Kumisho, a French-Japanese electro-pop trio, who combine music, illustration and animation. There will also be a Japanese mask design workshop by Parisian artist, Shoboshobo, who is also behind the visual elements of Kumisho.

Jan 5th

UNTIL

Jan 4th

Meet the Kings

La Cavalcada de Reis, January 5th www.nadal.bcn.cat Whether you have kids or not, the Cavalcada dels Reis is a must in Barcelona. The procession of the three kings, accompanied by their many dancers and acrobats, takes place on January 5th and is a spectacular display of colour and music. This is the most anticipated day of the year for the young (and the young at heart), and the festivities commence at 4.30pm when the Three Wise Men arrive by ship to Port Vell for an official welcome.

The parade then crosses the city, along Via Laietana, past Plaça Catalunya, continuing on to Avinguda de Reina Maria Cristina, near Plaça Espanya. Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar come bearing gifts to the crowds lining the streets, so don’t forget to take a bag to collect the sweets!

Hit the ground running

Festa Major de Sant Antoni Sant Antoni, January 17th-27th www.cursasantantoni.cat If you’ve only just managed to put the Christmas decorations away, and you were thinking of taking some time out from festivities during January, think again! The show must go on, and this month it is Sant Antoni’s turn to take the spotlight. From January 17th, a 10-day festival fills the trendy Eixample barrio with concerts, competitions, workshops, exhibitions, and many more shenanigans to breathe some merriment into the short winter days. And if you’ve been rigidly executing your post-Christmas exercise regime, put your new-found fitness to the test with the 37th edition of the Cursa Sant Antoni. This 10km run kicks off at 9.30am on January 18th and is open to everyone. Entry costs €15 and closes on January 12th, or upon reaching the 4,000 mark.

Jan 18th

24

24-25. Best of the rest.indd 6

12/19/14 1:17:51 PM

UNTIL

Jan 10th

h Drama Queens

Maria Stuarda, Gran Teatre del Liceu Until January 10th www.liceubarcelona.cat Maria Stuarda is a tragic opera by Gaetano Donizetti, loosely based on the lives of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her cousin Elizabeth I. Imprisoned by Elizabeth for treason, the opera follows the rift between the two women that eventually lead to Mary’s beheading. Maria Stuarda was almost forgotten for over a century after a controversial debut. When the opera was first premiered in 1835 at the Scala in Milan, some changes were made to the wording of the play to remove offensive content. However, the soprano in the title role, Maria Malibran, refused to adhere to the adjustments and scandalously sang the original words. The opera was swiftly cancelled by the authorities. In 1958 it was rediscovered in its censored form, and since the Eighties its popularity has been on the rise in its original, lewd version. First staged at the Liceu in January 1969, the opera returns with a series of performances from late December until January 10th.

International Singing Competition

Gran Teatre del Liceu, 25th January www.liceubarcelona.cat The International Singing Contest Francisco Viñas was founded in 1963, to commemorate Catalan tenor Francesc Viñas, who was acknowledged as one of the greatest Wagnerian singers of his time. After preliminary rounds in opera houses around the world, including Madrid, Paris, London, Berlin and New York, the 52nd edition of the singing competition will be held in the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, followed by a concert that offers the public an opportunity to get to know the winners of this year’s main awards. The opera singers will be accompanied by the Orquesta Sinfónica Gran Teatre del Liceu, led by Russian-born composer Gueràssim Voronkov.

24-25. Best of the rest.indd 7

12/19/14 1:17:53 PM

26-27. Calendar.indd 6

12/19/14 2:01:11 PM

Cavalcada del Reis Watch the three kings arrive in this traditional parade. (see page 24)

5

MONDAY

SANDRA KOLSTAD

6

BONES

TUESDAY

8 JV & Two Moons Started in Barcelona, JV & Two Moons is a musical project with a variety of sounds: playing rock

Ted West & Friends Originally from Chicago, jazz vocalist Ted West is ready to take on Barcelona.

The Excitements and The Limboos Barcelona-based band.

8pm. Sala Apolo. Nou de la

9

Mira Festival

SonarKids Music, fun and creative activities. (see page 24) CosmoCaixia. Isaac Newton 26.

(2nd, 3rd & 4th)

Orfeo Catalá Concert de Nadal A free, outdoor concert.

7.30pm-8.15pm. Plaça del Rei.

New Year’s Concert With the Strauss Festival Orchestra and Ballet.

Palau de la Música. Palau de la Música 4-6. (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 9th, 11th) First swim of the year Be there at noon for a chilly dip in the sea.

Club Natació Atlètic. Barceloneta.

2

FRIDAY

1

THURSDAY

7

GUSTAVO DUDAMEL

WEDNESDAY

What's ON JANUARY 2015

Experience MACBA Contemporary dance piece, ‘Gestures of the Path’.

7pm. MACBA. Pl. dels Àngels 1.

10

Palo Alto Sophisticated street market at an old factory.

11am-8pm. Pellaires 30. (3rd & 4th)

Celtic legends Get your jig on at this live Irish dancing and music show.

9pm. L’Auditori. Lepant 150. (2nd & 3rd)

3

SATURDAY

Flea Market Barcelona Browse second-hand goods at this market behind the Museu Maritim.

11

Two Market’s Euro Garage Everything is one euro at this second-hand market.

11am-8pm. Ovella Negra Poblenou. Zamora 78.

Live nativity scenes Different Catalan villages exhibit live nativity scenes featuring people of all ages.

12pm. Poble Espanyol. (3rd & 4th)

4

SUNDAY

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com

For more information visit our website

26-27. Calendar.indd 7

12/19/14 2:01:17 PM

WTF Jam Session Jazz session. Every Monday at Jamboree.

8pm. Jamboree. Plaça Reial 17.

Van Morrison Legendary Northern-Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison performs as part of the Suite Festival. (see page 20) 8pm. Gran Teatre del Liceu.

19

India martinez

Cavalcada del Reis Watch the three kings arrive in this traditional parade. (see page 24) 6pm-8.30pm. Av. Marquès d’Argentera - Av. Rius i Taulet.

5

28

Is tropical

Japanese Pottery Workshop Learn to construct and mould Japanese cups on the first day of this workshop. Then on the second, find out how to polish and paint them.

5pm-9pm. Atuell. Marià 4. (21st & 23rd)

elliot murphy & oliver durand A night of true rock-n-roll.

8pm-10pm. Jamboree. Plaça Reial 17.

Una Voce In Off/La Voix Humane Two brief operas in one evening.

8pm. Gran Teatre del Liceu.

(18th, 20th and 22nd)

21

Izah & RCA Flacos A performance of soul and R&B from the up-and-coming artist.

8pm & 10pm. Jamboree. Plaça Reial 17.

Gran Gala Española From classical to flamenco. With live music and ballet.

8pm-9pm. Palau de la Música Catalana. Palau de la Música 4-6.

14

red square Local punk-rock band Red Square performs alongside The Good Left Undone and Headache 61.

7pm. Razzmatazz. Pamplona 88.

Vitor Ramil Brazilian songs from the composer, singer and instrumentalist.

10pm. Jamboree. Plaça Reial 17.

Hammerfall This Swedish heavy-metal band present their new album, ‘(r) Evolution’.

7pm. Razzmatazz. Pamplona 88.

Is Tropical This London trio are in town with their indie/electronica beats.

8.30pm. Sala Bikini. Diagonal 547.

Philarmonia Orchestra London Performing the third symphony of ‘Heroica’ by Beethoven.

8.30pm. L’Auditori. Lepant 150.

el barrio Spanish new flamenco group El Barrio on their ‘Hijo del Levante’ tour.

9pm. Palau Sant Jordi. Olímpic 5-7.

31

Experience MACBA Performance by Itziar Barrio, ‘All of Us Want to Work Less’.

7pm. MACBA. Pl. dels Àngels 1.

Sandra Kolstad This Norwegian electronic pop sensation is known for her extravagant performances.

8pm. Sala Apolo. Nou de la Rambla 113.

24

30

African Roots Sub-saharan sounds from the Barcelona African Orchestra.

7pm. Sala Apolo. Nou de la Rambla 113.

Kid Ink

Fink English singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer and DJ. 9pm. Sala Bikini. Diagonal 547.

23

Festa Major de Sant Antoni Neighbourhood festival with sardanes dancing, castellers, concerts and a beer festival.

Sant Antoni. (Until 26th)

On The Garage Second-hand market in Poblenou.

11am-8pm. Ovella Negra Poblenou. Zamora 78. (17th & 18th)

17

29

India Martinez Latin Grammy award nominee India Martinez, a Spanish singer originally from Córdoba, performs at L’Auditori as part of the 16th Festival Mil·lenni.

9pm. L’Auditori. Lepant 150.

22

Is tropical

GUSTAVO DUDAMEL Eponymous director of this show with the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar.

8.30pm. Palau de la Música Catalana. Palau de la Música 4-6.

Band of Skulls English rock band from Southampton.

8pm. Sala Bikini. Diagonal 547.

Amelie Angebault Quartet French singer-songwriter Amelie Angebault and her jazz band.

10pm. Harlem Jazz Club.

Comtessa de Sobradiel 8.

Gerard Way Ex-lead singer of My Chemical Romance. (see page 20) 9pm. Sala Apolo. Nou de la Rambla 113.

Lord of the Rings Watch the film while the OBC plays the soundtrack.

L’Auditori. Lepant 150. (10th & 11th)

ÖLELÉS This iconic dance show celebrates 10 years on the stage.

8.30pm. Mercat dels Flors. Lleida 59. (9th-18th)

16

Experience MACBA Contemporary dance piece, ‘Gestures of the Path’.

7pm. MACBA. Pl. dels Àngels 1.

10 The Excitements and The Limboos Barcelona-based band.

8pm. Sala Apolo. Nou de la Rambla 113.

15

Chicago

JV & Two Moons Started in Barcelona, JV & Two Moons is a musical project with a variety of sounds: playing rock to blues, funk reggae and jazz.

A blend of classic and original tunes.

10pm-12.30pm. Harlem Jazz Club. Comtessa de Sobradiel 8.

Ted West & Friends Originally from Chicago, jazz vocalist Ted West is ready to take on Barcelona.

10pm-12.30am. Harlem Jazz Club.

Comtessa de Sobradiel 8.

Speaking with Chocolate Improve your English while making chocolate at this workshop.

4pm-7pm. Museu de la Xocolata.

Comerç 36.

8

7

20

The Original Wailers

13

BONES FESTES!

6

Fink

Me, Ma, Mi Mozart Concert for families with young children.

L’Auditori. Lepant 150.

Two Market’s Original Market Discover new vintage and second-hand brands.

4pm-9pm. RAI ART. Carders 12 Pral.

25

Cursa Sant Antoni The 37th edition of this 10km run.

9.30am. Sant Antoni.

Lindy al Parc Outdoor swing session at the bandstand in Parc de la Ciutadella. Everyone is welcome.

12pm-2.30pm. (4th & 18th)

18

Nativity cribs Last day for this exhibition of elaborate nativity scenes.

Museu Diocesà. Av Catedral 4.

Flea Market Barcelona Browse second-hand goods at this market behind the Museu Maritim.

10am-6pm. Pl. Blanquerna.

11

Pop-up shops

Going, Going…

Gone!

currently in town

OMG. Plaça de la Llana 7. Until January 5th.

Liebeskind Berlin.

Boulevard Rosa, Passeig de Gràcia 53.

Munich.

La Maquinista. Until March 30th.

Here today, gone tomorrow— the global pop-up trend comes to town in all shapes and sizes.

TEXT BY hayley cantor

T

hey say that in times of crisis people get creative, and Spain’s dire economy in recent years seems to have been the impetus for a host of practical and low-cost global trends to finally catch on here, from coworking to AirBnb. The equivalent in the retail sector is the pop-up shop. Fun, cool, and a breath of fresh air for any ailing high street, the concept is taking hold in Barcelona. And although it’s still early days, there are streets in the city that seem to change faster than the seasons. But what’s all the fuss about?

The idea itself is far from new. The concept is said to be based on a Japanese phenomenon where luxury brands would hold one-off special sales. Goods would sell out in a matter of hours and the shop would close due to lack of stock. The US and UK latched on to the power of ephemeral shops over 10 years ago, and the term ‘pop-up shop’ was coined in 2004 to describe these stores that appear overnight

and last anything from a few hours to several months.

One of the great draws of the concept is that pop-up shops can take on any format. London alone has seen pop-up gardens, pop-up restaurants, pop-up nightclubs, and pop-up shops in launderettes, shipping containers and even inside derelict trains. Disused urban spaces, from factories to nightclubs can be transformed and regained. An interesting space, combined with the intrinsic elusive nature of all things pop-up, can make for excellent branding and commercial opportunities.

For some brands, pop-ups are just the latest in cool marketing. Barcelona’s very own Custo Dalmau has been a pioneer of the pop-up here, and for some years has opened an annual store in the city centre during November to coincide with Shopping Night. Other international brands, like Nike, New Era and Comme des Garçons, have also chosen the Catalan capital to showcase their goods.

For smaller, local brands, suffering the falter-

Currently, one in six shop units in the city stands empty, meaning there is plenty of room for negotiating with landlords for a cheap, short-term let.

28

28-29. Pop up shops.indd 2

12/19/14 1:19:01 PM

ing revival of a fragile economy, the pop-up makes plenty of sense. It’s a way to get in front of the final consumer without the overheads of a permanent home. The crisis has had a huge impact on the city’s commercial fabric. Currently, one in six shop units in the city stands empty, meaning there is plenty of room for negotiating with landlords for a cheap, short-term let. Besides the shops, there are art galleries, swanky offices, terraces and warehouses, all looking to earn an extra buck from this new trend.

Beyond the financial practicalities, pop-ups may be the retail model of the future. Online sales in Spain were over €13 billion in 2013, putting it in fourth place in Europe, behind the UK, Germany and France. More shops are moving online, selling through slick websites and relying on close partnerships with influential bloggers and strong

social media for marketing. For these media-savvy companies, the pop-up is a chance for a more touchy-feely experience with the public. Their fast-moving social networks also mean it’s easy to create a buzz and fill the store. There’s no need to choose between online and offline when a smart company can have both.

For any budding artists or designers out there, frustrated by trying to get the fruits of their labour into traditional shops, a pop-up store may be just the way to go. The Pop Places website (www.popplaces.com) lists venues available for hire in Barcelona. For €70 a day you can get yourself 20 square metres at street level on Carrer del Pi. If you have a budget of over €1,000 to splash, you can hire a Modernist palace or a massive abandoned warehouse for the day.

Whether it’s for pure marketing impact, or a way to get closer to the consumer for less money, the pop-up shop is surely here to stay. And, as Spain slowly works its way out of the doldrums, we can be thankful that some small businesses are finding creative ways to make it all work out.

Igualada, 65km from Barcelona has its very own pop-up festival, called REC 0.4. It celebrated its fourth edition in November 2014, boasting the biggest concentration of pop-up stores in Europe. Last year, over 60 brands took part, selling their wares with discounts of up to 80 percent.

28-29. Pop up shops.indd 3

12/19/14 1:19:03 PM

main pages Jan 2015.indd 7

12/18/14 1:51:28 PM

inSTYLE In December we went to Barcelona Shopping Night to check out the style on the street.

DRESS FOR THE

SLOPES! Bern Watts EPS Helmet €89.99 www.velo-city.cc

NorthFace Sickline Jacket €320 Barrabes Roger de Llúria 77

Roxy / Thermal Layers / Glimmer Bottom €49.95 Boardriders Barcelone Plaça del Mar 1-4

Beanie €9.95

NOW €6.95

Fleece Hoody €39.95 www.decathlon.es for your nearest store

Bern Watts EPS Helmet €89.99 www.velo-city.cc

Travis Rice Roger Jacket €249.95 Boardriders Barcelone Plaça del Mar 1-4

31

31. Fashion.indd 6

12/19/14 1:56:43 PM

The American school of Barcelona Leading International Education Since 1962

S

ince its creation in 1962,

classrooms, updated science labs,

grades learning technology tools to

the American School of

an expanded cafeteria, and a lighted

become more creative and dynamic

Barcelona (ASB) hasn’t

outdoor soccer field. In October

learners.

stopped growing. Cur-

2014, ASB inaugurated a state-of-

ASB also understands that some of

rently, this international school has

the-art library/media center where

the most important learning op-

approximately 800 students from

students can access thousands of

portunities take place outside of

Pre-K3 to 12th grade, representing

the classroom, which is why they

over 45 nationalities. The school’s

offer an array of community service

experienced faculty of teachers are

opportunities, performing arts, field

specifically recruited to provide

trips, and extracurricular activities.

21st century, progressive teaching

The underlying goal is to create a

and differentiated instruction for all

learning environment that is both

types of learners.

caring and challenging to help students thrive and reach their full potential. books, computers and research materials, and gather in the meeting space.

In 2007, ASB became the first school in Barcelona to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. The school has a proven track record of success,

Despite the economic crisis, the

with students consistently scor-

school completed the construc-

ing well above the international

tion of a new Elementary and Early

average. ASB students go on to

Childhood Center in July 2014,

attend prestigious universities in

freeing up space in the main build-

North America, the UK, Spain, and

ing for Secondary school students –

other international locations. The

both Middle and High. Other recent

school is also a leader in technology

renovations include improved

integration, with students from all

• Leading International Baccalaureate program in Barcelona • Brand new Early Childhood Center and Primary building • International population representing 45 nationalities • Highly qualified, native English speaking teachers • Bus service to Barcelona, Sitges, and Sant Cugat MORE INFO. Carrer Jaume Balmes 7, 08950 Esplugues de Llobregat Tel. 93 371 4016 • admissions@asbarcelona.com www.asbarcelona.com

main pages Jan 2015.indd 9

Open House Saturday, January 17th 10am-12.30pm Come and visit our school!

12/17/14 12:38:42 PM

born to catwalk Barcelona’s Fashion week is back

B

arcelona opens its doors to the world’s fashionistas in February with the 15th edition of the city’s biannual fashion week, 080 Fashion Barcelona. The event was launched in July 2007 as a platform to showcase independent Catalan designers and, in its short history, this celebration of local talent has gained an enviable reputation in the fashion world for creativity and innovation. Sponsored by the Generalitat’s Consortium for Commerce, Craft and Fashion, Barcelona’s fashion week has been held in a number of the city’s most notable venues over the years, including the Fira de Barcelona, the Palau de Pedralbes, Plaça del Rei and the old Hospital de Sant Pau. Last year’s winter edition took place in the Mercat del Born Cultural Centre, and this year it’s the turn of the Museu Marítim.

From February 2nd, the former royal shipyard will welcome 080 Fashion Barcelona for four days, with over 30 catwalks in which emerging local designers are showcased alongside well-known labels with an international presence.

Custo, Desigual and Mango are among the big brands that will be strutting their stuff for autumn/winter 2015/2016.

The catwalk shows are by invitation only, but stylish folk can still get ahead on next season’s trends and soak up some of the heady atmosphere in the Open Area. This section will house pop-up stores of over 50 brands, including clothing, footwear and accessories. Sign up online for your pass for the Open Area.

February 2nd-5th, Museu Marítim, www.080barcelonafashion.cat

33

33. 080 Fashion.indd 6

12/19/14 1:26:41 PM

TRAVEL ON PISTE: ANDORRA THE MOUNTAINS ARE CALLING, BUT WHERE TO GO? HERE’S OUR SUMMARY OF SKI SPOTS IN ANDORRA.

n

estled between the Spanish and French borders, just a three-hour drive from Barcelona, lies the principality of andorra. This land of high mountains and narrow valleys boasts the best ski slopes in the Pyrenees and a

VALLNORD Vallnord covers the Arcalis and Arinsal-Pal ski area. The two resorts are a considerable distance apart but have been joined up by a cable car and boast a total of 93km of pistes. www. vallnord.com

Arcalis Arcalis has 1092 acres of terrain and over 30km of pistes. This resort is well suited to advanced and intermediate skiers and snowboarders.

North-facing, with steep slopes and spectacular valleys, it enjoys excellent snow conditions.

It also has the longest run in Andorra for beginners—the 8km Megaverde—and some easily-reached freeride areas. A wifi connection is also available throughout the sector.

Where to stay: Ordino is one of Andorra’s prettiest towns, with an old centre that has retained its charm despite the influx of tourists.

Pal and Arinsal Pal and Arinsal form a single resort linked by cable car and they share a single ski pass. The resort is particularly suited to families, beginners and early intermediates. More advanced skiers will get bored very quickly here. The Pal area of the resort is very wooded and green with wide slopes, whereas the Arinsal area has few trees.

Snow reliability is assured and piste maintenance is good. Intermediate skiers should go higher, where there are some steep red pistes.

Where to stay:

arinsal: This is a lively town with lots

of bars and restaurants.

Pal is quiet and picturesque and has escaped much of the development that has taken over other resorts. Direct access to the ski area by gondola from the town. la Massana: Approximately 4km from Arinsal, La Massana is also lower key than Arinsal, with just a few bars and a variety of supermarkets, shops and amenities. A gondola runs from the town centre up to the Pal ski area.

Pal: The village of

GRANDVALIRA

The area of Grandvalira covers 1,926 hectares and is divided into six different sectors, the main ones being Pas de la Casa, El Tarter and Soldeu. An efficient lift system transports skiers and snowboarders around the area’s 210 km of slopes—the largest skiable domain in the Pyrenees—and artificial snow guarantees more than 60 percent of the area. www.grandvalira.com

number of resorts that cater for all levels.

Formerly small mountain villages, these resorts have seen huge growth thanks to ski tourism and have joined together in recent years to form two large skiing areas—Vallnord and grandvalira.

Pas de la Casa Right on the French border, Pas de la Casa sits at an altitude of 2050m, with the highest lift reaching 2640m, making this the highest resort in the Pyrenees.

Thanks to its unbeatable location, Pas enjoys excellent snow throughout the season. The slopes cater very well for beginners and aspiring intermediates and, for those looking for more of a challenge, there are also a few feisty black runs to be found.

The town is lively with a thriving bar scene.

Grau Roig This is the only sector of Grandvalira that isn’t residential. Grau Roig has just one hotel and a large car park. It’s a great resort for families, as everything is close together.

There is a good progression of slopes from beginner to intermediate, and for experienced skiers, there are some fantastic red and black runs. Snowboarders can head to the small board park and half pipe.

Soldeu Set a on a steep hillside across the valley from the ski area, Soldeu is the best-placed resort to explore Grandvalira. The Soldeu ski area has excellent beginner and intermediate terrain with lots of easy trails to enjoy.

The town is set on a busy road, and what it lacks in charm it makes up for in the variety of hotels, apartments, restaurants and shops.

El Tarter

1.5km along from Soldeu is El Tarter. Up on the slopes, the Riba Escorada area is specifically designed for beginners. If you want to take your skiing or boarding to the next level, the snow park in El Tarter is the perfect place to go.

Small and quiet, El Tarter town has good accommodation centred around a high-speed gondola and a handful bars and restaurants.

Canillo The ski area close to Canillo is one of Andorra’s most beautiful spots and is accessed from the town by gondola. The slopes here are great for families and beginners.

Smaller and quieter than Pas and Soldeu, Canillo still has a good choice of hotels.

Encamp Like Canillo, there are no in the town itself. The Funicamp gondola—until recently the longest in Europe, at 6.1km—takes skiers right up to Solanelles, the highest point in the resort and a place of breathtaking views. Encamp is located just 5km from the main shopping area of Andorra la Vella.

34

34-35 Travel.indd 56

12/19/14 1:38:50 PM

OFF

PIST E Shopping Almost as many people head to Andorra to shop as they do to ski. Although the principality has introduced a sales tax of 4.5%, it’s still much cheaper than its European neighbours (in Spain VAT is 21% on most goods and services), making it a true shopping haven. Duty-free stores are located all over, with the largest concentrations found in the capital and small towns close to the Spanish and French borders. Andorra la Vella is the number one shopping destination, packed with stores and shopping centres selling everything from perfume, jewellery and electronic goods to big-name fashion brands. Pas de la Casa and Escaldes are also popular shopping haunts.

Caldea Spa Located in the town of Escaldes and boasting over 6,000 square metres of pools, saunas, jacuzzis and treatment spaces, Caldea is Europe’s largest mountain health spa. Fed by mineral-rich thermal waters, which are kept at a constant 32ºC, this is a wonderful way to wind down after a hard day on the mountains.

Open every day from 10am til 10pm (and until midnight on Saturdays). A three-hour general entrance costs€€37. You can sign up for additional treatments, from body scrubs to massages. www.caldea.com

Other snow sports Andorra is packed with snow activities for non-skiers. At the Adventure Activities Center in Grau Roig (Grandvalira) you can reserve a variety of activities. In Vallnord, both Arinsal and Pal offer a number of snow sports.

Mushing: Enjoy spectacular landscapes while driving a dog sled through the mountains. The sleds seat two people, and you can either take it easy while a guide drives or literally take the reins yourself.

Snowshoes: The art of snowshoeing has been around for thousands of years and is now a fast-growing winter sport. It’s simple, burns a ton of calories, and allows you to take in the breathtaking mountain views at a more leisurely pace.

Snowmobiles: The Pal sector has a permanent circuit for snowmobiles, with a descent through the woods to the Setúria valley.

See www.grandvalira.com and www.vallnord.com for more information

34-35 Travel.indd 57

35

12/19/14 1:38:51 PM

REVIEW

MORE INFO. Hotel Mandarin Oriental. Passeig de Gràcia, 38-40. Tel. 93 151 8783. www.mandarinoriental.es.

Open daily 1pm-3.30pm, 8pm-10.30pm.

Lunch menu, not including wine, €35, à la carte approx €40, based on 4-5 dishes shared between two. ✪✪✪✪

BISTREAU

Angel León pays homage to the Mediterranean Sea at his sleek seafood bistro in the Mandarin Oriental.

By Tara Stevens.

W

hen your flagship restaurant is run by Raül Balam, the prodigiously talented son of multi-Michelinstarred Carme Ruscalleda, your more low-key bistro is always going to find it a tough act to follow. So the arrival of Ángel León—better known as El Cocinero del Mar for redefining fish and seafood cooking at Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa Maria—as consulting chef, had me smacking my lips with anticipation.

Sustainable ethics have always been part of his allure. Instead of established fish favourites, León uses the unwanted catch being hurled from the trawlers in the Bay of Cádiz, and spent years working with the local university and science labs to make plankton edible (at the last count he had devised five different types fit for human consumption). His food is certainly out-there—at last year’s Madrid Fusion he presented a dish inspired by bioluminescence that glows blue in the dark—yet retains a certain robustness that still feels down-to-earth and accessible. El Pais’s Jose Capel calls León “the most powerful chef of his generation”, he recently received his second Michelin star at Aponiente, and international critics, including those at the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, have declared his seafood cookery among the best in the world.

It works, too, within the context of Patricia Urquiola’s eye-boggling interiors at the Mandarin Oriental. Set within a central atrium—formerly the trading floor of a bank—and enclosed within snow-white cut-out screens that recall the lavish contemporary riads of Marrakech, with oyster-grey high-backed armchairs, it’s

36

36-37 Food & drink.indd 56

✪ NOT WORTH THE TRIP

hard to think of a more luxurious spot to hole up and eat for a few hours. And so the bistro formerly known as Blanc, headed by the late Jean-Luc Figueras, is now BistrEau—a ‘bistro marítim’—and homage, of sorts, to the Mediterranean Sea, with twists and turns that are classic León. With so much gastro-design cred now going for it, the temptation would be to ramp up the prices, but the lunch menu (Monday to Friday) is good value at €35 (not including drinks) and even à la carte, which consists of the greatest hits from the mother ship, things don’t skyrocket too alarmingly.

Among the highlights are León’s signature fish-

proves by marinating butterfish in beetroot and lemon. And, of course, there’s the jewel in the crown, a plasma-green plankton rice that gives new meaning to the term ‘umami’. Think oceans and seaweed, cockles and caviar, spinach and watercress, all mixed up together in one gloriously unforgettable taste.

Having eaten at the mothership twice, these were all dishes that stirred evocative memories.

León’s cooking, for me, is up there with Ferran and Albert Adrià (El Bulli and Tickets), the Roca Brothers (El Celler de Can Roca) and further afield, Rene Redzepi (Noma in Copenhagen), but of course it’s not León in the kitch-

International critics, including those at the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, have declared his seafood cookery among the best in the world. based charcuterie—chorizo, longanissa, botifarra, and sobrassada based on a fatty, white fish called albur (otherwise known as mujol), which filters plankton through its gills—octopus ‘pancetta’ and wafer-thin versions of Cádiz’s famous tortillas de camarones that crunch seductively, before melting away into a balm of salty savouriness on your tongue. Squid ink croquettes are darkly delicious, creamy and crunchy—the perfect nibble with a minerally Manzanilla from Sanlucar de Barrameda (if you’re a fan, as I surely am, there are some great bottles of sherry on the list)—while pinky-finger sized sardines on toast topped with aubergine caviar come in a puff of smoke. There’s even a joke in the shape of León’s take on the ‘fish stick’, or ‘surimi’ to go by it’s proper name, which he vastly im-

✪✪ COULD IMPROVE

✪✪✪ GOOD

en. Not usually anyway. With his new location in El Puerto de Santa Maria due to open in the spring, the experience is being put together by head chef, Ismael Alonso, who executed everything down to a tee, save for a couple of new additions that were not quite so thrilling.

Pescaíto frito with jamón works a treat, but seems a little pedestrian alongside the rest, and pristine langoustines with kimchee, dubbed ‘Bravas del Mar,’ sounded like a hit, but turned out to be somewhat heavy and cloying, in truth, a bit of a waste of fabulous seafood.

Still, all in all, BistrEau is an exciting new addition to Barcelona’s increasingly complex and diverse dining scene. Indeed, it has all the hallmarks of being somewhere really very special where you can actually afford to eat.

✪✪✪✪ VERY GOOD

✪✪✪✪✪ NOT TO BE MISSED

12/19/14 2:24:55 PM

RECIPE:

MEATBALLS WITH MUSHROOMS

Meatballs, or mandonguilles, are typical fare in Catalunya. They’re cheap and easy to make, and appeal to everyone, especially kids.

The hedgehog mushroom, known as llengua de bou or agulletes, is considered the perfect mushroom to accompany a meatball stew.

Time required: 1 hour 15 minutes Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS For the meatballs: 300g minced beef 200g minced pork 3 cloves of garlic ½ glass of milk Oil Parsley

Flour 2 eggs 2 slices of stale bread Pepper Salt

For the sauce: 1 medium-sized onion 2 tomatoes 4 cloves of garlic (finely sliced) 300g hedgehog mushrooms. Other kinds of mushrooms may also be used.

INSTRUCTIONS For the meatballs • Combine the minced meat, beaten eggs, chopped garlic, bread slices and milk in a large mixing bowl. Add seasoning and chopped parsley.

• Make the meatballs by forming the mixture into 4 cm balls.

• Coat the meatballs in flour and fry them in olive oil until golden. Set them aside.

For the sauce • Using the same pan (and remaining oil), fry the onion over a low heat for 15 minutes.

• Add the tomatoes, garlic and mushrooms. If you are using hedgehog mushrooms, boil them first for 10 minutes, in order to get rid of any bitterness.

• Season to taste with salt and pepper, and simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes.

• Finally, add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for 20 minutes. If the mixture is a little dry, add some meat or vegetable stock, or a splash of water.

Chef’s tip • If you can, make the dish 24 hours in advance to allow all the lovely flavours to develop.

BON PROFIT! Visit www.ambdosfogons.com for more traditional Catalan recipes.

Toni Rocamora is the head chef of a big family and lover of all gastronomy-related sports, such as snail hunting, mushroom hunting and market shopping. Toni was born in Oliana, a small town in the foothills of the Pyrenees, and inherited his passion for cooking from his mother, famous for her traditional family recipes.

36-37 Food & drink.indd 57

12/19/14 2:24:58 PM

QUICK BITES

AU PORT DU LA LUNE

I

Classic French bistro goes uptown without losing that je ne sais quoi. By Tara Stevens.

was devastated when Au Port du la Lune left its roost on the Plaça de la Gardunya just behind the Boqueria.

For an age, it was one of my favourite places for a little trip to France: a proper bistro, simple, homey and affordable with reliably tasty food set in a tiny, intimate dining room, with the greatest private room in town hidden away upstairs, floor-toceiling windows, creaking floorboards, peeling paint and a vast, chunky wooden dining table.

Friends and I often had our birthday parties and Christmas get-togethers there. Then, all of sudden, it was gone. It moved to an equally tiny spot on Pau Claris and, the truth is, I sort of forgot about it until I suddenly got a hankering for a great big bowl of cassoulet. There was a time when theirs was the best this side of Toulouse, so I gathered the gang and off we went in search of mid-week sustenance.

Sadly, it’s lost that special kind of cosiness it once had—back in the day the main dining room was all vintage furniture, old Lillet bottles

and quirky home accessories that really made the place sing—replaced in the here and now by walls covered in old theatre and film posters and a spartan bookcase with slightly too-bright lighting. But the food is as solidly French-bistro as ever and is served by a delightful team. We order white wine and red in carafes and share a dozen plump and briny Daniel Sorlut oysters, frizzy escarole salad topped with crunchy lardons and a perfectly poached egg, leeks vinaigrette that are lush and silky, and a chunk of deeply savoury goose rillette scattered with capers and cornichon. But it was the cassoulet that won back my heart: comforting and rich with creamy beans and generous chunks of sausage and duck, this is the kind of food that tells you all is right with the world. The wine flowed, the laughter got raucous and a large table celebrating a birthday in the back room sent over cake.

Decor may change, restaurants move on, but there’s still a great deal to love about Au Port du la Lune.

MORE INFO. Pau Claris 103. Tel. 93 412 2224. auportdelalune.wordpress.com. Open Sun 10am-7pm, Mon-Fri 8am-11pm, Sat 10am-11pm. Lunch menu €11.50, 4-course ‘South West’ menu, not including wine, €25.

tastings

‘Tis the Season

Miquel Hudin is originally from California but is now based in Barcelona. He founded the Vinologue enotourism series of wine books (www.vinologue.com).

La Cuesta de Enero

Coll de Roses Negre 2013

Broken, battered, spent—and that’s before we’ve even looked at the state of our wallets. Some of January is inevitably spent digging ourselves out of holes made in December. Wine is an excellent companion for these moments and, given that most budgets are low at this time of the year, here is a series of wines that offer a great quality-cost ratio. See more great, affordable Catalan wines at www.wineonsix.com.

A mainly Grenache blend from Empordà that has expressive red fruits along with a touch of limestone, cedar, and black pepper in the nose. Smooth and even in the mouth with a touch of cloves into the finish. €9

Altavins Ilercavònia 2014 An excellent White Grenache from Terra Alta with peach, apricot, lychee to the nose. Balanced on the palate and delicate with slight citrus notes into the finish. Complex and will continue to develop in the bottle through the year. €8

Roig Parals La Botera 2011 A classic blend of Carignan and Grenache from Empordà with dark fruits, cumin, cedar, and light cigar box aromas. Full across the palate it holds good acidity, cloves, and medium tannins that carry in to the finish along with red fruit notes. €9

38

38. Quick bites.indd 42

12/19/14 2:22:41 PM

main pages Sept 2014.indd 1

9/24/14 1:57:41 PM

FOOD DRINK

&

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

IN

€ under 20 | €€ 20-30 | €€€ 30-40 | €€€€ over 40 Bar

NEFW &D

Discount for Metropolitan reaDers.

Japanese BIERFEST TAVERN4SAGRADA FAMILIA

YOI YOI GION 4EIXAMPLE

This cosy traditional pub has a fantastic range of draft and bottled beers as well as a wide selection of G&T’s. They have large TVs and it’s the perfect place to watch the match with friends. If you study at the UAB join them on Facebook for more info on their regular language intercambio nights.

Barcelona’s latest and greatest Japanese restaurant, YOI YOI GION, is a completely authentic udon restaurant from Japan’s ancient capital, Kyoto. YOI YOI GION offers delicious handmade, organic noodles in a modern Japanese atmosphere. Dine in at very reasonable prices and enjoy ingredients such as kelp, niboshi (small, dried sardines) and katsuobushi (dried, shaved bonito), which are combined for the stock of the noodles, with no chemical additives.

Gaudí 81 | Metro Guinardó, Sagrada Familia Tel. 99 348 0157 | www.bierfest.es | www.facebook.com/bierfest-barcelona

L'ENTRESOL4GRACIA

Located in the heart of Gràcia, just next to Plaça del Sol, L’Entresol is probably the coolest bar in the area. This relaxed place with a friendly atmosphere where locals and visitors get together is devoted to music and G&T. You’ll find more than 40 premium gins at L’Entresol, each one served in a different style with different ingredients. A perfect place for celebrations.

€2 Discount on DrinKs

Diagonal 383 | Metro Diagonal Tel. 93 124 8701 | www.facebook.com/yoiyoigionudon Tues-Sat 1.30pm-4pm, 8pm-11pm. Closed Sun & Mon

Planeta 39 | Metro Fontana Tues-Thu 7pm-2.30am, Fri-Sat until 3am

Argentine

pint of stella €3

BELCHICA 4EIXAMPLE

9REINAS 4EIXAMPLE

Barcelona´s Belgian beer experience, serving up to 70 ales, lagers, fruity beers and other specials like gueuzes from the beer country for locals, students and expats. Multilingual staff, regular art exhibitions, live music and hip events complete the perfect Belgian bar experience. Also sports on SKY, Belgian German and Dutch tv.

Free Wi-Fi and outdoor terrace, private parties possible: ask for conditions and offers at the bar.

Argentine restaurant Nueve Reinas has quickly become a favourite for discerning meat-eaters. Renowned for its excellent quality and value 9Reinas is specialised in meats from all over the world. The exquisite Argentina-inspired decoration offers an intimate and welcoming space where every visitor feels like a guest.

The restaurant has two floors and a private room which can host parties of up to nine people.

Villarroel 60, 08011 | Metro Urgell, salida Villarroel Tel. 625 814 001 | belchica@gmail.com

Valencia 267 | Tel. 93 272 4766 www.nuevereinas.com/en

Bakery

Ice Cream MANNA GELATS 4BARRI GÒTIC

Homemade ice creams, waffles and crêpes in the heart of the Barrio Gótico.

Their ice creams are inspired by family recipes, using the best products. The fresh fruit sorbets are made with marketbought products therefore boasting exotic varieties. Their passion is to please their customers with personalized attention.

Ban ys Nous 22 | Metro Liceu Tel. 93 342 7312

Food & drink Jan 2015.indd 44

BE MY BAGEL 4GRÀCIA 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.

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

12/18/14 3:41:14 PM

Mediterranean LOIDI RESTAURANT4 EIXAMPLE

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

Loidi is a contemporary bistro, in which Martin Berasategui makes his cuisine accessible to everybody. Cuisine prepared with the finest seasonal ingredients and presented with imagination that recalls and pays homage to the celebrated Basque chef’s traditional roots and origins. The menu features various dining options with dishes that vary on a weekly basis.

The Restaurant is a very contemporary, warm and comfortable space frequented by a local and professional clientele.

Head chef: Jordi Asensio. Maitre d’: Oscar Fernández.

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

Vegetarian/Vegan BAR CELONETA 4BARCELONETA Experience a huge variety of sangrias in this cozy place with a cool and chilled vibe where wine, fruit and spices are mixed with creativity and passion. It’s the first and only vegan/vegetarian tapas bar in the district where one can enjoy an exquisite brunch from 11am to 4pm every Saturday and Sunday. The atmosphere is casual and relaxingl, with alternative background music.

eaders.

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

Sevilla 70 (near Carrer de Juici) | Metro Barceloneta | Tel. 93 172 2280 www.bar-celoneta.es | Open Wed-Fri 12pm-12am, Sat-Sun 10am-1am

100 Montaditos 4POBLENOU

amaltea4EIXAMPLE

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 15.50.

If you’re looking for a restaurant in Barcelona with a huge variety of cheap tapas and outdoor terrace, Cervecería 100 Montaditos is the place to go. It’s located in the Rambla del Poblenou, one of the Barcelona’s most characteristic neighbourhoods. There are 5 HD TVs with audio all around the bar making this the perfect venue for international football evenings with friends. Choose from tapas and pinchos and a “jarra de cerveza” at just 1.50. And don’t miss their excellent promotions. Monday is ‘half euro’ day with montaditos at 50c.

On Wednesdays and Sundays enjoy Euromania and pick anything on the menu for 1.

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

Govinda (VEGETARIAN) 4BARRI 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 Vila de Madrid 4-5 | Metro Catalunya | Tel. 93 318 7729 www.govinda.es | Tue-Sat 1pm-4pm, 8pm-11am, Sun-Mon 1pm-4pm

FREE CHIPS

Rambla del Poblenou 76, 08005 Tel. 93 624 2910 I www.100montaditos.com

Juice bar SANO4SANTS

Fonda España4 Barri GÒtic

Sano Juice offers a healthy alternative choice with smoothies and juices, homemade bagels, paninis, wraps and a tasty lunch menu for 10.45. Our food and smoothies are made to order with fresh ingredients, no extra sugar, offering the best quality.

Located in the emblematic Hotel España, the Modernist dining room that was originally designed and decorated by Domènech i Montaner, houses Fonda España. Rich in patrimonial interest, the historic elements in this beautiful room inspire and enhance the new elements.

Here, Gastronomic Director Martín Berasategui’s aim is to offer his well known culinary concept to diners looking for simple, balanced and delicious dishes that is a tribute to the renowned chef’s origins.

Sano Cuina Buenos Aires specialises in take-away salads, wraps and drinks, as well as healthy lunch menus that change twice a week. Eat better = Feel better.

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

Buenos Aires 44 , 08036 | Cerca de la Plaça Francesc Macià Tel. 217 81 15 | Mon-Fri 8.30am-6pm

Mexican

Indian / Tandoori TLAXCAL 4BORN

SURYA 4EIXAMPLE

Just a few steps from the new Born Centre Cultural, you will find the best and most authentic mexican restaurant in Barcelona. They offer fresh, homemade guacamole, nachos, enchiladas, tacos, spicy aguachile, ceviche, and deserts, all of which are made with top quality, fresh ingredients. Enjoy a relaxed lunch or dinner in a cosy and modern place, with the best margaritas and micheladas in town. From Monday to Friday they offer a great lunch menu deal for just 11, including a starter, main course, dessert and drink.

Surya Barcelona, is an Indian restaurant that invites you to travel all the way to the streets of Mumbai, rich with colour, smell and exotic flavors. They offer a cozy and relaxed place where you feel at home, where you can drink, read a magazine, connect to the Internet, work and try out some of their delicious dishes.

Comerç 27, 08003, Metro Barceloneta, Jaume I Tel. 93 268 4134 info@tlaxcal.com | www.tlaxcal.com Mon-Fri 1pm-4pm, 8pm-midnight, Sat-Sun 1pmmidnight, kitchen open all day, Closed Tues

Food & drink Jan 2015.indd 45

Pau Claris 92 | Tel. 93 667 8760 www.suryabarcelona.com

12/18/14 3:41:20 PM

HEALTH

Enric Pintado - DeNtist

&beauty DISCOUNT FOR METROPOLITAN READERS

Implants & teeth in one day

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

Balmes, 295, 1º 2ª, 08006 T. 93 200 0808 recepciobcn@enricpintado.com www.enricpintado.com

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com

AFTER

Dr. enric pintado is a specialist in implant surgery and fixed prosthetics, trained by the Universities of New york, Ny and loma linda, California. at Dr. pintado’s dental surgery, the treatment is personalised especially for you. All-on-4 procedures, flapless surgeries, zygomatic implants for low quantity of bone, without bone grafting and healing time. in all of these procedures, teeth are placed in the same day.

Just everything, just pintado!

Dr. enric pintado, DDs

ICLINIC - DeNtist

Dra. Susana Campi - DeNtist

perfect teeth in just one day. at iClinic pifarre. No unnecessary damaging teeth.

No killing nerves.

No anesthesia and all in one session.

Cosmetic dentistry and composite veneers give our clients the lovely smile they always dreamed of. iClinic works only with specialists in cosmetic dentistry who have been trained in the most up to date and cutting edge techniques.

New premises, new services and new state of the art equipment! for all your dental needs, a team consisting of their first-class professionals can offer you excellent treatment. they have more than 35 years of experience and are pleased to offer you their services in english, german, french, italian, spanish and Catalan.

NEW ADDRESS Josep Tarradellas 97 local, 08029 Metro: L-5 Salida Rocafort/Rosselló Bus: 15,27,32,43,54,59,66,78 T. 93 321 4005 susanacampi1980@gmail.com www.clinicadentalcampi.com

Muntaner 66, 08011 T. 93 451 8325 Open Mon-Fri 10am-2pm, 4pm-8pm www.iclinicpifarre.com www.somostusdentistas.com

Dr. Boj - DeNtist Dr. Boj and his team provide specialised, 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. he became a specialist at the school of Medicine and Dentistry of the University of rochester, N.y., Usa. fast and friendly service in an international environment where we speak english.

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

Orthoestetic - DeNtist the orthoestetic Clinic is located in the heart of Barcelona near the sagrada familia. they have modern clinical facilities and equipment, which together with their dentists experience allows them to offer an integral quality dentistry, designed to seek the satisfaction of the patients.

Dr. holguin is a specialist in orthopedics and orthodontics for children and adults, and dental aesthetics. She is certified by the invisalign system.

Platinum Provider

42-44 Health Jan2015.indd 44

Diagonal 341, loc 1. 08037 T. 93 512 4749 M. 638 545 555 Metro: Verdaguer (L4 ,L5) www.orthoestetic.es www.ortoesteticbcn.es info@orthoestetic.es

Abaden Dental Group - DeNtist advanced Dentistry in Barcelona.

Methodology: a primary distinctive at abaden is the high value we place on group clinical consultation. During our 28 years of business our dentists across all specialities meet together regularly to collaborate and review patient cases. this group’s clinical case consultation system is a proven method that guarantees accurate patient diagnostics and higher quality service. procedures: implantology (single, multiple or full teeth recovery), aesthetics, orthodontics and general dentistry languages: english, russian, french and portuguese.

Abaden Diagonal - Agustina Saragossa 9-11 (08017) Abaden Sants - Marques de Sentmenat 82 (08029) Abaden Vall d’Hebron - Arenys 89-93 (08035) T. 90 064 9162 (Toll-Free for national calls) Open Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-7pm www.dentistsbarcelona.com

12/19/14 12:27:57 PM

Mary D. McCarthy - DOCTOR

Doctor for Adults

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

FREE CONSULTATION

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

The first consultation is free.

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.

Av. Diagonal 343 2 º piso, puerta 3 ª Metro: Verdaguer (L5) T. 93 459 2802 info@hestia.es www.hestia.es

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

NEST - Network of English Speaking Therapists The Barcelona Network of English Speaking Therapists (NEST) is a multidisciplinary group of qualified and practising psychologists, psychiatrists and psychotherapists who live and work in and around Barcelona. NEST members work in the English language and have their roots in training bodies and professional associations based elsewhere. A number of NEST members also work in Catalan, Spanish, Bulgarian, Dutch, German, Italian and Greek.

For detailed information, please visit their website.

Jonathan Lane Hooker NEW CITY CENTRE OFFICE

Psychotherapist 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.

BEFORE

www.barcelonaNEST.com

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

Krishinda Powers Duff

Pharmacy Serra Mandri CHEMIST

Bsc Hons - Midwife

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.

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’.

Av. Diagonal 478 Chemist T. 93 416 1270 Open every day 9am-10pm

Therapies Adam - THERAPIST

M. 665 143 437 krishinda@gmail.com www.barcelonamidwife.com

€15 OFF

Tania Spearman - ACUPUNCTURE

Does a headache or migraine interfere with your daily life? Do you suffer from stress and anxiety? Is an old whiplash injury still causing problems? Do you have trouble sleeping? Do you have jaw or eye tension?

Are you looking for the right path and more peace and balance in your life? Do you suffer from depression?

Make acupuncture your first choice, not your last resort! Acupuncture treats many conditions from pain, stress and depression to infertility and more. English, Spanish and German spoken. Call now to make an appointment and start feeling better.

Plaça Dr. Letamendi 3/4, Passeig de Gràcia M. 639775218 www.terapias-adam.com

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

Panizo Institute Craniosacral Osteopathy Osteopathy treats the body, mind and emotions as one. By working with the osteopath you can treat the more commonly known ailments of low back and neck pain, but also treat headaches, migraine, digestive problems and stress relief.

Plaça Dr. Letamendi 3/4, Passeig de Gràcia M. 689 786 519 www.craneosacral-panizo.com

42-44 Health Jan2015.indd 45

Hestia - PSYCHOTHERAPY

English Doctor Dr. Steven Joseph - Doctor General Practice Mental Health MB, MRCGP, MRCPsych.

Dr. Steven Joseph - DOCTOR 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 with access to all medical specialties and tests.

Gran Via Carles III nº-37-39 Metro Les Corts Mon-Sat M. 662 291 191 www.googolmedicalcentre.com

12/19/14 12:27:59 PM

Centro Quiropráctico Vida

Born Wellness Center

- ChiropraCtor

- health

Daryn J.wiese is an american trained and board certified chiropractor that directs one of the most well known practices in Barcelona-Vida Centro Quiropractico. the practice known for its quality service with a friendly and professional environment having a very high user-satisfaction rate.

The care is specific, effective, and comfortable as it shows with practice members ranging from 15 days to 96 years of age.

we have a beautiful studio, in the heart of el Born, providing restorative relief from the city. our team of trained practitioners support you in finding the wellness practice that suits your needs, offering an uniquely integrated variety of services including yoga, pilates, alexander technique, Movement therapy, Chiropractic and Massage. Born wellness provides a highly personalized approach to assist you on your journey to wholeness and health.

Diputació 168 Tda. 2, 08011 Metro: Urgell (L1) Bus 14, 20, 37, 59 T. 93 451 5301 quiropracticavida@gmail.com www.quiropracticavida.com

HAIR CUT €19 + HOT SHAVE €30

BCN Cuts - BarBer shop 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.

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

10% OFF

Sombrerers 27, 08003 M. 653 842 695 info@bornwellness.com www.bornwellness.com

La Hair Boutique hairDresser trained by toni & guy london, Veronique runs a friendly salon with a dedicated team who speak english, spanish, french and swedish. la hair Boutique is a relaxed and cosy salon that offers progressive cuts and colours with great style advice too. they are especially talented at creating new, personalised looks using the latest techniques.

Plaça Regomir 5 Metro: Jaume 1 (L4). T. 93 269 1937 M. 699 643 462 www.hairboutiquebarcelona.com

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.

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

- We also visit offices and events around Barcelona helping stressed executives to relax and re-energise in their working day.

Find everything you need here!

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

Heaven - Massage american-trained massage therapist Carrie lewis has 15 years of experience soothing and releasing both muscular and emotional pain and tension. her focus is deep-tissue massage, which she combines with reflexology, reiki, and other complementary techniques. she also specialises in pregnancy and postpartum massage. this excellent vocational massage therapist with years of training and experience will make a difference in your personal wellbeing. Chair massage for events and home visits available.

Contessa de Pardo Bazán 24 M. 639 533 523

42-44 Health Jan2015.indd 46

12/19/14 12:28:01 PM

BUSINESS SERVICES DISCOUNT FOR METROPOLITAN READERS

FREE CONSULTATION

LEGAL SERVICES

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

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com Fletcher Consultancy Ltd -

INTEGRA ADVISERS - CONSULTANT Legal and business consulting firm that promotes entrepreneurial activity in Spain. Services include; Accounting, tax, financial advice, immigration, national insurance registration and payroll, legal and real estate advice.

Aribau 207, Ppal A1, 08021 T. 93 414 6242 M. 615 405 045 info@integra-advisers.com www.integra-advisers.com Tessal - LEGAL SERVICES This Legal and business consulting firm offers the value-added services and resources you need to set up and develop your business. Assistance in each stage of legal paperwork and permit procedures, accounting, tax and labour obligations, e-commerce and data protection services to complete the running of your business in Spain.

Perú 40-44, Esc. 2 2º A, 08018, T. 93 486 9451 info@tessal.com www.tessal.com Sánchez Molina -

CONSULTANCY

LEGAL PRACTICE

Fletcher Consultancy Ltd. now operates in Spain providing tailored training and development services for managers and employees, development and access to UK qualifications for ex-pats, HR services for development of competence based systems. Our UK business services blue chip clients in both public and private sectors. We have special offers for new clients, including free mystery shopping and training needs analysis.

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.

shirleydirect@aol.com M. +44 799 053 4331 www.fletcherconsultancy.co.uk www.nvqenespana.com

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

Creategy Consulting SERVICES 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

20% DISCOUNT FOR METROPOLITAN READERS GES40 - ENGLISH SPEAKING LAWYERS They are a law firm established in 1986. They aim to provide comprehensive legal counselling to both individuals and companies, in all areas of law. As a team they are highly specialized in a number of different legal areas, with high levels of training, experience and professional strength. They offer a fully personalised service, providing rapid, effective responses without compromising the quality of their service. They also offer their clients a 24-hour online consultation service.

Through this online follow-up service, interested parties can access their virtual office to consult the information in their files anytime and from anywhere.

“We devote our efforts to provide full support and assistance to conduct any personal or business activity in Spain with confidence”.

Calàbria 267, 3r 1a, 08029, T. 93 217 6414, ges40assessors@ges40.com mruiz@ges40.com www.ges40.com,

45-48 Business Jan2015.indd 43

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

Mac in Barcelona COMPUTERS Stéphane Clément is an Apple technician and consultant with over fifteen years of experience.

Anna Piqué, a native from Barcelona, assists Stéphane with her business and communication background.

Their focus is on providing good service and installations with clear communicative skills and personal advice. The aim is to solve your computer troubles and teach you how to improve your daily use of your Mac and its various accessories, giving you an opportunity for a more pleasant and safer computer experience.

Cami de Mas Roig a Mas Fuster 47 Valldoreix, 08197, M. 608 994 599 info@macinbarcelona.com www.macinbarcelona.com

12/19/14 2:13:13 PM

Mrs.Q design studio -

Geo Mac - COMPUTERS

GRAPHIC DESIGN

BRANDING PACKAGES ·POSTER & FLYER design

Mrs.Q Design Studio offers a range of specialised services.Contact Mrs.Q for their competitive business packages which includes branding, stationery design and advertising for print and web. They also design promotional material such as flyers, posters and brochures. They specialises in bespoke invitations.

Visit their Etsy page to see examples for their work www.etsy.com/shop/ MrsQdesignstudio. Designed with love! 10% off now!

BROCHURES wedding stationery

BOOK NOW FOR A FREE DEMO

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

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

Easi-Sat - TELEVISION SERVICE

Gusto Films - FILM

Specialists in satellite TV, HD, audiovisual and unmatched for quality and reliability throughout Catalunya for many years. Their professional team provides satellite television from across Europe, including Dutch, French, Italian and Russian, at unbeatable prices. They have solutions for loss of UK channels, with or without a dish. New IPTV is the solution to viewing UK freesat channels, BBC’s, ITV’s, Al Jazeera sports 1-10, and many more. Follow them on Facebook/Easisat and Twitter ‘@ PaulDuval15’.

Gustofilms is a production company specialising in promotional film. We dedicate ourselves to the creation and making of high-quality audiovisual content. We like to innovate, discover and imagine. We love style, down to the smallest detail.

Nos gusta gustar.

T. 93 845 9874 M. 649 413 832 enquiries@easisat.net www.easisat.net

Corsa - DRIVING SCHOOL

Sant Quinti 47, 4º5ª, 08041 T. 93 007 4408 M. 636 611 029 info@gustofilms.es www.gustofilms.es

STOP N’ DRIVE DRIVING SCHOOL

Corsa driving school in Barcelona offers both theoretical classes and practical driving lessons in English. Their friendly and experienced instructors will give you the confidence to drive comfortably in the city and help you learn everything you need to know about Spanish road systems. They have both manual and automatic practice vehicles. Call now and ask about special Metropolitan reader offers!

Ask for the special Metropolitan reader offers

Beethoven 16, Bajos, 08021 T. 93 200 3324 www.corsa.cat/en/courses www.facebook.es/autoescuelacorsa

Bejar 67, 08014 (Between plaza España and Sants Estació) www.aestopndrive.com

BCN WINDOWS -

ARC97SL - OFFICE AND HOME IMPROVEMENTS

HOME IMPROVEMENTS Do you have a cold or noisy flat? High heating bills? Then BCN Windows can help! They can double glaze your traditional wooden windows and doors without changing the way they look. Their unique system offers noise reduction, energy saving comfort and is environmentally friendly. Visit their website for more information; it even shows you how to price your own windows. Call Michael on 619 908 642 and quote ‘Metropolitan’ for a free consultation..

M. 619 908 642 www.bcnwindows.es

45-48 Business Jan2015.indd 44

Stop by their driving school to learn about how you can get your Spanish (European) driving license in English and from home! Don’t let time be your excuse. Stop N’ Drive is the first driving school in Barcelona that instructs you through online videos and offers intensive courses lasting only two weeks, between 7.30pm to 10pm.

STOP N’ DRIVE Driving school courses are low-cost, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with them and start your journey.

Become a driver in Barcelona!

Do you want to build or renovate your office or flat? ARC97 specialise in the design and construction of new works and renovations. They are committed from beginning to end and take care of every detail of each project. They will tailor any project according to your specific needs, style, taste and interests.

They guarantee that all work will be completed on time and within budget.

Media and Marketing Assistant Jo Elizabeth Hardman M. 610 544 614 Pietat 8 baixos, 08002 arc97@arc97.com www.arc97.com

12/19/14 2:13:16 PM

10% DISCOUNT

BERLITZ - SCHOOL At Berlitz language school they have a teacher available for you whether you take face-to-face classes or through their virtual classroom with a huge range of courses available for English, French, German, Russian and Spanish. Their amazing online platform has more than 218 specialties which can be adapted to fit your needs. Their one-day business workshops can also add the finishing touch to your professional language needs. 10% discount with this advert.

Av. Diagonal 382, 08037 Tel. 93 215 0100 barcelona1@berlitz.es www.berlitz.es Mon-Fri 8am-09.30pm

Coral - SPANISH TEACHER Reach a Spanish level that best fits your time, interests and needs!

Try Coral’s personalised courses using interesting and effective methods that make learning easy. She will come to your home or business and provide the material. All levels; private or small groups (up to 3). 60-min class €25; 90-min class €35. If you need classes via SKYPE, she can also offer online lessons. She is a native, experienced and highly-qualified teacher.

M. 676 249 744 coral@coralprada.com

BCN L.I.P. - LANGUAGE SCHOOL BCN LIP language school is a small school located in the heart of the Gothic Quarter offering a wide variety of dynamic classes for those wishing to learn Spanish, Catalan, English, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Japanese, Chinese and Hebrew. The courses are intensive and extensive, varying from 4 - 30 hours a week, Monday to Saturday.

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

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

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

Everything you need...

Discover what’s on offer Easy search tool

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com

See an inside view

... all in one place Maps

Visit our online Business Directory

45-48 Business Jan2015.indd 45

12/19/14 2:13:20 PM

SHOPPING

CONTACT US NOW TO ENQUIRE ABOUT OUR PROMOTIONS FOR YOUR CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN

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

For more shopping visit our online directory www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/shopping MESA BONITA OWN A PIECE OF BARCELONA! Gayarre, 2 Pral, 08014 · T. 627 230 824 · benedictebodard@gmail.com www.mesabonita.es · www.facebook.com/pages/Mesa-Bonita

24 KILATES

If you’re new to Barcelona and love its architecture or just looking for that perfect gift for your loved ones, Mesa Bonita has the answer: Bénédicte Bodard has been collecting antique hydraulic floor tiles in Barcelona, after cleaning and restoring them, she turns them into really gorgeous tables, frames, trivets and coasters made to order. Many are over 130 years old! Visit her studio in Sants where you can see her huge collection.

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.

ECOOLOGY

BCN PAINTING ROUTE

Comte Urgell 28, 08011 · T. 606 53 54 93 · Mon-Fri 11am-7pm www.ecology.es

Carrer de Lledó 17 · T. 93 319 9178 bcnpaintingroute@outlook.es · www.facebook.com/BCNPaintingRoute

Wear the latest trends made in Barcelona with the best ecological fabrics. Now you can be fashionable and respect the planet, you can feel good and unique with limited edition eco fashion that matches your personality. Forget about dressing like everyone else, you are different. Ecoology is ethical, cool and trendy eco-fashion for your everyday lifetime.

New gallery in the heart of the Gothic quarter showcasing oil paintings on canvas and other works of art. High quality paintings starting from just €40 The perfect place to find the perfect painting of Barcelona.

PARRUP

OJALA!

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

Banys Nous 17 · www.parrup.com www.facebook.com/ParrupBarcelona

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.

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.

ARTSHOP

FURTIVO SKATEBOARDING

Sitges 7 · T. 93 676 2311 · www.facebook.com/Artshopbcn

Located close to Plaça Catalunya, the Artshop has a full range of artist supplies and a small family gallery. If you need a simple watercolour set or any other specialist items, they can be bought or ordered for you at the shop.

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.

BATEAU LUNE

KITSCH

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

Opened in 1978, Kitsch is Spain´s very first sex shop. The shop offers a wide range of toys from quality brands like LELO, Fun Factory, Iroha, Tenga and WeVibe, as well as condoms, books, lingerie, movies and more. The shop also arranges guided tours and talks by psychologists/ sexologists. They have an extensive online shop too.

Plaça Virreina 7, 08012 · T. 93 218 6907 www.bateaulune.com · info@bateaulune.com www.facebook.com/bateaulune

45-48 Business Jan2015.indd 46

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

Muntaner 17-19 (Eixample) L1/L2 (Universitat) · T. 93 453 2052 info@kitsch.es · www.kitsch.es Open Mon-Sat 10am-10pm

12/19/14 2:13:30 PM

JOBS

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER FOR MORE JOB OFFERS @bcnmetropolitan #jobsbarcelona

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

WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK AS A MODEL? We are looking for new models & actors for 2014. We are interested in candidates of all types and ages.

You can drop by our offices from Monday to Friday: 10:00-13:00 & 16:00-18:00 Email your cv to : jma@modelos.net Visit our website: www.modelos.net Dolors Masferrer i Bosch, 20-22, entlo, 08028

49 Jobs 2015.indd 53

12/19/14 12:31:15 PM

KATE JESS LONDON

I’m from the UK. London originally, but I’ve moved around quite a bit. While I was still at university, studying Global Political Economy, I created a business startup, which received an award. After graduating, I worked as a client manager for what is now Thomson Reuters. It was a very high-level job, and, as all young women in my position, I felt like I’d done really well for myself.

I’d worked hard to get to where I was and that’s what it seemed to be all about: success, success, success.

I felt like I was on a conveyor belt through life. We had the bombs go off in London, which was a bit frightening. A few things like that in a row got me thinking, ‘I love this country. I like my job. I know some really great people. But there’s more I want to do’. So I made the change. I was 28—had never taken time off—so I decided to take a gap year and go travel, go explore.

That first time I came to Barcelona, it was crazy fun. I didn’t do anything productive besides get my TEFL, understanding it as a passport to travel; although, thinking about it, no one has ever asked me for that certificate. But the friends you make during the course are priceless. Eventually, when I needed a place to settle—after living in Nice and travelling around a bit—I chose Barcelona because I love the city and had great friends to come back to.

I went back to my old roots, working on a variety of projects with different businesses. Startups are what really interest me.

It was through a friend of mine that I learned about Hub Dot. It had been around for nearly a year in London and was doing incredibly well. My friend’s sister-in-law, Ana Pinós, wanted to set up the programme here. I knew right away that it was a project worth getting involved in.

Hub Dot is a very personal organisation that promotes real connections, in person, not just over the Internet. People crave these connections. In a world of economic crisis and too much social media, people want to be able to give dos besos, hear the passion in people’s voices when they talk about a startup or project idea, and see smiles on faces after ideas and advice are shared. Women want to be social, active and involved in the community.

There’s an impression when you first move to a foreign city that it’s hard to make friends besides other internationals. Hub Dot reaches out to all women, bringing everyone together no matter what their background; whether they have an established career, a dream or no career at all, or whether they simply want to share their time and passions with a group of like-minded women. Through Hub Dot, they have the opportunity to mingle with all kinds of women and be inspired. That’s what we’re really striving for with Hub Dot. And Barcelona’s a perfect location for such a startup. It’s a cosmopolitan city with quite a mix of people—with the foreign residents being a really important part.

For me, personally, Hub Dot has been an incredible opportunity to meet more and more influential women. If you look at all the Meetups being facilitated by women, or inspiring organisations like Esperança—a charity that provides food to the homeless, founded by Barcelona residents Julie Stephenson and Julia Fossi—you see how truly creative and caring the women here are. There’s always something new to learn from someone you’ve never met before. Plus, you get new ideas for things to do in the city.

Our next Hub Dot event will be in February. We had our launch in October. There were 12 women who gave speeches. Two minutes each, with two in Catalan, two in English and the rest in Spanish. We wanted people to speak in whatever language they felt most comfortable, however they could best express themselves. It was an incredible success. February’s event will have a ‘New Year’ theme—it’s all about reinvention. I think at the beginning of the year, we’re really thinking about what we want from the year ahead and how we want to shape our lives. A lot of the speeches will be by women who have had obstacles in their lives, how they’ve dealt with them and how they have succeeded afterwards.

My other passions in life are promoting cultural awareness, especially with travel. Appreciate where you are: the customs, the language, the food. Also, the sea. I love the sea. I’ve been sailing all my life; swimming and surrounded by beach life. And I’ve recently taken up surfing.

I like to see people happy. If I can see people around me generally happy, then I’m happy. If I can help people accomplish that happiness, I would consider that one of the best achievements in life. If I could stay longer on a surfboard that would be great, too.

By Ben Rowdon

SCOOP

For more information and to get involved with HubDot, visit their website, www.hubdot.com

50

50. Backpage.indd 90

12/19/14 1:27:12 PM

main pages Jan 2015.indd 5

12/18/14 1:54:51 PM

main pages Dec 2014.indd 12

11/25/14 5:36:09 PM