November 2012 Nยบ 190 Free
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Contents
NOVEMBER
Features 14 20 24
Wild Boar Cooking Foreign Journalists
31. Paolo Fresu
Independent Art
Regulars 06 07 08 11 13 19 22 28 58
On our web An inside look What’s new Fact-checker: TMB Fashion: Accessorising
22. PHOTO COLLAGE
Interview: Nicky Smyth Photo collage: Festivals Ideas: Culture, Gastronomy, Escape the city... Back page
Directories 41 47 55
Food & Drink Business Jobs
From the Editor: We’ve reached November and awaken to darkening days and the awareness of another year’s passing. As we look back, we look forward. On our web, Metropolitan considers the history behind the massive movement leading to this month’s Catalan elections. Nick Lloyd examines an earlier revolution in his article on Foreign Journalists in the Spanish Civil War. We see how people band together to push beyond barriers in the art world with a look at Barcelona’s alternative art scene, and tell you where to find out more about past and current movements in art on our Making Plans page. If your interests run to more primal, outdoor activities, our article on hunting and cooking wild boar will give you something to think about. What wine to go with that beast? It’s harvest time and a the right moment to visit local wineries to educate your palate and enjoy a day out of the city. The days are short but there’s much to do. Lynn Baiori
24-26. INDEPENDENT ART
Publisher Creative Media Group, S.L. Managing Director Esther Jones Senior Editor Hannah Pennell Acting Editor Lynn Baiori Art Director Aisling Callinan Account Executives Richard Cardwell and Maria Galindo Financial Manager Andrea Moreno Editorial Assistants Emily Tarbuck and Said Saleh Sales Administrator Clara Davies Design Assistants Markus Kreutzer and Nazli Gürkas Contributors Samantha Alzuria, Jonathan Bennett, Roger de Flower, Nick Lloyd, Will Shank, Cristina Slattery, Tori Sparks, Tara Stevens, Emily Tarbuck, Nicola Thornton and Natasha Young Photographers Richard Owens and Lee Woolcock Cover illustration Isabella Humphrey Ventura Illustrator Ben Rowdon Editorial Office: Ciutat 7 2º 2ª-4ª, 08002 Barcelona. Tel. 93 451 4486, Fax. 93 451 6537; editorial@barcelona-metropolitan.com Advertising: ads@barcelona-metropolitan.com. General enquiries: info@barcelona-metropolitan.com. www.barcelona-metropolitan.com Printer: Litografia Rosés. Depósito Legal: B35159-96 The views expressed in Barcelona Metropolitan are not necessarily those of the publisher. Reproduction, or use, of advertising or editorial content herein, without express permission, is prohibited.
Find your nearest distribution point on www.barcelona-metropolitan.com
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06 INTERNET
on our web
www.barcelona-metropolitan.com
Tallies and Turkeys We follow up our look at issues that effect Americans in Barcelona with information on the American Society’s election night party and Thanksgiving feast. Find out more at: www.barcelonametropolitan.com/americansociety
Catalunya Lliure Read about the history that has led Catalans to take to the streets en masse and demand what they feel is rightfully theirs. Find out more at: www.barcelonametropolitan.com/catelections2012
The air that we breathe In our recent news blogs, Metropolitan has been following reports from the European Environment Agency which indicate excessive levels of contaminants in the air that we breathe. As anyone who has stood from a hilltop vantage point overlooking the city can tell you, there’s a shadowy haze that envelopes the skyline, making the valley look like an asthma bath and yet we jog in it, bike in it, breathe in it, and bathe in it every day. In our archives you can read Nick Mead’s article foreshadowing the current air crisis and follow a link to the EEA’s page to keep informed on environmental health. www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/bcnpollution
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THE HARLEM JAZZ CLUB AND MPB We spoke with Daniel Negro, owner of the Harlem Jazz Club, about the 23rd annual Festival de Música Popular de Barcelona. You can read the interview on our web page to find out more about the history of The Harlem, the roots of the live music scene in Barcelona, and the idea that drove the festival into existence. Plus, this month, as part of the MPB festival, The Harlem Jazz Club is offering two sets of tickets for two to a performance by the jazz quartet, Balkan Noise, whose original sound of jazz and ethnic Balkan influences blend to create a perfect harmony. Enter to win at: www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/harlemjazzmpb
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COVER 07
An inside look Photographer Isabella Humphrey Ventura www.vagamunda..com I was born in Barcelona of a Canadian father and a Catalan mother. My parents bought me a camera when I was 10. At the age of 13 I had my first assignment to take the school photos on a trip to Ibiza. I studied photography in Grisart, where I got a grant for a workshop with Joan Fontcuberta in the Reencontres de la Photographie, Arles, France. I worked for 4 years in advertising as a Location Scout and later on TV commercials and film. I quit and started traveling in 2002... always going back to Barcelona. I traveled the east coast of Australia on my own in a campervan for 6 months. I sailed through Indonesia as part of a delivery crew, filmed video in Alaska, worked steering a commercial fishing boat for salmon. Life is a trip and pushing my limits and exploring new horizons is what really makes me feel alive in a world that, in spite of being cruel, is sometimes also very beautiful. Barcelona is a live city where the past and the future, Catalan and foreigner, sea and mountains all blend smoothly to give it its unique flair. I never miss a walk around the old area, where Roman, Gothic, Art Nouveau and modern architecture stand in harmony. I always avoid the subway at peak time. A view: Barcelona from Mount Tibidabo. On a clear day you can see the whole city with the Mediterranean Sea. A building: Plaza de toros la Monumental, Neomudéjar and Byzantine style. I really like the white & blue tiles and those huge “eggs” at the top that remind me of Dalí’s art. An inspiration: a walk along the Barceloneta to see how we enjoy life at its best: good food, some sport, a glass of wine or a beer, sun, a good chat and a big smile… what else do we need to be happy? A place to go with friends: definitely the beach. In summer we lie down in the sun and swim, for St. John we make a huge bonfire, at night time we dance on the sand and in winter we sit on a warm blanket and chat while looking at the breaking waves. On my to-do list: Jump onto one of the Golondrinas, those cute old boats I used to take on special occasions when I was a little girl. About the cover: Shot in Carrer Petritxol, one of the most charming streets in Barcelona for its story-telling wall tiles. On the top left of the photograph you can see some of these shiny tiles telling us in a rhyming couplet that Moratín, the 18th century dramatist and poet, lived there for a while. Somebody has copied a famous painting by our well-known Catalan “Modernista” painter Ramon Casas on a door, where he and Pere Romeu ride a bicycle. The latter was the owner of Els Quatre Gats, a beautiful café where artists of the time met for a coffee and a chat –from Santiago Russinyol, Joaquim Mir, Isidre Nonell and Casas himself to Picasso. The place is still open and is worth a visit. The third important element in this photograph is a person passing carrying a Catalan flag. Catalunya more than ever is asking for independence.
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Photo by Jorge Andreu
08 THE MONTH
A PERFECT MATCH Dirk Bikkenbergs has opened its flagship store in Spain on Barcelona’s Passeig de Gràcia. In attendance for the inauguration was singer Rebeka Brown, who spoke with Metropolitan about why she opts for the Bikkenbergs style. “Dirk Bikkenbergs’ new women’s clothing line defines perfectly well what I’m looking for, especially the evening wear. Elegant and modern at the same time, the great cut and perfect combination of leathers and silks, the very trendy mix of colours, like emerald and camel, go well with my personality,” says Rebeka. Dirk Bikkembergs. Passeig de Gràcia 99.
November MAKE A WISH
WHAT’S NEW IN TOWN In the heart of El Gótico, designer Paloma del Pozo brings her designs to Barcelona in her new shop, Ojalá. These beautiful and original pieces are works of art and del Pozo’s clothing has been exhibited not only on the runway but in the Museo Evaristo Valle de Gijón. The finely detailed craftsmanship, vivid colours, and orignality of each design set del Pozo in a class apart. Ojalá. Ciutat 14, www.ojala.es
Our daily bread Out for a day of shopping and looking for someplace that offers a healthy, delicious meal at a reasonable price? Then check out Le Pain Quotidien. All the breads are 100% organic. But as one cannot live on bread alone, Le Pain offers a full organic menu, from soup to main meals and deserts, served in a beautiful, and relaxed atmosphere, just steps away from Passeig de Gràcia. Le Pain Quotidien. Provença 300. www.lepainquotidien.es
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THE MONTH 09
Adorning the soul Barcelona jewellery designer and artisan, Alex de Haro presents his latest collection of contemporary jewellery using sterling silver, 18 kt gold, gemstones and natural materials. Each piece is a unique, handmade creation based on the oriental influences of Zen and Aharyabhinaya, the sanskrit word meaning “external expression”. For this artist, jewellery is the adornment of the soul, manifestations of interior worlds and workings, amulets inspired by ancestral traditions. More information at: www.etsy.com/shop/AlexDeHaro or info@alexdeharo.com
Refurbishing a classic
Farga has been serving up finger sandwiches for as long as anyone can remember. Now they’ve put on a new look, as fresh and inviting as a one of their palmeres de xocolata. Farga. Diagonal 391
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FACT-CHECKER 11
(ALMOST) ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT: The TMB An Overview • The first metro line to open in Barcelona was the Gran Metropolitano de Barcelona (we now know it as Line 3). It ran between the Plaça Lesseps and the Plaça Catalunya and opened on December 30th, 1924. It was then followed by the Metro Transversal, which is now part of Line 1, between Bordeta and the Plaça Catalunya. • Currently there are 11 metro lines, three of them run by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), and a total of 141 stations. • There are currently 106 bus lines, with a total number of 2,615 bus stops. This past October saw the inauguration of 28 new bus lines. • Barcelona’s transit system consists of the metro, bus, Barcelona Bus Turístic, Tramvia Blau, the Telefèric de Monjuïc and the Funicular de Monjuïc.
HOW THEY FARE • In addition to the one-way ticket, there are a number of other tickets and cards: • T-Dia allows unlimited journeys within a day • T-10 allows 10 journeys • T-50/30 allows 50 journeys made within 30 consecutive days •T-Mes allows unlimited journeys within a month •T-Trimestre allows an unlimited number of journeys within 90 consecutive days •T-Jove allows an unlimited number of journeys within 90 consecutive days for those under 25 years of age •T-70/30 which is a multi-person travel card for 70 journeys made within 30 consecutive days •In addition, there are cards which offer free public transportaton for child and senior residents, and reduced fare cards for singleparent families and large-family discounts
QUICK FACTS • The metro station Uriquinaona is named after the 19th century bishop of Barcelona who lends his name to the Plaça d’Urquinaona. •The metro station Les Corts, which comes from the Latin cohor does not refer to any court but to rural houses or masias that used to be in the area. •The metro station Drassanes is named after Drassanes Reials de Barcelona, the medieval shipyard that currently holds the Museu Marítim de Barcelona. •The metro station Fontana is named after an old fountain which used to exist in Gràcia.
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Barcelona’s ghost stations Barcelona’s metro has a few ghost stations: • Correos: Closed down in 1972 in order to make way for an extension towards Barceloneta. You can still see the station’s old platforms when you travel on the Metro, so keep an eye out for it when you pass between the stations Jaume l and Barceloneta on Line 4. • Ferran: It was closed in 1986 when the line was extended to Drassanes. •Gaudí: Constructed in 1968, it was supposed to function within the old Line 2, with a connection to Line 5. It is located just below Avinguda Gaudí, in front of the Sagrada Família. It is the only station on the TMB network that was never used. The station is sometimes illuminated and visible, and you can still see the original station entrances. www.tmb.cat
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STYLE 13
fashion
The Accessory Report
Some insider tips in the search for this season’s best accessories. Text by Samantha Alzuria Photos by Nazli Gürkas
Clockwise from top: Chunk-healed, metal-toed footwear from Number Shoes; Headbands from the Avant Shop.; Leather hand-bags from Collier & Vintage.
Barcelona’s reputation as a shopper’s paradise is based on plenty more than just the usual highstreet chains that line Portal de l’Àngel. With a few insider tips, a map of the city and a T-10 in hand, shopping around for unique and one-off statement accessories has never been so easy. In a search for this season’s best accessories, The Avant Shop on Enric Granados is first on the list. The Avant has struck a perfect balance between art (and art installation) and the exclusivity of a fashion boutique–minus the snobbery. Its unique interior frames this shop’s own clothing range, as well as a selection of accessories to match your style and your home. Easily missed is the small cabinet of jewellery, brooches and hair bands on the wall on the right as you walk in. The gold chain pendants and feminine flower headbands inside would enhance any outfit. However, if you leave with nothing but a fresh take on what a Barcelona shopping experience could be like, then the visit will have been well worth it. Just around the corner, where Enric Granados meets Còrsega, is an Aladdin’s cave of accessories begging to be bought. Be warned that Collier & Vintage does not always open on time, but the wait, hands and nose pressed against its windows, is well worth it. Hats, silk scarves of every colour, handbags and evening bags are just some of Collier & Vintage’s specialities–all merely appetizers, however, to its earring collection. From unique costume pieces to stunning Art Deco-inspired danglers, most range from €15 to €30 in price. And make no mistake, for a small shop with a vintage feel there are several on-trend items. A studded bracelet taking centre stage on the window display, priced at €29, would be just as at home on the racks of an up-market highstreet store as on the arm of any fashionista looking to add a bit of ‘tough love’ to her own collection. Next, head over to the Born. For bespectacled readers, or those
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in the market for a new pair of sunglasses, walk up Espaseria to Òptica Escrivà. Its window display is teeming with unusual frames you’re not likely to find in your average opticians. Many brands, like the rounded frames from François Pinton and the wood-effect squared glasses from Epos, give an altogether vintage feel but with a style very much in-keeping with current trends. However, it is its neighbour, Number that is the main attraction on Espaseria. A gem amongst the generic shoe shops which litter the city’s shopping hotspots, Number stocks cutting edge brands like Opening Ceremony—a label seen on fashion-forward celebrities like Kate Bosworth and Whitney Port—as well as B Store, Swear and Ksubi. Coming in at €120 and €130 are two pairs of Swear studded leather men’s shoes, melding casual street style with the biker trend which is enjoying popularity this season; they exemplify Number’s knack for keeping its finger on the pulse when it comes to seasonal fashion. Creeper-style platform suede shoes and sale items you’d be lucky to snap up add another dimension to this shop, while two pairs of women’s B Store chucky heels, with metal plates adorning the toe are the kind of timeless, yet edgy statement piece which will take you through the season. Proving that going a little further afield in your hunt for accessories is the best way to celebrate the colourful street style of the Catalan capital, the stock at your once-favourite highstreet store may never look the same again. More Info The Avant Shop – Enric Granados 106. www.theavant.com Collier & Vintage – Còrsega 263. www.colliervintage.es Òptica Escrivà – Espaseria 5 Number – Espaseria 7. www.numberbcn.com
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14 WILD BOAR
Chef Kathleen Engelhardt carefully carves a freshly grilled leg of wild boar
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WILD BOAR 15
Stalking the beast
I
Wild boar can be seen as far afield as the streets of Barcelona. With a plentitude of these animals abounding, we find out how one person’s nuisance is another person’s meal. By Christina Slattery. Photos by Richard Owens
n medieval times, the wild boar was seen by hunters as a “beast of venery”, one of the most noble to hunt. (The hart, the hare, the wolf and the bear were other members of this category.) Today however, these animals are often seen as a nuisance, especially in Catalunya where there are an estimated 50,000 of them. They have no natural predators here and the population can be difficult to control. Wild boar are nocturnal and omnivorous, and often pose a considerable problem to farmers as they devour their crops. In 2011, in order to try to get a handle on wild boar in the Parque Natural de Collserola in Barcelona, legislators explored allowing hunting the animals with bows and arrows, since firearms are prohibited there. Whether one considers them a nuisance or sees the wild boar as majestic, many meat-lovers agree that a barbeque or gathering that features wild boar is a meal to be savoured. Juan Garcia Estelrich, the leader of the hunting associations of the Comarca del Garraf and Olerdola, south of Barcelona, says that during the boar-hunting season, which lasts from September through February, his group goes out every Saturday with their dogs. There may be thirty-seven to fifty people in the group, and although they usually wake at dawn and return to their homes at nightfall, the actual time spent hunting on the mountains might only be two and a half hours, he explains. These hunters help keep the population of wild boar in Catalunya from exploding, and they all must get permission to do so from the towns in which they wish to hunt. Estelrich says that the comradery of the hunt, including the post-hunt gutting of the boar, is all part of the experience and that each member of the group takes boar meat home regardless of who actually shot the animal. “The hunters and the dogs are commonplace on early mornings on weekends in Mont-ral,” explains Silvia Camacho, owner of V&N Cellars, an online wine store based in Barcelona, about the town in the Prades mountains where she and her family spend weekends. “Several hunts ended in our backyard where we would see the boar… the dogs essentially sniff out the boar after a night of foraging and once cornered, the hunters end it,” she relates. Camacho hosted a wild boar feast for a large group of friends at her weekend house recently and says that preparing such a meal can be a welcome break from the fast-paced lives of most city dwellers. “The boar is alive and living more or less the same as it did in the
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12th century,” she notes, and this kind of experience involves returning to the most basic of human traditions – the hunting and preparation of one’s own food. So, as Autumn’s crisper air brings thoughts of Thanksgiving dinner to the minds of Americans living abroad and of heartier fare to the minds of almost everyone, a meal based around wild boar may seem particularly palatable. Chef Kathleen Engelhardt, who helped prepare Camacho’s feast, had a week to prepare the meat. She also sourced the accompanying side dishes locally. Engelhardt wants it to be known that this meal can be prepared here in Barcelona as well. “If you buy the meat prepared, meaning already leeched, you just need to brine or marinate it for 24 hours,” says this professional chef. She recommends “either grilling the meat on your barbeque at home or roasting it in the oven,” adding that “the meat transports well,” and noting that one of the best places to buy your boar in Barcelona is Polleria Remei in the Albaceria market in Gràcia. Boar meat can also be purchased from vendors located in the Sant Antoni Market Aviram Cristina and Pares i Segarra. She counsels, “Definitely smell the meat and if you smell anything foul, don’t buy it. It’s called boar taint and will be evident with the finished meat.” She also mentions that “boar meat costs about €11 or €12 a kilo,” while Estelrich says that hunters normally give away meat since they cannot legally sell it anymore. Often, this meat is given to restaurants near where the hunters shot the boar. Preparing a wild boar feast with friends in Barcelona should not be that complicated, says Engelhardt; however, she acknowledges that it “depends on your knowledge of grilling or if you are more comfortable roasting the boar in the oven.” One should start with the leg, “as this will need slow cooking, which doesn’t require constant watching. You just set the oven or get the coals to the right temperature and leave it for a while,” she advises. If the process seems overwhelming, Engelhardt says that she is available to cater events from informal barbeques to more formal affairs. Contact information can be found at www.jezebelsclandestinedining.com. To accompany your main meat dish, Engelhardt recommends “fresh salads of heirloom tomatoes and goat cheese, roasted vegetables in the style of escalavida and roasted rosemary potatoes.” Jordi Valls Codina, the enologist at Finca Valldosera in Olerdola says that a red wine goes best with boar meat. This kind of meat contains strong
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16 WILD BOAR
Englelhardt recommends serving the meat with fresh vegetables and rosemary potatoes
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flavours, he says, and therefore must be accompanied by “very solid, structured red wines.” In his opinion, the Finca Valldosera Collita 2008, a mix of merlot, cabernet and tempranillo grapes, is an ideal wine to have with this kind of meat. He also mentions that this particular wine reflects the Massif of Garraf—its minerality, balsamic scents and spices. (See: www.fincavalldosera.com.) Engelhardt agrees that a deep-bodied red is a good wine choice for its complexity and boldness and Silvia Camacho says that since “the boar is a bit gamey and both the Reserva Vinyes Velles and Mencia [of V&N Cellars] have some lovely spice to them,” they would make “great choices since they complement the boar’s natural flavour.” Finally, if one would like to accompany the boar with beer, Engel-
hardt recommends an Indian Pale Ale (I.P.A.) and says that her favourite is the I.P.A. from Brooklyn Brewery. Finally, Juan Garcia Estelrich, who leads the groups of hunters in Garraf, says that visitors are welcome to join his group one day if they would like to participate (without firearms) in an ancient practice that in his view benefits the environment and the community. (He can be reached at 686 414 607). “Hunters are the only ones who have to pay to be on the mountain,” he says, citing the licenses needed to be an active participant in the hunt. Cyclists, hikers, runners and others rarely pay to be in nature, he points out, but hunters have a role to play in the modern world, and meat-eaters would do well to remember this.
One of Kathleen’s favorite recipes: Roasted Wild Boar Leg w/ Pomegranate Chili Barbeque Sauce A particularly hard-working set of muscles, the rear haunch of a wild boar requires long, low and moist heat to break down the collagen. This specimen should be seasoned first, then oven-roasted under cover at 148 celsius for 3 hours. Next, the meat should be uncovered and slow-roasted at 100 Celsius for 2 1/2 hours and mopped with Barbecue sauce every 15 minutes. Finally, the roast can be finished on an open wood fire for about 30 minutes, which will yield a smoky, crisp outer crust and a tender, moist interior.
2 cups pomegranate juice 1 1/2 tablespoons molasses 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup pan juices from a roasted boar sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
For the barbecue sauce (enough for a 4/5 kg leg with a little left over) 1 tablespoon rendered boar fat 3 cups filtered water 1 medium Spanish onion, diced 2-3 ripe slicing tomatoes, cored and diced 2 tablespoons raw cider vinegar 1/4 cup (more-or-less) ground New Mexico chilies
Cook the onions and tomatoes with the boar fat in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat until the onions are soft and the tomatoes have begun to disintegrate. Add water, vinegar, chili powder, chipotle, pomegranate juice, cinnamon, cloves and pan juices and stir to combine. Reduce heat to very low and simmer until reduced in volume by about 1/3, about 2 hours. Add remaining ingredients and simmer another 30 minutes.
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INTERVIEW 19
Nicky Smyth Plumber, 36, British
I came to live in Barcelona in 1982. My sister was already here, but I came to be with my girlfriend at the time. Through them, I made some good friends and settled in really easily. Twenty-eight years ago Barcelona was really different. It wasn’t like a European city at all—it was a very Catalan city. In the years before the speculation boom, everything was also much cheaper. I used to love going down to the beach and eating squid ink paella for next to nothing. I got into plumbing when I lived in a squat in London. We didn’t have a bathroom so we used to help each other out doing manual jobs. At the time, there were a lot of equal opportunities schemes, so I signed up for courses in plumbing and never looked back. I taught English when I first came here. In those days, you just had to speak English to get a job teaching. I hated it! I used to call my sister— she works at International House—and say, “They want to do auxiliary verbs! What’s an
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auxilary verb?!” Once my Spanish got better, I started up the plumbing again, and I also did regular DJ-ing spots around the city. I still DJ at weddings and parties...I really love music. Coming to Barcelona from inner-city London really opened my eyes. It seemed so exotic then. I loved the lifestyle. I think I might have been more ambitious work-wise if I’d stayed in London, but I’ve lived my life, had a daughter...I’ve been very lucky. Plumbing’s an unusual job for a woman, both here and in the UK, even now. It was difficult at the beginning but as I got more experienced and people could see I knew what I was doing, it was fine. I tend to get my materials at the same place though, as most shop assistants look at me like I don’t know what I’m talking about. The three words that best describe me? Difficult one, but I’d say I’m practical, tolerant and non-conformist. My job is quite fascinating. I get to meet all kinds of people, living in all kinds of
ways. You’d be amazed at what some people don’t have in their homes. Most of the work is about unblocking toilets at 9 o’clock in the morning, however! The best piece of advice I’ve been given as a plumber was if you’ve got a nut that won’t unscrew, heat it up. In life, I always try to be myself and respect other people’s rights to be themselves. That gem came from my mum. My dream now is to get a project going that trains up young women to help people on low incomes get their plumbing work done at low rates. It’s a real problem—these days people just can’t afford €300 plus bills. One woman I visited had been living without hot water for six months because she couldn’t afford a replacement boiler. I couldn’t live without my adjustable spanner and my washing machine.
Interview by Nicola Thornton. Photo by Lee Woolcock.
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20 Foreign Journalists
Photo from Magnum archives.
In the line of fire
While the Spanish Civil War raged on, foreign journalists joined forces to tell the story of the destruction. By Nick Lloyd
T
he 1992 Olympics saw the world’s press converge on Barcelona, but there was another period in the city’s history when international journalists and photographers were lured here. The Spanish Civil War (1936-39) was, in the words of the historian Hugh Thomas, “the golden age of the foreign correspondent”. It attracted some of the best writers and journalists in the world for titles as different as Esquire, The Daily Express and Pravda. Here, in the streets of Barcelona and in the battlefields of Aragon they developed a new form of journalism, in which the reporter told the story in the first person, as an eyewitness to the epic and brutal events. It also saw the rise of the war photographer in the emerging field of photojournalism, including two young photographers Robert Capa and Gerda Taro. Several journalists and photographers were already in Barcelona on July 18th, 1936, on the eve of the failed military coup. They had come to the city to cover the People’s Olympiad, Catalunya’s protest against the racist Berlin Olympics, which had attracted 6000 athletes from the rest of Spain, Europe and the USA. The coup was quickly defeated but the games had to be cancelled. Instead the reporters sent the first reports of the fighting. They included George Soria and the photographer David Seymour for the French magazine Regards. Soria wrote “garbage carts could be seen galloping down Avenida Diagonal while sparrows, chased out of the trees by the racket, spiraled wildly in the summer sky... firefighters racing to burning churches, cars speeding through the streets”. American reporter Lawrence Fernworth, described the city’s streets during a lull in the fighting in Plaça Catalunya: “Over by the monument I saw dead horses lying about and splotches of blood drying on the pavement where the wounded had been taken away. The stone walls of many buildings were broken and chipped by bullets. Empty cartridges and bandoliers were lying about everywhere.” Some of the first pictures taken were by two young progressive Germans, Hans Namuth and Georg Reisner. The former later wrote, “We did not stay in Spain because we were press photographers. We stayed because Franco was our enemy and because it was also our war.”
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They were quickly joined by others based in the Mediterranean, some of which were right-wing and painted widely exaggerated pictures of the revolutionary violence unleashed by the coup, stripped completely of any historical context and often explained in racist patronising terms. The worst offender was Sefton Delmar working for the Daily Express who never even managed to get to Barcelona and sent his lurid fantasies from the safety of Perpignan with headlines like “ARMED REDS BAR WAY TO CITY OF TERROR”. However, most journalists were more sympathetic, believing in the justness of the Republican cause which they saw at the forefront of the great ideological battle between democratic values and fascism. They saw no contradiction between firmly supporting one side and writing objective and critical accounts of the war. Many felt journalism was a tool that could publicise the Republican cause, and thought photography could help change the world. It was a different time. In Barcelona, most members of the press were put up at the Hotel Majestic (Passeig de Gràcia, 68) which had been in effect requisitioned by the propaganda department of the Catalan government. Among the journalists staying at the Majestic were Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn, Herbert Matthews of The New York Times, the great Soviet reporter Mikhail Koltsov, and the photojournalists Robert Capa and Gerda Taro. It was perhaps photojournalism which would have the greatest impact on world opinion. As Susan Sontag explained in the The New Yorker in, 2002, “The Spanish Civil War was the first war to be witnessed (‘covered’) in the modern sense: by a corps of professional photographers at the lines of military engagement and in the towns under bombardment, whose work was immediately seen in newspapers and magazines in Spain and abroad.” Moreover. cameras had just not been fast enough before, but photographers were now armed with the new Leicas and Rolleiflexes, superb pieces of technology. Robert Capa and Gerda Taro (Leica and Rolleiflex, respectively) arrived in Barcelona on August 5th 1936. They had flown from Paris in a plane chartered by the French magazine Vu, along with other journalists. A mechanical fault forced the pilot to crash land near
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Photo from Magnum archives.
Foreign Journalists 21
The elderly, women and children evacuating Barcelona under heavy bombardment by fascist planes.
the city, although the couple were both unhurt. Capa and Taro’s real names were Endre Friedmann and Gerta Pohorylle. They had met in Paris a year earlier, and faced with the prejudice towards political and above all Jewish exiles—Friedmann was Hungarian and Pohorylle was Polish—they invented the American sounding name Robert Capa after Frank Capra, the film director. Friedmann became Capa, perhaps the most famous war photographer of all time, and Pohorylle came up with the professional name of Gerda Taro. Once in Barcelona, they set about capturing people in the streets and cafés, children playing on barricades, anti-clerical violence and requisitioned cars daubed with the initials of the CNT, the anarchist trade union—and like many foreign visitors were overwhelmed by the energy of the libertarian revolution. They also photographed soldiers leaving by train for the front, not tearfully saying goodbye, but rather smiling with raised fists, full of the belief that they were helping to build a new world. Taro herself took a number of memorable photos in the city including those of children playing in front of El Molino, dressed as militiamen; and of militiawomen doing shooting practice in their black uniforms on Barceloneta beach—French and British magazines were clamouring for titillating pictures of the newly armed women from Spain. Taro would be tragically killed in July 1937, crushed beneath a Republican tank during the battle of Brunete, near Madrid. Traumatised by her death, Capa abandoned Spain and went to cover the war in China. He returned to Barcelona in December 1937, meeting fellow journalists Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn at the bar of the Majestic. Capa and Gelhorn would become good friends, and then lovers. Capa flew from Paris to Barcelona for the last time on January 10th and spent 15 days in the city and at the shrinking Catalan front, covering the retreating Republican army. He found the city in total chaos. Martial law had been declared. Some 500,000 refugees fleeing Francoist atrocities crowded the dark streets, barely surviving on tiny rations. Potato skins had replaced tobacco. He depicted a recruitment office and a refugee centre, overflowing with women, children and the elderly who had fled southern Catalunya as the front had collapsed. The last days in Barcelona
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were hell. The Condor Division had arrived with Heinkels and Stukas attacking in wave after wave. The last journalists hung on at the Majestic. There was no heating. Martha Gellhorn recounted as bombs fell all around them how her and Capa huddled together for warmth. On Passeig de Gràcia, Capa captured several scenes: women refugees with huge bundles on their backs arriving in the city from the collapsing Tarragona front. Another shows a middle-aged couple seated together on a bench outside of La Pedrera. Capa has his back to Gaudí’s masterpiece, framing the couple around the modernista bench. For buildings held no interest, they could only diminish the human subject. The couple seem to be bidding each other goodbye as the man is hopelessly sent to the front. He looks lost in his thoughts. Imagine, an office worker, who has never held a gun. Oddly, he’s wearing slippers, possibly shoes can no longer be bought. The left hand of the woman holds on to the iron structure above the bench, as if looking for support. On a plane tree, perhaps the same one as stands there today, a sign reading January 16th,1939 proclaims the general mobilisation of both sexes aged between 17 and 55. Behind them, all the shops on Passeig de Gràcia are closed, dark, ghostlike figures in thick coats seem to wander aimlessly in the street. Capa was among the last members of the press to leave Barcelona, accompanied by reporters Herbert Matthews (The New York Times), O’Dowd Gallagher (Daily Express) and William Forest (News Chronicle). At one in the morning of January 25th, L’Humanite reporter Georges Soria burst into the Majestic with news that Nationalist troops were crossing, unopposed, the Llobregat River, barely 15 kilometres to the south. Thirty minutes later, Herbert Matthews found Capa “sleeping like a baby in his room”, oblivious to the incessant bombing, and roughly awoke him, hustling him into his car, although another version puts him curled up with Marta Gellhorn. Matthews, Gallagher and Capa went to the censor’s office where the latter photographed the other two sending their last dispatches from the city by candlelight driving out of the city towards the French border on the coastal road clogged with hundreds of thousands of refugees. The next day Barcelona fell.
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22 PHOTO COLLAGE
FESTIVALS
A big thank you to everyone who sent in photos for this subject; we much appreciate it, as always. The theme for next month is: FOUNTAINS—send your images to editorial@barcelona-metropolitan. com to arrive by November 15th. Find all the practical info at: www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/ photocollage
La Merce—by Michaela Xydi
La Merce—by Alexandru Costin
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PHOTO COLLAGE 23
Fiesta de los Coros—by Liam O’Brien
Castellers in Placa Jaume—by Markus Kreutzer
Festival de blues —by Simon Purnell
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Festa Major, Sant pere de ribes—by Aisling Quigley
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24 Independent art
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Wild at
Art
MOB
The name may ring of political unrest, but it is actually an acronym for Makers of Barcelona. Self-described “mastermind” of MOB is HongKong born Cecilia Tham, who holds a master’s degree in architecture from Harvard. The idea for MOB was a dream that grew out of her graduate school thesis. After working for years in various architecture firms in the U.S. and in Spain, she launched her own private design firm and MOB in 2010. “The idea was to combine professionals with academics, the local with the international, all mixed up into one big open space for collaboration and inspiration.” Housed in a historic textile factory in the Eixample, MOB was envisioned as a “gym for the brain,” says Tham, “a space where people can come, work, share, learn, sell, interact and collaborate. Our vision is to create a space where creative people can go to share resources and knowledge, to meet other interesting people and get inspired.” The focus of MOB is on commercial art, illustration, and photography, but it extends to performance art as well. This fall’s line-up, for instance, has included a threenight performance of Ubu Rey, the proto-surrealist drama by Alfred Jarry. Perhaps its most highly visible event is the Art Supermarket, which is mounted at MOB every two months as a showcase for artists. www.mob-barcelona.com Bailen 11, Bajos, Tel. 665 338 520
Surviving in the art world takes talent and ingenuity, even under the best of economic conditions. We look at four small galleries that have found a way to stay alive and thrive. By Will Shank
I
n these times of austerity when funding is hard to come by in all fields, the arts have suffered particularly. While large cultural institutions still manage to present worthwhile offerings for the public, often drawing upon the holdings in their permanent collections rather than mounting expensive exhibitions of travelling and costly-to-insure works of art, smaller galleries have struggled to keep their doors open. Several groups of artists and art patrons have gotten more creative, taking matters into their own hands and presenting on a shoe-string budget the works of worthy artists eager to get their creative efforts in front of the art-loving public of Barcelona. Many of these ad-hoc organizations were created by foreigners.
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▲
Independent art 25
Base Elements Urban Art Gallery
The sign outside says it all: ARTE. This off-thebeaten-path exhibition space and commercial gallery occupies a prime location in the Barrio Gótico. The gallery is run by husband and wife, Robert Burt and Monica Riu. Both are artists; he’s from America and she is Catalan. The couple began showcasing the work of Barcelona’s street artists, including the well-known Pez (famous for his fish motifs), in a funky space that opened nearby in 2003. The gallery was relocated last year to its current quarters on the wide Carrer del Palau. (The lower level features the remains of one of the palaces destroyed in the 19th century, which gave the street its name.) It is not only a retail space but also a workshop and a studio for local street talent. The urban-pop collage/paintings of Juan Pajares may command the highest prices, along with canvases by stencil artist Btoy, one of the few women working in the genre, but many more modestly priced works fill the two-story gallery space. Why street artists? Robert, who began as a ceramicist when he first arrived in Barcelona decades ago, soon moved on to promoting the work of other artists when he saw that there was a market for urban art. He distinguishes between street artists and contemporary “urban artists,” who have a similar aesthetic but do not necessarily work in the streets. Business is booming in the new Base Elements space, which has attracted an international clientele. His marketing plan, he says, is “both bohemian and professional,” which reassures collectors of cutting-edge art who want to take a chance on the purchase of what may be Barcelona’s most distinctive souvenir. www.baseelements.net Palau 6, Tel. 93 268 8312
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Photo of Iris Tonies by Alexandra Richter
26 INDEPENDENT ART
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JiM Contemporani
The gallery came together because Scottish-born artist Jack Davidson was tired of feeling excluded from the local art scene, which he felt was so busy promoting the work of the locals that non-Catalan artists had an up-hill struggle to find representation in Barcelona. “It comes out of that do-it-yourself punk ethic,” says Davidson, who has worked in the past as a preparator for major art museums like New York’s Guggenheim while supporting himself as an abstract artist-of-note. When he and his Catalan partner Miguel Rodés Parellada decided to turn a part of their rambling modernist flat on the Rambla de Catalunya into a space devoted to showing the latest work of artists who had shared a similar frustration, JiM (Jack and Miguel) Contemporani was born. Their recent exhibition schedule has included the work of Guillermo Pfaff. While the gallerists’ taste tends to run toward painters of the abstract, they have also shown recently the soulful photographs and watercolours of San Franciscans Nina and John Zurier, who are currently showing at the Sao Paulo Bienal. The elegant space provides a relaxed meeting-point atmosphere for patrons and artists without the pressure of the regular commercial gallery environment. An upcoming show this winter will feature works by American-born, Scottish-based Fritz Welch, and local talent Ruben Verdu. “We provide a space for artists to present projects that they otherwise might not get a chance to exhibit. We bring to Barcelona art and artists who perhaps normally would not be shown here, while situating local artists in an international setting.” Open by appointment, or to get on the mailing list for the monthly previews at JiM, visit their web page: www.facebook.com/JimContemporani. Rambla Catalunya 43, 2º 2ª, Tel. 659 219 666
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Estudio Nómada
Talented Dutch artist Iris Tonies could have been complacent about her success and focused soley on her own career. Water is a recurring motif for Tonies, who lives on a sailing ship in the Barcelona marina. She has won acclaim for her gorgeous aqua-colored textural sculptures of wave-like forms and her work has been commissioned by institutions as prestigious as Barcelona’s Museo Marítim. When the sculptor arrived with her husband, Arnout Krediet, from Holland four years ago, she also was surprised at how few opportunities there were for foreign artists to show their work in Barcelona. Tonies decided to turn a bad situation around and converted first one, and then another, ancient stone space on the Palma Sant Just in the Gothic Quarter into studio spaces for other artists. She is now the Director of Estudio Nómada, which she conceives of as part of an ideal art academy scenario whose students re-locate, year-by-year, from one city to another as a kind of moveable feast. (A second branch has since opened in Hong Kong.) The cooperative arrangement in Barcelona provides not only artist studio spaces, but also a shared gallery that serves as an exhibition space for the participants. Training for foreign as well as local art students, whose foreign status confers upon them the unofficial monikor of “nómadas”, gives them direction in sculpture, drawing, painting, photography and alternative media by the small international faculty that includes Tonies and Krediet. Their ambitious exhibition schedule is innovative and varied. Last year, during a performance called, “I’M CLEAN!” passers-by were invited to write down their guilty pleasures on strips of cloth that were later hand-laundered in big soapy wash buckets whose suds ran down the Carrer Palma Sant Just. The gallery/ school is a popular stop on the Tallers Oberts (Open Studios) walking tours organized by FAD (Foment de les Arts I del Disseny). The prestigious video fair Loop Barcelona now includes the Galeria Nómada as a venue in its annual spring events. www.estudio-nomada.com Palma de Sant Just 7, Tel. 622 68 90 32.
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28 IDEAS
MAKING PLANS
A few suggestions about things to do tonight, this weekend, later on...
Factory Man Photography, The Factory and the Legacy of Andy Warhol. La Virreina Centre de la Imatge. La Rambla, 99, until November 25th. www.bcn.cat/lavirreina At the end of 1963, when Andy Warhol began moving his studio to the location on East 47th Street in Manhattan, he brought with him not only his canvasses but an entire community of artists and a new way of looking at the creative process. The original studio, known as The Silver Factory, quicky became a magnet for friends, lovers, artists and curious spectators. Warhol’s studios were the inspiration and place for creation, places to see and be seen. The camera was an integral component in the voyeristic documentation of life at the Factory. An opportunity to view a part of the collection of photos taken during Warhol’s Factory days are on display at La Virreina. The exhibit cronicles the people and the environment that surrounded Warhol during the years of his prolific artistic output between 1963 and his death in 1987. The photos, mostly done in black and white, demonstrate the complex and peculiar social setting where artists such as Billy Name, Cecil Beaton, Brigid Berlin, Nat Finkelstein, Christopher Makos and Warhol himself worked both behind and in front of the camera to produce their own particular aesthetic style and technique. Included in the exhibition is the video Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol by Jonas Mekas, and never before exhibited photographs taken by Warhol.
Life could be a dream TRAU. Almeria Teatre. Sant Lluís 64. Until December 2nd. info@almeriateatre.com. www.almeriateatre.com
Welcome, come in, sit down and let youself go. And so begins Trau, a fantasy of visual comedy, that takes the viewer on a journey from the humorous to the poetic and the absurd. The ordinary flirts with the surreal in this original portrait of life and the joy of living each moment completely until its inevitable finish. Trau is the creation of the Catalan actor, muscian and comic Gulliam Albà, whose company has been performing throughout Catalunya and around Spain for the past five years and whose work has earned the Premio del Público in the prestigeous Fira Tàrrega. With few words and much humour, Albà’s creation transcends language and opens the door of local theatre to all audiences.
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IDEAS 29
World on Up on stage film
L’alternativa. Barcelona independent film festival. CCCB, November 20th-25th. www.alternativa.cccb.org
Some of the concerts happening this month in Barcelona
The Gaslight Anthem—Thursday 8th at Sala Apolo Andrew Bird—Monday 12th at Sala Apolo Patti Smith—Monday 19th at Palau de la Música Jim Jones Review—Tuesday 20th at Sala Music Hall Sonny Rollins (pictured above)—Tuesday 20th at Palau de la Música Chick Corea—Friday 30th at Palau de la Música
The 19th edition of the Festival de Cinema Independent de Barcelona returns his month to showcase a selection of creative and original filmmaking from around the world. The official selection includes 11 feature films and 19 short films from countries such as Chile, Portugal, Poland or Columbia. The films chosen for the festival challenge tradition and experiment with innovative styles to represent a fresh eye on the world in which we live. The festival has remained commited to the championing of independent artists and filmmakers for many years and L’Alternativa now features a special sub-category entitled Parallel Sections, which acts as a platform for work by little known and up-and-coming directors and writers. Highlights of this year’s festival include the Palestinian/Israeli/French co-production 5 Broken Cameras, which won the World Documentary Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival 2012; as well as the British Two Years at Sea which won the FIPRESCI Prize at the renowned Venice Film Festival.
Music for the people 23rd Festival Música Popular de Barcelona. Harlem Jazz Club and various venues. Until November 17th. www.festivalmpb.cat You don’t have to go far to find good music and if you’re looking for some of the best performers and locations that make up the local music scene, you won’t want to miss el Festival de Música Popular de Barcelona. MPB features high-quality performances by Barcelonabased artists. This marks the 23rd year of the festival, evidence of its popularity. Noteworthy this year are events such as the Aforament 7, intimate performances for no more than seven people at a time, or “Opera
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als balcons” where the stage is set on a balcony. Cesc Giannotti will play a homage to Harry Houdinni, Sylivia Patrica returns from Brazil to present her new album and the Jazz Hooligans perform a tribute to the late, great Sean Levitt. As always, the MPB festival is in solidarity with a local charity; this year it’s the Banc dels Aliments. Many of the events are free and none will cost you more than €10.
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IDEAS: MUSIC 31
Enjoying the ride This year’s Voll-Damm International Jazz Fest is back and features Tommy Emmanuel and Paolo Fresu, two jazz greats that offer more than jazz. By Tori Sparks.
T
Tommy Emmanuel
Paolo Fresu
he Voll-Damm International Jazz Fest is back for the 44th
before he headed to the airport to start his tour. Like Emmanuel, he
time, bringing a roster of international acts to Barcelona
considers labelling himself “just jazz” to be limiting. “I ask myself
venues such as the Apolo and Palau de la Musica. The
sometimes what does it mean to be a so-called musician in the
festival will run from October 30th through November 30th, with
modern world? It means to preserve the history and memory of jazz,
artists from Spain, Portugal, Australia, the US, Italy, and France.
but to also put my reality into that context of tradition, and to always
You’re probably familiar with the Buena Vista Social Club and Earth,
look towards the future. Today it’s hard to find just a jazz musician.
Wind and Fire, but here are two more acts you don’t want to miss.
What matters is that we make good music, not jazz music… and to
Iconic the world over, but still occasionally under the radar to non-
communicate something of value to the public.”
jazz listeners–meet Tommy Emmanuel and Paolo Fresu.
He’s been making good music for the past seven years with Cuban
Tommy Emmanuel originally hails from Australia. At the age of 55,
composer Omar Sosa, who will be appearing with Fresu at Luz de
he has been playing professionally since he was ten years old–his
Gas. Their new album Alma incorporates Cuban, Africana, Sardinia,
country’s equivalent of Child Services at one point took the band off
Jazz, even Baroque influences–or as Fresu put it in our mixed
the road because they were technically violating child labour laws.
Spanish, Italian, and English phone interview “un poco de todo,
These days, he plays 300 concerts per year, including, last year,
a little of a lot of things. Our priority is to make good music that
at Gibson guitar guru Les Paul’s 80th birthday celebration. (Look
communicates something of value to the public.”
him up on YouTube.) Each of his ten fingers seems to have a mind
But what are these highly creative, skilled musicians looking forward
of its own, on everything from plaintive classical-guitar versions of
to most about participating in the Jazz Festival? Emmanuel says
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow, to the guitar-slapping percussive
the best moments come when he’s just meeting people backstage
tune “Mombasa,” inspired by African drum rhythms.
before and after the shows. And Fresu? He is looking forward to
Emmanuel’s website says that he plays country and bluegrass, pop,
“trying some of the wines in Barcelona. I have a list of places I want
jazz, blues, gospel, even classical, and aboriginal styles. “And I’ve
to go! Between the music and the wine, the local flavours, what more
dabbled in flamenco. I’ve never been trained in flamenco of course,
could I ask for?”
but I love the music…That’s one reason I’m always so excited to come back to Spain.” He quoted Winton Marsalis: “Winton said that
The full line-up and ticket information are on the website:
when you saw Louis Armstrong live, your immediate feeling was
www.barcelonajazzfestival.com
everything was ok in the world, because he was playing. That’s my goal. That, and the element of surprise… ‘Surprise me’ is my mantra in all of my shows. Give people something they’ve never seen before. When I walk onstage, it’s like ok, the train is leaving… so I had better make this a good ride!” Speaking of musical journeys, the ever-evolving Italian trumpet and flugelhorn player Paolo Fresu will also be performing at the Jazz Fest, with three separate projects. He has played on countless
Paolo Fresu and Quartetto Alaborada November 11th, 8pm Laudatory Sale 2 Paolo Fresu Monvinic Experience November 12th, 8:30pm Monvinic
records in many international projects, including the Angel Quartet in
Tommy Emmanuel
Vietnam, with American music icons such as James Taylor.
November 15th, 9pm
We were able to grab a few minutes of conversation via Skype
Teatre Arteria Paral-el
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THEATRE: PROJECT B 33
Nothing crazy About Project B
In these troubled times, you’d have to be a bit mental to set up a new English-language theatre company. By Natasha Young.
E
ither that or incredibly happy go lucky. Step up to the stage ProjectB. Daniel Jacobs and ProjectB’s other six core members are a passionate and enthusiastic bunch from around the globe. After working together on a variety of amateur theatre shows in the city, they finally felt it was time to do their own thing. Daniel explains: “From a creative point of view, we really bounced off each other. We got on really well and we started to think about what we’d like to do as a group of actors, directors, stage managers and writers.” With a shared love of theatre, a questioning world view and English as a native language, their mission, he says, is to entertain, enrich and educate. ProjectB’s first production, Bonkers, premiers this month at Mutuo Centro de Arte, a cosy, shabby chic artspace just off Via Laeitana. The show is a collection of six short pieces, some self-penned, based around the central themes of mental health. “It’s an eclectic mix of comedy, singing, poetry and drama, but even when it’s funny, each piece has a serious message behind it about how we as a society respond to issues surrounding mental health” says Daniel. “Mental health problems affect huge amounts of people. How do you know who has them and who doesn’t? A lot of mental health diagnoses are given very quickly, so we look at that and also at obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), which many people don’t normally consider to be a mental health issue.” While not untroubled by spending cuts to the arts, a steep hike in professional theatre ticket prices and the closure of the Raval’s stalwart theatre space, La Riereta, ProjectB’s members are upbeat about the English theatre scene in the city. “It’s great for English theatre at the moment in Barcelona. There’s so much going on, but there’s always room for more and the potential to do something different. There’s a huge audience for it too. Not just native English speakers but people who have English as a second language and people who want to learn.”
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Tickets for the show will set you back €10 on the door but here at Metropolitan we have two pairs of tickets to give away for Saturday 17th November. To enter, simply email your name and a contact phone number to: www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/Bonkers. Winners will be drawn on Monday, November 12th.
Bonkers Venue: Mutuo Centro de Arte, Julià Portet 5 (metro: Urquinaona) Tel: 93 302 3943 http://mutuocentro.com/ Dates: Saturday the10th, Sunday the11th, Saturday the 17th, Sunday the 18th of November. (Saturday shows 9pm, Sundays 7pm) Tickets: €10 on the door. €8 advance through ProjectB’s Facebook page.
If you fancy treading the boards yourself: Keep up to date with what English theatre is on and where by checking Metropolitan’s website and classified ads and by signing up to our theatre venues newsletters.
You can also try: www.tinyurl.com/8evcy8b - ProjectB’s Facebook page. They’ll be putting together a new show next year and will be auditioning for some parts. www.joculartheatre.com - Barcelona’s long-running English theatre company advertise audition dates on their webpage and are always happy to hear from enthusiastic, behind-the-scenes talent www.englishdramaschool.com - Drop in acting classes in English on Sunday afternoons www.barcelonaimprovgroup.com - Weekly improvisation workshops open to all.
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34 IDEAS: ESCAPE THE CITY
Under the radar
Discover some of Catalunya’s hidden gems that lie just a stone’s throw away from Barcelona. By Emily Tarbuck
Some of the beautiful scenery to appreciate whilst cycling in the Penedès
B
arcelona’s great location allows for many spontaneous day-trips to places around the region. And while most people are very familiar with Sitges and Montserrat, we’re here to show you some lesser-known but equally worthwhile destinations. Penedès A treat for lovers of wine and the outdoors, the rural region of Penedès sits just 45 minutes south of Barcelona. With a cheery, laid-back atmosphere to complement the dramatic landscape, Penedès is home to over 150 vineyards. Renowned for its Cava and billed as white wine heaven, this area is the perfect setting for a relaxing day filled with friendly locals, breathtaking scenery and plenty of great food and wine. What to do El Molí Tours are a particular highlight amongst the numerous vineyard tours. They offer an extensive range of activities, such as the ‘Penedès Bike, Cava & Wine One-day Tour’. The tour alternates between relaxed cycling on country lanes with regular stops at some of the finest wineries in the region; and the final destination is the medieval castle and church of Sant Marti Sarroca, where you can witness magnificent views of Penedès and Montserrat. You can find out more about their tours by visiting their website www.elmolitours.com. Half-day trips cost around €75 euros, while full day visits come in at around €125, depending on the tour. Another slightly more offbeat activity that you can do on your whistle-stop tour of the Penedès region is the popular ‘Create Your Own Cava’ day which not only includes tastings and a tour around the thousand year-old farmhouse, but also the opportunity to make your own Cava which is then bottled for you take home. This tour costs €30 per person and full details
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El Molí vineyard and tasting tour
can be found here: www.barcelona-life.com/play/entertainment_ details/233-Create_Your_Own_Cava Where to eat Most vineyard day-tours include lunch, and El Molí’s luxury tour, ‘Gran Reserva Bike & Wine Tour’ features a gourmet Catalan meal. If you fancy exploring the gastronomic delights of the area yourself, then you are sure to find some excellent local restaurants. We recommend the charming Mercat, which offers Mediterranean fare by 2009’s Chef of the Year, Oriol Llavina, and is located in the centre of the Penedès. You can visit the website here: www.restaurantmercat.cat How to get there Vineyard tours normally offer a pickup from local train stations Sant Sadurni d’Anoia or Vilafranca del Penedès, both of which can be reached by the C4 Cercanias line that stops at Plaça Catalunya and Sants Estació. The other option, and argued by many to be the better option for viewing the picturesque scenery, is to travel by car. Take the A-2 motorway southbound until the number 27 Exit, and from there you are able to reach the many intimate villages by following local road signs. Top tips · Most top wineries can offer multilingual guides · The nearby town of Olèrdola features remains of the ancient town, a medieval castle and the church of Sant Miquel which dates back to the 10th century · Freixenet hosts an open-air market featuring local produce, which is well worth a visit if you happen to visit Vilafranca de Penedès on a Saturday Caldes de Montbui Another hidden gem that can be enjoyed in a day from Barcelona, is the small town of Caldes de Montbui, located 33km north
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IDEAS: ESCAPE THE CITY 35
Caldes de Montbui’s breathtaking waterfall which you can hike to
west of the city. Deemed a Cultural Heritage Site of National Interest, the town features Roman baths and thermal springs— which are some of the most extensive in Europe—whilst still remaining relatively hidden from the tourist radar. What to do Discover the rich history of the town at the adjoining Tourist Office and Thermalia Museum, which ranges from the baths in the town’s square that were once the hub of the sacred bathing practice in Roman times; to the story of the town being blessed by the water gods which led to its water reaching such high temperatures (up to 74 degrees Celsius). The museum also features exhibitions on Roman baths and a selection of works by Pablo Picasso. Another top spot that is not to be missed out on is the St. Miquel del Fai gardens. Entrance costs €6 per person but is well worth it for the jaw-dropping waterfall and rolling hills. For the more adventurous out there, there is the unique opportunity to participate in a small-group hiking tour where you can witness the natural cascades and pools of the area, as well as the tenth century Romanesque chapel, all supervised by a knowledgeable guide (and conducted in English). Booking couldn’t be simpler and www.viator.com will take care of all the details for around €74 euros per person. Where to eat If you choose to take the hiking tour then a small picnic would be included, but Caldes de Montbui offers a host of luxury and rustic eating spots. Mirko Carturan Cuiner is one of the best and most definitely worth a try if you’re planning an indulgent daytrip, and the menu changes every three weeks to offer its diners the highest quality seasonal meals. For more information you can visit their website www.mirkocarturan.com How to get there To travel to Caldes de Montbui by car from Barcelona you need to take the C-33 motorway, followed by the A-7 motorway (Exit: Mollet del Vallès-Caldes de Montbui CIM) and then finally the C-59 motorway. The bus is another option and it stops at The crossroad of Passeig de Sant Joan/Carrer de Diputació, and next to La Sagrera metro stop and Fabra i Puig bus station. Bus information can be obtained at: www.Sagalés.com Top tips •Pay a visit to the traditional laundry house which is still fully functioning with hot water from the Lion Spring •Broquetas Balneario is the town’s historic spa hotel which is a perfect spot if you choose to extend your stay, although their indulgent spa treatments and baths are also on offer to the public for a fee (approximately €22 for a session in the thermal pool).
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36 IDEAS: GASTRONOMY
In the master’s hands Japan meets Catalunya at SOMODÓ. By Tara Stevens. Photos by Richard Owens ✪ - NOT WORTH THE TRIP, ✪✪ - COULD IMPROVE, ✪✪✪ - GOOD, ✪✪✪✪ - VERY GOOD, ✪✪✪✪✪ - NOT TO BE MISSED
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I don’t know how chef Shojiro does it. Not only does he make all this marvellous food, but he also manages to serve most of it personally. Does he have culinary super powers? I have no idea—he’s Japanese so it’s possible—what I do know is that this is one of the best lunch or dinner deals in Barcelona and he deserves to be so busy it should be almost impossible to get in. For now, securing a table is fairly easy providing you book a bit in advance, and Somodó is a lovely place to spend a couple of hours, be it daytime or evening. So many places in Barcelona these days skip that cosseting, relaxed atmosphere in favour of something that looks starkly cool on the pages of a magazine. Not Somodó. Here, the old textile shop combines neat navy walls with exposed brick to create a soothing backdrop to dining tables—some square, some round—clad in thick white linens and comfortable chairs accented with the soft twinkling of a large chandelier. Service, whether by Shojiro himself or by just one waiter or waitress, is pleasant, informative and unfussy. Just as importantly the food is great, at times sensational, offering a different menu for lunch and dinner, and one that changes frequently. He seems to have stopped doing an a la carte menu, but trust me—or rather trust Shojiro—you don’t need one. This evening kicks off with a bright little amuse bouche of lettuce gazpacho cradling a single plump mussel topped with zingy lemon foam. One clever mouthful to get those taste buds racing, a bridge if you like, signalling the end of summer and the start of autumn. Shojiro is clever like that. The next dish was a delicate,
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seeded cracker that served as a plate for a lozenge of sweet potato paté and four or five tiny rovellon mushrooms that must have been among the first out of the ground this year; so fresh and new they’d barely seen the side of a pan. A jaunty disc of fried sweet potato to give crunch resulted in what was really a very ‘meaty’ veggie snack. Smart. We then journeyed from Catalunya to Japan and back again with a trio of autumnal dishes. A mound of bitter leaves scattered with shaved radishes and hazelnuts concealed a generous portion of lightly smoked, buttery mackerel chopped into tartar and accompanied by a quenelle of ajo blanco (almond and garlic) sorbet, a smear of almond cream and three or four dabs of romesco sauce, which finished this rif on the regions famed ‘xato’ salad (escarole, tuna and romesco), a treat. Japan emerged in the shape of a slab of beautifully grilled sea bream that seemed to levitate on top of a frothy miso soup (don’t ask me how he did that), and lest the flavours appear too delicate, a slick of salty miso paste on the rim of the dish to gave a deep savouriness that made the fish itself positively sing. Back in the autumn woodlands of Catalunya the pinkly tender breast and thighs of a wood pigeon perched on a lightly caramelized chunk of duck foie (liver). Up until this point we’d been drinking a bottle of German Riesling, the richness of which had worked well with each dish but with the gamey nuances of the pigeon, in future, I’d ask for a glass of a light red, before moving onto the cheese. Tonight, a creamy goat’s from the Pyrenees packed into a pretty Japanese terracotta jar and flaked with the tiniest pinch
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IDEAS: GASTRONOMY 37
of cinnamon proved an inspired combination that went brilliantly with a side of apple compote and toasted fruit and nut bread, and came together like a very sophisticated, do-it-yourself cheesecake. To finish, chocolate in three textures—cake, mousse and sauce—was pretty and elegant, but arguably a tad too heavy after rather a lot of food. It was followed by a layered shot of mato (Catalan fresh cheese), green tea mousse and a squirt of refreshing lime foam that left me feeling pleasantly zingy rather than defeated. All in all, Somodó’s great appeal lays in offering staunchly seasonal food that showcases the best of Catalunya, cleverly combined with techniques and ingredients from Shojiro’s homeland Japan. He seems to delight in the journey, and that makes it all the more exciting for the diner. Especially when his prices are such that you’ll keep coming back for more.
Somodó, Calle Ros de Olano 11, Gracìa. 93 415 6548, www.somodo.es. Open Tue-Sat 1.30pm-4pm, 8.30pm-11pm. Lunch menu, three-courses €18.50. Evening tasting menu, eight-courses €25 incl. glass of cava. House wine €12.50. Best for: mid-week treat. Tara’s rating ✪✪✪✪✪
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10/23/12 2:42:27 PM
38 IDEAS: GASTRONOMY
quick bites More than Grapes By Tara Stevens.
Images from VINSEUM: The history of winemaking comes to life in the newly reopened VINSEUM
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utumn in the Penedès is special. It is when the vineyards turn a hundred shades of red, orange and gold; the vendimia (grape harvest) is done and the air is thick with the scent of new wines; the stalls of the Saturday market in Vilafranca (the region’s capital) overflow with wild mushrooms, pomegranates and quince; and the newly renovated wine museum—VINSEUM—finally reopens its doors. Wine museums have developed in leaps and bounds over the past few years, evolving from gloomy rooms showing photographs of vineyards and dusty terracotta amphora dug up from some nearby hill, to cultural centres that celebrate the art, history and drinking of wine. VINSEUM’s new home in the Palacio Real de Vilafranca is no exception. Catalan architect Santiago Vives who headed the redesign has maintained the features of the 17th Century palace of the Aragonese Kings while giving the space a light, contemporary touch. The old Sant Pelegrí chapel has been transformed into an airy exhibition space that changes regularly; while museum curator Dani Freixes has breathed new life into ubiquitous wine museum features by in-
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troducing a more dynamic line-up of events and activities. Sure, you can still watch the videos and learn how wine is made, but you can also slip off on a journey deep into the heart of the Penedès— featuring endemic grapes, the production of cava and the triumphant arrival of these wines on dinner tables all over the world—and end up somewhere that recognises wine as an essential ingredient to a convivial lifestyle. Indeed the museum’s strong point is something that is fun rather than po-faced. A tasting room and shop have been added, along with a VINSEUM menu for €35 which gives wine lovers access to the museum, una copa and a tasting menu at the nearby restaurant MerCat, a vast, barn of a place housed in the towns old meat market. There is even stuff for kids. Don’t miss the second edition of the MOST film festival (www.mostfestival.cat), which will take place here from November 8th-11th. It’s a wine loving weekend for all. VINSEUM, Plaça Jaume I, 5, Vilafranca. 0034 93 890 0582. http:// www.vinseum.cat Open Tue-Sat 10am-2pm, 4pm-7pm; Sun & holidays 10am-2pm. Entrance €7 (under 12 free).
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FOOD & DRINK 41
Food&Drink For more in food&drink visit our online directory www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/eating-and-drinking
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under 20 | 20-30 | 30-40 | over 40 RV Reservation Advised | NEW in food & drink this month
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Bar
NEW IN F&D
SUB ROSA BAR
RED ROCKET4Barri gÒtic
This cute little bar is a bundle of fun and has an energetic buzz from the mixed crowd of locals and tourists enjoying their fantastic cocktails and shots. Their fresh fruit cocktails are very potent making this a great pre-club place to hang out with friends and warm up for a big night out on the town. A visit to the bathrooms is a must!
€5 mixer Red Rocket was opened in 2008 and has become the cradle of musicians and DJs in rock scene here in Barcelona. They offer the most authentic rock sessions with top DJ’s in a friendly and authentic environment. Metropolitan readers get fantastic drink offers like 1 beers and 5 mixed drinks.
Rauric 23 | Metro Liceu I Opens at 8pm
Calle Codols 21, Ciutat Vella | Metro Drassanes | www.facebook.com/bar.redrocket Open every day 7.30pm-10pm
SUGAR BAR
BOLLOCKS BAR4Barri gÒtic
Tuesday Located in the back streets of Placa Reial this small special bar is renouned for its huge personality and fun vibe. offers The friendly bar staff dish out great mojitos that don’t cost a mint. Good tune selections, happy hour until 11pm and great mingling opportunities make Sugar a sweet spot.
NEW IN F&D
NEW IN F&D
Ample 46 | Metro Jaume I | Every day 7pm-3am Tel. 663 710 095 | www.bollocksbcn.com
Rubi BAR
NEVERMIND4Barri gÒtic Nevermind is a cult place for those looking for a more alternative scene in touristy Barcelona. Mixing large amounts of grunge music, graffi tti and urban sports, they serve up amazing cocktails, special! house shots, cheap beer, Happy Hour till 10pm, free freshly-made popcorn, authentic decoration, skate videos and much more.
Banys Vells 6 I Opens at 8pm
Escudellers Blancs 3, 08002 | www.nevermindbcn.com | Open every day from 7pm
ANDú
SWEET REBEL BAR4Barri gÒtic
Andú offers an escape from Barcelona’s mayhem, without sacrificing the fun. The cool music and relaxed vibe draws a diverse and bohemian crowd making it a warm and spirited bar full of animated locals enjoying a great wine list and classic Spanish tapas, including fantastic Catalan cheeses and hams.
Located in the heart of the Gothic quarter, this cool ‘beach bar’ is the place to enjoy the sweetest reggae music 365 days a year. Chill out with a beer or try a Jamaican cocktail made from natural fruits and sweet rum. Its comfortable surroundings and ambiance. make it a great place to relax. Beers 2 Cocktails 5.
Correo Viejo I Metro Jaume 1 I Tel. 646 553 930 Mon-Sun 6pm -2.30am
Ample 54 | Open every day from 7pm-3am
Be cool
Barraval4Raval
BeCool offers a great mix of Electronic, Indie & Rock music from Thursday to Saturday with a regular line up of live concerts by local & international artists. Main Room: Electro & Techno. Sala Redrum: Indie Electro Rock.
Barraval is located at the top of the Rambla de Raval where they have a fantastic terrace for you to enjoy great, seasonal Mediterranean food. On Friday and Saturday nights, they have a live DJ so you can enjoy tasty cocktails in a trendy atmosphere. Weekend menu 12.95
Joan Llongueras 5 I Metro L5 Hospital clinic I Tel. 93 362 0413
vinda Vinda is a fantastic Mexican bar and restaurant that is famous for its amazing margaritas, daiquiris and mojitos. Located in the heart of the Gothic quarter, they offer an incredible selection of Mexican dishes and tapas that will put you in the mood for an unforgettable night out on the town. Regomir 4 I Metro Jaume 1 I Tel. 93 319 8956 Mon-Sun 6pm -2am I vindabar@gmail.com
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The quintessential rock bar in downtown Barcelona. Covered in posters and graffiti from top to bottom, the bar has the air of an abandoned subway station where daily riffs and whiskey bring together all those who carry rock & roll in their blood.
Rauric 21 | Metro Liceu I Opens at 8pm
Mojitos Located near the church of Santa Maria del Mar in the €3.50 Born, this friendly bar has a great vibe and a fantastic playlist with prices that won’t destroy you. They serve the best mojitos in town and have a selection of fun and interesting Asian tapas. Hendricks Gin and all the rest for 5, food from 3 to 4.
€1 beer
Hospital, 104 (Rambla del Raval) | Liceu / Sant Antoni | T. 93 329 8277 M. 609 221 400 | Wed-Sat 7.30pm-2.30am, Sat-Sun open at 1pm for lunch | RV
MANCHESTER BAR4Barri gÒtic Manchester Bar brings together friends and music fans to enjoy great tunes from the Eighties and Nineties. From Joy Division to Placebo to The Smiths and all the way through to the Happy Mondays, Manchester Bar has it all. A must-visit place for anyone who knows and loves their music! Milans 5 | Metro Jaume I | Every day 7pm-3am Tel. 627 733 081 | www.manchesterbar.com
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42 FOOD & DRINK Bagel 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’ll not 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 9.30-2pm and 5pm-8.30pm, Sat 10am-2.30pm, 6pm-10pm, Sun 10.30am-2pm
FABULA4 POBlE SEc
SPECIAL OFFER
Located in a trendy new area of the city, this restaurant offers Mediterranean cuisine. They have a great three-course menu del día for 10.20 (and at night you can enjoy traditional Spanish dishes and half rations from la carta.) Their special ‘afterwork’ offer lets you enjoy two excellent promotions: A glass of wine together with a special Fabula toast for 4.50, and/or a glass of cava (Brut Nature) alongside a duo of salmon and anchovies for 5. They also have a private room that is available for group bookings. Parlament 1 | Metro Poble Sec | Tel. 93 292 6209 info@restaurantefabula.es www.restaurantefabula.es
Burger PIM PAM BURGER4BOrN Here quality is of the upmost importance, making it the best burger and frankfurter take-away in town. Special hamburgers, chicken burgers, bratwurst, frankfurters, home-made chips and stroganoff are also available and are all prepared on the premises.
Sabateret 4 - Bor I Metro Jaume I Tel. 93 315 2093 I burger@pimpamplats.com Calle Bigai 1, Bonanova, 08022 I Tel. 93 211 5606 www.pimpamburger.com I Every day 1pm-12am
VITALI PIZZA4 BarcElONa Gourmet pizza delivery from 3 locations offering 50+ thin-crust, homemade pizzas. With specials like three large cheese pizzas for 15 and the option to pay by credit card, it makes for an affordable meal at home without all the fuss. Special offer: 2X1 on every Monday home delivery!
Paris 109 I Metro Hospital Clinic Tel. 93 444 4737 Rosselló 270 I Tel. 93 458 0710 Taxdirt 13 I Metro Joanic/Gràcia Tel. 93 285 41 95 www.vitalipizza.com
Cocktails PALAU DALMASES COCKTAIL BAR4 Barri gÒtic Located on Carrer Montcada, just by the Picasso Museum, the Dalmases Palace is one of the most notable city palaces from the 16th century. This gorgeous palace of Baroque influence is a testimony to the artistic, political and cultural life of Catalunya. With live music every day it’s the perfect place to drink a cocktail and enjoy their live flamenco, opera and jazz show starting at 9.30pm.
Montcada 20 I Tel. 93 310 0673 espaibarroc@gmail.com I Open every day from 8pm
Delivery LILIBURGER4EiXaMPlE You can choose from four types of burger: classic, cheeseburger, barbecue as well as bacon cheese, for 8 to 9.50. Sides include fries, bbq chicken wings, chicken nuggets and salads. Free delivery.
Tel. 93 458 0710 I Tue-Sun 1pm-4pm and 7pm-11pm www.liliburger.com
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FOOD & DRINK 43 Japanese - Sushi SAKURA-YA4lES cOrtS
SUSHIEXPRESS4EIXAMPLE
Sakura-Ya is a serene-yet-busy little joint that combines a Japanese restaurant, bar, souvenir shop and food store. Located in L’illa shopping centre, at lunchtime it offers the very best traditional Japanese cuisine and take-away. The quality of the food is excellent, and so is the service. SakuraYa definitely lives up to its standards, so whenever you are in the mood for some shopping and good food, treat yourself to a Sakura-Ya experience.
If you want to enjoy the best sushi service in the city, this is your place! Sushiexpress takes great pride in using top quality ingredients to ensure excellent sushi. They deliver to your home or hotel. You can choose individual pieces of maki, nigiri, sashimi, temaki, menus, combos, and other Japanese specialties from an extensive menu on their website. If you eat at any of their locations at noon the menus are accompanied by a free drink. Consell de Cent 255, 08011 | Tel. 93 451 5454 Open Mon-Sat 12pm-4pm, 7pm-11pm Sun12-3pm, 7pm-11pm 365days/year! Delivery 1pm-3pm, 8pm-10.30pm
Diagonal 557, 08029 | Metro Mª Cristina/Les Corts Tel. 93 405 2645/93 430 48 90 | Fax. 93 430 3743 Restaurant Mon-Thurs 1pm-5pm, 6pm-9.30pm, Fri-Sat 1pm-9.30pm Shop Mon-Sat 9.30am-9.30pm
Calle Santaló 55, 08021 Tues-Sat 9pm-3am Tel. 93 200 9293 www.sushiexpress.net
Indian TOYO - SUSHI TRAIN4grÀcia
NAMASTE4EIXAMPLE E
Among the youth it’s the most sought after Sushi Train Restaurant in Barcelona. It’s the absolute place to be if you’re in with the in crowd and always packed five minutes after opening. It has a quality buffet with super fresh food prepared daily, Toyo is the place to go. Not only do they have a huge amount of different types of dishes, but you can also eat as much as your heart desires. Choose what you like while it passes in front of you, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get great service. Toyo gives you amazing food for a good price. The midday menu is only 10 and the evening one is 15.
Namaste was the first Indian restaurant in Barcelona. You will be able to enjoy authentic North Indian food in a lavish and exotically decorated interior. The secret of Namaste’s rich and authentic cuisine lies in the finest selection of delicate condiments cooked by professional Indian chefs, using the Tandoor cylindrical oven of Northern India—the best oven for keeping the juices and flavours of cooked food. Namaste has also carefully selected the best wines to accompany Indian food, including Indian wines. For beer lovers, Namaste has a wide range of European brands and Indian beers and liquors.
Torrent del Olla 10 | Tel. 93 459 2630 www.restaurantetoyo.com Open 1.30pm-4pm, 8.30pm-Midnight Closed Mon night
Villarroel 70 | Tel. 93 451 4027 www.restaurantenamaste.com Open 1pm-4 pm, 8pm-12pm
SANO 4grÀcia Barri gÒtic - SaNtS
MAGNOLIA 4 Barri gÒtic In the heart of the Gothic quarter, Magnolia offers exquisite signature cuisine from chef Gianni Fusco at affordable prices. With its warm and loungy interior, it is the place of choice at any time of the day. During the week, breakfast and lunch menus attract huge crowds thanks to their great quality and reasonable prices. During the afternoon, clients can choose from a variety of tapas or enjoy mojitos for just 3.50.
Want a healthy, tasty alternative? Try a refreshing smoothie like Antioxidant, Mango & Passion Fruit or Coco Muesli ( 3.80) or a delicious juice made only with fresh blended fruit and no added water, milk or sugar ( 3.60). Can’t decide? Try one of their convenient combos from 4.50.
Breakfast from 2.70, Lunch from 9. Dinner menu 17.95 (Sun-Thurs) 25 (Fri-Sat) Ciutat 5 | Metro Jaume I | 93 304 2376 | 691 504 942 noche@magnoliabarcelona.com | www.magnoliabarcelona.com | www.facebook.com/magnolia.rna Mon-Thurs 9am-1am, Fri 9am-3am, Sat 1pm-3am, Sun 1pm-1am
Gran de Gràcia 16 | Metro Diagonal Tel. 93 217 8115 | Jaume 1 | Metro Jaume I Tel. 93 310 3247 | Creu Coberta 50 Metro Espanya | Tel. 93 117 0891 Every day 10am-8pm | info@sanojuice.com | www.sanojuice.com
Italian ICHO4lES cOrtS Icho restaurant blends authentic Japanese cooking with the best Mediterranean products. This is an unequalled, exquisite and innovative gastronomic option, totally unique in Barcelona. The tasting menu is pure gastronomy fantasy—you will delight in an emotional journey beyond your senses. This restaurant breaks the mould of the existing impressions of modern Japanese gastronomy in Spain.
Deu i Mata 69-95, 08029 | Metro Maria Cristina Tel. 93 444 3370 | reserves@ichobcnjapones.com www.ichobcnjapones.com Mon-Sat ,1.30pm-4pm and 9pm-11.30pm
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TRATORIA 4cUitaDElla vila OliMPica This new stylish and sophisticated restaurant presents the best of Italian cuisine with an international touch, based on extensive experience from working in London, New York and Miami. Whether you’re looking for a place to go with friends or your date after catching a film at the nearby Yelmo Icaria, or starting your evening out at the Port Olympic with an unbeatable value meal, La Trattoria del Mare is the place to go. Avinguda d’Icària 132 | Tel. 93 221 9369 Metro Ciutadella Vila Olimpica www.trattoriadelmarebarcelona.com
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44 FOOD & DRINK Thai THAI GRACIA4grÀcia Expect authentic ingredients all imported from Thailand and cooked by experienced Thai chefs. The Pad Thai and green and yellow curries have excellent subtle flavours. Simply delicious! The special tasting menu for 21 is a huge hit and allows you to try all the exotic dishes Thai Gracia has to offer. An affordable 11 menú del día is available during the week. The warm hospitality and attention to detail to every dish at Thai Gracia will keep you coming back for more.
Còrsega 381 | Metro Verdaguer / Girona Tel. 93 459 3591 | www.restaurante-thai-gracia.com Every day 1pm-4pm, 8pm-12am | RV
Vegetarian AMALTEA4EiXaMPlE E
Visit Amaltea vegetarian restaurant, where a warm and welcoming environment allows you to fully enjoy a tasty and healthier alternative to your everyday meal. Dishes include cereals, pulses and vegetables with home-made puddings. The cuisine is creatively international with care taken to ensure that each meal is well-balanced and made with the freshest ingredients. Menu of the day 10.70, night and weekend menu 15.30.
GOVINDA (VEGETARIAN) 4Barri gÒtic
Now you can satisfy your craving for fresh and healthy Vietnamese food in the heart of the Raval. Following the success of their first restaurant next to the Gothic Cathedral, Bun Bo has recently opened a second restaurant on the other side of La Rambla where you can find all your favorite Vietnamese dishes such as prawn and mango salad, savoury pancakes, Vietnamese pork sandwich or a classic chicken or seafood curry. Try their Pho (the house specialty) a traditional soup with flat rice noodles which is jam-packed with fresh vegetables and herbs. If you’re a vegetarian you can also find tasty options like Com voi rau which is fried rice with cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, carrot, & onions from 6.95. Come at lunch time for the daily specialsw and enjoy three courses and a drink of your choice! If you like Asian Food then go see for yourself what all the fuss is about! Cocktails
Plaça Villa de Madrid 4-5 | Metro Catalunya | Tel. 93 318 7729 www.amalteaygovinda.com | Tue-Sat 1pm-4pm, 8pm-11am, Sun-Mon 1pm-4pm
Dels Angels 6, 08001 | Tel. 93 412 1890 | Fri-Sat 1pm-1am, Sun-Thurs 1pm-12am www.bunbovietnam.com
Diputació 164 | Metro Urgell | Tel. 93 454 8613 | www.amalteaygovinda.com Mon-Sat 1pm-4pm, 8pm-11pm, Closed Sun
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.
from €3,50
JUICY JONES – VEGAN RESTAURANT 4raval
JUICY JONES 4Barri gÒtic
Barcelona’s best vegan restaurant , Juicy Jones never compromises on freshness or quality. They serve a range of Mediterranean and Indian cuisine with a funky ambience they also offer a large variety of freshly squeezed fruit juices and smoothies. Don’t be fooled by imitations. Go Juicy!
Barcelona’s emblematic juice bar now also serves vegan breakfast that includes tortilla de patata, muesli with raw cashew yogurt, muffins, waffles, coffee and tea. Chill out in the bar for smoothies or enjoy a sandwich or a full meal in the restaurant.
Hospital 74 | Metro Liceu | Tel. 93 443 9082 Every day 12pm-5pm, 8pm-1am
Cardenal Casañas 7 | Metro Liceu | Tel. 93 302 4330 Every day 10am-midnight
Mediterranean
Vietnamese LA VIETNAMITA 4grÀcia La Vietnamita is a new food concept in the heart of Gràcia, offering fresh and healthy Vietnamese inspired cuisine. They serve light and nutritious dishes such as traditional ‘Pho’ soup, the typical rice noodle dish ‘Bun Xiau’ and classic ‘Goi Cuon’ spring rolls. All their dishes are prepared in the moment and served with ingredients that are naturally full of flavour. Veggies and vegans: they have a lot to offer you, too! So what are you waiting for? Torrent de l’Olla 78 | Metro Diagonal | Tel. 93 518 1803 | www.lavietnamita.com
BARNABIER4POrt OlÍMPic Located at the base of the Mapfre tower at Port Olimpic Barnabier specialise in Mediterranean cuisine, paellas, fresh seafood, tapas and have a great list of international beers. Their fantastic menu also includes salads, grilled meat and pasta with something to suit all tastes. For group reservations consult their website for the complete menu. Marina 16 | Metro Port Olimpic Tel. 93 221 0212 | www.barnabier.com
ADDIS ABEBA 4SaNtS
PATXOCA 4BOrN
This fantastic restaurant offers wholesome food served in the traditional Ethiopian way. Importing fresh ingredients and using top-quality local meat, the food is prepared with an exciting range of over 25 herbs and spices creating an incredible range of tastes and flavours. Their combination plates offer an excellent way for groups to try a variety of dishes to give you the true taste of Ethiopia. If you’re a vegetarian, you’ll love the huge selection of dishes on offer too.
This fantastic restaurant has tapas and traditional dishes that use local and seasonal produce, including vegetarian options, all prepared in a home-cooking style. Enjoy a daily menu from Monday till Saturday, and brunch on Sunday! Patxoca also has a beautiful terrace on a pedestrianised street, with a child’s play area just next door. They don’t use MSG.
Vallespir 44 | Metro Sants Estacio | Tel. 93 409 4037 Mon-Fri 8pm-12am, Sat 2pm-4pm, 8pm-12am
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BUN BO VIÊTNAM4raval
Tel. 93 319 2029 | Mercaders 28 Close to Santa Caterina market Mon-Sat 10am-2am, Sun 10am-3pm, 8pm-midnight
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10/23/12 12:56:50 PM
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10/23/12 12:54:44 PM
HAIRDRESSER · BEAUTY
BUSINESS DIRECTORY 47
Business directory To advertise in this section, call: 93 451 4486 or email: ads@barcelona-metropolitan.com See also our online directory at www.barcelona-metropolitan.com Scissors of London BRITISH HAIRDRESSER
Tim aspires to listen to your needs and suggests how they might be met in distinctive and exciting ways. Style is unique and Tim will craft you a look achieving a harmony of shape and style. Tim has been hairdressing for over 12 years. Having trained, taught and worked in London’s top salons including Toni & Guy and Vidal Sassoon. Opting out of salon life, Tim works to fit in with the modern pace of life and offers a one to one service orientated around your needs. Carrer Viladomat 45-47, Atico M. 633 382 787 timbulmer@btinternet.com www.scissorsofldn.com
*READER DISCOUNT
* Discount for Metropolitan readers.
Kinki - HAIRDRESSER Kinki peluqueros is an 15% OFF international hairstyling group from Holland with over 40 salons in their home country. They put their heart and soul into cutting and colouring the most beautiful hairstyles, from the latest trends to classic cuts. If you bring a friend for a full treatment they will give you both a 15% discount and a free glass of cava. English, Spanish, Dutch, German and French speaking. Pintor Fortuny 14, Raval Metro: Catalunya (L1, L3) T. 93 302 3379 www.kinkipeluqueros.es Open Mon 4pm-8pm, Tues-Fri 11am-9pm, Sat 10.30am-8pm
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 Anthony Llobet English Hair Salon - HAIRDRESSER Don’t let your Spanish come between you and your hair. Anglo-Catalan Anthony Llobet has over 20 years’ experience in hairstyling and a passion for excellent client service. Anthony leads a dedicated team of stylists who specialise in a variety of services, including Afro hair, extensions, straightening and make-up (and speak over 11 languages between them). The original retro interior and friendly staff create a very special atmosphere where you can relax and enjoy a stylish cut. Put your trust in Anthony and the team, who are strongly committed to providing you with outstanding service at affordable prices. Barceloneta, Almirall Churruca 8 T. 93 221 1612 / M. 619 224 695 Gràcia, Ros de Olano 19 T. 93 218 0449 / M. 692 371 307 Raval, Sant Pau 122 T. 93 441 3177 / M. 692 371 308 El Born, Carders 34 T.93 295 4871 / M. 692 371 404 Gòtic, Avinyó 34 T. 93 301 4513 / M. 692 371 405 www.anthonyllobet.com
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MASSAGE
*READER DISCOUNT
The Vital Touch Massage Clinic helps stressed women and men, to relax, energise, re-balance and improve their health and lifestyle with a therapeutic, holistic full-body massage. - Deep tissue massage with Japanese acupressure points. - Helps relieve tension, reduces stress and removes physical strains. - Hot stone massage also available - Central Barcelona location. *10% off for Metropolitan readers. M. 659 995 657 nunu@thevitaltouch.es www.tvtbarcelona.com
10/24/12 12:03:11 PM
48 BUSINESS DIRECTORY
VETERINARY CLINIC · LIFE COACHING · CHEMIST · DOCTORS · DENTISTS
VeterCat Melisa Oddo HOME VET CARE
The best at-home veterinary care for your pet in the province of Barcelona. French and English-speaking veterinarian. Vaccination, general medicine, behaviour problems, emergencies, etc. Thanks to her love for animals, Melisa Oddo offers you the best vet service in your home. Try it for yourself and be impressed.
M. 620 157 753 melisa@vetercat.es www.vetercat.es
Pharmacy Serra Mandri
CHEMIST
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.
Are fears controlling your life? Are you overwhelmed by unpleasant emotions such as sadness or shame? You can break free of this vicious circle. Contact me today and I will accompany you on your journey to help you find the freedom and empowerment to live your authentic life. You will feel happier and energized with more self-esteem. I offer coaching for individuals and relationship coaching.
M. 693 236 929 nataliej@jovanic-coaching.com www.jovanic-coaching.com
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 for the English-speaking community in Barcelona with access to all medical specialties and tests. His practice includes mental health.
Av. Diagonal 478 Metro: Diagonal (L3, L5) Chemist T. 93 416 1270 Homeopathy T. 93 217 3249 Open every day 9am-10pm
Gran Via Carles III nº-37-39 Metro: Les Corts (L3) T. 93 330 2412 M. 627 669 524 stevedoc1965@gmail.com www.googolmedicalcentre.com Open Mon-Sat
Mary D. McCarthy - DOCTOR
Clínica Dental Image -
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.
SPECIAL First visit, free “check up” and quote. OFFER Payment plans available for every treatment. Have a natural smile with beautifully designed non metal crowns. Offer of the month: Dental implants for 499 Call now for details.
DENTIST
Aribau 215 Pral. 1a T. 93 200 2924 M. 607 220 040 FGC Diagonal or Gràcia
Sardenya 502 T. 93 192 4050 Metro: Alfonso X (L4) Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-2pm, 4pm-8.30pm
Dr. Christian Eickhoff deutsche zk - DENTIST
Clínica Caballero Friedlander - DENTIST
Highly recommended among the international SPECIAL community, they use OFFER the latest in dental technology like digital prosthetics and orthodontics. The whole German team is English speaking and the doctor has an American training in implantology and orthodontics. Check-ups and X-rays are free. Centrally located.
If you’ve always wanted to have a beautiful smile, but don’t want to wear visible metal braces, they have the solution for you. They’ll be pleased to help by creating an ideal treatment concept for you using Incognito® invisible lingual braces or invisalign® clear braces. Call them for a free evaluation visit:
Consell de Cent 249, bajos Metro Universitat (L1/L2) T. 93 323 9629 info@deutsche-zk.com
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Natalie Jovanic - LIFE COACHING
Puigmarti 33, Local 2 T. 93 237 0287 info@clinicacf.com www.ortodoncia-barcelona.com www.clinicacf.com
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DENTISTS · ACUPUNCTURE · HERBAL PRODUCTS · OSTEOPATH · NUTRITIONIST · PSYCHOTHERAPY
Dra. Susana Campi - DENTIST For all your dental needs, a team consisting of our first-class professionals can offer you excellent treatment. We have more than 30 years of experience and are pleased to offer you our services in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Catalan.
Rosselló 95, local, 08029, Barcelona Metro: Hospital Clinic (L5) Entença (L5) T. 93 322 9114 Fax. 93 322 0220 www.clinicadentalcampi.com/ susanacampi1980@gmail.com
InnOrbit - HERBAL PRODUCTS Their infusions taste delicious and complement a healthy lifestyle. They have created four blends using 100 percent naturally-grown herbs and spices. The recipes are based on Ayurvedic medicine and endorsed by modern science. UP&GO: Ideal for sport and exercise. YOUNG&FUN: Enhances memory and promotes concentration. CALM&RELAX: Relieves stress. SLIM&FIT: Helps to maintain a healthy weight.
Tingsvall & McCarthy -
DENTIST & DENTAL HYGIENIST This eco-friendly clinic promotes great patient care using natural products. The Swedish-trained dentist Dr. Stefan Tingsvall is on hand to provide a very caring way of treating people—he solves the problem and gets the job done. Qualified USA-trained dental hygienist Elena McCarthy provides education on preventive care using effective herbal rinses and essential oils. She also offers the leading teeth whitening treatment ‘Brite Smile’. Castellnou 47 T. 93 205 1903 M. 636 312 522 / 696 664 430 FGC Les Tres Torres (L6) Bus: 16, 30, 66, 70, 72, 74 tingsvall.mccarthy@gmail.com www.tingsvall-mccarthy.com
Tania Spearman -
acupuncture
€15 OFF
Make acupuncture your first choice, not your last resort! Tania is offering all Metropolitan readers a 15 discount on first appointments with this voucher. Acupuncture treats many conditions from pain, stress and depression to fertility and more. Call now to make your appointment or to see if acupuncture is right for you. Tania is a UK university trained acupuncturist with her own clinic in the centre of Barcelona. English, Spanish and German spoken.
T. 93 814 0287 andy@innorbit.com www.innorbit.com
Enric Granados 133, 4-1 bis 08008 M. 644 322 161 info@taniaspearman.com www.taniaspearman.com
Kathryn McConkey -
Nick Cross - PSYCHOLOGIST /
OSTEOPATH
Kathryn McConkey is a fully-qualified, English- (and Spanish-) speaking osteopath in Barcelona, based at Aralia Centre Mèdic, and a member of the Spanish Registrar of Osteopaths. Osteopathy can be beneficial for cases of acute or chronic neck and back pain and tendonitis, as well as for digestive disorders, headaches, insomnia and much more. Treatments are apt for all age groups, including children and the elderly.
PSYCHOTHERAPIST
Nick Cross is a registered psychologist, specialising in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy can help you with the causes of distress and unhappiness and it provides treatment for anxiety, fears, relationship difficulties, depression, problems adjusting, loss and trauma.
M. 609 143 690 mcconkey.katy@gmail.com
M. 644 193 825 ncross@copc.es
Jonathan Lane Hooker -
Hestia - PSYCHOTHERAPY
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.
T. 93 590 7654 M. 639 579 646 jonathan.hooker@yahoo.com www.jonathanhooker.com
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BUSINESS DIRECTORY 49
The Hestia International Centre of Psychotherapy has become a reference in the city. The professional team work with individuals, couples and families through psychotherapy, coaching, counselling, clinical hypnosis, art therapy, NLP and EMDR. They speak English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, German, Portuguese and Greek and the first consultation is free.
Passeig Sant Joan 180 Pral 2a Metro: Joanic (L4) T. 93 459 2802 info@hestia.es www.hestia.es
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50 BUSINESS DIRECTORY
PSYCHOTHERAPY · MIDWIFE · LASER TREATMENT · INTERIOR DESIGN
Eugenia Espinosa -
Paloma Azpilicueta -
PSYCHOTHERAPY
Psychotherapist
Eugenia is a dedicated professional who specialises in psychological issues related to immigration. She offers effective treatment for mood and anxiety disorders as well as couples and family therapy. The first consultation with Eugenia is free.
English-speaking clinical psychologist and psychotherapist. Forty years of professional experience with adults, children and adolescents. She has worked in both the public and private sectors in mental health as well as in education and social issues. Psychodynamic orientation.
M. 677 090 479 genaespinosa@yahoo.com
Barcelona: T. 93 415 6646 Mataro: T. 93 799 6596 solazpi@ya.com www.centrepsicologiamataro.com
Krishinda Powers Duff
Clustermedica Laser treatment
Krishinda is a fully-qualified and trained British midwife offering home birth and home dilatation service. She also provides antenatal and postnatal care and support to mothers and babies for six weeks after birth. She is supported in her practice by a team of Spanish but British-trained midwives and alternative health care professionals as well as a breast feeding consultant/Doula. Midwife means ‘to be with woman’.
The B-Cure laser provides relief and treatment for a wide range of orthopedic problems in the neck, back and joints that generally result from bad posture, excessive use of a computer keyboard or sports injuries. Now you can stop pain and heal the source with just a six-minute treatment, twice a day. It’s ready to use anywhere, lightweight and rechargeable. If you’re suffering from this type of injury, then call now or visit their website for more information.
Bsc Hons - Midwife
M. 665 143 437
Marenostrum Centre de Salut familiar
Fontanella 16 Principal, 08010 krishinda@gmail.com
T. 90 210 6989 Vidal i Guash 13 clustermedica@clustermedica.com www.clustermedica.com
Terraza Barcelona CaRpentry
Find everything you need here!
Dirk has a passion for creating affordable carpentry designs for both interior and exterior spaces. From terrace decks to planters, pergolas to storage sheds, he will impress you with the quality of his work. Wooden furniture for: garden, terrace, balcony, living, bedroom, bathroom, office - you name it, he makes it! Everything is custom made - choose from one of his designs or bring your own ideas. Please contact Dirk for an obligation-free quotation. M. 657 452 279 info@terrazabarcelona.es www.terrazabarcelona.es
Graham Collins Interior Design
In our online directory of English-speaking businesses in Barcelona
www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/directory
MP 47-52 Nov 2012.indd 46
Graham Collins is an experienced interior designer and property consultant and can help with everything concerning property, design and decoration. So, whether you need help working out the property market or are looking for someone to renovate your home, Graham is here to help you.
Consolat del Mar 35, 3er Metro: Barceloneta (L4) M. 678 757 511 grahamcollinsbcn@gmail.com www.grahamcollinsbcn.com
10/24/12 12:03:22 PM
PROPERTY · REMOVALS · LANGUAGE SCHOOLS
Lugaris - PROPERTY
Aspasios Rentals & Services - PROPERTY
The best option to live and work in Barcelona. Brand new, modern furnished and bright apartments. In Poblenou, a few metres from Bogatell beach and very close to the 22@ district. Privileged services such as swimming pool, parking, security, cleaning and free WI-FI, to make your stay more confortable. Use this promotional code to get 10% off your next booking. Code: 20CM12
Staying at Aspasios in Barcelona and Madrid is the perfect way to enjoy Spain. Feel at home in a new city while staying in a luxurious furnished apartment. Aspasios provides accommodation for days, months or years. They offer check-in at any time and day of the year as well as a 24hr phone service. Aspasios has multicultural staff willing to welcome you in different languages.
Vidal y Valenciano, 14 T. 93 221 9159 info@lugaris.com www.lugaris.com
Adriana Romero T. 93 304 1448 info@aspasios.com www.aspasios.com
Spaces for rent - PROPERTY
Van BCN - REMOVALS
Hotel Onix offer a range of rooms and spaces for rent at a low price. Perfect for a variety of classes and events like yoga, theatre, dancing, business meetings, seminars and rehearsals. They have different sized rooms at Liceu, Plaça Catalunya and Plaça Espanya that are both clean and comfortable with central heating, A/C, tables and chairs to suit your needs. You can rent their space by the hour, half or full day, weeks or months. For more information please call Jubran.
VanBCN offers experience, good service and inexpensive rates to make your move or removal safe and easy. Whether you are looking for man with a van for a quick move or if you want to do a complete removal, just call or send your request online. VanBCN adapts its service to your needs. They can pick up your stuff or take it to the port, airport or storage. Deliver home your purchases from IKEA or any other shop. Move your office, your room or your house. Just contact VanBCN. They know how to do it. T. 93 426 7684 M. 647 533 344 www.vanbcn.com
T. 93 303 4154 events@hotelsonix.com
Benjamin Franklin -
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL The Benjamin Franklin International School in Barcelona offers a differentiated American curriculum from nursery to grade 12, which includes English language preparation for college education, foreign language programs and learning support. It is fully accredited with strong academic programs, such as the American High School Diploma, Spanish Baccalaureate Certificate and the IB Diploma. It also has an active parent-teacher association and a welcoming global community. Martorell i Peña 9 T. 93 434 2380 F. 93 417 3633 www.bfischool.org
BCN L.I.P. LANGUAGE SCHOOL
UP TO 40% OFF
BCN L.I.P. Languages is a small school with a warm and welcoming atmosphere in Barcelona’s old town. They offer both intensive and extensive courses and it’s the perfect place to ensure success in your language immersion. The centre is equipped with the most advanced facilities to enable you to succeed in your chosen language.
T. 93 318 6591 info@bcnlip.com www.bcnlip.com
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BUSINESS DIRECTORY 51
Versión Original -
Spanish for foreigners
LANGUAGE SCHOOL
5% OFF
The experienced teachers at Versión Original are thrilled to share their enthusiasm for the Spanish language and culture. This small city centre school, with classes of no more than 10 students, is devoted to languages, especially Spanish. There’s a great atmosphere here and a 5% discount for Metropolitan readers.
Gran Via 636, 1o 1a A Metro: Passeig de Gràcia (L2, L3, L4) T. 93 412 4576 info@versionoriginalbcn.com www.versionoriginalbcn.com
One-to-One -
SPANISH CLASSES Learn exactly what you need with one-to-one Spanish classes in the office or at home. Focus your classes on the language and vocabulary that best serves you according to your own personal or professional needs. Business Spanish and small group classes are also available. Get confident in Spanish with Pilar.
M. 610 057 266
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52 BUSINESS DIRECTORY
LANGUAGE SCHOOLS · COMPUTERS · TOYSHOP · GRAPHIC DESIGN · SAILING COURSES
Idiomplus - LANGUAGE SCHOOL FOR COMPANIES
BCN Metropol LANGUAGE SCHOOL
Idiomplus is a language school which provides in-company courses that is distinguished for its innovative learning method. Learn a new language at the same time you make a more advanced use of social media.
Study Spanish in one of Spain’s most established and prestigious language schools. Since 1982 Metropol have provided high-quality language training to students of all nationalities. The school is right in the heart of Barcelona city centre and it’s a great place to learn or improve your Spanish. It’s a popular and specialised school, with more than 27 years of experience and they offer great value Spanish courses for all levels.
Learn languages with a plus with Idiomplus!
T. 93 445 1791 Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 583 5ª www.Idiomplus.com info@idiomplus.com
T. 93 301 8241 Pau Claris 87, 1o1a Metro: Passeig de Gràcia (L2, L3, L4) www.bcnmetropol.com
Geo Mac - COMPUTERS
Bateau Lune - TOYSHOP
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.
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! T. 93 218 6907 Plaça Virreina 7, 08012 info@bateaulune.com www.bateaulune.com www.facebook.com/bateaulune
M. 606 308 932 machelp@geomac.es www.geomacbcn.com
Mrs.Q design studio - GRAPHIC DESIGN Mrs.Q Design Studio offers a range of specialised services from branding to graphic design, web design, ceramics, photography and bespoke invitations. Whether you have a new concept in mind that you want to see brought to life or need assistance rebranding your company, contact Mrs.Q design studio. They are happy to help you every step of the way to make sure you get the exact look you’re looking for. They specialise in bespoke wedding invitations, tailor-made to suit the style of your wedding. Match your wedding invitations with save the dates, menus, place cards and thank you cards to create a polished look. They are now offering wedding stationary packages. At Mrs.Q design studio they love to design creative, engaging brand identities that help their clients flourish. They will help you bring some of your personality to your brand and use their knowledge of colour, passion for typography and creative flair to create an identity that engages your customers. M. 699 260 938 mrsqdesignstudio@gmail.com www.mrsqdesignstudio.com
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MT Sailing - SAILING COURSES RYA Sailing and powerboat courses. Always wanted to get on the water, but didn’t know how? Now you can! MT Sailing is an RYA training centre right here in Barcelona, offering theory and practical courses at all levels from Start Yachting or Powerboat all the way to professional Yachtmaster Ocean. Internationally recognized qualifications are taught and examined in English. During classes, support is available in Spanish. Their flexible course schedules include intensive, weekend and evenings. To discuss your sailing ambitions, call Michael 695 806 029. Start your adventure today!
M. 695 806 029/653 616 727 sail@mtf.com www.mtf.com.
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TELEVISION SERVICE · TAX AND ACCOUNTING
BUSINESS DIRECTORY 53
BritSat - TELEVISION SERVICE
Easi-Sat - TELEVISION SERVICE
BritSat offer great television packages so you’ll never have to miss your favourite TV programmes again. Craving a bit of classic comedy, your favourite soap or just fed up of feeling out of the loop of the best TV at home? BritSat will install the full package you choose for a great price. Take your pick from some of the best television in Europe as they install British, Dutch, German, Italian and French satellite TV. The team will create tailor-made installations to suit your requirements, always aiming to find the most discreet location for the dish and cables. BritSat provides excellent customer care and can also incorporate sound systems and multi-screen viewing.
NEW! NEW! NEW! Not allowed a satellite dish? Now we can supply all your favourite uk tv channels including all sports and films over the internet. No dish needed! Specialists in satellite TV, HD, audiovisual and unmatched for quality and reliability. For a personal, efficient and friendly service call the specialists. Our professional team provides satellite television from across Europe at unbeatable prices!
M. 649 605 917 info@britsatlive.com www.britsatlive.com
T. 93 845 9874 M. 649 413 832 enquiries@easisat.net www.easisat.net
Spain Accounting -
Tax AND Accounting services
UP TO 20% OFF
Qualified UK accountant with 25 years experience in Spain offers: · Tax services for freelance ‘autónomos’ & companies · Income tax returns for employees & non-residents · Registration of ‘autónomos’ & company incorporation (SL) · Practical advice on setting up a business in Spain · Fast, reliable email service
Call David Cook 678 702 369 info@spainaccounting.com www.spainaccounting.com
Europa Digital - TELEVISION SERVICE
Brumwell Brokers -
INSURANCE AND TAX SERVICES
Tired of being out the loop on the best documentaries or are you a secret soap fan? Or, maybe you’re just missing your favourite television programmes from home. There’s no need to miss out anymore—now you can see all of your favourite channels here in Barcelona! Europa Digital are licensed and fully insured to install all satellite systems, including a whole range of channels from BBC HD, Freesat, itv hd, Sky, Sky 3d, Sky Sports and many more. They can also supply all European systems and viewing cards. They were the first company to start operating in Catalunya and, as well as private installations, they have worked for hotel groups and put multi-systems in apartment blocks.The experienced and professional team give friendly advice to ensure that you receive the best package to suit your needs. They are the only company of their kind with a registered office and a 24-hour helpline. Visit their showroom before you buy or call them now for a free quotation. They are fully licensed and insured.
They not only care about your wellbeing, they “insure” it. With over 20 years of experience under their belts they can help you with all your insurance needs. Working with most insurance companies they guarantee you the best quote and best cover for what you need. They can even insure your bicycle!! Brumwell Brokers’ service team can also help you with tax, accounting, legal and labour laws. (Set ups, Autonomos).
Floridablanca 78 Metro: Sant Antoni (L2) T. 93 325 1797 M. 666 556 452 Sant Josep, 32, Sitges T. 93 894 72 99 www.europadigital.tv admin@europadigital.tv
Pl. Gal-la Placidia 1-3 08006 T. 90 262 7810 F. 90 262 7811
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54 BUSINESS DIRECTORY
INSURANCE · LEGAL PRACTICE · BUSINESS COACHING · SERVICE · FINANCIAL ADVICE
Cogesa - INSURANCE Don’t wait until it’s too late! Do you feel secure in Barcelona? Are you still insured in your home country? Do you travel? Spanish not fluent yet? Do you want to feel safe and carefree in Barcelona no matter what? Cogesa makes sure to find you personalized and price worthy insurance solutions for your every need. They also speak Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, German and French.
Continental Wealth Management WEALTH MANAGEMENT
The group has over 30 years’ experience of giving professional, customtailored financial advice to expatriates on a global basis. They handle all aspects of wealth management, including investment portfolios, QROPS pension transfers and insurance. Their team of advisors can provide a no-obligation review to assess your circumstances and help you to make the right choices for a secure and profitable future.
Diputació 262 T. 93 342 4896 foreignresidents@cogesa.es www.cogesaforeignresidents.es
Av. Del Pla, 128 2 - 202 03730 Javea Alicante T. 96 646 2875 M. 665 362 944 www.continentalwealth.com
Sánchez Molina -
Green Bean Coaching -
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.
Green Bean coaches small and medium-sized business owners and entrepreneurs proven business techniques that have helped thousands of businesses boost their sales, increase profits and hit their company goals. They will coach you to implement the strategies you need to move to the next business level.
LEGAL PRACTICE
Gran Via Carles III, 84, 5 Metro: Maria Cristina (L3) T. 93 490 9669 javiergarcia@sanchezmolina.com www.sanchezmolina.com
BUSINESS Coaching
T. 93 112 6757 M. 693 940 701 explore@freegreenbeans.com www.freegreenbeans.com
Barcelona’s Guest - PERSONAL ASSISTANTS
This company provides assistants who can help you with daily tasks and provide language support if you are not confident speaking Spanish. You can delegate your chores, however large or small, to their staff with total confidence, giving you complete confidence and peace of mind about the organisation of all your appointments and events. They have impeccable references from their clients. Contact them today to discuss your requirements. Ganduxer nº14, Desp 9 08021 T. 93 539 6106 M. 666 816 168 christian@barcelonasguest.es www.barcelonasguest.es
The Spectrum IFA Group - FINANCIAL ADVICE
Find everything you need here!
The Spectrum IFA Group creates and provides financial planning solutions for expatriates and foreign residents. Their experienced and qualified team in Barcelona can help you with all aspects of finance including: • Pensions/ Retirement Planning • Savings & Investments • Life Cover • Health Insurance • Currency Exchange • Mortgages • Tax Planning • Asset Management They are regulated financial planners with offices in seven European countries, dedicated to providing the best advice and solution for each individual client. Please email or call them to arrange an initial, no-obligation introductory meeting.
T. 93 665 8596 Passeig de Gràcia 63, Principal 2A barcelona@spectrum-ifa.com
In our online directory of English-speaking businesses in Barcelona www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/directory
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EMPLOYMENT 55
Job directory To advertise in this section, call: 93 451 4486 or email: ads@barcelona-metropolitan.com See also our online directory at www.barcelona-metropolitan.com
For the latest jobs for English speakers in Barcelona, follow us on Twitter @WorkInBarcelona
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56 EMPLOYMENT
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main pages Nov 2012.indd 10
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58 BACK PAGE
A Simple Restorative
A
s the nights start to draw in and autumn takes hold, it’s hard to avoid the plethora of exhortations to selfimprove. From Acrobatics to Zoology, it seems that every window, wall and notice-board is aflutter with small-ads for self-improvement. Summer’s the time for hedonism; winter’s the time for homework. This year, nestled between ads for Questions about Quill-making and the Secrets of Screenwriting, look out for a surge in courses on Restoration and Religious Murals. Because it’s been a big year for restoring religious murals in Spain. From the well-meaning old lady in Zaragoza who turned an unexceptional mural of Christ into an international media sensation to the 17th century workmen in Valencia who turned an exceptional mural of an angel into a pornographic graffito, murals have been fighting with movies for space on the news. Of course it’s easy (and shockingly satisfying) to make fun of the industrious if misguided elderly church-goer who innocently transformed a workmanlike but undistinguished mural of Christ into something that Goya
might have considered for the crowd scenes in one of his Black paintings (but then rejected because it was brown). Originally called Ecce Homo (Behold the Man) wags have renamed it ‘Ecce Mono’ (Behold the Monkey), although it’s more like Edvard Munch’s Scream wrapped in a warming bonnet and Prozac. On the other hand, you have to sympathise with amateur restorer Cecilia Giménez. It’s a short step from rearranging the flowers on the altar and dusting the pews week in week out to tidying up a damp-damaged art-work with a lick or two of paint on the tunic, where no one will notice. Her mistake was probably deciding to have a go at that tricky crown of thorns and desolate look of anguish, because before you know it, you’ve turned an anguished Christ into a cosy toddler. At least her intentions were honourable—in marked contrast to the workmen whose intervention on another mural came to light recently: a rather convincing phallus etched in the wing of a Renaissance cherub. But rather than being instantly broadcast around the world, their involvement was covered up for several
centuries, quite literally, so they are unlikely to face the same international mockery as poor old Cecilia Giménez. Ancient graffiti is nothing new. From bored centurions carving their initials on the aqueduct in Segovia to Vikings scratching the equivalent of “Olaf was Here” inside stone age burial chambers in Orkney, it’s been going on for millennia. The amusing—if depressing— thing is how little things have changed. The phallus carved on the angel’s wing was exactly the same one you might find (give or take an inch or two) scrawled in the toilets of your local school, which surely tells us something about human nature. Mostly, perhaps, that it’s not very sophisticated. Equally instructive is the fact that the sleepy church where Cecilia Giménez exercised her artistic impulses became so popular thanks to her mural that they started charging an entrance fee. Whereupon she demanded a share of the takings, which seems only fair. Though perhaps not to the descendents of the artist whose work she so innocently defaced. - -Roger de Flower
HOROSCOPE Aries November brings some major changes to your life and you may not feel quite prepared for them. Relax and follow your intuition in new uncharted waters. Rely on close friends for some moral support.
Taurus Your introspective
Gemini There’s some hard work ahead if you want a new project to be successful. There may be some sleepless nights but it will be worth it in the end. There’s an emotional reunion coming up soon with someone from your past.
Cancer You’re feeling pressured into spending money that you don’t really have. Stay firm and do what you think is right. Your social life is still going strong but you’ll start looking for more intimate occasions.
Leo Time to relax a little and get back to doing what makes you most happy. Reserve some time for a craft or hobby that you never seem to get round to. Travel plans need some attention as you may need to make some hard choices.
Virgo Work is on your mind
Libra You have a lot going on right now and you need to watch out that you don’t overdo it. Try to make time for taking it easy too. A weekend away mid-month would be very beneficial for both body and soul.
Scorpio You’re full of good ideas and energy and your enthuiasm is infectious. If you’re looking for an investor, a loan or a new job, now is the time to present your case. You’ll enjoy giving your living space some attention this month.
Sagittarius There are changes
Capricorn Some things are
Aquarius You’re getting some attention from someone surpising, and it’s flattering but a bit confusing. It would be good to clarify how you feel with them. A career opportunity will come your way and it could be worth thinking about.
Pisces After a fairly stressful period you’re ready to wind down and have some fun. Enjoy, but keep an eye on your spending. You’ll get a chance to reconnect with some people who used to be very special to you.
and you’re keen to make some key changes. This is a good time to do just that, but take things slowly or you may meet resistance. Take extra care of your health as winter approaches.
working out harder than you expected. Don’t be tempted to give up as once you’re over these initial hurdles things will be much simpler. Romance is on the cards for single Capricorns.
By Ben Rowdon
scoop
happening in your life right now and although you still have some doubts, if you embrace them and see the positives it will all work out. Time with your partner and good friends is important.
mood will enable some of your friendships to reach a deeper level this month. Use that same awareness to look at some issues that have been troubling you. If you get a chance to travel, accept it.
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