Local Expert
ReginaWB
A writer and photographer with chronic wanderlust; living in Spain's bonita Barcelona-
A writer and photographer with chronic wanderlust; living in Spain's bonita Barcelona-
Destination List Articles
Is Barcelona sexy? Maybe. One could say that it’s floral, Modernista motifs are feminine and sexual in a way. In general though, when someone says the word Catalunya, sexy is not what jumps to my mind. Radical, yes. Historic, also. Complex, too. But Catalunya is not a babe. Who is a famous Catalan starlet or vamp? I can’t name one. Though people in Barcelona are well dressed, the women especially are much less done-up than their counterparts in Madrid, who flaunt their womanliness in high-heeled leather boots and tight dresses. This is not to say that women in Barcelona are not beautiful, they are, but in a more relaxed sense.
Or maybe not. It seems that Barcelona does have a sexy side and this weekend it’s putting it on display. The III Saló del Sexe en Català is a three day faire dedicated to all that is sex in Catalunya. Not for the faint of heart, the festival has a non-stop line up of films, erotic dances, live shows and even strip tease classes (advertised as ‘a new form of exercise’). To be fair, the Saló brings in people and professionals from all over Spain, not just Catalunya. Now in its third year, the Saló has earned a reputation for being quite wild.
Obviously this is not an outing for everyone and honestly I am not sure I’m up for it. It is an interesting peek into how sex is viewed in Spain, and how those who work in this industry define it. If you are like me and the Saló del Sexe is a bit much, you might be better off going to the Erotic Museum in downtown Barcelona, right off Las Ramblas which offers an interesting look into the history of sex. Or, better yet, go to both and compare sex of the past to sex of the future. If you do, send me a mail and let me know how it was.
Info:
Price: €20
Where: Fira de Cornellà
Time: Friday 4pm to 2am; Saturday 12pm to 2 am; Sunday 12pm to 10pm.
And-
Museo de L'Erótica. Rambla, 96 - 08002 Barcelona - Spain.
Tel: (+34) 93 - 318 98 65
This fall Barcelona’s most beautiful concert hall, La Palau de Música, is offering a classic musical line up. The symphony will be playing Mozart, Verdi and Debussy and others starting the third week in September. A wonderful cultural aspect of Catalunya is that Catalans, in general, love music. This means all kinds of music, from Country to Classic. It also means that Barcelona is continuously presenting great musicians in fantastic concert halls.
Classic Line Up:
22 September:
Mozart. Symphony Number 35. 7pm.
27 October:
Verdi. Requiem. 7pm.
24 November:
Dvorak. Symphony Number 7. 7pm.
All concerts located at La Palau de Música:
C/ Sant Pere Més Alt, Barcelona - atencioclient@palaumusica.org
It’s August in Barcelona, which means the city is like Sleeping Beauty’s Kingdom, silenced and slumbering under a magic summertime spell. Visitors may ask themselves, “What the heck is going on? Where are all the Catalans?” The answer is; gone. Gone to beach houses or mountainside cabins. Gone on vacation to ancestral villages or to Balearic Islands. They won’t be back until the first part of September, and won’t put their heart into working until October.
Some locals actually prefer Barcelona in August because it is the quietest month of the year in a city which never shuts up. Visitors may not see it the same way, as most people do come for the city’s lively reputation. Most months of the year Barcelona has a dynamic musical and cultural line-up, but August is a dead-time when it’s hard to find anything to do. Likewise, tourists may be surprised to find a third of all the city’s shops and restaurants closed for the better part of the month. This week I’ll give some options on what to do in Barcelona during the sleepiest month of the year.
August Idea #1: Clubs
Maybe you were already planning to hit the club scene, and why not? The city is known for its clubs or ‘discos’ as they’re called, and they don’t close up in August. Remember to go late….really late. I recently met a girl on the plane in Frankfurt who said she had been surprised to go to a club in Barcelona at 11p.m. and find herself alone. At 11p.m. you should still be eating dinner. After dinner go get a drink. After the drink go on to the club. You should get there around 1:30a.m. or 2a.m. and leave at 6 in the morning. Only the strong will survive. Here are a few recommendable establishments to get your ‘disco’ groove on:
- MauMau
Lounge club featuring laid-back local DJs plus films and visual art installations.
MauMau
Fontrodona 33
Barcelona
93 319 8015
- Moog
Industrial beats every night. Barcelona's biggest names.
Every night, 11.30pm to 5am
Moog
Arc del Teatre 3
Barcelona
08001
93 319 1789
3. Razzmatazz
One of the city’s larger clubs and concert halls. Coming up on August 30, 2008 they’ll feature The Presets with Ewan Pearson and Luomo (€15).
Razzmatazz Group
Almogávares 121
Barcelona
Tel. 93 272 0910
4. La Terrazza
This is an open-air club within a renovated home in downtown Barcelona. It offers guest djs performances and resident djs. La Terrazza is only open during Barcelona’s summer months and is thought to be the ‘international’ club in the city.
La Terrrazza
Poble Espanyol
Avda.Marques de Comillas s/n, Barcelona
No. 2: Bodega La Tinaja
A bodega is a pantry, and in the case of Bodega La Tinaja, the pantry is filled with wine. Located in the Born barri, this cozy wine boutique is right in the heart of happening old-town Barcelona. The shop seems like it’s right out of 1910, with its wooden walls and low lighting. The clever owners have placed overturned wine barrels around the shop to act as little tables for tasting and displaying. This is a small shop, but as the old saying goes, quality over quantity, as Bodega La Tinaja only offers the finest selection of Spanish, Catalan and French wines.
If you are staying in the gothic area of Barcelona make sure to pick up a couple souvenir bottles of your favorite red, white and rosé at this charming spot.
Where: Esparteria 9, El Born 08003 – 93 310 22 50
What: Specialty wines
When: daytime working hours
Price: €5.00 and up
It’s no secret that Spain has great wine. Rioja, Penendés, cava; whether you favor red, white or bubbly, Spain’s got a grape for you. To be honest, the wine was one of the reasons I chose to live in southern Europe. Well, the wine, olive oil and cheese, anyway. Though we grown wine grapes in my native Oregon, my home state’s wines are triple the price of a bottle in Spain. Wine is something everyone can afford in Barcelona. That said, it is best to avoid the €1.50 bottles as they are more for sangria and cooking than enjoying by the glass with fish. Sure, some students drink this stuff, and I even have a couple of friends who claim that the box wine is, “just fine”. It may be, but I’m not trying it. Splurge and spend at least €3.00 on any bottle you purchase.
For the real connoisseur, there are a few specialty wine and cava shops placed around Barcelona. Some give classes in wine tasting, others have special meals once a month to highlight the relationships between certain wines and foods. All of them have at least one expert on hand to tell you about the origin of the bottle your buying. Here’s where to head for something unique:
No. 1 : La Carte des Vins
A chain, La Carte des Vins has shops in Spain, France and Switzerland. According their website the company sends out ‘highly qualified experts’ to taste new wines, so that their selection is always diversifying. It sounds to me that these ‘highly qualified experts’ have a great job traveling between France and Spain’s wine country sipping and sniffing and gurgling and getting a buzz on the company dime.
The experts must be doing a thorough job, as the selection at La Carte des Vins is huge. They have wine from over 35 regions in Spain and 24 from France. In addition, they also have wines from Australia, Italy, Chile, South Africa, Greece, the United States, Argentina and many other international destinations.
If you are looking for a specific wine, or simply want to try a little bit of everything that is fermented grapes, this is the wine shop for you.
Where: Roger de Lluria 137 – www.lacartedesvins.com
What: Specialty wines by region and country
When: daytime working hours
Price: €6.00 and up
A Diverse Schedule of International Artists
May rolls out la musica in Barcelona, with international performances lined up mid-month. There’s always interesting music happening in the city, but as we move briskly towards the summertime, the variety and abundance of talent increases. Here are three bands to consider checking out this month:
Adam Freeland – May 10th – The Loft
This politically-minded British DJ spins house, break beats and more. One of his new tunes is dedicated to spelling out Obama’s name; O-B-A-…. He also composed the music for a recent Amnesty International advertisement encouraging people to ‘unsubscribe’.
The Loft c/ Almogàvers, 122.
Time: 1am
Gregory Isaacs – May 11th – Sala Apolo
Here’s your chance to see a reggae legend. Best known for songs ‘Night Nurse’ and ‘The Cool Ruler’, Isaacs has been singing irie hits since the 1970s.
Where: Sala Apolo - c/ Nou de la Rambla 113
Time: 9pm
Seu Jorge – May 14th – Palau de la Mùsica
Born in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, Seu Jorge has come a long way. His music was used in Wes Anderson film Life Aquatic, where he covered Bowie tracks in Portuguese. He also performed in the emotionally-charged film, City of God. His performance in Barcelona is part of the Festival Guitarra which is taking place this month.
Where: La Palau de la Mùsica Catalana / 19th Festival Guitarra - wwww.palaumusica.org
Time: 9 pm