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Barcelona Travel NewsletterIssue #001 - Picasso and snails?April 05, 2004 Hola, In this edition of Barcelona Travel I've reviewed an interesting restaurant called Los Caracoles (which means "the snails" in Spanish - don't worry you don't have to order them if you don't like them). This restaurant is in the old town quarter of Barcelona on Calle Escudellers. This area, at the Southern most end of the Ramblas (South of Placa Reial), is quite seedy - especially at night so it's worth taking a little care when going there. Calle Escudellers is also of historical interest in Barcelona because it's right in the middle of Picasso's old neighbourhood. This is the area where he lived, worked and entertained. Picasso and his family lived in Calle La Merce which is only a few minutes walk South from Calle Escudellers. Picasso also had a studio on Calle Escudellers Blancs, which is a small road that runs off from Calle Escudellers. Here he created some of his paintings from the Blue Period. One of Picasso's best friends Manuel Palleres lived on Calle Escudellers in a small Pension and they would often wonder around the old part of the city together, painting and sketching. They spent a lot of time in this area and remained good friends for more than 75 years. Visiting the area around Los Caracoles will give you an idea of the influences that Picasso had as a young man and when you have finished exploring this area you can stop off at this restaurant for some great food. Click here to read our review of Los Caracoles. Weather ReportsFor those of you that don't know, we keep a daily log of the weather in Barcelona. This log is not a prediction of the weather to come, but a summary of what the weather has been like. If you check this log regularly it will give you an idea of how the weather has been behaving before you arrive. Here is the weather log link: Barcelona weather The weather has really started improving in Barcelona and temperatures are entering the early 20C band, which is good news for those of you that like the sun! Arriving in Barcelona in May 2004?Remember that the Grand Prix will be running on the 8th/9th of May. The circuit is very close to Barcelona ( only 20 KM away ) and thousands of additional visitors will be arriving in the city. If you are thinking of visiting Barcelona around this time it's highly advisable to arrange your accommodation ASAP - otherwise you may have problems finding a place to stay. Barcelona hotels have an 85% average occupancy throughout the year and an event like this can fill up that remaining 15% quite easily. So plan ahead to prevent disappointment! Now to a more serious topic. The Tragic Events in MadridThe people of Barcelona were shocked and deeply upset by the terrible events that occurred in Madrid. There have been many peaceful demonstrations against terrorist activities in the city and a vigil with candles was set up outside the City Hall where people could pay their respects and leave flowers and messages of condolences. I live in a small Barrio in Barcelona called Poble Sec. The community in small Barrios like this can be very close and friendly. One Saturday night, shortly after the incident in Madrid, I heard someone repeatedly hitting a metallic object from their flat. It was quite loud, and I wondered what was happening. After a few minutes I heard another person join in, and then another and another and so on. I then realized this was a sign of disapproval of what had happened in Madrid. After 10 mins all I could hear in our Barrio were hundreds of people banging metallic objects. This demonstration of solidarity lasted for about 10 min’s and then one by one the sounds stopped. It was a very emotional moment, and I realised then, how much this event had deeply effected the people here. Until the next edition of Barcelona Travel, Hasta Luego John, (Editor)
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