Barcelona Travel Newsletter
Issue #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 Reports
For 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 Madrid
The 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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