Maybe you've recently landed in Barcelona with a bike bag full of goodies. Or perhaps you're staying here a while and finally you got your hands on a new shiny bicycle. Either way, you've got your foot on the pedal and you're looking around rather excited. You notice...a bike path painted...red?, a small traffic light flashing...a green bike shape?, a cyclists whistling away riding on...the pavement?! Are there any rules around here?
The Barcelona district of el Raval, located south- west of la Rambla, was a hub of industrialization in the nineteenth century. A centre of entertainment for liberal artists where theatres, brothels, bars and cabarets were plenty, Raval has been dubbed Barrio Chino for its American Chinatown- like bohemian vibe ever since the 1920s.
Saint George, the brave and famous dragon-slaying patron of a whopping eleven European countries and countless regions, towns and islands around the world is given a little break from his busy schedule once a year down in Catalonia. Here, his name is Sant Jordi and his holiday is on the 23rd of April.
The year 2017 marks 25 years since the Olympic Games of 1992 in Barcelona which changed the city forever. The promotional campaign of the city council was launched with such an eagerness that the number of people who volunteered to assist at the Games beat all previous Olympics.
For the last thirty years, democratic Catalan institutions have attempted to protect and promote the use of Catalan. This linguistic normalisation signified a multitude of campaigns and initiatives encouraging the use of the language. You can even go to free classes in the summer now!
Tortilla de patatas, the signature Spanish omlette made with eggs and potatoes is also popular in Catalonia. But do not have this lovely filling treat a la catalana if you are vegetarian, because here they come with sausages!
A fixie is a single-speed bicycle with a leg-powered drivetrain with no freewheel mechanism with the drive cog bolted directly to the hub of the back wheel. Wait...what? Let's break this down.