Camino Barcelona Blog

Hola!

I hope you have had the chance of enjoying one of the warm and sunny Sundays we are having this autumn in Barcelona! If you are not one of the ‘late sleepers’ type, you will probably have seen a lot of people around the city on those days.

Barcelonians try to make the most of their Sundays by spending the day outdoors. The morning starts with going to get the local newspaper, La Vanguardia, in one of the many news stands all over the place. Once you have the newspaper, it is very popular to go and read it in one of the many terraced bars while having a coffee (or chocolate) with churros!

After getting energy with breakfast, a lot of people head towards the different flea markets around the city. A good collectors’ market is Sant Antoni Market, where you will find lots of well priced records, CDs and DVD films. And if you are a comic book fan, you can also get lots of the old and new Spanish versions of Spiderman and other superheroes, a good variety of manga and even old versions of newspapers and (more…)

Dear all,

I hope you have had a fabulous Easter weekend! Me, I went to a city near Barcelona just to relax a bit.

It has been too long since I wrote in our blog for the last time, I was missing it! I was thinking about a good thing to write and suddenly I remembered one of the most repeated questions we get in the school reception desk: Where can we go for lunch/dinner today?

Taking into account that we are in the very city centre of Barcelona and that the available options are endless, I try to recommend students nice restaurants and bars to eat or drink which are on the way to their accommodation. And as most of our students stay now in our Superior apartments I normally tell them a good place on the way from the school to there. Superior accommodation is just 10 minutes walk from here, but there are plenty of options on the way! (more…)

Hi everyone and Happy New Year from all of us!

I hope you have started the year the best way possible. Today I am going to tell you about something happening in Barcelona this Saturday that you can’t miss: The Three Kings Parade!

As other countries in the world have Father Christmas or Santa Claus bringing presents to children and adults, in Spain we have the Three Magic Kings, also known as the Three Wise Men. Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar will be arriving in Barcelona this Saturday to bring presents for everyone! (more…)

Hola!

Are you all back from the Christmas hungover? Well, after 2 days of eating non-stop, we now have to concentrate on burning up all those calories around Barcelona discos! Have you decided what you are doing on New Year’s eve? I know, every year it’s such a headache to think of what you want to do, what your friends want to do, and to make those two coincide…

Well, whether you are here in Barcelona or planning to spend it here or elsewhere in Spain, I will definitely recommend you to consider going to a ‘cotillón’. These parties take place all around Spain in discos or bars. They cost around 30-50 euros, and include a fun-pack to spend the whole night in one place, without having to think ‘where do we go now?’. The fun-pack consists of some free drinks (5 or so), snacks, a ‘cotillón’ bag (with confetti, streamers, a mask and other things) and maybe some tickets to take part in a special draw that night. (more…)

Hi all,

There’s something happening this week that makes Spanish people go crazy… ‘El Gordo de Navidad’ (literally ‘Christmas Fat Guy’)! On 22nd December, this Saturday, there will be millions of Spaniards watching TV (1st channel) like hypnotised from 8 am because the Christmas Lottery Draw is on! This draw is called ‘El Gordo’ because it is the most money played in Spain in the whole year.

Spanish people play the ‘Gordo’ as an old Christmas tradition more than a game. Everybody gets at least one lottery ticket as the one in the picture (’decimo’) to share with their friends, family or work colleagues. They cost 20 euros each, and these can be divided into ‘participaciones’ (tickets with the same number, playing a certain amount of money on that number). For example, if you buy a ‘decimo’, you can share 20 ‘participaciones’ of 1 euro with your friends, family…etc (more…)

Hi!

Well, after we have had Verena, Felipe and Stefania talking about their first or last days in this wonderful city, now it is my turn to tell you about the special weekend which is about to start!

As you may know, Spain is known for our partying, celebrations and very rich culture and traditions. During the whole year, in all around Spain, from the biggest cities like Barcelona or Madrid to the small little villages, you can take part in the ‘FIESTAS‘, or what is the same, the city’s big week! If you have not experienced the real ‘fiesta’ feeling, it’s like you have not seen Spain at all! (more…)

¡Hola gente de Camino! ¿Qué tal sienta vivir en una ciudad tan apasionante como Barcelona? Como cada año en estas fechas, llega uno de los eventos más interesantes y conocidos de la agenda de ocio de la ciudad: las fiestas de Gracia (del 15 al 21 de agosto).

Así como otros barrios barceloneses, Gracia celebra su fiesta mayor llenando de vitalidad sus calles y plazas. Esto se produce en gran parte, gracias a la manera tan original de decorarlas. Los vecinos de cada calle se reúnen y, ajustándose a un tema determinado, la decoran para así darle un aire especial y místico. De hecho, las calles que presentan las propuestas más genuinas son galardonadas con un premio. La calle Verdi, por ejemplo, ya cuenta con una cierta tradición al haber ganado en varias ediciones. Con la foto que aparece a continuación, os podéis hacer una idea de lo que os vais a encontrar. (more…)

¡Hola!

¡Vuelvo a hablaros de música! Hace un tiempo os hablé de los festivales de música en Barcelona este verano. Bien, ¡pues la semana que viene llega ya el PRIMAVERA SOUND! Desde el 1 de Junio podréis ver en Barcelona muchos grupos internacionales en el Fórum durante todo el fin de semana.

Y dentro de poco, el festival dance más importante de toda Barcelona, ¡el SÓNAR! Y en un mesecito, pues ¡el SUMMERCASE! ¡No puedo esperar, no puedo esperar!

Pero claro, el centro del mundo no es Barcelona, (aunque los que vivamos aquí lo pensemos…), así que hay muchos más festivales en toda España que merecen la pena visitar. Si estáis en Barcelona durante los meses de verano, y queréis salir algún fin de semana a otro sitio, l¡a mejor excusa es un festival como los que os voy a explicar!

- MONEGROS DESERT FESTIVAL - Es el 7 de Julio, y aunque es tan sólo durante un día, la verdad es que es bastante intenso. Es principalmente un festival de música dance y hip hop, organizado por una de las discotecas más impresionantes de España, la Florida 135 (¡visita obligada!). El festival tiene lugar en el desierto de los Monegros, en Huesca, provincia de Aragón. (A 2 horas en coche de Barcelona). Podréis ver a grupos como Asian Dub Foundation, Underworld o Snoop Dogg.

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¡Hola chicos!

Hoy soy yo quien os viene a contar las actividades de la semana que viene. Espero que os gusten esta semana también, y que si tenéis alguna idea sobre alguna actividad, ¡enviadme vuestras sugerencias! Las actividades de la semana que viene son:

Hi everyone!

Today it’s me who will tell you about the cultural activities programme for next week. I hope you like them, and if you have any idea about a new activity that you would like to do, please send me your suggestions! Next week’s activities are:

Lunes 21/Monday 21st - 15 hrs

Copa de Bienvenida para los nuevos estudiantes, ¡que es la oportunidad perfecta para que los nuevos conozcan a los viejos estudiantes tomando sangría y unas tapitas!

Welcome Drink for the new students, which is the perfect chance for the new ones to meet the old students having some sangria and some little tapas!

Martes 22/Tuesday 22nd - 14 hrs

Haremos un taller sobre Pablo Picasso donde conoceremos algo más sobre este pintor andaluz, famoso en todo el mundo.

We will do a workshop about Pablo Picasso where we will learn more about this Andalusian painter, who is known all over the world.

Miércoles 23/Wednesday 23rd - 15 hrs Visita al “Palau de la Música” / Visit to ‘Palau de la Música’ concert hall

Visitaremos esta obra del arquitecto Domenech i Muntaner, que es un monumento modernista precioso y una de las principales salas de conciertos del mundo.

We will visit this work by Domenech i Muntaner, which is a beautiful modernist monument and one of the most important concert halls in the world.

Jueves 24/Thursday 24th - 14:15

Iremos a comer un menú del día a un restaurante típico catalán, con primer plato, segundo plato, postre y bebida.

We will go for lunch to a typical catalan restaurant to have a ‘menu del dia’ which consists of starter, main course, dessert and drink.

Viernes 25/Friday 25th - 14:30

Veremos la peli ‘Locos en Alabama’, dirigida por Antonio Banderas con Melanie Griffith.

We will watch the film ‘Crazy in Alabama’, directed by Antonio Banderas starring Melanie Griffith.

¡Que las disfrutéis!

Enjoy!

Rocío

Como muchos debéis saber ya, Barcelona es uno de los principales núcleos del arte contemporáneo en España, en continua lucha con la también capital del arte, Madrid. Ambas ciudades cuentan con un patrimonio artístico y cultural incalculable, aunque de alguna manera creo que Barcelona es conocida por ser más vanguardista que la más tradicional Madrid.

As you should already know, Barcelona is one of the main cities in Spain for contemporary art, in continuous ‘battle’ with the other art capital, Madrid. Both cities have an incalculable artistic and cultural inheritage, although in some way I think Barcelona is known for being more in the forefront of ‘avant-garde’ than the more traditional Madrid.

Por ejemplo, si pensamos en qué museo es el más conocido en Madrid, diríamos El Prado, que cuenta con las obras españolas más importantes anteriores al siglo veinte. En Barcelona, sin embargo, el museo probablemente más conocido podría ser el museo Picasso, gran artista español del siglo veinte, o incluso el CCCB (Centro de Cultura Contemporánea de Barcelona), muy popular también.

For example, if we think which museum is the most popular in Madrid, we would say ‘El Prado’, that has the most important Spanish works from before the 20th century. On the other hand, the most popular museum in Barcelona would be the Picasso museum, or even the CCCB (Barcelona centre for contemporary art), very popular too.

A lo largo del año, aparte de visitar los numerosos museos que tiene Barcelona, también podéis disfrutar de las numerosas ferias de arte que se organizan en las galerías de arte de la ciudad. Por cierto, ¿sabíais que la escuela está rodeada de galerías de arte con exposiciones continuas todo el año? ¡En la misma calle Consell de Cent encontraréis muchas!

Throughout the year, apart from visiting the many museums that there are in Barcelona, you can also enjoy the numerous art exhibitions taking place in the different art galleries in the city. By the way, did you know that our school is surrounded by art galleries with continuous exhibitions all year round? In the same Consell de Cent street you will find many of them!

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