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Gracia was once an ancient village located outside of Barcelona until it became part of the main city after L’Eixample was built towards the end of the 19^th Century. Now one the many barrios of Barcelona it is characterized by its narrow streets, a stark contrast to that of the wide boulevards of L’Eixample bustling with traffic.

This once old part of town has now found itself as one of the modernist sections of the city and as such has become a haven for stylish bars and trendy restaurants. Many of these can be found in the squares or plazas which populate the area. These are always buzzing with activity and are particularly popular with the younger crowd who have been responsible for the spectacular boom with places to eat, drink or just chat the night away.

The well known square of Plaça del Sol is certainly worth a visit and if so a trip to the Envalira restaurant should be on your list of things to do. Its Eastern/Asian dishes are famous in the area and its atmosphere is welcoming to families and young people alike. Its opening hours are Tuesday – Saturday 1.30 – 4.30 pm and 9pm – 12am and with an average meal costing between €20 and €30 it is accessible to most budgets.

After a nice meal, the more youthful crowd can visit the Mond Bar also conveniently located in the Plaça del Sol. It offers a great variety of drinks and different DJ’s every month ensure that you could spend many a weekend dancing to your hearts content. If clubs aren’t your thing or you’r looking for a quieter end to the night with the kids then why not take them to the Teatreneu? Located on Carrer de Terol, only a short walk from Plaça del Sol, it offers a wide range of entertainment from plays to stand –up comics and even musicals.

Gracia – Easily accessible by metro on Line 3 (Green) at Fontana or Lesseps

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Sunday is traditionally a day or rest, something taken quite seriously in Spain, a day that most people laze about on. Some use it to clean the house or to simply read a book. With many local shops and businesses closed it may seem there’s nothing else to do but sit in or go for drink. But your time could be much better spent!

They say nothing in life is free, but that certainly isn’t true in Barcelona. There’s good news for the culture-vultures out there or those wishing to broaden their horizons. Museums are free on the first Sunday of the month!!!

Of course being the cultural city it is, Barcelona has a plethora of museums to visit and with the majority of them only opening between the hours of 10am – 3pm you obviously have a limited amount of time in which to see what you want. Each museum varies in size and the amount there is to see so I’ve picked 4 worthwhile ones that geographically ensure you don’t waste too much of your time travelling between them.

1. Zoological Museum (Parc de la Ciutadella) – The museum itself is located in the Castel dels Tres Dragons (Castle of the Three Dragons), which was built in the 19th Century to resemble a medieval castle. It is home to a comprehensive insect collection and on the ground you will find a skeleton of a whale and mammoth. Upstairs in the museum houses many stuffed animals, birds eggs and preserved reptiles and amphibians. You can access the museum from Passeig de Pujades outside of the Parc.

2. Picasso Museum – Arguably the most popular museum in all of Barcelona. It was first opened in 1963 but it wasn’t until after 1968 that Picasso himself made a significant contribution to the museum. Among items you will find there are; school books, academic pieces and paintings from Picasso’s Blue Period. The museum is located on Carrer de Montcada 15-23.

3. Barbier Mueller Museum of Pre-Colombian Art – Conveniently located directly opposite the Picasso museum on Carrer de Montcada, 14. Here you will find Latin American artworks dating from 1500BC up to the 16th Century. Opened in 1997, the collection isn’t very big but but still you are able to view jewellery, pottery, textiles, wooden and stone statues and metallic pieces.

4. MACBA – The Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art. Located in Raval, this gallery opened in late 1995. The collections come from three different periods of time; the first is the 1940s – 60s, the second spans the 60s and 70s and the third is the contemporary period. The museum can b found at Plaza dels Angels, 1.

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The ‘Can Paisano’ bar, best known as ‘La champañería’ is one of the most frequented in Barcelona for locals and tourists alike. They serve hot and cold sandwiches, relying on a small stall at the back from which you can get cava, cheeses and meats.

The experience begins when we arrive at the place as its very individual, traditional décor will catch your eye immediately. Remember to arrive early (before 2pm) as you will undoubtedly find a queue to get in.

Once inside you ought to get yourselves near the bar in order to set your drinks down, as there are no tables in here, however it is all part of the unforgettable experience that it provides us.

The selection of sandwiches on offer is as big as its history and tradition, so I’m sure that you will find something according to your own tastes. For people that have a king’s palate and the stomach of a worker like me, I recommend that you try the rib and pepper sandwich.

In this place the simplicity in the way things work is always emphasized, just like its décor, and in the way in which you order and continuing in this way la champañeria only offers 2 types of drink, cava or water. For groups of 4 or more, remember that for every 4 sandwiches that you buy, you can get a bottle of cava for only 5€.

That is why a visit to la champañeria is always a pleasant experience which you will undoubtedly enjoy.

If you want to visit it, it is situated in Barceloneta on Calle Reina Crisitna and the closest metro station is Barceloneta which is found on the yellow line L4.

For more information, visit their website at www.canpaixano.com

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I was recently speaking to a friend, a local of Barcelona, and was asking about any big music festivals that were happening in the city soon. That is when he told me all about the ‘Festival Primavera Sound’ that takes place at the end of May every year. Naturally I was intrigued so as soon as I got home I had to do my research and find out all about it and who would play at it!

So I got on the internet and discovered that this is the 9^th year that it has been held and each year it has offered music fans the chance to see the newest bands while mixing in some of more the well known and established artists. It gives unknown or less reputable groups the chance to showcase their talent and make their name in the cut throat world of the music industry.

The concert takes place at Barcelona’s Parc del Fòrum and lasts for 3 days from 28^th – 30^th May. The music seems to be pretty wide ranging with a lot of it coming from the Rock, Pop and Electro genres. There is a massive line up of bands and I couldn’t go into naming them all now, but after glancing through list of names of the bands you can get a fair idea that its certainly not a concert for mainstream artists!

Names like ‘Tokyo Sex Destruction’ and ‘Fucked Up’ certainly grab your attention, even if it’s just to offend you! 90’s Brit Pop fans will no doubt recognise the name of Jarvis Cocker, the former frontman of the popular Pulp. And a more popular British band of recent times will be making an appearance in the form of Bloc Party.

You can your ticket now from various stores now (see link below for a full list). From now until 15^th April you can get a 3 day ticket for 145€ and 1 day ticket for 60€. The venue is locate on the coast very close to Diagonal Mar shopping centre.

Don’t miss out! Get yours now, I certainly will!

http://www.primaverasound.com/index.php?idioma=en&sec=home

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