
Hipster before hipsters were mainstream
There are lots of secret places in Barcelona, lots of not so famous places despite the quality of their service, food, drinks or prices. There are so many places that will be the labor of a lifetime to point out every single outstanding corner of this ever changing city… There are too disappeared places, demolished in times when nobody cared about the value – architectonical, historical or symbolical – for a city with too much history. Today I’m speaking about the most luxuri

SEPTEMBER 11TH OF 1714 - SEPTEMBER 11TH OF 2014
Tomorrow is the Day of Catalonia. On September 11th of 1714 (yes, this year is the 300th anniversary) Barcelona fell after a prolonged siege and were heavily punished. The background history is this: Spain didn’t have a king and several European Houses, just like in Game of Thrones, fought for the vacant throne. The final showdown were Austria vs Borbon, a German and a French lineage. While Spain was mainly supporting Borbon, Catalonia were supporting Austria for the reason t

The Smurfs and Us
The meaning of some objects in the folklore – sometimes - is hidden under layers of dust, and few people know the nature of that object. Talking about Catalonia, there is one really interesting: the barretina. You can think that is a traditional cap a little bit eccentric - just like every Catalonian that respect himself – and quite colorful and distinctive for the usually monochromatic clothes of a peasant. But the truth is that is a sign of rebellion. This is the story: the

Season Finale in the Indie Clubs series
I’ve been in a big bunch of places (whose names I’m not going to reveal), where after getting the first sip of my drink the full lyrics of a famous song by Alice Cooper start scrolling inside my head. That’s because I only drink things the barman uncap before my eyes. This idea came to my head last Friday, when suddenly this song starts playing in Fantastico Club and I found out that I was enjoying my drink as much as the music. Indie music, great night and stories to tell: a

Smoll but killer!
In our “Week of the Indies”, we are visiting another classic in Barcelona: Smoll. This time it’s a comfortable place to pass the hours with a bunch of friends. Great music, awesome decoration and the most charming bartender you’ll have the chance to meet. Accept a couple of recommendations if you are planning to go. The first one is that you order a mojito. The second one is that you must be careful with the bartender: he is going to kill you… with his kindness. For more info

24 hour party people
You know those places that are cool? Cool for the cool? Naive cool? With the aspiration to be cooler everyday? That is Manchester Bar. Usually the trendy places keep unknown and undiscovered, hidden in conveniently narrow streets and surrounded by signs that advertise that there is something worthy to discover very near... if you know how to search. A priori, there is nothing new inside, but for sure they will be the first to offer. How themselves say: “the coolest music is f

There is a place...
Ok, I pull my mask out and declare myself dedicated fan of the Beatles “Ha! You have nothing to do living in Barcelona!” Will say someone. But that someone is wrong. In Les Corts you can have a great night in a blend of museum and nuts Beatles fan heaven called La Garrafa dels Beatles. A place full of Day Trippers and Lady Madonnas, where the counter is made of Norwegian Wood. The perfect place to find a quiet corner and Hold Her Hands to find out if She Loves You. Or maybe y

Unawared Art Pieces
“An image worth one thousand words” it’s a common expression in spanish that use to mean “don’t tell me: show me”. But it’s too the perfect definition of art: things you need to say, but it will take too long to tell, so you draw it. Our topic today is the art. Not any art, but street art. Barcelona is one of the most important cities for street art, and where the most important member of this speciality has left some of their works. Yes, Barcelona is one of the most importan

The Secret Homage
Don’t you think Barcelona is the perfect scenario for one of those Freemasons Stories that people read in the metro? It’s the excuse to blame the Freemasons for everything evil that ever happened, or relate evil to something less ghostly and complicated than Market Laws. The corny true is that the Freemasons were no more than Trade Unions when the associations of workers were illegal and punished (think about how it works as a secret message: who is the freemason now, Dan Bro

Can I buy you another (ridiculously cheap) drink?
This time we are talking about Raïm. The problem is that nobody knows where this place is or have never heard of it... That's because everybody knows this low-cost bar as "El Cubano", and if you ask, they will tell you is in Gràcia. Yeah, you can order anything you want to drink, but it's not very recommended to ignore their delicious mojitos. You are warned. A Latino bar with a lovely reminiscence of the vintage Havanna that doesn't remember the tyranny, but the charm of the