Tag Archives: Barcelona

Barcelona Magic line, discover Barcelona differently

Here is an event worth talking about for those of you living in/visiting Barcelona and wanting to do something different: the Barcelona Magic line or BML.

What is the Barcelona Magic Line? Barcelona Magic Line is part of the Magic Line, a fundraising event organised by Saint John of God (San Joan de Deu). San Joan de Deu is a non profit organisation that promotes inclusion and supports people in vulnerable situations. They provide social help, complementary therapies, international cooperation and investigation among other actions. There are several activities related to this fundraising event such as concerts but the main event is the Barcelona Magic Line.

The Barcelona Magic Line itself is a charity walk throught the hills of Barcelona. It goes from the hill of Collserolla to the Plaza de la Catedral through the hill of Montjuic. It is divided in 5 parts defined by distance: 40km, 30km, 20km, 15km and 10km. Each section departs from a specific area at specific times. Walkers are composed by teams of 5 to 20 people. People of all ages and from all background can participate: friends, colleagues, family, groups, schools etc.

View from the hill of Collserola

So how does it work? Well, each team sets a financial goal for itself. It then organises activities to raise money up to a certain deadline. The day of the walk, everyone gets a BML scarf, a map to stamp at each milestone and a plastic cup. Just for information, there is a subscribing fee of 40 euros to pay by each team who joins.

It is an enjoyable walk especially because the weather is always nice: sunny but not too hot. You can see different sides of Barcelona: Collserolla and all the turistic sites around Montjuic. Indeed, walkers wearing their distinctive scarves have access to support and free activities all along the walk. They receive fresh fruit, sweets and a few goodies. But most of all, free accesses to several sites: the Caixa Forum, Pueblo Espanyol, the MNAC, the Miro Foundation, the Olympic and Sports museum, the Olympic Stadium and the Botanical Garden. So you can have a “two c” walk with the BML and combine charity and culture (I just invented the concept he he!!).

Here is why you should join the BML next year!

Walking along the Montjuic castle

This year, I discovered the Botanical Garden thanks to the Magic Line. It is a very nice and relaxing place. I plan to explore it more in the near future. Every year, I also look forward to walking around the Montjuic castle. I like this majestuous stone building and the clear and beautiful view of the sea from there.

I guess there is no real need to repeat how much I like walking the BML after all this. But I will anyway:). I like walking the BML because I can help a very good cause and give back to the community I live in. And I get a lot of bonuses in addition. I get to spend time with my colleagues in a different way. I get to exercise walking my 20km and enjoy fresh air. I get to enjoy a nice and solidaire atmosphere among the walkers, I get to visit for free all the museums around Montjuic and…I get to discover Barcelona under a different light.

So next year people, join the Barcelona Magic Line! You can only win and so are the ones you are helping out!

http://www.magiclinesjd.org

Where to eat good crepes in Barcelona

As you might remember last Tuesday was Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday! And in my world (and I hope in yours too after reading this post), this means Pancake Time! Except that with my French side, it is more of a “crepes” moment! And when I mean “Crepes”, I mean Breton’s crepes: savoury and sweet ones. They are the best! So where do you go to eat good crepes in Barcelona?

Well I have tried two places in the city. And I am only going to talk about the second one which I liked best. Anyway, I was so little impressed by the first one that I don’t even remember its name. Therefore, I would like to talk about “Les 3 pommes” today. “Les 3 pommes” is the French for “The 3 Apples”. It is quite relevant since Breton’s crepes are usually served with French apple cider. The best in the world in my opinion. It has this really peculiar yet light apple taste that invades your palate in a good way.

“Les 3 pommes” serves a great assortment of pancakes. Savoury ones are usually made out of buckwheat flour. It gives the pancake a particular texture and flavour. I like my crepe classical so I choose the complete one: cheese, ham, mushrooms and egg. It is not quite the same as the ones I used to have in Paris. But it is not far off. Still delicious with all the melting cheese. I can taste every single ingredient of the recipe too and that is a plus. My friend had a spinach one and was raving about it. So I can tell, the place IS good!

Having a bowl of cider with my crepe!

We wolfed down our crêpes with a jar of cider served in bowls.Very traditionnal! And also very tasty! You might wonder why cider is served in bowls in Breton’s crêperies. Well, history tells that in the old days, glass and earthenware were not so common. Everyone was then making their own crokery, most of the time with terra cotta. Glasses (the recipient) used to look more like small bowls which are nowadays called “bolées”. Well, you now have a chance to experiment those in “Les 3 pommes” if you don’t know what I am talking about.

After our main, we shared a crêpe suzette: filled with orange marmalade and then flambéed with Grand Marnier. I don’t have a sweet tooth but I thought it was the nicest pancake I have had in a while: the marmalade was not too sweet yet tasted like orange (better right?) and it was very boozy (a good thing in my book)! The chef even flambéed it in front of our eyes. Yep & yum! I recommend the place.

If you too go and try, leave us a comment here!

https://www.facebook.com/CreperiaLes3Pommes/

Great mexican restaurant in Sagrada Familia: La torteria mexicana

This is my first post in 2017. It took me a while to get back on my horse but now that I am on it… I won’t stop. This first post is going to be about my favourite Mexican restaurant in Barcelona: La Torteria Mexicana!!!

One great Mexican restaurant

As you guessed, the Torteria Mexicana serves…Mexican food… They actually serve “tortas” (a kind of Mexican sandwiches) and “tacos”. I must admit, I never tried the tortas because I like their tacos so much I just want to have them all the time! They offer the pastor one (pork and pineapple), a beef one, a chorizo one, a spicy chicken one and a coriander marinated chicken one. They are all good, although I prefer the pastor and the chicken ones. My order is usually the same: a pastor one and one of two types of chicken. Did I say that they were so tasty??? The food tastes homemade. So are the spicy (very spicy) sauces.

The Torteria Mexicana also serves good drinks: Mexican beers (but that is expected), Micheladas and cocktails. I love their Micheladas, it is a Mexican drink made out of beer, lemon juice and a mix of sauces. They are the best I have ever tried in Barcelona or any other part of the world for that matter so far. I have also tried a Mezcal cocktail once. It was really good but I still prefer their Micheladas.

Their plus: promotional nights and home deliveries

This Mexican restaurant is warm and very small. The colours are very happy so it is enjoyable to just sit there and enjoy the food and the drinks. The other good thing about the place is that they have special nights. On Wednesdays, they offer the taco pastor for 1 euro from 8pm. They used to have a cocktail night on Thursdays too. But since I am all about the tacos, I never came back to check Thursday nights. But even without those promotional nights, I do think that their food is affordable: less than 2 euros a taco and 3 euros a beer.

To tell you how good the food is, I invited my best friend there for a dinner when she came to visit me here in Barcelona. She loved it so much she keeps on asking to go back every time she is in the city. If you don’t have time to come over or want to try the tacos in the comfort of your home, they also do home deliveries. I have not tried this service so this is purely for information.

https://www.facebook.com/latorteriamexicana/

Theater, find out why I love “Orgasmos”…

Coming up to Christmas AND New Year’s eve, I have decided to go healthier. And going healthier for me meant less drinking and watching out what I eat. Of course in this state of mind, I had to find new activities – different from eating, in case I was not really clear ;).

So last friday, a friend of mine and myself looked for a show or a play to go to… We found a play in the Teatre del Raval, a theater in Raval. The title? “Orgasmos”. No need to translate that one right?

“Orgasmos”… with a name like that would you not be intrigued too? I am curious and so was my friend. We booked our tickets: 16 euros online, 20 euros on site. That is good value for entertainment if you want my opinion.

The play started with an intro from the two characters: a man and a woman. They display a strong and positive energy. Good sign! “Orgasmos” is a comedy about men and women’s differences and about couple’s life. A kind of practical version of “Men are from Mars, Women from Venus”. I was skeptical about enjoying it as my spanish is not super fluent (ah, and yes it is in spanish!) but the dialogues were clear and understandable (or I have a better spanish than what I thought I had ;)!

Moreover, the play was very funny. I laughed a lot from the beginning to the end of it. And that play lasted 1h20mn. That is a lot of good fun. The actors were both terrific and so expressive. However, I have a particular fondness for the actress’s performance.

I don’t really want to share too much. I don’t want to give away the show. But I do recommend it. To book your ticket, click here.

Last minute plan: Chrismas fest today!

Looking to get in the Christmas mood? Search no more and check out the Oso WinterFest! This is a new event in town.

OSO wanted to create “something that transports people and helps them forget the everyday nonsense that drags them down in daily life”. And so they took over the Monastery of Sant Miquel in Poble Espanyol. Oso put up the Oso WinterFest only for our pleasure, eyes and senses! Indeed the festival includes live music, street food, movies and a market among other surprises.

The Oso WinterFest runs over this week end (Saturday and sunday). And today is the last day. But there is still time, so hurry to get a ticket! I am particularly interested in the movies they are broadcasting. I love watching Christmas movies. This afternoon, they will show “Home alone” with Macaulay Culkin (bring on the childhood memories) and “It’s a wonderful life”, a (much) older movie.

I salute Oso’s initiative to remind us that Chrismas is one of the most wonderful time of the year. And I will go today. Ticket is 12 euros each. They can be bought online. See you there!

Oso Winterfest link, click here.

The post Christmas event review

I went to the Oso Winterfest on Sunday afternoon as planned.

The Monastery is a beautiful building by itself but with all the lights and the Chrismas tree it got a magical touch as well. The bands were amazing and “Home alone” funny (but that is expected). We got a free beer as a surprise. That is a nice touch! I liked everything. Next year, I hope they will come back with more Christmas atmosphere!

Barcelona experience: Dinner “Dans le noir”, eating in the dark

In my post about laser tag and eating at la Boqueria :), I wrote about some activities I did with my parents. They came to visit me here in Barcelona. Then my dad left while my mum stayed a bit longer. I wanted her to have a special experience for her last night in Barcelona so we went for dinner to a restaurant “Dans le noir” (French for “in the dark”).

When “Dans le noir” opened for the first time in Paris, I was living in…Paris. The opening made a big (goood) fuss! Such a revolutionary concept: a restaurant where you will eat entirely in the dark served by blind waiters. “Dans le noir” restaurant is a chain of restaurants that is now present in several cities including Barcelona! And here in Barcelona, it is situated in Born.

That was the perfect idea for a special night out, especially that some friends went a few days before and seemed enthusiastic about the experience. I won’t talk about the decor. You guessed: everything happens in the… dark. The staff is very welcoming. Once you arrive, you drop your coat, bags and anything that makes light in the lockers. Then they explain the concept to you: eating in the dark is a human and a sensory experience. Human because you put yourself in the shoes of visually impaired and blind people. Indeed, the waiting staff is all blind. Sensory because as you cannot see, you have to use your other 4 senses!!!

Then, we chose our menu. There were three options. We opted for the main with dessert and a cocktail. It is not so cheap if you just consider the food. But taking the whole experience into account, the price is ok. “Dans le noir”, you don’t know what you will eat nor drink. Everything is unknown. So you need to go with an open mind.

So what about the experience itself?

Entering “Dans le noir”

The staff introduced us to our waitress for the night, Pilar. And then we entered in single file behind her holding each other on the shoulders. Being in the dark is quite daunting at the beginning. I panicked a bit in the beginning. The music also seemed so loud. Thankfully I was with my mum so I felt safer. Not that it was dangerous, of course not!

Our waitress sat us down. She showed us where we would find our napkin and cutlery. Then she left. She advised us not to move from our seat so not to hurt ourselves or anyone else. To be honest, I would not dare, it was pitch dark. They did not want to tell me how they make the room so sombre so I cannot share the secret. My fork fell, it sounded like hell. It was so strange to be sitting there in the dark. I tried to guess the room setting, how big it was and where the big group I saw upstairs was. I could only hear them, they spoke really loud. The staff warned us that sometimes people shouted as they did not have any idea of the distances between themselves.

In that darkness, I felt alone and at the same time I could sense others’ presence. Seconds seemed like eternity. Finally, our waitress brought our cocktail. We handed her our hands and she transferred the glass. My drink was too sweet. My tastebuds went crazy. I did not recognise all of the 3 ingredients it was made of. My mum and I tried to guess them but we could not agree. I strongly believe I recognised one fruit juice though.

Eating “Dans le noir”…

Our neighbours got their first course and we could sense Pilar standing beside them and asking how it was. Then we had our main. She brought two hot plates in the dark…I am amazed. How could she also recognise where we were? I strongly felt the heat of the ceramic when taking my plate. I used my fork and grabbed something – we had four elements on our plate. That bite was familiar. I won’t describe the menu as it will be the same for a while.

In the dark, I pay more attention textures and tastes. I am not distracted by anything else. The second element seemed to be a piece of meat. It was too difficult to cut it with a knife and fork. I have no patience so I ate with my hands…I think a majority of people end up like me. My fingers became sticky and sweet with some sauce. I recognised the other elements. But my mother and I do not agree on what we ate again.

Sometimes I could not name what I had. The name was on the tip of my tongue but it was not coming out. So frustrating… A visual would have helped greatly in those moments but I was in the dark (haha!). I could hear my neighbours talk. They were also trying to guess what they ate. I answered some of the questions although they were not addressed to me… In the dark, restraint did not seem to exist. They put a name on that thing I was desperately looking for. We helped each other exchanging information.

The food was simple but delicious. Dessert came with its lot of textures and flavours. Then dinner was over.

The end of the experience

We waited for a while in the dark to enjoy our final minutes. And I almost fall asleep. For me being in the dark equals bed time. It had been difficult to leave. We went back to the bar. They showed us what we ate. I recognised 80% of the food and the drink. What I did not recognise where usually things I rarely have, like gin! In the end, all these times I spent eating (and appreciating) had a purpose other than thickening my waistline… I enjoyed that experience. It was something very different to do and eye opening…

I have a lot of admiration for visually impaired and blind people who go by everyday life. It had been challenging to try to do simple things like eating with cutlery. I cannot imagine myself carrying hot plates across a dark room and serve it to the right customer…

If you too, you have experienced eating “dans le noir”, leave us your impressions.

Fun for adults and kids: Laser tag in the heart of Barcelona

I planned a surprise birthday for a loved one 😉 and tried to come up with a new and fun activity to do. While speaking with friends, the idea of “laser tag” came up and I decided to dig up around that theme as it sounded quite fun.

Laser tag is like paintball. It is a game played in team or individually (depending on the number of players). Each player wears a jacket with infrared-sensitive targets that other players hit with a laser ray. At the beginning, it seemed hard to find a place in Barcelona. Usually for space reasons, paintball venues are situated out of town and therefore require a car. So it had been a nice surprise to find Play Point right in the middle of Barcelona in Carrer de Comte Borrell, 88.

It is not a fancy venue but the gamefield itself is big enough to enjoy. It is indoor so it is perfect for cold weather and rainy days like now in October. The price is also attractive: 7.50 Euros for a game, 13 euros for 2 and 18 euros for 3.

Laser tag: game on!

After a 5mn briefing, each player gets his jacket. Then the game is on. You cannot run in the corridors. That limits physical exhaustion if you are a tad lazy like me. When you play individually, you play against each other and try to score points hitting the others. In teams, you protect a base. Shooting the base is worth 2000 points and it is quite exciting to enter the adversary camp to try to hit it.

Anyone can play laser tag: kids, teens and adults (even my 65 year old mum, yes she is cool!). As we were just two of us the first time, they added us to a team of teenagers who took us under their wings. We fought against some kids and their parents who came for a birthday.

It was quite fun to go around and try to win points targeting adversaries, all this in the dark. It was also fun to hide and to protect oneself not to be a target. I was so focused in the game, I forgot the time and lived completely in the present. 20 mn felt like eternity. And the bonus? As you play with laser light, the game is much less painful than with paintball balls. No bruises going home!! But even if the venue is not huge and running is prohibited, you still do sweat! So if you go, don’t plan a fancy dinner like I did afterwards! They don’t have showers…

Barcelona experience: eating at la Boqueria market

Today, I want to talk about a Barcelona experience I had: eating at the Boqueria market.

This is one thing I had on my Barcelona bucket list. I do have several bucket lists organized by categories: must-do trips, must-do experiences, must-go-to places, must-do in Barcelona. And this is where we are at!

A landmark and a must-visit here in Barcelona, the Boqueria is famous for being “the” place where you can find almost anything from the food department. Are you looking for cassava leaves? La Boqueria. Bull testicules? La Boqueria. Exotic fruits? La Boqueria… The whole market offers a rich choice of fruit, vegetable, fish, meat and local specialties.

The market does not only sell food. It also hosts a good number of market stalls well renowned for the quality and freshness of their products. And this is what I planned to try out. Luckily for me, my parents went on a first exploration and found a place they raved about. So we headed there for lunch two Saturdays ago.

Eating fresh seafood at la Boqueria

The place we went to was called Kiosko Universal. It was mainly serving seafood. There is a counter where you can observe the cooks while they grill fish and shells.

All the seats at the counter were taken so we waited for a free table. We gave our name to the waiter and waited until he cleaned up. Tables are given on a first come, first serve basis. We did not have to wait much though. The turnover was quite fast although the place was always busy. But we did have to wait a while before our order was taken and before being served.

The whole staff was very nice. So the wait was the only minus. There were locals and tourists alike enjoying the food. For me, the presence of locals in a touristy area means that the food is good. Don’t you think the same? While sitting, we could observe passer-bys, hear the echo of the noise from the market and the happy chatters, smell the food cooking. The atmosphere was very nice and happy.

The menu was simple. Some Spanish specialties like pimientos del padron. But we came for seafood so seafood we will have! We ordered oysters, a parrillada de mariscos (a platter of grilled seafood with mussels, cockles, crawfish, calamari, prawns and razor clams) and a mixed mushroom dish.

To accompany the whole lot, a bottle of white wine, Afortunado, which I never heard of before but was very good. In fact, everything was delicious and really fresh. These were the perks of having supplies at hand.

All in all, eating at la Boqueria was a great experience: the food, the wine, the atmosphere and of course the company were unmatched. A market stall to revisit or a new one to try out, this experience is definitely to repeat!!!

Seafood lovers, go to Paradeta!
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Are you a seafood lover? Then La Paradeta is the perfect place for you! I had brought friends and family here and everytime the food was a hit among them. That shellfish bar... So what is so special about La Paradeta? The whole eating concept is unusual: first, the entire place is dedicated to…
Tags: la, barcelona, seafood, fish, place, food

Secret spot #2: Calle Blai & Blai tonight for pintxos

Ok, this is not a “secret spot” per se as I am talking about an entire street here, Calle Blai, in general and a place in particular, Blai Tonight. These places are my secret spots number 2 after the Horta Labyrinth.

So why are they of interest?

They are of interest because these places don’t get the credit they deserve. First of all, Calle Blai as a street is a lively pedestrian street, full of nice and cheap tapas bars. More pinchos bars than tapas bars to be honest.

And here, I want to speak about one place in particular, Blai Tonight, because I have a special fondness for this place. This is one of the places I had been to on my first year in Barcelona. I did spend many friday evenings there. And now because of their popularity they opened a second local just beside the first one. They also have a terrace.

I have taken family and friends here when they came for a visit to Barcelona. Everyone has been happy about the experience: tasty and varied pinchos (with avocados, with prawns, with ham and quail eggs, sausage and pimiento de padron and so on…), nice atmosphere (it is always full of foreigners living in Barcelona and locals ), it is cheap (between 1 and 1,5 euros a pincho) with equally cheap beers (less than 2 euros). In Calle Blai, there are also different sorts of croquettes. But I do prefer the pinchos.

For those of you who don’t know it, a pincho is a piece of bread with toppings fixed with a toothpick. This is why they are called “pinchos” because of the spike. The toothpicks prevent the ingredients from falling off, but they also help the bartender to keep a track of how many pinchos a customer had. Pinchos traditionnally come from the North of Spain but you can now find them everywhere.

A pincho experience involves you receiving a plate and a plastic glass to keep your toothpicks. Then you go to the bar, order your drink and help yourself with pinchos. At the end of the night, you give back your glass of toothpicks to the waiter. He will count them, add them to your drinks’price and then present you with the bill.

One nice memory is when I went with my whole family: parents, sister and nephews (the ones I spent 10 days of Chrismas in Montreal with). The kids were still very small. Despite the place being busy, the waiter made room for the buggy. And when one of the boys started to cry because of the crowd, they were really patient and did not give us any bad looks. You know, this look, the same one people give to you when you have a kid and sit beside them in the plane. This look that says “this is my luck, a kid beside me, adios to my quiet trip!”.

I also have that memory of a secret service agent looking after my laptop while I was choosing my pinchos. Yeah, I don’t joke. I was waiting for a friend and in the meantime wanted to eat something. I tried to keep an eye on my bag on the other side of the room while choosing pinchos. He showed me his badge and told me: “Don’t worry nobody will touch your bags”. I probably won’t recognise him if I meet him again but I had been very grateful on the moment. I took my time to choose my pinchos and my laptop was still there when I came back to my seat…

To read about my secret spot #1, the Horta Labyrinth, click here. And if you try Blai tonight, come back and leave your impression!

Post edit: I have been back to Calle Blai last month and got a bit disappointed on the quality of pintxos. Is Blai Tonight a victim of its success? I think Calle Blai is still a place to visit when you come to Barcelona. When you go, leave us a comment!

The fiesta de Gracia is on this week!

Do not forget! The best street festival in Barcelona, the fiesta de Gracia is on now. It will run from august 15th to sunday, 21st.

One highlight of summer in Barcelona, this festival provides us with another week of partying and admiring streets decorations. Indeed, during the fiesta, each neighbourhood will compete to be the best decorated street in Gracia. Standards are really high and the competition is fierce for our eyes pleasure. There will also be food, music and shopping possibilities with the different stalls.

Can you guess who will win the competition this year?

To get the full program, go to the official website.