Barcelona Travel Guide by Hostal Residencia Australia

The lost happy luggage

Here we are celebrating that the luggage had arrived. Yolanda flew 300 km and her bag courtesy of KLM , (we have no idea how they got hold of a bag for a local light as they fly only international) flew 6000 km for free around europe.

Yolanda had wished she had been part of the 6000 km trip.

In the picture we have Yolanda Zhang, me, and Jingjing Ma.

Barcelona tapas, another one to savour

Bohèmic
Manso, 42 – 08015 Barcelona
Tel. 93 424 06 28

A good traditional and modern tapas bar, with not many tourists very close to Hostal Residencia Australia

Bohemica shows a retro decoration and a selection of tapas called 1900 and another called 2000.
The 1900 tapas would be the traditional as the “patatas bravas” the brave potatoes , “buñuelos de bacaloo” fried cod in batter, small squids, roasted beef croquets and many more.
The 2000 selection would be a more creative one , grilled foie, the micuit , a beef carpaccio served with apple foam, tuna sashimi pizza, hare cannelloni ( Rabbit, more or less)
Frances Gimeno is the chef.
The cured meats are good and also try a beverage very difficult to find and very typical of cataluna, “el vermut casero”.
For some nice tapas you might end up spending around 20 to 25 euros per person.
Please enjoy my tip of the day

Would you still fight until death for your loved one? Give it a try.

Do I love her so much? Barcelona daytrip

Today I recommend an interesting day out in Callela, a small town right next to Barcelona and on the coast. On the 12th and 13th of June they celebrate a medieval fare showing Catalan life back in the good old days.

Just imagine what life would have been like. No need for manners, you could be filthy as a pig and still be loved. Nothing like fighting until death for your loved one. Things have not changed since then, have they? . When we wanted a girl we would just show up and chop off any competitors head. Yes things were good in the old days.

I have just read through the programme they advertise and it seems like fun.

You will be able to experience what is was like to hunt with a hawk.

You will be able to make a tapestry for Grandma or some warm underwear.

Barcelona tapestry,

You will learn how to shape boulders for house building. This seems very practical for present day recession awareness

You will learn how to make plates, bottles, cure headaches with herbs.

And of course you will be able to eat what they were eating back then. This I am really looking forward as I have always wanted to have a wild boar for myself as in Asterix and Obelix

See you all there

Thomas Lorenzo

La europea desunida.

Me he quedado sorprendido de la falta de información de los gobiernos locales durante el caos aéreo vivido el mes pasado. Es importante que el viajero sepa que Europa aun estando unida es una región desunida. Las fronteras existen y cada país es soberano de su existencia. Si alguien se encuentran que quiera viajar de España a Francia en transporte publico es mas fácil pensar en viajar hasta una frontera , cruzar y desde allí coger otro transporte. Existen muchos trenes y autobuses desde los pueblos de las fronteras ya que es lógico que los ciudadanos necesiten viajar por su país. Pero existen muy muy pocos trenes y autobuses que crucen fronteras. Espero que este consejo les ayude si algún día se encuentren atascados en Barcelona.

Barcelona day trip selection by Hostal Residencia Australia

A day trip from Barcelona

Banyoles is a small town about 100 km from Barcelona. This link takes you to the google maps.

It takes about an hour to get there but the trip is worthwhile because of the scenery and it´s famous lake.

Lago de Banyoles, Girona, Catalunya, España

What I find interesting in Banyoles is a new museum that has been opened that consists of a real reconstruction of a Neolicthic village. This is the only one of it´s kind on the Iberian peninsula.

Parc neolític de la draga

The remains and ruins date back from 5200 BC

Now this can be good fun to see what the village would have looked like 7 thousand years ago.

Parc Neolitic de la Draga, Banyoles, Girona, Catalunya. España

Did they have star bucks?

Now the only way to see the village is to organise in advance a visit Tel. 972 57 64 99
arqueolitic@arqueolitic.com

Barcelona day trip, wine and modernist arquitecture

isit the Penedes wine region.
A day trip from Barcelona , where you rent a car and enjoy some very pretty nature , history and end up visiting the modernist buildings of the freixenet , codorniu wine cellars constructed by the modernist arquitect Puig i Cadafalch.

It is very easy to rent a car for the day so no worries here. At our reception I will give you a detailed itenary that we could also map on google for you and you car navigator.

Easy very easy.

This will give you a chance to discover a region only 30 km from Barcelona next to Monsterrat where most of the famed catalan cava is produced.

Here are some pictures that might help you decide .

a nice view of a part of the penedes wine region

Depending on when you go you might get a chance to see the human towers in action called the castellers. When they tumble and fall you will here bones crack.

The human towers in action , the castellers

This is a nice view of the freixenet cellars .

A front view of the cellars

This next little map gives you an idea of the 30 km route we propose as a day trip outside Barcelona.

The wine region we propose to visit

The route will go through the following landmarks

Vilafranca del Penedès,
The church of Sant Cristòfol.


Guardiola de Font-rubí
Pla del Penedès.
Santa Maria de Bellver
Sant Pere de Riudebitlles,
The church of Sant Pere,
The gothic palace of the marquesos de Llo
The romanic churches of Sant Marçal, d’estil romànic, i Santa Maria.
Modernist arquitecture of the Casa Mestres, l’Ateneu Agrícola, l Freixenet and Codorniu

Answers / Respuestas Barcelona Quiz

In what year ( approximately )were the walls of the city of Barcelona torn 
down coinciding with a general strike and the death of of 6400 people from 
cholera ?
1854
What was the approximate population of Barcelona in 1920 and in 1492?
710 000 and 20 000
In what year was the inquisition abolished in Spain ?
1820
In what palace was Columbus received by the kings of Spain in Barcelona?
Salon del Tinell
In what year did the construction of the barrio de la Barceloneta of Barcelona start ?

1753
Who was Tete Montoliu and what big band did he record with in Barcelona?
Catalan Jazz pianists and he recorded with thre big band del Taller de musics

¿En qué año, aproximadamente, fueron derruidas las murallas de la Cuidad de Barcelona , coiniciendo con una huelga general y con la muerte de 6400 personas por cólera?
1854
¿Cuál era la población aproximada de la Cuidad de Barcelona en 1920 y en 1492?
710 000 and 20 000
¿En qué año se abolió la Inquisición en España?
1820
¿En qué palacio de Barcelona fue recibido Colón por los Reyes ?
Salon del Tinell
¿En qué año comenzó la construcción del barrio de la Barceloneta?

1753
¿Quién fue Tete Montoliu y con qué big band grababa en Barcelona?
Pianists de jazz Catalan , grabo con la big band del Taller de Musics

Barcelona Restaurants. Paella

Barcelona Restaurants .

Paella

The famous Spanish rice that dates from the mid-19th century , originally from Valencia, on the east coast of Spain.

The most known varieties are:

1.The Seafood paella (In Spanish: paella de marisco)
2.The Valencian Paella (In Spanish: paella valenciana),
3.The mixed paella (In Spanish: paella mixta);

The Valencian paella is made with white rice, vegetables, meat (rabbit, chicken, duck).
The Seafood paella replaces meat and snails with seafood and omits some beans and green vegetables.
The Mixed paella is a free-style combination of meat, seafood, vegetables and sometimes beans.

There are many many more varieties of rice with things in it.

All grandmothers have their own recipe and the ingredients they use depend on the live or dead-things they have near them. So if you are in mountains and have no fish then the rice will be called mountain rice with meats and veggies and rice.

The following are some more varieties . The combinations of rice and veggies ,meats and seafood can be countless as grandmothers there are :
1.Rice with eels and chickpeas
2.Black rice made with cuttle fish and it’ s black ink
3.Rice that is substituted by pasta , spaghetti , this is called fideua
4.Paella with lobster
5.Paella with duck
6.Paella made only with vegetables

Two good places to savour some varieties in the Barceloneta area next to the beach in Barcelona .

Restaurant La Mar Salada
The price is around 35 euros.
Pg. Joan de Borbó, 58-59  ·  08003 Barcelona, Spain.  ·  T. +34 93 221 21 27 / +34 93 221 10 15  · 
Closed on Tuesdays

These are some of the varieties they offer:
1.Arròs de calamarcets de platja. (Rice with beach squid )
2.Arròs caldós de llamàntol. (Rice with lobster)
3.Arròs negre amb sèpia. (The black rice I mentioned)
4.Arròs de muntanya (conill ,cargols i ceps ) The mountain rice where grandmother hunted down a rabbit, mushrooms and some snails.

Restaurant Cheriff

This is where I go a lot to have good seafood type paella . The price would be around 40 euros for the meal, closed on Sundays and is a family establishment with a nice local vibe.
Ginebra, 15-17, 08003 Barcelona, Spain. Tel : 34 933100760

Tips
Do not go for the paellas that are frozen pre-cooked or advertised with pictures in Barcelona.

Paella is served as the menu del dia on Thursdays in most restaurants in Spain. So you can try it as part of a three course meal for around 9 to 12 euros and it is served in most restaurants . This traditions starts from the old days since it took long for fresh fish to travel inland and since Sunday was a day of rest, fish would start their inland adventure on Tuesday on horse and most places would only get in on Thursday so that is where the tradition starts for having paella on Thursdays.

Barcelona things to do.

Barcelona things to do.

How about a good pop flamenco concert not intented for tourists ?

I recommend the following artist and concert:

Who?  JOSÉ EL FRANCÉS’

Where ?

When? 19/03/2010 at 21.30

Price 22 euros.

Jose “El Frances” (1971 -), whose real name is Jose Rodriguez Vazquez was  born in  Montpellier in 1971. That is why he is called Joseph the French ( el francés. Yes he is a gyspsy descendant of spanish immigrants and a cantaor, a flamenco vocalist.

Having played and recorded with the famed Camaron de la Isla his discography includes:

* The streets of San Blas (1992)

* We’re perfect (1995)

* Soul (1999)

* Playing love (2002)

* Water of hope (2004)

Respirando Amor (2009)

He will be presenting his latest CD  “Respirando Amor”.  with 11 new songs as “Caracolillos de Luna”

Please listen to him on

Jose el Frances, Barcelona Hostal Residencia Australia

Latest news on contest for a free trip to Barcelona

Gane un viaje a Barcelona, nuestro concurso, ultimas noticias.

En las últimas semanas hemos recibido nuevas inscripciones para nuestro concurso.

Debido a esto tenemos un poco de retraso de tal forma que la semana que viene recibirán un correo los concursantes que han contestado correctamente la primera fase con las instrucciones de la segunda parte.

Para aquellos que no se han apuntado aún pueden ver la información del concurso para ganar un viaje a Barcelona y quedarse en el Hostal residencia Australia en http://www.residenciaustralia.com/concurso.html

Suerte a todos.

Thomas Lorenzo

Latest news on our music and cultural contest for a free trip to Barcelona

Just a quick note to let you all know that we have delayed the second stage to allow further contestants to enter.

During the following week all contestants for the second stage will be getting an email.

For those who have not entered yet you have all the info about the contest on http://www.residenciaustralia.com/concurso.html

Regards

Thomas Lorenzo