465. Last 6th February we had the pleasure to attend the #EXPAT Networking event organised by the #BarcelonaCityCouncil. The event spoke about why Barcelona is a Cultural and Leisure Destination. 
Tackling the following: #GrossDomesticProduct, #ForeignInvestment, #Exports, #BusinessClimate, #Jobs and #Employment and #UnemploymentRates
they share with us a wonderful video showing all the landmarks, buildings and special cities one can only do in Barcelona. Their conclusion was: there is a Barcelona for everyone! 
We truly enjoyed the event, more news about this soon, in the meantime enjoy the video about this wonderful city of Barcelona! 

To see more abotu all teh actities, cultural expereinces and more, check out>> ​www.barcelonaturisme.com

Contacta amb Turisme de Barcelona
Telf: [+34] 933 689 700
info@barcelonaturisme.com

433. As you might know, each year Barcelona celebrates its Day of La Mercè at the end of September. Each year between the 24th and the 25th of September, Barcelona hosts an Open day of Museums. Beautiful landmarks with unique architecture offering hidden treasures. 
This year we had the chance of visiting the Barcelona Museum of Design. Divided into four main exhibitions: Furniture, Fashion, Ceramic and Graphic design. 
The Furniture was one of my favourite parts, where you could see really old pieces and also unique ones like the brown chair with revolutionised the contemporary furniture world. 
The second floor was dedicated to Fashion, where you could see really tight corsets (like Princess Sisi would wear in during Austria-Hungarian Empire) to modern clothes. On the third floor there are incredible ceramic pieces and if you watch closely you can even find unique elements created by Picasso and Miró himself! 
Finally the Graphic Design section of advertisement pieces back from my childhood. 
Really fun place where you can observe how design has evolved during the past century. 

Location: Pl. de les Glòries Catalanes, 37-38 08018 
Telf: 93 256 68 00
Web: http://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/museudeldisseny/es/colecciones-del-museo

322. According to the Barcelona City Hall Barcelona has had a huge increment in visitors during the past 5 years. People from all over the world are attracted by this fabulous city which we all love living in. Barcelona is converting itself into a multi cultural and multinational melting pot. With a rich variety of professional, entrepreneurs and students who have known Barcelona by coming as a tourist and are now considering of settling here. 
In any case, whether you are visiting as a short stay or you consider yourself already a local, welcome! 
These are the TOP 10 Must See and Dos Barcelona has to offer you. Check them out:
​
1. Sagrada Familia
2. Parc Güell
3.  Barça Museum
4. The Acquarium
5. Born Cultural Center
6. Poble Espanyol
7. Picasso Museum
8. The Zoo
9. Casa Batlló
10. La Pedrera

                                                                                                                 Source: http://www.bcn.cat

305. Sometimes you are fully surprised, when you don´t expect something its when it most strikes you! Last Friday we had the chance of having dinner under the stars. Yes under the stars! The Beautiful Observatori Fabra located near el Tibidabo organises under the star dinner from June until October each year.  Once the meal is over (delicious by the way), a professor at the Barcelona University expect in Astronomy gives out a brief lecture about the Apollo 8 and its challenges. 
You are then escorted into the museum where their very friendly staff explains who was Fabra and shows you around the museum. The best part is the very end where you get to go all the way to the top where the cupola is located and get to look over the centenary telescope: a WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE, ROMANTIC, FIND, UNSEEN! 

Telf: 934 17 57 36
Web: http://www.soparsambestrelles.cat/what-are-dinners-with-stars.html
Location: Camí de l'Observatori, s/n, 08035 Barcelona

277. Why not look and discover a city from a different perspective: the sea!! We are lucky enough to have a beautiful city with a wonderful beach! Barcelona’s port offers a wide variety of different boat companies which offer you and your loved ones and friends the possibility of checking out the city from the water! In this particular case we enjoyed a wonderful boat trip on the Taxi Boats company on board together with more than 40 people and the experience was just bliss! Check it out this weekend or summer if you have visitors coming from abroad, they will love it! 

Telf: ​+34 606 75 67 95
Web: ​​http://www.taxiboatsitges.com/#!home/wset5

164. The Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art known as MACBA is situated in the Plaça dels Àngels, in El Raval of Barcelona. The museum opened to the public on November 28, 1995. 

The permanent collection of around 5,000 works dates from the mid-20th century onward. There are three periods of modern art represented: the first one covers the forties to the sixties; the second spans the sixties and seventies; the third period is contemporary. The collections focus on post-1945 Catalan and Spanish art, although some International artists are also represented. 

156. WOW! Just when you think you have seen everything in life you come across this incredible show! Barcelona´s has the pleasure of hosting one of the most amazing magic shows I have ever come across. Mag Lari as he likes to call himself is far from the ordinary. This talented magician has produced a show which is not only magic it’s an out of this world collection of creativity, entertainment and amazement! He converts himself in four other characters which he describes as international magicians, visiting Barcelona just for the show. he is so talented that he has to show at the end of the show how in milliseconds he changes clothes, hair and even teeth to transform himself into these characters. Truly amazing and fantastic to share with family or friends! 

Location: Teatre Condal 
Telf: 93 309 75 38 
Web: http://www.maglari.com

139. The Palau de la Música Catalana  is a concert hall in Barcelona. Designed in the Catalan modernista style by the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, it was built between 1905 and 1908 for the Orfeó Català, a choral society founded in 1891 that was a leading force in the Catalan cultural movement that came to be known as the Renaixença. It was inaugurated February 9, 1908.
The Palau is located on a cramped street, the Carrer de Sant Francesc de Paula, in the section of old Barcelona. Most of the other prominent modernista buildings, those designed by Antoni Gaudí. 
​[REF: Wikipedia &  http://www.palaumusica.cat]

Location: C/ Palau de la Música, 4-6, 08003 Barcelona
Telf: 93 295 72 00
Web: http://www.palaumusica.cat

138. The Dalí Theatre and Museum , is a museum of the artist Salvador Dalí in his home town of Figueres. Dali is buried there in a crypt below the stage.
The heart of the museum is the building that housed the town's theater when Dalí was a child, where one of the first public exhibitions of young Dalí's art was shown.
The museum displays the single largest and most diverse collection of works by Salvador Dalí, the core of which was from the artist's personal collection. In addition to Dalí paintings from all decades of his career, there are Dalí sculptures, 3-dimensional collages, mechanical devices, and other curiosities from Dalí's imagination. 
[REF: Wikipedia and http://www.salvador-dali.org]

For more Information on Dali please refer to the Artsy Web with a full  insight on Dali's bio, over 250 of his works, exclusive articles, as well as up-to-date Dali exhibition listing.

Location: Plaça Gala i Salvador Dalí, 5, 17600 Figueres, Girona
Telf: 972 67 75 00
Web: http://www.salvador-dali.org

135.You must check outhte Chocolate Museum of Barcelona they have now even a new:  Xocoexperience
Choose your chocolate experience!
The Chocolate Museum offers a new experience to enjoy with your partner or a friend. Choose your experience among these four options:
Chocolate & Lollipops: you’ll learn the techniques of master chocolatiers to develop the most original, creative and delicious lollipops. 
Chocolate & Xocolating: a workshop designed for lovers of haute cuisine. 
Chocolate & Wine: for the gourmands. 
Chocolate & Tasting: A sensory journey through the senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste.

131. If you have the time this Christmas, or even better have a free afternoon with your family or friends, take a look and go and check out this very cool place in Barcelona the Maremagnum. Located in Barcelona’s port, this very funky shopping mall has everything you need for a lovely chilled afternoon: fresh fish restaurants, lovely cafés and great shops. Enjoy a promenade next to the sea at Christmas it is a truly enjoyable way of spending an evening! 

Location: Moll d'Espanya, 5, 08039 Barcelona
Telf: 932 258 100
Web: http://es.club-onlyou.com/Maremagnum

111. If you are visiting Barcelona or you are just a local wanting to visit our cultural options, the Miró mueusm experience is like entering a different world. I just love this place! Miró is such a  colorful artist. Very well known in Barcelona and Spain was the one in charge of creating the logo behind the "Spain brand". You can see a picture of it on the right column. ​

The idea for the foundation was made in 1968 by Joan Miró. Miró formed the foundation with his friend Joan Prats.Miró wanted to create a new building that would encourage particularly younger artists to experiment with contemporary art. The building was designed by Josep Lluís Sert to ensure that this work could also be made available to the public and exhibited. He designed the building with courtyards and terraces and to create a natural path for visitors to move through the building.
Building began on the mountain of Montjuïc and the foundation opened on 10 June 1975.
Expansion in 1986 to the building added an auditorium and a library which holds some of the 10,000 items in the Foundation and Miró's collection.
[Source: Miro Foundation & Wikipedia support] 

Location: Parc de Montjuïc
08038 Barcelona
Telf:  934 439 470
​Web: http://www.fmirobcn.org/fundacio/es_estructura-interna/

107. If you are already feeling the Christmas spirit and just can´t wait to do your Santa´s wish list shopping, Roca Village is your place!
This a wonderful Italian style village, chic and sweet just half and hour from Barcelona city center. In fact there are coaches that leave from Paseo de Gracia ​which take you directly there.
This cute outlet market has chic and trendy brands on a discounted price. It is particularly adorable at Christmas time. You can spend the day there or go and grab some lunch and start the shopping. The Roca Village has various gourmet options, my favorite was Mori Sushi by Parco. The menu is not huge but the quality is enormous! 
Spend a really lovely day outside Barcelona in style! 

Location: 08430 Santa Agnès de Malanyanes, (La Roca del Vallès)
Telf: 93 842 39 39
Web: http://www.larocavillage.com/es/home/home

104. La Pedrera together with the Sagrada Familia re truly the heart of Barcelona city. These two buildings have witness years of history and were both designed by the famous and genius Gaudí. 
Have a coffee in the La Pedrera Café or a drink in its terrace whilst enjoying the most magnificent viewing of our city. 

103. I must admit, we are very lucky in Barcelona. We are gifted with some amazing buildings which sometimes just suddenly surprise you with their beauty. 
In this case Casa Batlló has recently released a video explaining the fairy tale behind the building. This video received an award in Riga - Latvia.
​
Shhhhhh it’s a secret! The Building has a secretly hidden dragon! Check the video out and you will see! 

​102. At around 16H we started to hear Jazz music outside our window from our Paseo de Gracia office... we looked out and saw these colorful tucks which were driving one after the other in line parking in a very organized manner just outside our office! We  kept looking out and they were food trucks! Every year, Barcelona organizing a shopping night, were high street shops are opened until 1a.m. There is food (Van Market), drinks and even theatre plays. This year it was inspired in Shakespeare. 
The different colorful street food trucks were cute vans offering all kinds of eclectic food, from Peruvian to Brazilian, typical Italian arancini and of course Spanish bravas! I had the chance to try a green tea croissant with white chocolate..... to DIE for!!! Don´t miss it next time, it’s an amazing pre-Christmas experience!

Web: http://www.vanvanmarket.com

99. ​Wow! Barcelona is looking for beautiful than ever! Christmas has certainly began in this wonderful city. The streets are now being lit by a wonderful range o of colorful lights all throughout the city center. You can now start to see the Christmas decorations being put up and is very contagious! Have a walk around this evening and check out the wonderful atmosphere and live Christmas in Barcelona! 

97. If you are planning to visit Barcelona you must check our the famous Camp Nou. The "Nou Camp" is a football stadium in Barcelona, which has been the home of FC Barcelona since 1957.
With a seating capacity of 99,354, it is the largest stadium in Spain by capacity. It is also the largest stadium in Europe and the second largest association football stadium in the world in terms of capacity. It has hosted numerous international matches at a senior level, including a 1982 FIFA World Cup semi-final match, two UEFA Champions League finals and the football competition at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Check out the Camp Nou Experience!! 

Location: C. Aristides Maillol, 12, 08028 Barcelona
Telf: 902 18 99 00
Web: http://www.fcbarcelona.com/camp-nou

 
The construction of Camp Nou started on 28 March 1954 as Barcelona's previous stadium, Camp de Les Corts, had no room for expansion. Although originally planned to be called "Estadi del FC Barcelona", the more popular name "Camp Nou" was used. The June 1950 signing of László Kubala, regarded as one of Barcelona's greatest players, provided further impetus to the construction of a larger stadium.
 
Construction of Camp Nou began on 28 March 1954 before a crowd of 60,000 Barça fans. The civil governor of Barcelona, Felipe Acedo Colunga, presided at the laying in place of the first stone, with a blessing from the Archbishop of Barcelona, Gregorio Modrego. Construction took three years, going 336% over budget for a final cost of 288 million pesetas. The stadium was officially opened on 24 September 1957. Handel's "Messiah" was performed at the opening of the stadium. Barcelona then defeated Legia Warsaw 4-2 in a friendly match.
The architects were Francesc Mitjans and Josep Soteras, with the collaboration of Lorenzo García-Barbón.
[Source wikipedia]

 89. ​ If you are looking for a Galleries Lafayette or Selfridges kind of mall, where in one single place you have everything you need, El Corte Inglés is your place. We have several in Barcelona: Plaza Cataluña, Avenida Diagonal and Plaza Francesc Macia. The largest one is Plaza Cataluña although in Avenida Diagonal is lovely too. Francesc Macia is smaller and somehow quieter. If you need a travel agency, large supermarket, gifts or just a souvenir check out El Corte Ingles. The Gourmet sections is particularly nice with authentic items cute for your kitchen or just to impress a friend.

Location: Plaça de Catalunya, 14
Telf: 901 11 21 22
Web: ​https://www.elcorteingles.es

63. If you are planning on coming to visit Barcelona during September time, don´t forget to experience the Fireworks at the Montjuic Fountain on the 24th September. This wonderful palace offer an impressive fireworks show with water and music which will make you dream away!  A real must visit if you are around that time of the year! 

55. During the past 24th-27th September 2015 Barcelona hosted a wonderful Gastronomic festival next to the Plaza España. There were three main attractions: Gastronomic exhibition, BCN and CAKE and a wonderful courtyard full of innovative food tucks! It was the first time I tried a Venezuelan arepa! Really fun! Don´t miss it next time! While it is a bank holiday in Barcelona (24th September la Merce) come and enjoy this wonderful tasting day and have a fab ending while enjoying the fireworks show right next door!  

Location: Reciento de Montjouic, Barcelona
Telf: 93 452 11 00
Web: http://www.barcelonadegusta.com/imagenes-degusta-15

38. The Palau Reial de Pedralbes: "Pedralbes Royal Palace") is a building placed in the middle of an ample garden in the district of Les Corts, in Barcelona. From 1919 until 1931 it was the residence for the Spanish Royal Family when they visited the city. Currently it includes the Ceramic museum and the Textile Museum and Museum of Decorative Arts (interior design museum). 

The palace has its origins in the old Masia de Can Feliu, from the 17th century. The corresponding land was acquired by the count Eusebi Güell, along with the neighbouring Can Cuiàs de la Riera. Together they formed the Finca Güell, an extensive parcel of land (30,000 m2). The Can Feliu building was remodeled by the architect Joan Martorell i Montells, who built a Caribbean-style small palace, together with a Gothic-style chapel and surrounded by magnificent gardens. Later the building remodeling was given to Antonio Gaudí, together with the construction of a surrounding perimeter wall and the side entry pavilions. Gaudí also partially designed the gardens surrounding the palace, placing two fountains and a pergola and planted many Mediterranean plants like palm trees, cypress trees, magnolias, pine trees and eucalyptus. The Hercules fountain still exists today on site, restored in 1983. It has a bust of Hercules on top of a pillar with Catalonia's shield and a spout in the shape of a Chinese dragon.

A must visit landmark, and a wonderful romantic landscape. The gardens are just superb! 

Location: Av. de Pedralbes, 7 Barcelona
Telf: +34 933 17 76 52
http://www.festivalpedralbes.com/es/palau/