Life & Style

‘Disfrutar’ restaurant in Barcelona has been awarded Best New European Restaurant 2016 in the prestigious Opinionated About Dining (OAD) rankings. The restaurant has also made a breakthrough appearance in the Best European Restaurant ranking, coming in at number 38. The three founders of the restaurant, chefs Eduard Xatruch, Oriol Castro and Mateu Casañas, worked together for 15 years as disciples of Ferran Adrià in the kitchen of ‘El Bulli’, which was five times awarded best restaurant in the world. Indeed ‘Disfrutar’ achieved its first Michelin star last year and two Repsol suns, along with the ‘Restaurant of the Year’ Award given by the Catalan Academy of Gastronomy and Nutrition. This recognition is to be added to the 50 Michelin-star-holding restaurants in Catalonia, 22 of which are located in Barcelona. 

Thousands of people are expected to visit the 61^st edition of Girona’s ‘Temps de Flors’, which sees the exhibition of a wide range of flower artwork featuring different spots of this medieval city located 80 kilometres from Barcelona. As happens every year, the stairway of Santa Maria’s Cathedral is one of the highlights, but in this edition it has raised even more attention due to the filming of HBO’s series ‘Game of Thrones’. Hundreds of flowers fill other historic sights, patios and ancient neighbourhoods, as well as the fountains in the historical centre, which have also been included in the exhibition in a harmonious mixing of water and flowers. Many cultural activities are also expected over the weekend, from the 14^th and 15^th of May, such as ‘Castellers’, traditional Catalan human towers. 

A record 118,000 visitors attended Barcelona International Comic Fair, 5,000 more than in 2015. One of the main attractions of this edition was he 80th anniversary of Spanish comic book artist Francisco Ibáñez, who created the famous Mort & Phil. Another mayor exhibition, 'Comics on wheels', included some 200 originals works from around the world that showcased the relationship between two realms: comics and vehicles. Many professionals, comic fans and schoolchildren did not want to miss the opportunity to enjoy the opening of the event, which also drew together the video game industry and manga. Barcelona International Comic Fair was held from the May 6^th until the 9^th of May at Fira Barcelona Montjuïc venue. 

In just minutes, tickets to the free screening of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ season 6 premiere on the 25^th of April sold out in Girona. Just 40 km away from Barcelona, the walled medieval city of Girona set the scene for some of this season’s episodes based on George R. R. Martin’s internationally acclaimed novels. Some Girona locals were even featured as extras in episodes. High demand for tickets to see the season premiere led Girona officials to include a second screening, but fans looking to buy tickets caused the online system to crash as others waited in line in person to get their tickets. Although some will be unable to attend, negotiations between ‘Game of Thrones’ producers and Girona city officials may bring the show’s cast and crew back to the city to film season 7 of the hit TV series.

Four out of the ten Spanish universities included on the 2016 Times Higher Education (THE) list of the top 150 universities under 50 years old are native to Catalonia. The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) was named 12 out of 150, with Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) ranked 15^th. Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) as well as the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) were included among the rankings. Though the universities are young, THE’s editor-at-large and the editor of THE’s World University Rankings, Phil Baty, cites Catalonia’s “strong sense of civil engagement” as a driving force in the universities’ growth and stand-out performance in this year’s rankings among educational institutions both young and old. 

Barcelona representatives aimed to make the Catalan capital a “veg-friendly” city this Tuesday in an unexpected proposal. The proposal launched by the city’s economy commission received support across almost all of the city council parties, and hopes that Barcelona can become a “friend of vegan and vegetarian culture”. With this, the proposal includes plans to support more businesses and individuals looking to benefit from including more “veg-friendly” options. Additionally, the commission’s proposal includes plans to publish a list of stores and restaurants in Barcelona that are helping people who are vegan, vegetarian, or just want to reduce the amount of meat and animal products they consume. To make it a reality, Barcelona will establish a BCN VEGPoint which will serve as a support and networking centre for businesses looking to become more veg-friendly.

Just 35 kilometres southwest of Barcelona, Sitges draws in tourists every year for its nightlife, beaches, and also for its Carnival celebrations. Starting a week before Ash Wednesday, the city’s streets fill with tourists from all over as well as many commuting in from Barcelona by bus or train. This year, festivities began on the 30^th of January and lasted well into Ash Wednesday on the 10^th of February. Much like celebrations for Mardi Gras, Carnival marks the days leading up to the Lenten season with traditional music, games and royalty. Most of all, tourists arrive to watch a fleet of flashy parade floats and various dance and musical performances in the celebration’s traditional parades or ‘ruas.’ To add to the overall pageantry, groups of participants come dressed in anything from feathered masks to full-on costumes. 

The Spain and Portugal Michelin Guide 2016 added four Catalan restaurants to their prestigious list and awarded them their first Michelin Star. Two of them, Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro and Eduard Xatruch’s Disfrutar and Albert Adrià and Paco Méndez’s Hoja Santa are disciples of Ferran Adriá’s El Bulli, which was five times awarded best restaurant in the world. Besides these two restaurants from Barcelona, the Hotel Restaurant Emporium located in Castelló d’Empúries, in the north of Catalonia, and Tresmacarrons, in the coastal village of Masnou, also received the prestigious award for the first time. Mallorca restaurant Zaranda, which is led by Fernando Pérez Arellano (who previously worked in the three-Michelin-star-holding Catalan restaurant Can Fabes and the Coque restaurant in Madrid), adds its second star to its record. There are currently 50 restaurants which have been awarded by Michelin Guides, 22 of which are located in Barcelona.

'Dry Martini' has opened its first venue outside of Spain and the world's capital of cocktails is the chosen location. The tailor-made project by Catalan businessman Javier de las Muelas aims to take "the bar experience to a higher level" stated Executive Director of the 'Dry Martini' Organisation, José Juan Balaguer, who described the customer as "parishioner" and the bar as "a temple". The 'Dry Martini' cocktail bar in Barcelona is amongst the 'World's 50 best bars' and besides the Catalan capital is also present in Madrid, San Sebastián, Palma de Mallorca, Artíes and Begur. London's 'Dry Martini' is located in Melià White House Hotel, in the Regent's Park area. Besides the wide range of classic cocktails its menu also includes "Excentric and Signature cocktails" and "100 different Dry Martinis".

The Manga Fair opened its doors this Thursday in Barcelona and will be the meeting point for comic and Japanese culture lovers until Sunday. This year the event has increased both the number of visitors and that of the companies and professionals taking part, and consequently the fair’s exhibition space in Montjuic’s Fira de Barcelona has been extended to 60,000 m². The fair commemorates this year the 30^th anniversary of one of the most iconic characters of Japanese culture and the international video games industry: Super Mario Bros. Another outstanding exhibition at this 21^st edition shows the influence of Gaudí’s architecture within Japanese culture and the work of Japanese architects in Barcelona. The 70^th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings is also a topic which is taken into account at the fair and around which some exhibitions are centred. The organisers of the fair expect to welcome more than 130,000 visitors. A good sign of this high participation is the tickets for the weekend, which have already sold out. 

Catalonia is still the leading Autonomous Community in Spain in terms of tourism, even before the Balearic Islands, and accounts for 25.1% of the overall total of visits by foreigners. 1,797,966 tourists from all over the world visited Catalonia in September, according to the poll 'Frontur', published this Thursday by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism. The figure is 0,1% lower than in the same period last year, when 1,801,736 foreigners visited Catalonia and is due to the decrease in the number of Russian and Italian visitors. Tourists from the UK still lead the ranking of foreign visitors, followed by Germans. Visits from France and the US grew the most. Nearly 14 million international tourists visited Catalonia from January to September, which is 3.2% higher than the same period last year.

The Catalan railway service (FGC) has launched a pilot experiment to learn English during train journeys. The trial started this Monday and two passengers received a one-hour long lesson during their journey from Manresa to Barcelona. The initiative will be tested throughout the month on different railway lines and FGC will then evaluate its definitive implementation. "If it works, we'll do it as a permanent initiative" stated FGC's President Enric Ticó and added that "the goal is to make journeys more pleasant". The lessons will be mainly conversational and are set to be offered to small groups and within an area designated for this purpose. The lessons' duration will run from 15 minutes to more than one hour and will be free of charge as long as the trial is taking place. 

From the 14^th to the 18^th of October, Barcelona will host a new edition of the International Boat Show. 260 exhibitors from all over the world will present their wares in sports and recreational boats, distributed throughout the 50,000-square metre exhibition, with the biggest being displayed afloat and the floor hosting smaller boats and components. The Fair's President, Luis Conde, forecasts a "spectacular edition" this year, as the nautical sector "is recovering, in line with the rest of the economy". In fact, the number of boats registered this year has increased by 10%. According to Conde, the Barcelona International Boat Show "is the main platform of the nautical sector in Spain" and a must in any boat lover's agenda.

From the 10^th to the 14^th of October, the German city of Cologne will host Anuga, the world’s most important Food and Agriculture Fair which gathered together, in its last edition, nearly 7,000 exhibitors from 100 countries. Catalonia’s food industry will be represented through two main sectors; olive oil and nuts on the one hand, and cold meats on the other. The Catalan Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fishery and Food is aware of the importance of the EU market, as more than 50% of Catalonia’s food and beverage production is exported there. Moreover, the EU is the biggest consumer of food and beverages, ahead of the US and China.

From the 18^th to the 24^th of September, Barcelona celebrates ‘Mercè’, its patron saint. More than 500 activities will be held all over the city, from ‘castells’, traditional Catalan human towers, through international music festivals, to folklore parades and fireworks. Some of the most iconic buildings in the city will be open to the public. ‘Barcelona Acció Musical’, the music festival that takes place during ‘La Mercè’, has scheduled more than 90 concerts throughout the week. This year there will be more international artists than ever before. More than 20 artists from all over the world will perform. Different audio-visual ‘mappings’, will be projected onto the facades of several of Barcelona’s iconic buildings and the festival will close with a performance that synchronises music with fireworks known as ‘Piromusical’.