Life & Style

Alella offers a unique opportunity to enjoy a wine culture in vineyards just 15 kilometres from Barcelona. One of the smallest and oldest Spanish wine appellations (DO), it is perfectly situated on the Mediterranean coast, protected by the Litoral mountain range. The cellars organise numerous activities for wine tourists of all ages where you can learn how to taste wine, take part in the harvest, find a connection between chocolate and wine or just stroll through the vineyards.

The good quality of the snow, because of significant falls in the last number of weeks, has made ski resort managers believe that Easter might attract many skiers to the slopes, after a poor season. La Molina ski resort, in Cerdanya County, expects to host 10,000 skiers between Thursday April 5th and Monday April 9th.

The Catalan theme park PortAventura opened its doors last weekend for the new season. Despite the crisis, in 2011 the park registered 16% more visitors than in 2010, reaching 3.7 million in total. The park’s CEO, Fernando Aldecoa, has said they expect to reach 4 million visitors this season, which ends just after Halloween. This season, €25 million has been invested in a new rollercoaster called ‘Shambhala’, which will be the tallest in Europe and will reach speeds of 134 km per hour during a fall of 78 metres.

'Ferran Adrià i elBulli. Risc, llibertat i creativitat' ('Ferran Adrià and elBulli. Risk, freedom and creativity') is on show in Barcelona to coincide with the Catalan chef’s 50th's anniversary and is the basis for a future museum in the Costa Brava town of Roses. The exhibition shows a huge number of texts, graphic documents and objects related to the history of the world’s most famous restaurant.

The Port Ainé ski resort offers diving under a frozen lake. This pioneer activity in the Lleida Pyrenees wants to be a complement to skiing and between 300 to 400 people are expected for this first season.

Gaudi’s buildings, Dali’s Museum of Figueres, and Montserrat Monastery, usually far away from one another, are some of the emblematic Catalan features that can be seen in ‘Catalunya en miniatura’. Unveiled in 1982, and celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2012, this miniature park presents, in a small format, the most important buildings, monuments and culture of Catalonia. It is the world’s largest tourist and cultural complex in miniature, and the only one in Spain. Now, the model park, a family business, has begun a new period with the NGO Dianova International buying more than a half of its shares.

The harvest of the millenarian olive oil dropped to one fifth compared to the previous season due to drought. This olive oil coming from 1,000 years old trees is a delicatessen from the Ebre Delta, in Southern Catalonia. Locals are pushing for UNESCO to declare the 4,500 trees a World Heritage.

Meat and fish are basically the most important components of Catalan cuisine. This makes it challenging for vegetarians to cook properly or go out for dinner. Even though there are fruits, vegetables and nuts in abundance you might also want to eat a vegetarian burger or tofu sometimes.

The five species most reintroduced are the Mediterranean, the stream and the spur-thighed tortoise, the green snake and the salamander. Since 1999, the CRARC, based in Masquefa (some 40 km West from Barcelona), has released 7915 reptiles and amphibians from different nature reserves within Catalonia.

Last weekend, Figueres held the final of the first edition of the International Circus Festival Castell de Figueres. The winners were the Troupe Zolà, a Mongolian group who seduced the public with their extraordinary platform jumps. Magic, music, great artists and a fantastic show were the ingredients of a night to remember.

Dídac Lee is on the FC Barcelona Board of Directors, charged with managing New Technologies. In an exclusive interview with CNA, Lee considers that it is vital for FC Barcelona to be close to the fans, and social networks are the key to reaching this goal. Thanks to Lee, Barça is now the leading sports club in the field. Lee is a renowned Catalan entrepreneur and the Chinese work culture ethos has influenced him both in his life and work.

The programme is aimed at developers and businesses that create mobile applications. The goal is to leverage FC Barcelona during the creation of a world-wide leading industry, as well as offering up new business opportunities for developers and ITC entrepreneurs. Any mobile application that transmits the values and the spirit of FC Barcelona are eligible for submission, and the developers, if accepted, will have access to the benefits outlined in the programme.

FC Barcelona experienced an increase of 24% in the number of visitors to its museum, and of 59% increase in turnover with respect to 2010. Las year a total of 1,626,990 people visited the Camp Nou Experience, the combined name for the Stadium Tour, the Museum and the multimedia space. The Barça Museum is the third most visited museum in all of Spain.

The total amount of sales of the Catalan wine fell by 2.14% last year, due to poor results in the domestic market. The record of 152 million cava bottles sold abroad does not compensate for the fall at home.

Carnival celebrations in small towns around Girona remain a huge social event and a great occasion for having fun with friends. Throughout this whole week small villages in the province of Girona celebrate the ‘Carnestoltes’, a whole set of celebrations based on the Carnival theme. Despite the economic crisis and many budget cutbacks, the festivity remains a hugely strong tradition and offers a mix of fun and excess before Lent begins.