what to do in barcelona

Barça’s playmaking general has made his best start to a season as a goal scorer with three goals at the start of the Spanish League campaign.

Two goals from Messi and another from Xavi gave FC Barcelona a win over Racing Santander at the Camp Nou. With Iniesta back in the team, Barça stay top of the Spanish League table for another week.

‘Joan Miró: The Ladder of Escape’ was on show at London’s Tate Modern until September, being one of the must-see exhibitions of the year. Now it arrives at the Fundació Miró in Barcelona. It is the most complete exhibition on one of the most universal Catalan artists of all time, with 170 works on display from public and private collections from all over the world. The exhibition has the double objective of rediscovering Miró’s work and showing his commitment in the era he lived in. Another exhibition on Miró’s posters will run in parallel, focussing on his involvement in Catalan cultural, political and civic initiatives.

FC Barcelona will open their Copa del Rey challenge with a local derby against L’Hospitalet, a small team from Greater Barcelona, playing at the third division (called Division 2B). The first leg will be on November 9 and the return at the Camp Nou on December 21.

The Catalan capital is considered the best city for quality of life. However, it does not reach the top 5 regarding telecommunications, international transport, and market access.

FC Barcelona may be the team to supply the most players to the European Championship for 2012. Between Spain, France and Holland, the club has twelve players due to take part in Ukraine and Poland next summer.

Barça have scored 37 goals this season, and 26 of those have been scored by products of FC Barcelona’s own youth system. Eight were scored by imported players, and three were own goals.

Two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol joined Barça Regal for training this Thursday, alongside his brother Marc Gasol. The two will train under Xavi Pascual whilst the NBA lockout continues. Pau Gasol hopes to be able to play with Los Angeles Lakers soon, but meanwhile he will train with FC Barcelona Regal.

The photography exhibition shows the pictures that were found in the so-called ‘Mexican suitcase’, in which original films by Capa, Taro and Seymour had been kept for decades. The exhibition displays not only pictures from the Spanish Civil War, but also the negatives and the manner in which photographers worked. Since the suitcase kept the original films, the contact sheets can be displayed and thus the photos are shown in the order they were taken.

Audi and Barça have agreed to the extension of the sponsorship agreement until 2014. Audi will be allowed to use FC Barcelona’s image and the German brand will be Barça’s official car. Audi has been one of Barça’s official sponsors since the 2006-07 season.

According to some MEPs, the international-width high-speed railway corridor for freight and passengers along Spain’s Mediterranean coast that connects ports, industrial centres and tourist resorts would be included in the next priority map of European transport networks. The necessary infrastructural project for the EU economy would link Central and Northern Europe with Spain’s ports that trade directly with North Africa and Asia, enabling trains going non-stop on international-width railway. The EU would pay for 25% of its cost. The Central Corridor passing through Madrid, Zaragoza and the Central Pyrenees would fall from the list, as economic criteria are decisive in times of economic difficulties. However, the definitive list will be released on October 19th.

The Catalan low cost airline, which is based in Barcelona, has announced new destinations from Barcelona, as well as an increase in frequency on other routes. Vueling’s President, Josep Piqué, presented the airline's latest news for next season. He also said that a low cost airline like Vueling is the only airline capable of stopping Ryanair’s expansion in Barcelona, in a clear reference to Spanair.

Iniesta has recovered from the hamstring injury sustained in the Champions League against Milan. The midfielder was given medical clearance after taking part in a training session involving mainly Barça B players.

After their hard won win in Gijón, FC Barcelona top the Spanish League. If we look back over the last few years, Guardiola’s team have certainly got the experience to stay up there.

An early goal from Adriano gave Guardiola’s men the three points in Gijón which take them to the top of the Spanish League’s table for the first time this season. On the negative side, Abidal was forced off with an injury.