Author Archives: admin

Printed bodies in Barceloneta

As it is getting sunny weather again in Barcelona people take off there shirts and it is amazing how many people have tattoos, and not one but often they have a lot! People like to exhibit tattoos for different reasons I guess. The main reasons may be to get attention, fashion or to show their opinions and believes. They might want to show they have balls because getting a tattoo is painful. Many people who don’t have tattoos have negative opinions about them for example some bosses wont hire you if you have a lot off tattoos, and.. the parents. One guy once told me:

‘The world is divided into 3 kinds of people:

those who have tattoos,

those who are afraid of people with tattoos,

and those who are best known as… my parents’. 

Beach wear in Barceloneta: hot pants, bikini, Havaiana’s and at least one figure or statement printed on our body.

Siesta now, ’cause you’re not getting any sleep later!

I’ll sleep when I’m dead, a thought that comes often in my mind and is the main reason why i stay out late. But then there is the siesta!  The traditional reason for the siesta is for the workers in the fields to shelter from the heat. The main reason now is because the Spanish like to have a long lunch. A rest after a two hour meal is essential. Then it’s not so much of need but out of want cause the Spanish like shopping for a while at lunch time. It allows them to stay up later in the evening as the nightlife is an all-night affair in Spain. Benefits: those who take a 30 minute siesta at least three times a week had a 37% lower risk of heart problems. And the siesta is taken when the sun is on its highest point, less risk for skin cancer.  Famous people who took a siesta:

- Bill Clinton napped while President of the United States to help him cope with the pressures of the office

- Brahms napped at the piano while he composed his famous lullaby

- Napoleon napped between battles while sitting on his horse

- Churchill maintained that he had to nap in order to cope with his wartime responsibilities

- Einstein napped frequently during the day to help him think more clearly, in his favorite armchair with a  -pencil in his hand. When the pen dropped he would wake up to be sure he did not enter in a deep sleep

Welcom to-the-LOO

A toilet is underestimated as: ‘a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/ bathroom/ lavatory’. Perfect space. Lock the door, park your bum and leave the world behind. Sit on the throne, master of the universe. Fag in hand, paper on knee, written quotes in front of you and life changing strategies will come up..
I love the toilet, we have been through a lot of shit together;) 

Every restaurant, bar or hotel has their own style of toilets, it says a lot about the character. In Foc we use the space for customers to share thoughts together by having a big black writing board, because we think the truth is written on the toilet wall. One of the best toilet quote collected in Foc: “Remember no matter how cute he is, somewhere, some girl is tired of taking his shit.” The rooms in hotel W have toilets with transparent walls, you can see everything around you from inside but from the outside you don’t see you. Although you feel quite naked it’s great to be able to see the view over Barcelona from a toilet! Up to the toilets in Alsur cafe (Borne) you first find a cute patio before you see the very modern, lets say space-age style bathrooms, very cool. And in bar Sub Rosa(Gotico) you wonder if you are in a toilet of a bar or of a place where they want to stimulate other activities on the toilet, wallpaper with a lot of positions and little clothes..

Holy Foc

Did Jesus came back to life or was raised from the dead with Easter? Religion is a substitute for believe. I believe that there is some sort of God, but I don’t trust the people that work for him. I also believe that laughing is the best calorie burner;) Churches are not more than beautiful buildings, often to full of gold and statues, but I found a cool one in Borne! Cathedral Santa Maria del Mar is a church with big pillars and more filled with stone than gold. Massive and strong, not kitsch. Holy father, tell me, what are the ten commandments of Foc… ? 

BCN my art atelier

Picasso, Dali, and Gaudi are famous painters that moved to Barcelona for inspiration. We need art everywhere, like Picasso said: ‘Art washes away the dust of everyday life’… To have art inspiration I can recommend to visit Galleria Artevistas which features young artists, some of whom have definitely arrived. It’s very near the Ramblas but not full with all the tourist bustle, located in a little passageway. Here the doors are wide open and you step into a burst of colour. It’s a happy place, and you might well find an unexpected talent. For more than an exhibition place you should go to Circulo del Arte in Borne. It’s a club of collectors and friends of art, and they offer members and clients original visual art by contemporary artists, fine arts photographs, and illustrated books. Work by great artists is regularly shown here, along with cultural events. Visual art and art books are on sale, and select gifts of design and artisan works are given. Are you an artist yourself? Start with the art supplies at Belles Arts Ferran (Gotico). A great shop in the centre where you can find everything. If you want to meet and work with other artists you definitely should check out La Escosesa. La Escocesa is a former industrial complex located in the district of Poblenou, Barcelona. Since 1999 it has become a creation space and meeting point for artists, which had previously been in short supply in Poblenou and other parts of the city. Hundreds of artists and craftspeople from different disciplines have since worked in its facilities. It’s goal is affordable prices to artists who need it, and establish self management of the space.  Then they also work on agreements with galleries for art promotion. If they selected you and your work, you can have a working space of 30 or 4o square meters for a very low rent!

Holi Primavera!

The spring has come! The city receives embraces of the sun and soon we see the results of their love..! Spring is natures way to say ‘Lets party!’. Its the time when people get the spring fever: you don’t quite know what it is you DO want, but the thought doesn’t leave your mind, you want it so! 

In Barcelona we welcomed the season this year on the 18th of march with a Holi Festival. A festival celebrating fun and freedom, and symbolizing the matter to enjoy life by throwing colorful paint on ourself and each other. A crazy happy battle! 

Just make sure to play safe: with organic colors, oil your hair, thick cream on your face, and keep your eyes and lips shut. Besides the battle Holi is famous for its rich traditional food like gujiyaas and the Bollywood music.

Beauty is everywhere a welcome guest

Beauty is everywhere a welcome guest. In Spain especially. No matter what looks, size or age, everybody pays attention to their appearance in Spain. People like to be seen. I like it cause you hardly see people that let age or marriage change how they look. Old ladies still are wearing heels and doing their hair. Elegance is everywhere. The beauty sector is therefore quite present: hairdressers, pedicures/manicures, massages, sauna’s, are easily to find in Barcelona. I prefer the nonchalant look than the barbie look and I lack of patience, but there is nothing more relaxing than people touching your hair or body. And working in a bar needs some extra care for your hands and feet… For my hands I go to the salon of Neena Mistry (Barceloneta). A small charming salon nearby the beach where  i give them a nice manicure and special bath. Neena is been in the business for a long time and is a lady that knows beauty is less important than quality, however she never leaves the house without wearing heels and dress. For my hair I like the salon of Cristian Blanco caled Haidresser Club Estilistes (Eixample). It is quite big with not too many ‘distractions’, cool art, nice Chesterfields, some old records and great staff. Where they serve coffee in any other salon, you get coffee with cointreau here They also play great music while doing your hair as the owner Cristian, always seen with different glasses and known as DJ Kris White, also organizes his own parties calles ‘Hair Club’. Last thing to visit, I’m waiting for my mum to join me, a Six Senses Spa where they focus on sight, sound, touch, taste and smell and the unique experience in the level where they combine all five of them.

Music makes me high

Good music is essential in the nightlife. You choose your bar or club because off the people and the music. What about live music? In Barcelona there are a lot of places with live bands. Besides the big stages of Palau Sant Jordi, Apolo, Razzmatazz and Caixaforum where commercial names dominate the program, I searched for intimate places with live music in Barcelona. The first place i went to is Little Italy in el Borne. Every thursday they have very good live jazz music, often unplugged. While enjoying a high class dinner you listen and watch a trio of musicians playing standards. If you don’t like the jazz standards you can also go to Harlem(Gotico) where they play jazz in a more modern way, ending up in soul funk music. Or Jazzsi in el Raval, a small dark music club where they have live flamenco, jazz and cuban music. Great atmosphere! Going more exclusive you should go to Club Mutis(Eixample), ‘a New York jazz club’ with a very cool interior, great service and food, and young fancy musicians. Not easy to get in, but definitaly worth it! Hotel chains are also supporting live music: Hotel W, Hotel Casa Fuster, Hotel Me and Silke Gran Hotel Havana. The band of Woody Allen just to play in Hotel Casa Fuster… In Gran Foc we have live music every tuesday, wednesday, thursday, and often on fridays/saturdays. Check out the first friday and the second tuesday when ‘Kato & Karlsson’ are playing, two of our waitresses who are serving their sweet voices on piano to you those nights!

It is interesting how a city can attract that many people just because of one event. The Mobile World Congress 2012 is one of those events that brings along about 60.000 people from all over the world to Barcelona. And which invests 275.000 miljon into hotels, restaurants and traffic. A lot off investors, software builders, application creators, but must off all people who share their very special technical language and wearing suits. Me and my friend were asked to work as promoters for a software company called Beeweeb. Like them more companies used young, social, open people to approach people, potential clients and customers to make them aware of their product in an amusing way. Smart marketing: two girls, inviting to look at, walking around in an event where the majority is men, in an colourful outfit between a mass of black and grey suits.

Having talks with these conference people made me aware of one of the good ´features´ of Barcelona: people from Barcelona live the idea that you shouldn´t confuse having a career with having a life. Because we don´t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing!

Come and play with me

Every visit of a friend brings some food for thought. Last week my pregnant friend stayed over and like every ‘mum to become’ this was the main subject we talked about. Made me think about what to do with children in Barcelona? As a single lady this is not what i’ve thought about so far, but i have a few ideas.
The Zoo at the bottom of Parc de la Ciutadella: on the weekends and holidays between 12:00-13:30hrs you can join a keeper on a small tour covering four different animals. Find out where the’re from, what they eat, how they reproduce- try to ask a question they never heard before. Mount Tibidabo: its amusement park features trains, roundabouts and rollercoasters. Dont miss hopping on the red airplane, kids love it and parents feel nostalgic. The museum Cosmocaixa: focus on the natural sciences. Its enormous so choose one or two areas. Kids love planetariums, therefore you may be able to make out with your partner under the stars while they are busy dreaming of the universe Stay aware though ’cause a child can ask questions that a wise man can not answer. The Aquarium: where children feel part of the mysterious underwater world and where parents actually can dive with sharks…

For every child in us, now an absolut must see is: Cirque du Soleil!!