Calçots eating tradition...

Winter in Barcelona is always lots of fun. Standing a cold that enters through your clothes and all 'northern part of the world' citizins complaining about it ;-), the nice thing Barcelona has is it's traditions, especially the gastronomic ones...

This year again the famous 'calçots' are eaten by many during the typical sunday afternoon family lunches. Calçots are the political family of the onion. Unlike the onion's fat and wide shape, the calçot is long, thin and mostly green. It has a sweet taste and is prepared on coal. The calçots are eaten with the hands and with romesco sauce. You can eat calçots during one of the many calçotadas organized by the locals and by local restaurants. Normally you will have to move to the outskirts of the city of Barcelona.

It is well worth it though! For excursions, ask your Barcelona Specialist

Three Kings day in Barcelona...

Sometimes everything seems just possible in Barcelona. Reyes is a celebration that takes place the night of Jan 5th and the day of Jan 6th. The Spanish celebrate the three wise kings that visited Bethlehem when Jesus was born that day. The purpose is basically the same as that of santaclaus, in other words: bringing presents to eachother, especially children.

Celebrating "Noche de reyes" yesterday-night nobody seemed to have any 'crisis'-feeling. Taking a strawl over the Granvia (large street in Barcelona) soon it became clear that the Barcelonese like to hold on to their traditions.

You can hardly believe it if you see shops open at 2 a.m. and people buying toys for their children. Thousend of Barcelonese walk around with their children and pets eating Churros (pancake-like sticks) with chocolate dipping. Of course the day after, waking up you will absolutely see no one in the streets...

Feliz año nuevo!!!

Also Barcelona received the New Year with open arms! Unlike other countries, in Barcelona the turn of the year is celebrated eating grapes instead of firing loud fireworks.

The spanish have the tradition of eating 12 grapes for the luck it brings for all the months of the new year. One grape,one month of luck. Funny it is to see foreigeners trying to adapt to the tradition. This,also this year, can give hilarious pictures of people almost choking in these small fruitballs...

All the best!

Santa Llucia Christmas Market in Barcelona

Every year traditionally returning to Barcelona, the Santa Llucia Christmas Market in Barcelona (Fira de Santa Llúcia) is a great opportunity to get to know the Barcelonese and their culture. On this market you will find the vast majority of Christmastree selling stands and of course the necessary Christmas decoration is for sale there. The Santa Llucia market is located in the area of Ciutat Vella Barcelona, also known as Casc Antic (the old cityheart).

The "caganers"

Known in Spain, but unique for Catalonia, are the Caganers (shitters, it means literally. ;-). The catalan way of expressing that at the end everyone is only human. These little puppets are sold in the Sants Llúcia market and are shaped following the latest trends in politics and sports.

You should not be surprised to find an impersonalization of famous persons like Barack Obama here in a "compromised" pose.

The "caga tió"

The caga tió is a game orientated to children for christmas celebrations. It consists on a piece of wood with a hole where presents are hided from children and covered by a red and small blanket. Children will hit the piece of wood with a wooden stick, while singing the Tió song in order to get a present when the tió is warm.

The Santa Llúcia market is open from November 29th through December 23th. In case you want to come and see this special way of celebrating, my suggestion is to contact the reservation desk of Enjoy Barcelona. They offer fairly priced quality apartments in Barcelona.