Barcelona Arc de Triomf

Although Barcelona has recently experienced some rainy days, the sun is never far away – and that says a lot for winter in Europe.

As winter is almost never a factor in this fascinating Mediterranean city of relative mild temperatures, Christmas is as good as any other season if you’re wondering where to escape to for the festive holidays.

And a bonus is that Christmas is now celebrated twice in this part of the world: the Christian one on the 25th/26th December, but also, more traditionally, at the end of the first week of January with the arrival of the Three Kings (Los Reyes Magos).  It’s wonderful to be a child here!

Many Spanish homes have a traditional Nativity scene set up somewhere in their homes complete with exquisitely made figurines of the baby Jesus in his crib, his family, onlookers, animals, and the Three Kings.

What you might not be prepared for is the addition to this tranquil scene of a squatting figurine of a man defecating, the “caganer“. It is with relief that I can report that there’s some kind of method to this madness: the idea is that he literally ‘prepares’ the earth for the new year’s good crop.

Barcelona Nativity Scene Figurines (pessebres)

But there’s more! Every family has a “cagatío” – this time not a crapping man but a crapping log, which is basically a wooden log with a painted face on the one side and fed by the children in the weeks before Christmas. The poor log is then beaten with a stick to force it to “drop” sweets and gifts.

The arrival of the Three Kings on the day of the Epiphany is welcomed and accompanied by young and old as they parade through the streets of Barcelona, of which many streets are closed off to traffic especially for their visit. On their way the Kings throw handfulls of sweets to happy children and onlookers, which is meant to signify the bringing of the Three Kings’ presents to the baby Jesus.

On this day shops stay open very late as it is traditionally also a day of shopping.

On the whole, as the city’s families gather and eat at home for the Christmas festivities or visit relatives in other parts of Spain, visitors to Barcelona have many of the fine restaurants all to themselves.

And this doesn’t only extend  to restaurants and eating places: all the fascinating Modernist buildings, with the spectacular architectural wonders of Gaudí foremost, wonderful museums, interesting art galleries and meeting friends in public places can be enjoyed leisurely at this time.

And if you don’t feel like a marathon cultural excursion it’s fascinating taking a relaxing stroll down the Rambla – the world famous walkway – from the top on the Plaza Catalunya side down to the bottom at the port side. On your way look out for all kinds of crazy, entertaining mime street artists trying to get your attention – and a small handout – as well as vendors of all kinds: birds, small animals, plants, jewelery, clothing and paintings. When you feel like a sit down, have a good, small coffee with milk along the way – it’s called a “tallat“. The coffees here are generally excellent.

However, there is one show in Barcelona that has been packed out by locals and visitors alike, and that is the Cirque Du Soleil circus show, called Varekei, that is currently being performed in the city until the 2nd January 2011.

This circus probably has the best of acrobats, jugglers, clowns and comedians and many other amazing artists from all over the world performing in this year’s themed show. And to the relief of animal lovers, not one trained animal in sight. The Cirque Du Soleil only has human performers.

The theme of this year’s show is that of a magical forest, high on top of a volcano, in which lives colorful, fantastical creatures. And into this hotpot of adventure, a young man literally drops from the sky to have his life changed forever.

This would definitely be an entertaining and delightful way of going into the new year -

A Very Happy 2011 To All!

This Christmas the streets of Barcelona and the shopfronts are brilliantly lit up with all styles of lights, from elegant to

colorful and bright, to the 26, two-metre high giant pasta shell lights in various parts of the city. The city is already in full swing for a happy and entertaining time for locals and visitors alike, offering Christmas markets, free and paid concerts, theatre performances, live Nativity Scenes, street cavalcades and workshops for children. Some of the many interesting local traditions and activities on offer in Barcelona this Christmas 2009 are the following:

• As in the rest of Spain, some Catholic religious celebrations also take place in Barcelona.  One that all visitors can enjoy is the public display of a life size pessebre, or nativity scene, that fills the famous Plaça Sant Jaume. It is a Catholic tradition for families to have a pessebre displayed at home which can be any size, from a tiny corner or a whole room dedicated to it. Many of the city’s public libraries have Christmas activities organised for children. Why not join them and see how the locals celebrate it?
• A curious, uniquely Catalan addition to the nativity scene is the caganer (pooper). It is a peasant-like little figurine with a red hat, a barretina and white blouse, squatting with his pants down, doing his business unconcernd by any onlooker. The origen of this funny figure is unknown, but it is said that he is a symbol of fertility and prosperity.
• The caganer comes with the cagatió, which is a wooden log with the same red hat. Children especially love the Tió de Nadal, as on Christmas Eve when he is placed next to the fire not to get cold. He is then beaten by a stick whilst the children dance around him, singing and ordering him to poo out presents for them! Lately, well-known public figures are chosen each year to represent this funny little character.Traditionally, Christmas presents are really only exchanged on the 6th January, after the three kings have arrived.
  

  The Caga Tió Log

• A traditional local dessert eaten on Christmas Day is the torró, a nougat-like sweet made basically from almonds and honey but nowadays many versions with or without chocolate can be found.
• If you like live chariot races you will get a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a world-class performance in the Palau Sant Jordi event venue in Barcelona on the 26th and 27th of December 2009. The breathtaking show takes place in a recreated Roman arena with 400 performers and 100 animals, together with spectacular light and sound effects.  The show includes the famous chariot race around the centre of the arena as well.

If you’d like to spend an entertaining, fun time in reasonable winter temperatures this Christmas visit Barcelona. Bon Nadal!

Parents who want to visit Barcelona can rest assured that there is lots of fun to be had for parents and kids alike. The locals are very tolerant of kids on the streets and at the city’s many attractions. Following is just a brief mention of some of the main sightseeing attractions in Barcelona for both kids and parents:

Gaudí Architecture

Barcelona for the family can turn out to be an exciting and fairytale adventure, considering the fantastic modernistic architecture of Antoni Gaudí. His masterpiece is undoubtedly the cathedral of the Sagrada Família, his lifetime’s work and still unfinished, which is a tall, unique structure with colorful spires dotted with fruit and bubbles – which children would like. The building also has many fascinating statues on the outside and modern stained glass windows.

Another equally fascinating and fun Gaudí building in Barcelona is situated at La Pedrera at No 92  Passeig de Gràcia, which is a combined office and apartment block. It has a rippled grey stone façade, like stone from a quarry (pedrera), which is emphasized by beautiful and elaborate wrought-iron balconies. The lower floors host temporary exhibitions of all kinds. One can take a tour through the building and see an apartment with curved and unexpected corners and playful touches in furniture and decor everywhere. However, the most fascinating part is the roof with its giant chimney pots looking like multi-colored medieval knights, and from where you can enjoy a unique view of the center of the city. During the month of August three short chamber music concerts per day are held on La Pedrera rooftop.

Although there are other equally remarkable Gaudí structures it would be more fun for kids to visit Parc Güell, which is north of Gràcia about 4 km from Plaça Catalunya, the center of the city. Pack a picnic and head out for this enchanting park landscaped by Gaudí. Upon arrival you’ll pass through the two quaint gate-houses on Carrer d’Olot. The steps up from there are guarded by the much photographed mosaic lizard. From there it’s just a matter of leisurely exploring all the interesting nooks and crannies of this park where Gaudí’s passion for natural architectural forms took fanciful flights.

La Rambla

Back in the center, and after a good night’s rest and breakfast, parents and kids can take a stroll down La Rambla, the  well-known, busy  pedestrian walkway which ends at the statue of Columbus near the port. It is flanked by busy streets, shops and street merchants. I find it a bit noisy, but it is a very famous and popular part of the city where many visitors find the birds (real ones!) on sale fascinating, and apart from sitting there on rented chairs people watching, visitors also find the painted mime artists performing there amusing.

Barcelona Beaches, Old Port and Pleasure Cruises

Continuing down to the bottom of La Rambla you’ll get to the old port and beaches of the city. The possibilities of having fun with the kids here at the city beachfront are positively endless. You can be spending time relaxing, tanning and playing on one of the well-kept beaches in summer time, or taking a short or long day cruise on a pleasure boat from the harbor, or strolling along the beach promenade any time of the year, or listening to some street musicians, or having a drink or meal at one of the many good restaurants along the way – the choices are too many to list here – you have to experience it for yourself!

Barcelona Aquarium and 3-D Cinema

For the kids L’Aquàrium de Barcelona would definitely be a hit, which is in the same area. The aquarium has a lengthy underwater tunnel where all kinds of spectacular fish,and plant life can be seen. The aquarium shop offers a unique variety of gifts for sale. Also, not far from there is the Imax Port Vell 3-D cinema, which is housed in the Maremagnum building complex, where adventure and wildlife films are screened daily from 12 midday until 10 at night.

Barcelona Tourist Bus

Finally, when everybody just wants to sit and enjoy the sights of the city, the whole family could take the Barcelona Bus Turístic and get on and off as many of the routes as you like, within the time period of your ticket. These tourist buses are equipped with a guide and earphones to alert you to all the interesting attractions on the way.