MY POINT OF VIEW 24 (by Tatiana Sisquella)

I’ve just rushed to my computer to tell you about some good news I heard today. Now this is something that you might well think should be totally normal, but has in fact become an exceptional event, because these days having some good news to talk about in the media is about as common as being able to get hold of tickets to go to see the Cirque Du Soleil.

To get back to what I was saying, I just found out today that RENFE, the Spanish national railway company, has decided to stop the background music it plays on its local network trains in Catalonia. This decision has been taken after getting the thumbs down in a recent series of passenger surveys they conducted.

A train without music…at last!

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MY POINT OF VIEW 23 (by Tatiana Sisquella)

Last week saw the premiere in Barcelona of one of the most long-awaited films in the city since they brought out the promotional video for the Barcelona Olympic Games. I am of course talking about “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”, the latest film by Woody Allen.

During the last twelve months, either through official studio channels or unofficially through gossip in the press, we’ve heard everything, right down to the last detail, about the shooting of this film (where they were filming, what they were eating, how they were dressed, who was kissing who, and so on). Now we’re getting the full blaze of reactions to the work itself, in other words, whether or not it’s a good film, does it remind us of other films made by Woody Allen?, is it a faithful portrait of Barcelona?, what to make of that kiss between Penelope and Scarlett…

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MY POINT OF VIEW 22 (by Tatiana Sisquella)

Here’s a message for all you boys and girls who are coming to stay in Barcelona for a few days any time between September 19th and 28th: You’re in luck!

And I’m not saying this because it’s some kind of special week when it’s actually affordable to have a coffee in Passeig de Gràcia, or anything like that. My reason for saying this is that this is the week when Barcelona celebrates its main annual city festival: the Festival of La Mercè. This is a traditional festival and series of street events during which different institutions, cultural centres and associations make their premises and open spaces available to the general public for the holding of concerts, theatrical performances, poetry recitals, firework displays and all kinds of leisure and artistic activities.

For nearly 10 days, if you wish to, you will be able to enjoy morning, afternoon and night numerous different free events held all over the city which will keep you entertained and, who knows, you may find one or two that you really enjoy.
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MY POINT OF VIEW 21 (by Tatiana Sisquella)

Well, here I am again. I could start by writing a few lines in which I express my rage that the summer holidays have come to an end, or my sorrow at being forced to get back into the daily routine or, even worse, my feeling of nostalgic longing to re-live what may very well turn out to have been the best summer I’ve ever spent in my life. Nevertheless, while not ruling out completely any of the above options, I have finally decided to leave them for later on, for when my head is cooler and my brain a little calmer, and the hangover from so many days of relaxation and hedonism has had a little time to pass.

Today, on the other hand, I should like to bring to your attention a series of advertisements I came across on my way to work on my first day back. These adverts I saw are on the Diagonal, and are easily identifiable because they are in the form of a parcel wrapped up in brown paper and string. By this I mean that it is the bus-stop advertising signs themselves that are wrapped up in this mysterious packaging, which is accompanied by a postmark reading ¨New York¨ and a big wax seal to prove (in a slightly over-the-top way, as you can see) that the package is unopened. Not only that, there is also a message written on top of the wrapping paper reading in Spanish: ¨YA ESTÁ AQUͨ (¨IT´S HERE! ¨).

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Barcelona celebra su fiesta mayor durante una semana alrededor del 24 de septiembre, día de Santa Mercé, patrona de la ciudad. Cuenta la leyenda que en el siglo XVII el pueblo se salvó de una plaga de langosta tras rezar a la actual patrona. Año tras año, le damos las gracias con una fiesta popular llena de fuego, color y diversión.

Durante 7 días las calles se llenan de actividades, en su mayoría gratuitas que combinan el carácter lúdico y festivo con el más tradicional.

Fiesta de fuego, de cielo y de tierra, más de 500 actividades repartidas en una semana.

De día, muchos museos y edificios que generalmente no son accesibles al publico abren sus patios interiores y salas privadas en jornadas de puertas abiertas gratuitas.

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