18th April 2011

Barcelona Edition
Hello Travelers!

We hope you’re looking forward to your visit. There’s plenty going on in Barcelona this week! 

Please notice there are public holidays on Friday 22nd April and Monday 25th April, plan your travels accordingly.

La Diada de Sant Jordi
Tradition

La Diada de Sant Jordi (St.George's Day) is a Catalan holiday celebrated on April 23 and is very similar to St. Valentine's Day. On this day everybody in Catalunya exchanges gifts between loved ones and friends! Men give women roses (traditionally just a single rose!) and women give men books. The whole city and especially the famous pedestrian street La Rambla is transformed into a flower market and book stall (with a lot of sales and even book signings!). Be careful with the roses though, they can cost more than 10EUR each that day!

The 23rd of April is also the International Book Day set by UNESCO and happens to be also the day when William Shakespeare and Miguel Cervantes died in 1616. Additionally, it is the only day when the Palau de la Generalitat (the building of the Government of Catalunya and the Presidency of the Generalitat) is open to the public! In front of the Palau de la Generalitat (Plaça Sant Jaume) you can watch or join the national dance of Catalunya - sardana, which will be performed throughout the day.

Check out the Sant Jordi webpage with all the infromation you need!

Semana Santa
Tradition

Easter week in Spain is called Semana Santa (Holy Week)- it started on 27th April - this year's Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) and ends on Monday 25th April which is called Lunes de Pascua. During this time it is the tradition to organize Easter processions which are called pasos (steps). You can see beautifully decorated Easter floats with biblical figures, especially with the sculptures of Christ carrying the cross. The floats (also called pasos) are carried all the way by costaleros and can require up to 54 people as most pasos weigh over a metric tonne! There are various robes used by a brotherhood (cofradia) organizing the procession- the most recognizable are the penitential robes called a nazareño worn with very tall pointed hats, called capirotes.

Easter parades in Barcelona are organized by Church Sant Agustí (Raval) and Church Sant Jaume (Gothic Quarter) on Good Friday (Viernes Santo). They start around 5 p.m. at the Plaça Sant Agustí and 7 p.m. at Parroquia de San Jaime. The biggest Easter processions you can watch in the suburb of Barcelona called Hospitalet de Llobregat (they usually start at Placa de la Bobila), which is easily reached by metro (blue line L5, Can Vidalet station). These unique, secular processions are organized without church involvement by brotherhood Cofradía 15+1.

FOr the full program in Spanish download the pdf from here.

Free exhibitions at CaixaForum Barcelona
Exhibitions

The CaixaForum exhibits are housed in a magnificently refurbished Catalan factory. It was designed by the famous architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, who also played a leading role in the Barcelona art-nouveau movement alongside Gaudí and Domènech i Montaner. The building features the simplicity and clarity of the thoroughly designed masterpiece: its bare brickwork is topped by Catalan vaults resting on cast iron columns and enclosing luminous, spacious workshops. The Japanese architect Arata Isozaki designed the main entrance and the visitors' reception area. 

Current exhibitions is called Construir la Revolución. Arte y arquitectura en Rusia, 1915-1935. It features works from It was a period highlighted by the radical proposals of architects like Konstantin Melnikov and Moisei Ginsburg, and visual artists constructivist movement, and Liubov Popova, Vladimir Tatlin, Kazimir Malevich, El Lissitzky and Gustav Klucis. You can also enjoy an exhibition featuring 400 carefully selected masterpieces of Mexico's most important museums, called Teotihuacan: ciudad de los Dioses. Entrance to these exhibitions is free every day!

Looking for a Flamenco Show?
Music

If you are looking for a special flamenco show with dinner we recommend our partner Tablao de Carmen in Poble Espanyol. Besides the fantastic one-hour live show and traditional Spanish food, you can visit the Poble Espanyol attraction for free! If you would like to make a reservation, please let us know!

Please let us know if you need anything prior to your arrival. We look forward to hosting you here in Barcelona!

Sagrada Familia


If you’re on a budget, skip the entrance fee and enjoy the facades from outside. You can sneak a peek at the inside of the cathedral by entering the parish from the side. It’s not meant for tourists, so keep a respectfully low profile! Head up to Parc Guell for great views of the city instead of paying for the elevator.

Free entrance
Every Sunday from 3 pm until 8pm some of the major museums are open to the public for free! CCCB (Center of Contemporary Culture in Barcelona) also opens its doors for free every Thursday from 8pm until 10pm.

Ask our staff about the special Bus Turistic vouchers we have!

Somnio staff will give you more insider tips to make your stay as wonderful as possible. In the meanwhile you can check our Twitter account Somnio Says.

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