The University of Barcelona has been ranked 167th university in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2008. But the UB, instead of glorying in being the only university in Spain cited in the top 200, should be ashamed that they are so low on the list. At a national level, the institution excels in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics.
UB article
La Miranda Del Museo is my favourite rooftop bar-restaurant in Barcelona. It is located between Barceloneta and the Gothic Quarter in the Palau de Mar, the only building which still survives from Barcelona’s Old Port. The first three floors of the building are taken up by the Museu de Historia de Catalunya. Take the lift up to the fourth floor. Superb views of Barcelona harbour, Montjuic and Tibidabo.
Mediterranean cusine specialised in seafood. A reasonably-priced lunch menu is available during the week. Cafeteria service is also offered during museum hours. A great place to admire the city with a coffee.
Details
I had a rather nice meal last week in Restaurante Kasbah, my favourite Arab restaurant in Barcelona. The decor is great fun with the usual tapestries, mosaics, low tables and stools, and a fountain tinkling away right in the middle of the dining room. Extensive menu with Maghrebi, Near Eastern and French food.
Dishes: couscous (the lamb and chickpeas is lovely), tajin (superb), brochettes, mutabal. And make sure your try the nems – delicious chicken rolls- and the kubeiba suri – raw meat patties, though have it as a starter not as a second course.
A full meal should come to around 20 euros.
Address
Vila Vila 82. Poble Sec
Teléfono 93 329 8384.
Metro Parel.lel.
More here
My favourite Pakistani baker’s in Barcelona. Excellent meat samosas, Tikeyas and spicy chicken rolls, along woth sickly sweet delicious Arab and Asian sweets.
Address: Calle Hosiptal.
This was possibly the last interview conducted with novelist and political commentator Manuel Vázquez Montalbán before he died of a heart attack in Bangkok att he age of 64. He had been on a book tour of Australia and had spoken to Australian crime fiction magazine, Crime Factory.
Here’s was what he had to say about Barcelona:
What does Barcelona mean for you?
Barcelona is at the same time both the territory where my memory is formed and the place with which I have a relationship of knowledge like that of a dog when he urinates in the four corners. He’s marked his territory. Given that it’s a city with many layers, it could be said that it is a various city in one, as I tried to show in my book Barcelonas, a book which has been translated into English. In books like The Pianist which are not part of the Carvalho series, Barcelona is primarily the city of the hidden memory, thanks to the Civil War, while in the Carvalho cycle of books, it is the setting in which is created the conflict with crime, and sometimes, between politics and crime.
I had a very enjoyable meal last week at Abissinia, Barcelona’s only Ethiopian restaurant last week. We sat on low wooden stools and were served selections of meat and vegetable dishes on hourglass-shaped straw tables called mesobs. The food is served directly on large pancake-like bread (injera), which you pull apart with you hands and use to scoop up your food with. No cutlery is provided. Excellent value at 15 euros a head.
Address: Abissinia, Torrent de les Flors 55, Tel. 93 213 0785
Good review here from the Metropolitan.
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Barcelona is to have 500 free WiFi points in municipal facilities (museums, civic centres, sports centres, etc) by 2010. There are currently only 50 free points.
Stush and Teng claims to be the only Jamaican restaurant in Spain.
If reggae’s your thing, check out Rimshot Records (Gignas, 30) the only specialist reggae store as far as I know in Barcelona. Good selection of new releases and back catalogue and info from the guy who runs the store on what’s going on in town reggae-wise and how to get there.
Lucy’s Barcelona nature blog Spanish Civil War
