Ikea sign in Badalona
February 26th, 2010
The headquarters of IKEA in Spain is in Badalona. Note the huge sign on the roof. From here
Archive for February, 2010
The best view in Barcelona
February 19th, 2010
The Turó de la Rovira betwen El Carmel and el Guinardó offers one of the best views to admire Barcelona. The ruined gun emplacements remind us it is also the site of Barcelona’s air defences during the Civil War. More on this another day. It is also a great spot for graffiti. Photos by Mónica. Note hanging shoe art.
La Piadina
February 16th, 2010La Piadina serves excellent takeaway piadinas. They make a good change from pizzas and bocadiillos. Ugly is my favouirite.
Address: C de Santa Creu 3. Street is off Plz Virreina by the church.
Best Italian restaurant in Barcelona
February 16th, 2010As far as I am concerned the best Italian restaurant in Barcelona is Bella Napoli in Carrer Magarit, Poble Sec. The place attracts large numbers of Italian ex-pats served by occassionally infuriating Marx-brother-style waiters who delight in playing tricks on the punters. Superb pizzas and antipasta. Booking at the weekend is advisable.
C/ Margarit 101
08011 Barcelona
93 442 50 56
Spanish flu in Barcelona
February 15th, 2010 Spanish flu killed 1554 people in Barcelona in the terrible outbreak between 1918 and 1919. 370 people died in a single day in the city on 21st 1918.- More here
- Historical documents from the period (La Vanguardia)
The Charge by Ramón Casas
February 15th, 2010
This painting by Ramón Casas is entitled La Carga (The Charge). and shows the Guardia Civil routing a crowd. It was painted in 1899 and gained fame after the general strike in Barcelona in 1902, where similar tactics were employed. The scene is an idealised view of Barcelona. Santa Maria del Mar is clearly visible as are the chimneys of La Canadenca in Parallel.
The work is currently in the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid.
The population density of Barcelona
February 10th, 2010
The metropolitan area of Barcelona has one of the highest population densities in the world, particularly if one takes out Collserola park on its northern fringe. The city of Barcelona itself has a density of 5,764/km², while the Eixample District has a remarkable density of 35.138/km². L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, part of Barcelona metropolitan area, but a town (ciudad) in its own right, has a density of 20,230 /km2. Source
Within Barcelona particularly neighbourhoods are:
1 Sagrada Familia
area 1.04km²
Population 53.000
2 Gracia
area 2.05 km²
population 84.000
3 Raval
area 1.08km²
population 47.000
Within L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, the highest density in Europe is the la Florida district with a density of 77,000/km², which has fallen from a frightening 150,000/km² 30 years ago. Source: http://www.l-h.cat/anuarisEstadistics_2.aspx?id=2 Statistical yearbook of the city, Click on Anuario 2007
The skyscraper forum has some fascinating discussion on what constitutes an urban area or a city. Above pic taken from there by Gabi.
The whole municipality of L’Hospitalet is conurbated with the city, served by tube lines, insanely dense, etc. It’s just another district of Barcelona, really. Of course, this might mean it’d be a better idea to consider L’H as a single neighbourhood, but first of all it isn’t: the different neighbourhoods were built at different times, with different planning criteria (or in most cases absence thereof, but that’s another story), and they have different sociological traits, different areas of influence, etc. You also have to keep in mind that there are TWO railway tracks cutting through the city and pretty much acting as a barrier you can’t get through. So at least you’d have to separate Samontà (Northern Hospitalet) from Marina (Southern Hospitalet). Actually, it’d be more like Old Hospitalet (Centre and Sta. Eulàlia), Northern Hospitalet (La Florida, Can Serra, Pubilla Cases, Collblanc, Torrassa, etc.) and Marina (Bellvitge and Gornal, basically. The area around Plaça Europa has become quite distinct, although future operations on Gran Via Ave. will prolly integrate Gornal into Districte Econòmic somewhat.) And it’d be a wise idea to separate Collblanc and Torrassa as well, as they have a special relationship with Les Corts and Sants in Barcelona. They also have some old town parts, which is kind of weird in L’Hospitalet (most of L’Hospitalet was built after 1960 and populated with inmigrants, so the presence of “old town” parts is sociologically and urbanistically relevant: the fact that in Collblanc and Torrassa they are way smaller than in Centre or Sta. Eulàlia, and the fact that their original population is fleeing to Martorell or Barcelona is also relevant of course.)
