Excellent article from the Metropolitan on the catastrophic decline of Barcelona’s and Badalona’s once thriving fishing industry as a result of overfishing, effluent plastic and heavy metal pollution.
Read In Barcelona Metropolitan
“Fifteen years ago, there were 80 fishing boats in the Badalona fleet,” said Ramón Costa. “Five years ago, there were 40. Last year there were 15. Now, the fleet is down to only eight boats. Simply put, there aren’t enough fish left.”
Photo of the container port of Barcelona by Mónica. Taken from Montjuic.
Aerial view of the port from above website.
Lucy's Barcelona nature blog
One of many people's favourite piece of public art in Barcelona is The Cat by Fernando Botero. The cat has moved several times around the city, but seems finally to have decided to settle down here in the Raval del Raval. It was originally bought by the council in 1987. I love watching people interact with it. Children like to (try to) climb it. Old men like to slap it. There's another sculpture of a horse by Botero at the airport.
La 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.
As far as im 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.
Koy Shunka in Barcelona is claimed to be one of the best Japanese restaurants outside of Japan.
I must admit expectations were high upon entering as pretty much every Chef in Spain talks about this restaurant, but without a shadow of a doubt it surpassed what I expected! With the kitchen being the center stage from the moment you walked in you could not help feel a part of the theatrics....All of the Chefs were laughing and interacting with all of the guests seated around the bar seating and the edges of the kitchen. More here
Barcelona's urban heat island
March 11, 2010
Barcelona’s urban heat island effect causes markedly higher temperatures in the city than the surrounding rural areas. The difference is most pronounced at night during anticyclonic conditions in the winter with temperatures as much as 6.9ºC lower. There heat is channeled along corridors of flats, and there a mere 200 hectares of green areas in the city, though the city’s 100,000 street trees have a mitigating effect. The heat island is most noted in the Eixample. The Besós River functions as a corridor bringing in cold air to the coast. More details in Catala
Books in English set in Barcelona
March 8, 2010
The Oh Barcelona site has a short but good round-up of the books in English set in Barcelona. Montalbán, Mendoza, Ruiz Zafon, Tóibín, Hughes, etc. More here
Where is Columbus pointing to?
March 4, 2010
![[Colom.jpg]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mO07g9kbB7Q/S40rAjuBfKI/AAAAAAAAAL4/Vq5FvFMUssc/s1600/Colom.jpg)
Not America that’s for sure. The Barcelonautes blog claims to have the answer: La Platja de Sa Calobra in Mallorca. After that it’s Algiers, the Sahara desert and the length of Africa.
Tàpies foundation reopens
March 4, 2010
The Fundació Antoni Tàpies opened its doors this week after being closed for reforms for several years. More in English
Timeline of Barcelona
March 1, 2010
I’ve put together this timeline of Barcelona in the history section. Still very unfinished.
Spanish flu in Barcelona
February 15, 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.
Barcelona photoblog Badrash in Barcelona Oh Barcelona Els Barcelonautes From Barcelona South of Watford (Madrid based. Very good)