Flea markets in Barcelona are a great place to shop if you are interested in Barcelona antique, art, clothes or in general second hand „stuff“.

We went to see two of the most interesting Barcelona flea markets and although this way of shopping is very cheap, it still left us broke!

El Flea Market Barcelona - “One man’s garbage is another man´s gold”

That´s the main philosophy of the Flea Market Barcelona, which is organized monthly in the streets of Barcelona. The last one that we visited took place on Plaza Blanquerna, just behind the Museu Marítim. The market has an open friendly atmosphere with some nice guitar tunes and people chatting away the afternoon from their little stands with clothes, jewelry, books, LPs, and much more. All the wares must be in good condition and at reasonable prices so I bought 2 bags, 2 scarves and 3 t-shirts, because I just had to have them, and in the end I spent around 10 euros. This place is great for anyone who wants to reduce waste and consumerism, because a longer life is given to products.  Also  Barcelona flea market is perfect for those who love to hang out on the street and buy original pieces that really can't be found anywhere else.

Largest Barcelona flea market - Mercat dels Encants

If you like this way of shopping, you should visit the best known flea market in Barcelona. It´s just enormous and you can get really everything from Barcelona antique, books, cosmetics, computers to rasty bicycles and used mattresses. You'll see as much variety as London´s Harods, but in more lively, cheaper, and more bohemian way. Mercat dels Encants takes place close to the metro Glories every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., but some of the sellers close their stand around midday, so it´s always better to come in the morning. When I came, the market was literally packed. It was on Saturday at 11 a.m., probably the worst time to go in hindsight. The nice thing is that the merchants are quite motivated so you hear “barato barato” (cheap cheap) or “one euro one euro” a lot. If you go, be prepared to bargain. It´s the way of shopping here.  It´s more than expected and it´s fun too! The prices are usually set about 2-3 times higher than what the merchant will accept, so you better get bargaining quick! I wish you the best deals! Did you manage a real bargain lately? Let us know! Sharka "like the animal"

Barcelona Spa: 3 Great Options to Treat Yourself

To find a Barcelona spa is very easy as they are all over the city, and if you lead a stressful lifestyle like us you should consider taking a trip to one of these three Barcelona spas, sure to leave you feeling refreshed and ready to take on the town. Every metropolitan city has a whole host of luxury hotels offering everything from planned excursions to Michelin starred restaurants, and Barcelona is no different. The high rises near the beach are well-known for catering to the rich and whether you have the dinero to stay there or not, the unique Barcelona spa housed inside are worth a trip. Amidst all the partying, everyone needs to relax. I’ve been thinking about this a lot and so I decided to create this list of three unique Barcelona spas for those of you, who are thinking like I am.

1. Sit Atop the City at The Majestic Spa Barcelona

The Majestic Spa in Barcelona qualifies as both unique and also one of the best rated Barcelona spa. It was the first in Europe to be awarded the prestigious Spa Excellence, certificate by the American organization, Spa Quality LLC, and it takes its reputation seriously. The Majestic Spa Barcelona boasts a hot and cold sauna, a steam bath, a “sensations” shower, an ice fountain, and stations for beauty treatments from head to toe. Its treatments do not come cheap, but when it comes to pampering, many people are willing to pay top-dollar for what has been deemed THE BEST. I find that cost closely parallels quality, most of all when it comes to massage. You can visit the spa, located in Eixample off Passeig de Gracia, seven days a week from 8 am until 9 pm. [caption id="attachment_20414" align="aligncenter" width="445"]
Pool at the Majestic Spa Barcelona[/caption]

2. Enhance your Green Energy at The Spa by Six Senses Barcelona

The Spa by Six Senses in Barcelona is located in the Hotel Arts Barcelona right next to the beach. With its natural wood flooring and breezy terraces, it was clearly designed with the Barcelona-beach goer in mind. The spa provides all of the traditional treatments, as well as Thai and Oriental massage, Ayurvedic treatments, and a Hopi Ear treatment (curious about this one). The Six Senses Spa also has a holistic calendar on their website of “wellness consultants,” who visit regularly to explain to their guests the benefits of beauty rituals and massage. Of all the Barcelona spa, this one is the most "green." [caption id="attachment_20415" align="aligncenter" width="424"]
Thai Massage at Six Senses Spa Barcelona[/caption]

3. Experience the Middle East at Aire de Barcelona

Aire de Barcelona is known for its unique atmosphere, modeled after a traditional Arabic bath, and its distinct Aragan treatments, which can be included in the “wet” series of temperature controlled pools.  The baths have special weekend breakfasts, tea and fresh fruit on the weekdays, and singing every Sunday morning. For a very reasonable price, you can soak in all three pools (hot, temperate, and cold) and finish with a 15, 30, or 45-minute massage. Unlike the previous two mentions, Aire de Barcelona is not inside of a hotel. This is just one of several Barcelona spas located in the hip Borne district, and it is open from 10 am until 2 am most days. [caption id="attachment_20417" align="aligncenter" width="442"]
Candelit Bath at Aire de Barcelona[/caption] Have you been to any Barcelona spa? What are some good ones you've found? Ciao bella Kathy

Cool Spanish Slang Expressions - Speak Like A Local!

Why should you learn Spanish slang? Think when you are sitting at a café in Spain with local people, or walking down the streets : very often you hear expressions and you have no clue what they mean and can't find them in a dictionary. Spanish slang is the real way local people speak, so it would help to improve your overall comprehension and your understanding of Spanish culture. Last but not least, we believe that If you start to use some cool spanish expression, locals would really appreciate it! But mostly, it's just super fun! Ready to become a cool spanish slang speaker? Vamos!

• Guay

  Cool

• ¿Que tal, tío?

  What's up, mate? (Tío/tía means uncle/aunt, but you use it colloquially with friends)

• ¡Estoy machacado!

  I'm exhausted!

• Me estás toreando

  You are messing around with me

• ¿Vamos a zampar?

  Shall we eat something?

• ¿Tengo monos en la cara?

  Why you're looking at me? (Lit. Do i have monkeys on my face?)

• Es una gozada

  It's really great

• Beber como una esponja

  To drink a lot (lit. like a sponge)

• Pasarlo bomba

  To have a great time

• La marcha

  The nightlife

• La Dolorosa

  The bill (in a sarcastic way, lit. means "the painful")

• Ser un muermo

  Being boring (La discoteca fue un muermo total)

• Cambiarle el agua al pajarito

  To pee

• Dar la lata

  To bug, annoy, bother

• Acostarse con las galinas

  To go to bed very early (lit. to go to bed with the chickens)

• Esa chica es muy potable

  That girl is really good looking (lit. drinkable)

• Un Hincha

  Fan of a soccer team

• Gente maja

  Good people, very nice and pleasant

• Un/una guiri

  Foreigner (if you're reading, you probably are one!)

That should be enough for today...Now all you have to do is "salir de marcha" and show off your cool vocabulary! If this introduction to cool Spanish slang was useful, we would be pleased to write more! We're still discovering the Spanish slang world, so please help us collecting new words and expressions! Vale?
¡Olé! - Elio

Breakfast in Barcelona is the best thing before starting your sightseeing or after finishing your party. We bring you the top restaurants and cafes to have a real breakfast in Barcelona. Let’s a have a look, where to eat in Barcelona, when the sun is still above the sea !
Breakfast in Barcelona, and in Spain in general, usually consists of coffee with milk. You can add in a croissant and you will survive on it. But what about letting your imagination float on and find some delicious bagels, sandwiches and frilly pastries? Whether you're an early bird or a late party animal, a nice breakfast or brunch in a calm friendly place may be the thing you need to start your day. Even though breakfast is not the most important Spanish meal, there are still some great places where us breakfast lovers can rejoice in Barcelona.

La Parodia

If you decide for the coffee with croissant, we have a place that claims to have: The best croissant in Barcelona. We have tried it out and it´s de- wait for it- licious! The place is called La Parodia and it´s on the street carrer d´Aribau, between c/ Mallorca and c/ Provenca. La Parodia is a small and friendly place just a few minutes from the Plaza Universitat. They have an amazing lunch menu as well, which you can read about  here.

There are bagels rolling to you!

Car Sharing Barcelona and Car Pooling

People's interest in alternative ways to travel is growing, because it's cheaper and eco-friendly, so let's talk about Car Sharing Barcelona! First of all, we have to distinguish Car Sharing from Car Pooling, which is also very popular now. Car Pooling is when an individual, as member of a car pooling community, shares his own car with other members, generally for short distances. Car Sharing is similar to car rentals, but community based. In fact, in UK it also known as "Car Club". Members get easy access to a car when they need it, but without all the expense and hassles of owning a car of their own.  Users pay a small annual membership, and after that it's pay-as-you-go. Vehicles are owned by the Car Sharing company, and can be rented by the hour, or for days at a time.  And fuel costs, vehicle maintenance and insurance are all included in the price.

Car Sharing Barcelona: how it works

Barcelona Green revolution, successfully started with the Bicing experiment, and now also Car Sharing. Barcelona's  most popular Car Sharing network is Avancar, owned by the American Zipcar. You can find many other Car Sharing companies, that work basically in the same way:

1 - Become a member and get your Smart Card.

You only have to register online, create an account and pay a monthly fee. There are different tariffs depending on how much you're planning on using the service. The Smart Card will allow you to unlock/lock the car you are going to use.

2 - Search on the Car Sharing Barcelona map to find the nearest cars.

3 - Choose your car

Each car has a detailed page, with  features and costs, and location in real time.

Gay Book Stores in Barcelona : Two Great Choices !

There aren't many gay book stores in Barcelona but the few - two to be exact - are great locales where book lovers can immerse themselves in their glory. You may have probably come to Barcelona for the nightlife, for the food or culture, for the sun and the beaches but if you're anything like me, then you won't - for the life of you - spend a thirty days holiday without some reading material. When I moved to Barcelona in mid-February, my search for the best English book stores - especially Gay book Stores in Barcelona - began but the available information on and offline was very little to none, so I set out to find one. So here are my findings for those of you who are visiting Barcelona and enjoy reading between outings.

Libreria Complice

The first of the two Gay Book Stores in Barcelona is a spacious library specializing in fiction and non-fiction literature for English, Spanish and Catalan speaking customers. Their services ranges from assisting gay and lesbian travelers to find their way around the city and by providing guides and maps to helping writers publish their work that are ignored by mainstream publishing houses. So, this makes Complice both a book store and a publishing company. As varied as their services are, their catalogue offering is even more so with a great selection of material in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender genre for every age: books about general diversity and themes, comics, movies, magazines, and a lot more. If you want to see everything that they got to offer in their catalogues you can visit their websites...most of the information found there is in Spanish and Catalan. CÓMPLICE is the Historical LGBT book store of Barcelona, this doesn't mean that they specialize in historical literature, it just means that they are the oldest operating gay book store found in the city, going strong with 17 years diffusing the homosexual culture while intergrating the rights of gays and lesbians around the world. When you subscribe to their blog and newsletter, you can be kept informed about their catalogue udates and the latest information about what goes on in the Barcelona gay scene such as parties, clubs, presentations, meet-ups and other news of interest. Recently, Tevevision de Catalunya filmed a short segment on Complices. It's in Catalan but even if you can't follow the dialogue, the visual gives you a good sense of the store.

Antinous Library in Barcelona (Librería - café gay- lésbica)

If the bars and clubs scene gets old and a little exhausting, then a fantastic place to hang out, meet people and immerse yourself in the gay scene, is Antinous. Both a bookshop and a coffee shop for gay men and women, it is a perfect spot for browsing the latest in gay literature, enjoying a great cup of coffee and learning more about community events and organized gatherings. New clubs, shows and meeting groups are advertised, so if you’re fresh to the area and want to meet new people, this is definitely one to remember. This is our second of the two Gay Book Stores in Barcelona but don't think this is a ranking competition. This shop has its own charms and it's a very popular meeting point for gay and lesbians just off the southern end of La Rambla and very much like Complice, their catalogue varies tremendously from books to videos that caters to the GLTB community. They also provide a copy of "Nois Magazine," a publication with all the information about the gay events taking place in Barcelona, hold book presentations and exhibitions. Both stores are wonderful when looking to purchase a gay book, it all depends on how you want to invest your holiday time shopping for a book. Do you know of any other Gay book stores in Barcelona that are great and that we haven't mentioned? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments! ~ Argenis

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