The Barcelona carnival occurs every year in February and is organized by Barcelona´s Carnival commission. El Carnaval is a public celebration typical of Spain which takes place before the start of lent and usually consists of parades, dressing up and events throughout the city. The origin of Spanish carnival is thought to have come from pagan festivals where they paid homage to Baco, the god of wine, or alternatively from Egypt over 5000 years ago and roman times, from which the customs were then expanded throughout Europe by the Spanish and Portuguese explorers of the 15^th century.        

Carnaval is a principally Catholic celebration and is celebrated in a different way by protestant cultures, such as in Denmark (Fastelavn), where it is often referred to as Nordic Halloween.

This year will be the 103^rd annual carnavak with events throughout the city. Since the 1980s the main parade of the carnival celebrations was the Gran Rua, but this year it will not take place as it is no longer considered by the local government to be a traditional element of Carnaval. Instead there will be smaller parades in all central areas of the city on Saturday February 18^th.  

Another main event is the traditional sardine buying ceremony on Ash Wednesday to mark the start of Lent. Why not rent out one of our Barcelona apartments and join in the carnival fun? Check out our website www.akaza.net

Carnaval also happens in every smaller town and city around Barcelona. According to Guinness world records, the largest and most famous carnival takes place in Rio de Janeiro, but other famous Carnivals are those of Tenerife, Madrid and Venezuela. 

Los Reyes Magos

 This weekend the Reyes Magos, or 3 kings came to Barcelona for the annual parade through the city. According to the bible, these 3 kings travelled across many lands following a star to visit and pay homage to Jesus on the night of his birth. They brought Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh for the baby Jesus. According to tradition, the kings are called Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar and bring the presents on the night before the epiphany, 5th January. This year in Barcelona the kings parade started at the port of Barceloneta and finished at the mountain of Montjuic, travelling with 18 tonnes of sweets which were thrown from the floats to the children gathered. The whole route was full of people waiting to see the kings but those with apartments along the route in Barcelona had the best view!

 Before the arrival of the kings, the children send letters to them explaining what they would like to receive from them. The kings can also be seen in shopping centers and other public places, where the children can tell them their wishes in public. The children leave out their shoes in their apartment on the night of the 5^th, as well as food for the kings and water for their camels. If they have been well behaved, the kings will bring them presents, if not they will receive a lump of coal in place of their shoes!

In Spain, 6^th January is the day after the kings bring the presents and celebrates the epiphany. The epiphany is a Catholic religious festival which celebrates the apparitions of God and the saints to prophets, doctors and witches over many years. This is the traditional day of Christmas in Spain, although many families also celebrate 25^th December as Christmas day.

On the day of the kings, families spend time together and eat a typical meal. For many families this consists of Canneloni, followed by the Roscon de reyes. This is a donut shaped cake which has crystallized fruit on top and cream inside. It also contains small figures of Mary and Joseph and a small bean, the finder of which has to pay for the cake!

There are also traditional sweets and treats typical to Christmas in Spain such as ´Turron´, a soft or brittle bar with Almonds and ´Pulvorones´, small cakes made from flour, butter and sugar with different flavors. 

Christmas markets are a Catalan tradition and Vic is among the most famous, attracting locals and tourists alike for over 15 years.  The market is an annual event occurring the same week as the public holidays of 6^th and 8^th December. The normally quiet streets are filled with stalls and medieval decoration and costumes.

The market sells everything from donkey rides to Butifarra (Typical Catalan sausage), children’s toys to beautiful hand crafted jewellery. There are also petting areas and archery exhibitions, as well as live medieval music.  

Vic is a small city, capital of Osona with a population of around 40 million. It is situated on the outskirts of Barcelona, surrounded by mountains and green landscapes, so provides a very tranquil change from the hustle and bustle of the city. It is situated at 499 metres above sea level in a valley, making it a heat trap in winter and a freezer in winter! Vic often experiences snow and temperatures as low as -10 degrees in the winter months. For this reason most people live in high apartment blocks or houses with central heating!

Vic medieval market is held in the old part of the city, on the narrow streets surrounding the Roman temple, cathedral and Romanesque bridge.

Other Christmas markets in Barcelona include Fira de Santa Llúcia, Mercat Gótic and Fira de Nadal a la Sagrada Familia in the Eixample, Gotico and Borne districts of Barcelona. If you´re in Barcelona this December, let us organize your Barcelona apartment from which to visit all the markets. 

The abbey of Sant Miquel del Fai is an antique beautiful Benedict monastery close to the town Riells in the Catalan region of Valles Oriental, 50km away from Barcelona. The exact date of its foundation is unknown, but a community of monks was already settled down in 1006. It was funded by Gombau de Besura, the owner of – among other properties - the Montbui Castle in Caldes, in Catalonia.

Despite being a small monastery, during the centuries it left a mark in the history of Catalunya. Other museums in Barcelona conserve several unique and important historical remnants from the Roman era, deriving from the monks living in the monastery of Sant Miquel del Fai. Indeed, the monastery contains the only Romanesque chapel in Catalonia!

This all can sound avarage to the visitor of Catalonia who might have already seen several monasteries from that antique era. So what is so special in this church?

The interesting thing is the fact that it was built in a cave, serving a roof by its own! It is the largest troglodyte church in the country. It has a Romanic portal formed by a semicircular arch. It has a small crypt and there is an access to it through the staircase near the entrance. On the floor of the church there are visible gravestones of former abbots. In the side chapels, there are two graves, practically disappeared.

The old priory house has Gothic style and was built in the fifteenth century. For many years, it functioned as a hostel but it managed to retain its original layout.

The natural environment of the monastery is also special. It is located in a well preserved natural environment framed by the rocky cliffs of Cingles de Berti, in the pre-costal mountain range of the Cordillera Prelitoral Catalana. The river Tenes has shaped limestone formations, a large waterfall and several caves make up the highlight of the place.

The sight is unique! Do not miss it if you visit Catalunya!

You can get there by public transport, with the Bus Saglés from the Estacio del Nord in Barcelona.

You can find more information on the following website: www.santmiqueldelfai.net .

In Spain we generally consider 8th December – the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, to be when Christmas begins. This is the day when the people in Spain start to put up the Christmas decorations. In most of the Spanish homes the nativity is one of the most important features of the decorations. The family enjoys building together the Bethlehem where the Baby Jesus is born.

You can find the biggest Christmas market in Barcelona in the Avenida de la Catedral, in front of the Barcelona’s Cathedral in the Gothic quarter of the old city. 2011 is the 225^th edition of the Santa Lucia market in Barcelona. You can find hundreds of “figuritas de Belén” which are the tiny figures to make the Christmas nativity scene called “pessebres”. You can also find crappers called “Caganers” and other Christmas decorations.

The Caganer is a feature of the nativity scene that you only see in Catalunya. It is a figure of Catalan man wearing traditional Catalan clothes. He is squatting with his trousers around ankles and pooing! This may seem strange, but it is a custom from the 18^th Century. His poo is seen a sign of good luck as it fertilizes the earth and ensures a good harvest for the coming year.

Caga Tio comes out on 8^th December. It is a small log with a smiley face, wearing the traditional red Catalan hat – the Barretina. The name Caga Tio means ‘Poo Log’. Every day between 8^th December and Christmas Eve, children look after the Caga Tio. They cover him with a blanketto make sure he is warm and they feed him Turron every evening. This is to ensure that he is nice and full so that he will poo out lots of treats on Christmas Eve!

A special day during the Christmas market are 13^th December – “Dia de Santa Lúcia” and the “Diada de les Tradicions u els Costums Nadalencs a Catalunya”, and 20^th December , which is the “Tió gegant” giant long day.

On Christmas Eve, after dinner, dessert comes courtesy of Caga Tio. The children are given a stick with which they hit the Caga Tio. They sing a special song:

“Caga Tio avellanes I torró

Si no vols cagar

Et donanem un cop de pal.”

The translation of this is: “Caga Tio hazelnuts and turron, If you don’t want to poo, We will hit you with a stick.”

The children then reach inside the Caga Tio1s blanket and find sweets and small toys. Similar to the sorts of treats that children receive in their stockings from Santa Claus.

Passeig de les Aigues is one of the most popular walking and cycling routes in Barcelona, located in the only green zone in the city. Its gentle paths and slow increases, rated at just 1 of 5 for difficulty, make it ideal for families and people of all ages and with a walking height of 34metres, visitors experience fantastic views of the city below, even on a cloudy day. The easy to follow, signposted route also makes it almost impossible to get lost.

The walk starts at 'Pla de les Maduixeres´ at the foot of Tibidabo mountain, and by taking a quick diversion from the path visitors can also explore this beautiful area including the famous theme park at the top of the mountain.  The path then continues to follow the contours of the mountain with ideal viewing points of Bonanova, Sarria and Pedralbes and the skyline of Barcelona. Half way through the walk, visitors can cross Carretera de Vallvidrera via a purpose built bridge. From here we continue on to the ´Mirador dels Xiprers´ with breathtaking views of Diagonal, the longest road in Barcelona and football´s Mecca, Camp Nou. During the next part of the walk, it is possible to continue on passeig de les Aigues, or take the more challenging route of Sant Pere Martir which runs parallel. On this path, visitors will arrive at the popular fountain of Mandra before reconnecting with Passeig de les Aigues to finish the route.

Passeig de les Aigues can be easily reached from the city centre by public transport. For the more adventurous type, why not walk the route at night time, when Barcelona comes alive and illuminated!

In total the path takes around 1 hour 30 minutes to complete and is a total of 18.5 kilometres long. Combined with a trip to Tibidabo mountain and theme park, a fun day can be had by all the family!

If you love to walk or cycle, why not sample Barcelona´s finest route? Akaza can provide accommodation for your stay as well as more information and organization of other walks and excursions further afield.

El aire de Barcelona

‘El aire de Barcelona’ or the ‘air of Barcelona’ is one of the city’s most famous spas. The spa is located in the old town area of Borne at the site where the defensive wall of Ciutadella was erected. It is built around an ancient Arabic bath which was restored by the spa’s founders.

The ancient wells which formed part of the water reserve system in the old city, also form part of the modern day spa. ‘Aire de Barcelona’ is keen to maintain an atmosphere of silence and soothing aromas so clients can fully immerse themselves in the centuries old treatments, from salt water bath to steam bath and massage on a warm marble surface.

The bath allows clients to immerse themselves in waters of different temperature from ‘The templarium’ (97˚F), into the ‘Caldarium’ (104˚F) and finally the colder waters of ‘Frigidarium’ (61˚F). This thousand year old technique of exposure of the skin to different temperatures has a beneficial effect on the skin. 

CosmoCaixa: Science Museum

This amazing museum, which opened in 2005, has been heralded as the finest science museum in Europe. CosmoCaixa Barcelona has an enormous variety of content and an innovative layout, turning it into one of the most modern museums of its kind. The new 50.000 m2 building increases the scientific offer of its predecessor.

The exhibitions are distributed throughout various rooms, including the Amazon Forest, the Geological Wall, Planetarium, etc. Visitors are invited to interact with many of the scientific experiments, making the whole experience richer and more entertaining, particularly for children.

Inside the Amazon rainforest & the Aquarium

Over an area of 1,000 m² a small part of the Amazonian rainforest is recreated here. The larger trees are made of plastic; however this detail goes unnoticed, being combined with small natural plants. All of the animals that you see along the way are authentic. Along with the humidity of the air, which gives an overall impression of 100%, a slightly musty smell and a background noise of birds and running water, it gives you the impression of being in the middle of the Amazonian rainforest. Here, you will find 13 different species of trees, as well as 58 plant and 36 animal species.

On the other side of the museum, it is masterfully shown how we, as human beings, have taken advantage of forms of nature, such as snails and honeycombs. There is also a representation of the origins of the human race. And many other things besides- physics experiments that show the effects of light, the force of gravity etc.

On the upper level of the building you will find the temporary exhibitions. Previous exhibitions have looked at drugs and illustrated their effects upon the psyche, reaction times and the body. Other temporary exhibitions have included the importance of numbers in daily life, illusions of science and an exhibition on Charles Darwin.

On the return walk to the ground floor, you pass by the Planetarium and Toca toca! (Touch touch). The planetarium gives you a virtual tour across the universe, via the creation of the planets, finding ourselves almost in the centre of the Big Bang. Toca toca! allows you to experiment with the environment using all of the senses. There are animals from different habitats, such as water, desert and the forest, and you are also able to touch them. This is the place for those who’ve always wanted to touch a hairy spider, supposedly slippery snakes or tortoises. Both of these attractions are only available at weekends, as during the week only school groups are able to enter.

Barcelona features more than 80 museums. Without doubt there is a lot to see in all of them, but it is hard to find one as entertaining as the CosmoCaixa. In this museum, everybody, young or old can enjoy themselves and learn a lot about Natural Sciences, trying out many things, and even experience tropical rain. CosmoCaixa surprises, not only due to the wealth of information and activities on offer, but also with its affordable prices. Experimenting is not just something for kids to do here, but rather an experience for all of the family. CosmoCaixa has a total area of 30,000 m2, or in other words enough space for exhibitions, a planetarium, a tropical rainforest, conference rooms, a shop, cafe and picnic areas.

• Address: Teodor Roviralta, 47-51
  08022, Barcelona
• How to get there: Bus Lines: 17, 22, 58, 60, 73, 75. Metro & FGC: First go to Diagonal Station (L5), connect with Ferrocarils de la Generalitat to Avinguda del Tibidabo Station, then take the "Tramvía Blau", the Blue Tram.
• Prices: Click the logo to see prices and buy tickets
• Opening hours: Open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 to 20h. Closed on Mondays (except holidays) and on December 25th and January 1st
• Telephone(s): 902223040
• Nearest landmarks: Tibidabo

Chocolate museum Barcelona

The Barcelona chocolate museum is the first of its kind in Catalonia and is situated in the Born district of the city. Akaza has many apartments in this and all other areas of the city for your stay. It is a really exciting attraction, especially for those with a sweet tooth and those with children. Visitors are taken on a journey through the history of the product, from its origin as a spicy drink, to a sweet French delicacy! As well as a whistle stop tour of chocolate history, the museum serves to demonstrate the artistic capabilities of chocolatiers. Special displays are dedicated to elaborate chocolate figures and sculptures such as the Sagrada Familia and Floquet de Neu, as well as the traditional Catalan chocolate Monas, easter eggs or cakes which are traditionally given on Easter Sunday by a Godfather to his Godchild.

Guests are also invited to view the chocolate machinery, sculptures and sample the wares in the ‘candy bar’.

All kinds of cultural activities take place in the chocolate museum, including concerts of classical music and theatre. You can also learn about chocolate-making machines from old Catalan factories.

The museum also offers workshops where children can become expert patissiers, and the opportunity to celebrate your birthday surrounded by chocolate at one of the museum’s chocolate parties!

If you are looking for accomodation for your trip to this wonderful city, Akaza can provide original and comfortable apartments in all areas. If all this activity hasn’t persuaded you, maybe the free chocolate at the end of the trip will tempt you..