This weekend we celebrate “la Verbena de San Juan” in Spain, which is a festivity taking place on the night of the 23^rd of June. The shortest night of the year has a special traditional significance, through 3 different symbols; Fire, Water and Herbs.

• The fire symbolizes purity and bonfires can be seen both in town squares and on the beach.
• The water symbolizes healing, and the tradition says it has a special effect to take a swim, at midnight.
• The herbs symbolize remedy and some claim that the ones picked on the night of San Juan, has an enhanced curative effect.

All in all, it’s a festive tradition, where family and friends come together to eat, drink and dance all night. By midnight fireworks and loud firecrackers can be seen and heard around the cities and along the beaches. It’s an electric atmosphere, topped off by eating “La coca de San Juan”, a cake in different varieties. The following day, 24^th of June is a public holiday, spent to clean up the streets and beaches from last night partying and maybe heal that hangover with some fresh herbs;-)

Buena verbena, everybody!

Motor lovers have an important date in Barcelona this weekend. The F1 racetrack can be found a 35 minute drive from the city center and this year’s 29th edition will be packed with adrenaline and excitement, like every year before. The F1 festival, in addition to speed, will also bring other activities for the fun of the fan. Local music and culture, for all audiences, goes hand in hand with the celebration of motor sport, which is broadcasted all over the world, of course.

The track is also available for events and for company incentive activities, including the chance to drive top notch vehicles or a Formula 1 car. If you don’t like to get behind the wheel, it’s also possible to hit the tracks on bike or simply get a guided tour through the facilities, like the paddock, the podium or the briefing room.

Good luck to the racers and may the best one win!

Today we celebrate St. Jordi, the patron saint of Catalunya. It’s not a public holiday, but a romantic tradition, much like Valentine’s Day. The streets are filled with roses wrapped in the ribbon of the Catalan flag and book stands, coinciding with The World Book Day.  Today, women are supposed to receive a rose and men, a book, even though it doesn’t necessarily have to be from your partner. It can just as well be from a co-worker or friend, or from children to their parents.

The legend of St. Jordi (St. George) is the same as the one told worldwide, where the knightly hero saves the princess and her village from a terrorizing dragon.

The main streets of Barcelona are crowded today, with a festive feeling and lots of couples strolling, with books and roses. Don’t miss the chance to get in that romantic mood!

Between the 5 -12th of May, one of Seville’s biggest, yearly events takes place. The week-long celebration of La feria de Sevilla, has been marked in the calendars of the locals for a long time, and it’s soon time to dust off their flamenco dresses and hit the streets.

Every day, in the afternoon, the city’s streets fill up with horse carriages, kids and adults in traditional dresses, and tourists can come and take part in this unique event. During the afternoon and early evening, it is customary to spend time with family and friends, enjoy local exhibitions, ferris wheels and local dishes, such as Pescadito Frito (small, fried fish). In the evening, when the youngest part of society are tucked in their beds, the big party starts. In private tents sat up along Guadalquivir river, called Casetas, partying and dancing will continue until late hours.

We can help you to be a part of this magic event! Contact us for help with accommodation, transfer and tips!

Sevilla, here we come! Ole!

We recently posted on our Instagram, some pictures from one of this season’s Calçotada. This is a Catalan custom which takes place during spring, when the barbeque season begins. The “Calçot” is a vegetable that resembles a leek but taste more like a mild onion.

Calçots are grilled on an open flame, until they seem burned, then wrapped in newspaper and finally served on a terra cotta tile. This is a traditional appetizer, that can be quite messy to eat. First you peel off the burned part, then you dip in a delicious almond and tomato sauce and finally you eat the tender parts. In restaurants you often get a bib and a pair of gloves, to stay somewhat clean, but on a countryside barbeque, you better not wear your best clothes. After all the peeling and dipping, it’s time to dig in some grilled meat, often lamb chops and sausages accompanied with white beans.  Do you want to join us for the next Calçotada?

We are in the middle of Chinese New Year celebration. But did you know that the service sector, in Barcelona, also count the year different from the Roman calendar? The world’s largest exhibitions for the wireless industry, open their doors from the 25^th until the 28^th of February. Here they will present the latest news and innovations for more than 100.000 professionals and tech lovers, from over 200 countries across the globe.

The exhibition actually sets the date for when the season/year begins and ends for the tourist sector in Barcelona. We, quite literally, count the year from GSM to GSM. If a new hotel or restaurant is to open, it needs to be done before GSM, if refurbishing is on the agenda, it needs to be finished before GSM. More than 10,000 official taxis will work 24h to reduce the endless lines of people, at the airport – and trust us, it is almost impossible to find an available taxi in town during these dates!

Barcelona’s contract to host the event ends in 2023, but with the ever-increasing reliance to wireless technology, we hope they will continue to consider our city for many years to come. If not, we might have to go back to the old, boring calendar.

Happy (GSM) New Year!!!