A cafe in a magical world of enchanted forests, gnomes and fairies. Are you interested?

It seems incredible, walking through the crowded Ramblas, that these very special magic places may exist. It is an essential stop on your visit to Barcelona, which will surely not leave you indifferent.

Bosc de les Fades is the name of the establishment, this cafe is owned by the Barcelona Wax Museum and has existed for years. It is towards the end of the Ramblas, near the monument to Columbus, and although it is a bit hidden is quite easy to find, because you only have to look for signs towards the wax museum, and to our right we find the door to a world of fantasy.

The place is quiet, with few tables, so it is best to go during the week because on weekends, and at certain times, you may find it full. And as you go, you leave behind the hustle and bustle of the city. The decoration is overwhelming. A bucolic representation of nature leads you to a magical world where everything seems possible.

A Perfect spot for any occasion. To relax with a beer in the middle of your sightseeing with friends in a unique and original atmosphere. To share a romantic moment with your partner enjoying its many hidden corners, the sound of water flowing and the discreet lighting blending with the light from the candles. Or to go with your family, and find that within its walls there is  a play area for children with puppets and antique toys, which completes the charm.

The decor pays extreme attention to details. Explore the enchanted forest, discover new details each time through the trees on the roof, at the waterfall … It will not stop to amaze you!

Return and become a child to believe in fairies. Travel to a magical world without leaving the center of Barcelona!

http://www.museocerabcn.com/es/index.html

Noelia-san

Do not forget to rent apartments in Barcelona if you’re going to see this pub with its forest of fairies. Located at the end of the Ramblas, a site that you can not miss if you visit Barcelona

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Translated by: Marc
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Chinatown, Red Light District, Arrabal, Little Islamabad, Rawal or Ravalkistán: these are just a few of the nicknames for which the Raval quarter in Barcelona is known. This was once a suburb or district outside the city of Barcelona.

The district of El Raval has been one of Barcelona’s less reputable areas for years. During the night, the neighbourhood was once a refuge for prostitutes, drugs and criminals and during the daytime, was home to immigrants, smelly factories as well as a prohibited and dissolute area. Its name seems to be predestined to obscurity, but this is where we draw the true Raval character from.

Today, the Raval is one of the neighbourhoods of Barcelona with most character. It’s one of the fashionable districts, along with Borne area. The range of leisure and culture is astounding along with the latest in ethnic fusion restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs, museums and art galleries. The modern bars and clubs of the Barcelona night have moved to this area to coexist with the older style found in the Raval area. It is a modern and cosmopolitan neighbourhood that still has traces of what was here in the past – a neighbourhood of low funding, immigration and women of the night.

La Rambla del Raval is new to the neighbourhood. When you walk through this pleasant avenue, it is inevitable to look at the multitude of Arab immigrants that are dotted here and there. Most of the local people here are of Moroccan or Pakistani origin. Hence, the Raval has been known affectionately as Little Ravalquistan or Islamabad. In the rest of the neighbourhood you will find foreigners living, especially from Pakistan, Morocco, The Philippines, India, China, Bangladesh, Ecuador and The Dominican Republic to name a few places.

Today, the upper part of The Raval hosts numerous universities, the Centre for Contemporary Culture in Barcelona, the FAD (Promotion of Decorative Arts) and the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Barcelona (MACBA), which has become a great public gathering for skateboard fanatics.

One of the most famous streets in the neighbourhood is La Calle Cera. This was once a main artery where gypsies once predominated. Its name comes from the rivers of wax formed by the numerous wax candles placed before the Virgin of this particular street to protect themselves against the plague. This is the same community that gave birth to the famous rumba Catalana.

One obligatory stop for a break is the legendary Bar Marsella on Calle Sant Pau. At the beginning of the century it was an elegant café for ladies that after became the epicentre of prostitution. Also, in the street of Sant Pau, you’ll find a hidden gem tucked away: the beautiful modernist decor of the rooms of the Hostal España, designed by Domenech i Muntaner.

Raval has much to offer. The best way to discover it is by walking around its many intricate alleys and backstreets, or as they say in Barcelona, ‘ravaleando’. Why not rent apartments in Barcelona to experience the authentic flavour of the Raval.

Antoni Gaudi is one of the greatest figures in the history of Spanish and Catalan architecture. Seen as the genius of the Modernist movement (Art Nouveau), his work was not only a product of the social context of the time, but also of his own personality and devotion to the Catalan culture.

He was born in Reus in 1852 and received his Architectural degree in 1878. Almost his entire professional life took place in Barcelona, where the greater part of his work is. Gaudi’s biography is closely related to the Güell family, which had huge prestige in artistic circles at this time in Barcelona. For this reason, he built for them some of his most important works such as the Palau Güell, the

Park Güell or the Colonia Güell.

One of his most important aspects was his capacity as a designer: he wanted to create architectural space using wrought iron, stained glass, furniture, sculptures, mosaics, ceramics, etc – within an organic decorative concept.

This added an important element to his buildings which is often overlooked by architects, the use of colour. Gaudi’s work was greatly influenced by forms of nature and especially by the sea, which was one of his favourite inspirations. The absence of symmetry is an important characteristic in Gaudi’s work. As in nature, nothing in his buildings or furniture is absolutely identical, thus giving the impression that it is made of a plastic material.

His most well-known works of architecture are:

Sagrada Familia: he dedicated his life to carrying out this ambitious project which he left unfinished in 1926 when he died – and it’s not expected to be completed for another 30 to 80 years. This monumental church dedicated to the Holy Family is Gaudi’s most famous work and a worldwide symbol of Barcelona.

Parc Güell: it was commissioned by Eusebi Güell, who wanted to create a stylish park for Barcelona’s aristocracy. It is a magical park with amazing buildings, sculptures, and tile work. Watch out for Gaudi’s old home in the Park which is now open to the public as a small museum. UNESCO declared Parc Güell a place of World Heritage in 1984.

Casa Batlló: Casa Batlló and La Pedrera are the two great buildings designed by Antoni Gaudi on Passeig de Gracia. The colourful Casa Batlló is known for its elaborate decoration and forms derived from nature. From the outside the façade of Casa Batlló looks like it has been made from skulls and bones.

Casa Milá: better known as La Pedrera because of its cliff-like walls was built between 1906 and 1910 for the Milà family. Casa Milà was classified as World Heritage in the 1984 UNESCO Catalogue. It has an aquatic feel: the balconies resemble seaweed and the undulating façade the sea, or rocks washed by it.

There are some of Gaudi´s lesser-known, beautiful contributions that you shouldn’t miss such as the Gigantic Fountain (Parc de la Cuitadella), the Three Graces Fountain (Plaça Reial) and the amazing wrought-iron embellished street lamps that line the streets in the heart of the city (Plaza Reial, by Las Ramblas, Passeig de Gracia and the old port entrance).

Antoni Gaudí died in Barcelona run over by a tram on 10th June 1926. Probably some of Gaudi’s greatest works are the most visited attractions in Barcelona. They have deeply influenced the face of Barcelona Architecture and you will see Gaudi’s work all over the city. Do you want to discover it?

Rent Apartments in Barcelona and enjoy these superlative and original works of architecture.

Lomography in Barcelona

Let’s travel back to Russia and the old city of Leningrad in 1982, at the end of the Cold War. The Russian general Petrowitsch Igor Kornitzky is showing off a brand new model of Japanese to the magnate of Russian cameras, Lomo. Soon after, the communists decide to build the model, but supposedly better. Thus was born the Lomo Kompakt camera that inadvertently became in charge of documenting the last vestiges of the communist era. The legend also states that the spies of the KGB used these cameras for capturing potentially interesting documents and as they did not require flash were ideal for working in the dark. Whatever was the case, the only thing we for sure is that every respectable Russian citizen had a Russian Lomographic camera in their home.

In 1991, shortly after the fall of the Berlin wall, a wave of Austrian art students took advantage of the opening up of Eastern Europe and went on holiday to Prague. There they discovered some Lomographic cameras. On developing the films inside the cameras they found a collection of photographs around the size of 10×15 with brown edges and faded colours. Some of them were blurred, others surprised the students with their bright colours, and others captured movement. What appeared to be a toy camera had become a social and cultural movement of the most experimental kind. The Lomographical society was then setup and its main objective was to promote this new philosophy and lifestyle. This Lomographic spirit tries to capture the spirit of our everyday lives and turn them into works of art. The result is surprising which also enables us to create all sorts of textures and colours, as well as awaken our hidden poetic and melancholic spirit or our more cheerful and witty personality.

The year 1994 arrived and the first exhibitions devoted to Lomographics simultaneously took place in the cities of New York and Moscow. Since then the movement spread throughout the world and Barcelona, a vanguard city par excellence, inaugurated its first Lomographic cameras store. Tucked away in a street in the lovely Born area of Barcelona we find the charming Lomoshop (c / 2 Mirallers left. Vigatans). The visit is almost mandatory for photography or art followers.

You will surely come out of the store with a Lomographic camera in hand, and you’ll be pushed to remember the exact moment you decided to buy as the packaging and designs of the cameras are simply irresistible. If you’re tired of the conventional photo album and you’d like to have an unforgettable memory of the city of Barcelona, we recommend that you get yourself a Lomographic camera, and start capturing the beautiful people of Barcelona, its mysterious streets of the old quarter, its emblematic monuments, the sea and its beaches through the lens of an original Lomo. Furthermore, it is not necessary to be an expert in photography; all you have to keep in mind is the golden rule of motion – always carry your Lomo camera and shoot!

Thanks to the wonderful climate and weather that Barcelona enjoys, it hands us the opportunity to walk and play around with our new camera. After a long day photographing the city you can relax in one of the best apartments in Barcelona. You will find many different options available at apartments in Barcelona.