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Category Archives: Travel tips Barcelona

Sailing in Barcelona

Posted by Craig on January 2, 2013 None comments

If you thinking about what to do on your next holiday, why not have a sailing holiday in Barcelona? There are several schools to choose from and plenty of course available too. From taster lessons to full RYA day skipper courses and beyond, Barcelona is a great destination in which to learn to sail.

Sailing in Barcelona

Sailing in Barcelona

Sailing is a wonderful hobby to have and where better to learn how to do than in the warm waters of the Mediterranean? It doesn’t matter whether you have never sailed before in your life, beginner courses will take you through step by step on what to do. You could even undertake an official and recognised course such as competent crew that would enable you to go and work on boats in the future.

Alternatively you could simply enjoy a few days sailing to get a taste for what life on board is like. If you want to find out what options are available then a good place to start is here:

http://www.barcelonasailingschool.com/

You will find a wealth of information about the types of courses that are available and about general sailing in Barcelona. For your next holiday, why not choose something action packed like sailing?

Winter 2013 in Barcelona

Posted by Craig on December 23, 2012 None comments

Winter is a fantastic time to visit this beautiful Spanish city. While you may not be able to lie out on the beach everyday or want to take quick dips in the Mediterranean to cool off, there are still plenty of things to experience and enjoy.

Winter 2013 in Barcelona

Winter 2013 in Barcelona

As an additional bonus there are shorter queues for the attractions, no cramped metro trains and the whole city is calmer and certainly quieter. If you are going to be visiting Barcelona in winter then take the opportunity to see as many attractions as possible while you are there. They will be far quieter and easier to visit than during the packed summer months. Make sure you also take a stroll through La Rambla too which is particularly perfect on crisp winter days under bright blue skies. Over winter the Placa de Catulunya is home to an ice-skating rink which is a wonderful winter activity for young and old and the incredible markets all around the city continue to flourish during the colder months. In February the day of Santa Eulàlia takes place, a five day festival celebrating the city’s patron saint. You will get to enjoy free concerts and performances all over town as well as processions, fire-running and even free entry into many of the city’s buildings and museums.

Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC)

Posted by Craig on December 3, 2012 None comments

The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya or MNAC as it is abbreviated to is the national art museum of Catalonia. It is located on Montjuïc hill in the Palau Nacional and houses one of the world’s best collections of Romanesque church paintings. There is also a stunning collection of Catalan art from the end of the 19th Century and beginning of the 20th Century found here.

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC)

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC)

Although there has been a museum of Catalan art located here since 1934, it wasn’t declared a national museum until 1990. There was extensive renovation work carried out on site in the run up to the Olympics and various exhibits were added to the collection too. In 2004 the museum was officially inaugurated.

The Romanesque art found in the museum includes an outstanding series of mural paintings and there is an impressive Gothic art collection too. The Renaissance and Baroque Art Collection in the museum was first established by acquiring local pieces and then was grown through donations and acquisitions from private galleries. This is quite unusual for Renaissance and Baroque art collections which are usually established through aristocratic or royal collections.

Anyone who appreciates art will absolutely love a visit to this museum. If you are going to visit make sure you allocate a whole morning or afternoon to it however as there is so much to see!