Newsletter Service, powered by Extraguide.com
E
XTRAGUIDE
wishes all our users a happy and healthy 2005. This year ExtraGuide
will add some new features which will make it easier for users to
contact each other. And as always you will receive all the up-to-date
information on life in Barcelona on the website, and especially in
the newsletters. We´ll keep you informed!
ASIA: SOLIDARITY MEANS CONVERTING CONCERN INTO CASH
For many people the arrival of the New Year has been greeted more soberly than usual, with the images of the tsunami in South East Asia still very present. After all the money spent on our Christmas gifts surely we can spare some for those in real need?
T
he
response from the public in Britain and elsewhere has been
overwhelming, and you can make donations for South-East Asia here in
Spain too. Various organisations even have the appropriate forms on
the internet.
You can transfer donations to the following accounts:
ACCIÓN CONTRA EL HAMBRE “Terremoto Asia“
Banco Santander Central Hispano, Account number: 0049-0001-59-2810090000.
Or over the internet: http://www.accioncontraelhambre.org/index.php.
CRUZ ROJA (the Spanish Red Cross) has a form on the internet for donations to various campaigns: https://194.224.226.157:9998/pls/portal30/portal.donante.donativo.
FUNDACIÓN AYUDA EN ACCIÓN: “Terremoto Asia“
Account number: 0049-0001-50-261-002000-1,
INTERMON-OXFAM: donations for the “Maremoto Asia”direct over the internet or into accounts at many banks (details on website). www.intermonoxfam.org
MÉDICOS DEL
MUNDO: “Terremoto Asia“
Account
number: 0049-0001-59-281-001000-6. Or over
the internet:
http://www.medicosdelmundo.org/NAVG/pagina/NAVGEstructuraPrpal.jsp
SAVE THE CHILDREN: donations on website www.savethechildren.es
The daily papers also list details of accounts where money can be transferred.
F
AMILIES:
ACTIVITIES: SANT ANTONI
Sant Antoni´s Day on 17th January gives an excuse for a family outing. The Sant Antoni district of Barcelona celebrates its Festa major and in some towns there are even bigger celebrations. In the Celebració dels Tres Tombs horses pull carriages through the streets, accompanied by music. The processions in Valls, Alt Camp and in Vilanova I La Geltrú are particularly interesting. The local museums also have accompanying exhibitions of decorations etc. More info on processions in Vilanova on: www.vilanova.org or Tel: 93 815 45 17.
C
ULTURE:
LA GRAN FESTA DE LA CALÇOTADA IN VALLS: The last Sunday in
January sees the start of the calçotada season in Valls
(birthplace of the tradition). In case you
don’t know, calçots are a kind of spring onion,
and here they are brazed over a fire of vine branches, then eaten
(outside stripped away!) with a romesco sauce.
In the Valls area there are lots of restaurants dedicated to
calçotadas, on an almost industrial scale, with a set
menu which continues with grilled meats and crema catalana. Going on
a calçotada is often an excursion organised in a group
(eg with
colleagues from work, with friends or as a church outing). The season lasts until Easter.
The opening ceremony in Valls is accompanied by sardanas, music, theatre, starting at 11am. Calçots ready to be eaten from 1pm. More info on municipal website: www.ajvalls.org or Tel: 977 60 05 21 or e-mail: info@altcamp.info.
C
ULTURE:
ART MNAC (Museu Nacional D’Art de Catalunya) on Montjuic
has at last finished its programme of building-renovation and
reorganisation (started before the Olympics), and it can now show all
the holdings of Catalan and Spanish art on one site. Joining the
Romanesque and Gothic sections and the Cambó collection of Old
Masters are the paintings from the Museu d’Art Modern (Fortuny,
Modernistes etc) and works from the the Thyssen-Bornemisza
collection, previously exhibited in Pedralbes monastery. A new
addition is the loan-collection of Catalan paintings belonging to
Baroness Thyssen.
MNAC has a varied exhibition programme (including photography) and actively encourages family visits by offering a family-ticket (unique in a Barcelona museum!) and activities for families. It also organises regular guided visits for the general public (in Catalan and also Spanish). Info on: www.mnac.es Tel. 93 622 03 76
C
ULTURE:
MUSIC: El violí al les Músiques de CaixaForum:
From 23rd January to 26th March there is a series of concerts
featuring the violin: chamber concerts, in combination with jazz and
world music, plus films of great violinists. Details on homepage of
CaixaForum : www.fundacio.lacaixa.es.
H
OUSING:
CURRENT PRICES: According to Sociedad de Tasación,
Barcelona is the most expensive place in Spain to buy a home, based
on the average price per square metre of living space.The average
here is 3442€ per sq.m. which beats Madrid and San Sebastian
(the next highest). Prices in 2004 rose 12.5 % , compared with 15.8 %
in 2003. For 2005 the rise is expected to be less than 10 % . For
more information and/or to receive regular updates, look at the
Newsletter of the Sociedad de Tasación
(http://www.st-tasacion.es/inicio.html).
Alternatively www.idealista.com,
sends a newsletter free to registered members. Very detailed studies
of the housing market are available in the following document which
can be downloaded as a pdf-document :
http://www.st-tasacion.es/documentos/boletin/BT-ST28v1/dossier_prensa-2004.pdf. When reading the figures, bear in mind that they are likely to be 10 - 20 % below the actual price paid , as there is still the tendency to pay part of the total in black money. This means the real price is never officially declared.
PETS: EU-PETS PASSPORT REQUIRED SINCE 1.10.2004:
T
hose
travelling with pets to a country outside the EU need an EU Pets
Passport for the animal which must also have a microchip fitted. This
applies to dogs, cats, horses (which have a specific identity number
for their transport) and also to ferrets, but not to guinea pigs,
birds etc. The Passport, known here as “Pasaporte para Animales
de Compañía” shows the animal’s identity
number plus a detailed description with photo, name, breed, sex,
birth-date, and colour of hair/fur. Also included are all data which
serve to identify the animal (microchip or tatoos) plus details of
injections (eg against rabies), treatments for parasites etc. The
owner’s name is also given. The passport cannot be forged and
is printed in the language of the issuing member-state together with
an English translation. More info:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/animal/liveanimals/pets/index_en.htm.
The passport is issued by a vet and charges follow the professional tariff.
TRAFFIC: SPEED CAMERAS
M
ore
and more speed cameras are being installed in Catalonia too, both
fixed and mobile units. If you do not pay the fine, the amount is
deducted automatically by the tax authorities.To find out where the
cameras are installed, look at:
http://www.gencat.net/transit/radars.htm
. The site has a map indicating the
position of all cameras and also a list of the places, although
without exact details. That means that if you are on a stretch of
road that appears on the list, you must keep to the speed limit to
avoid any fines!
2005 – BARCELONA CELEBRATES THE YEAR OF THE BOOK
F
ollowing
on from Dalí Year, we now have the Year of the Book and
Reading. Barcelona is traditionally the
city in Spain where most books are
published and the custom of giving a book on St George’s day is
deep-rooted (so much so that 23rd April is now World Book
Day). Myriad events have been organised to celebrate throughout the
year: exhibitions, lectures, workshops, concerts etc. One example is
the cycle of talks by masters of literary criticism taking place at
CaixaForum from 14th January: entitled “Re-thinking
world literature”, speakers include Umberto Eco. Details on:
www.fundacio.lacaixa.es.
Tieing in with the literary theme, 2005 is the 400th anniversary of the publication of Don Quixote, so upcoming exhibitions include 'Don Quixote y Barcelona' in Museu d'Historia de la Ciutat (from 10th March) and an exhibition of artists’ interpretations of Don Quixote (Hogarth, Picasso and Dali ) in La Pedrera (from 7th March). Details of all
events on city website (includes English version):http://www.anyllibre2005.bcn.es/.
I
f
you’re starting to think about summer holidays or just planning
a short break, here’s a good website for researching and
booking hotels, B&B’s and apartments in Europe.
www.venere.com
differs from other bookers in that you can read guests comments on
the establishments to help you decide. The
prices are very competitive too!