Julio Redacción

After 15 months of work, the new Plaza de Glòries in Barcelona is presented to the public. The reforms are introduced with a huge citizen party and a new design that will be modelled during the following years.

After the renovation of Paseo de Gracia and Diagonal Avenue, it’s the turn of one of the most popular squares of the city, Plaza de Glòries.

Being the border between Eixample and Sant Martí, Ildefonso Cerdá envisioned this square as one of the biggest centres of Barcelona, a place where some of its major thoroughfares meet: Diagonal Avenue, Gran Vía and Meridiana Avenue.

Some of the most vanguard buildings of Barcelona are also part of its new design, for instance, Agbar Tower by Jean Nouvel, Encants Market and Barcelona Design Centre (DHUB).

All those are huge erecting projects, now complemented by the new Plaza de Glòries.

The gastronomic season has again arrived with new features in restaurants of Barcelona. Long-awaited openings, original business models and new concepts all are already scheduled on the agenda for autumn 2014.

The gastronomic world, just like schools or businesses, also starts its working year in September. Some novelties have already been seen but the last few months of the year are sure to be full of surprises.

New destinations

The El Cercle (C. Arcs, 5) restaurant is being brought into the Real Círculo Artístico de Barcelona (an artistic and cultural institution in Barcelona) by Albert Ventura, an expert chef who triumphed at the helm of el Coure restaurant and now has his sights set on joining one of the most admired institutions in Barcelona.

Another chef, Sergi de Meia, is boldly stepping into the role of restauranteur in Barcelona by opening his own entirely Catalan restaurant with entirely local ingredients. The restaurant of the same name, Sergi de Meià (C. Aribau, 106) follows in the footsteps of the successful Mónvínic and Gresca. Promising signs indeed.

Two of the old guard on Barcelona’s culinary scene are coming to Sant Gervasi with a mountain of excellent offerings. These are the chef Francesc Chicón and the patissier Sergio Musso with their restaurant, Eclèctic (C. Sagués, 16). The establishment brings together classicism and modernism, nouvelle cuisine with avant-garde cooking and tradition with creativity.

Another which stands out is Oaxaca (Pla de Palau, 19) which, with Joan Bagur and Iñaki Lz. de Viñaspre at the helm, tries its hand with traditional Mexican food together with mezcal.

Big names

Fine dining is increasingly leaning towards a «neighbourhood» concept. This is a trend which has triumphed in 2014.

Albert Adria is at the forefront of a new project with Niño Viejo (Avda Mistral, 54), a taco restaurant with a very casual feel which will be perfectly complemented by the great Mexican restaurant, the Hoja Santa, which is soon to be opened.

Another celebrity chef bringing his offerings to the table is Paco Perez with his restaurant Double (P de Gracia, 116), just at the bottom of L’Eggs. His style is entirely different, with a menu of food from around the world, accompanied by a musical performance.

In addition, in just a few days the arrival of Ángel León in Barcelona will be made official. Having already successfully led Aponiente, his new challenge will be to manage the kitchen of the Hotel Mandarín Oriental, for both the restaurant and room service. He’ll do so in tandem with Moments, which maintains its two Michelin stars under the leadership of Carme Ruscalleda. It’s a glorious combination.

Three of the heirs to the memorable elBulli (Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casañas) will also take part in Barcelona’s new gastronomic ventures thanks to the success of Compartir (Cadaqués).

But for all that, the greatest of all these projects is that of Carles Tejedor. His pioneering plans will occupy an area of 4,000m2 accessed from the C. Pau Claris and the Pg de Gracia. This is the El Nacional, a gastronomic market which can hold 770 people and serves up highly attractive offerings.

Novel concepts

Reinvent yourself or perish. That’s arguably the number one rule of gastronomy. Different ways of serving food, two quite unique gastro-pubs and two «Meat Bars» are all new options.

Some have opted for a different table layout, such as Room Chef in the restaurant Iki Barcelona (C. Aribau, 174). This is a round table with a private view of a true gastronomic spectacle, during which the chef prepares the very best seafood for an exclusive group of diners.

Mercès One (Avda Diagonal, 541) offers an even more exclusive touch, reserving the entire space for anyone who requests it. This is the best way to enjoy an intimate and unmatched evening.

An alternative is La Taverna del Suculent (Rambla del Raval, 39), a fried fish shop with recipes served in a cone, such as marinated anchovies, muffins in their own style and fish in beurre noir. Here the Simoes brothers are reinventing themselves after the success of Suculent.

Meanwhile, the new renovations of La Taverna del Clínic (C. Rosselló, 155) bring back its informal, open and multifunctional feel. This is a location which is sure to evolve and grow.

The two best bars in Barcelona for carnivores are Pork (C. Consolat de Mar, 15) by Oriol Rovira, unsurprisingly specialisists in that meat, and Bardeni (C. Valencia, 454) by Dani Lechuga.

The gastronomic universe, traditional cuisine and new culinary ventures all combine in this city so that you can enjoy the best restaurants in Barcelona.

Barcelona is a place of innovation and business high spirit. Everything contributes to promote the city of entrepreneurs, from its setting and facilities to its institutions and entrepreneur culture.

Many start-up projects are born every day in the city. What is more important is the fact that those projects combine talent with an important business network, which, together with foreign investors and several business opportunities, results in the perfect setting for a successful business.

Figures account for that. Nowadays, Barcelona is the entrepreneurship destination and stands out as the 4th most attractive European city for investment in start-ups, showing a total of 39 venture capital funds (Ernst & Young).

Together with that, the impact resulting from the celebration of events makes entrepreneurs and business angels see the city as the European Silicon Valley. Business conferences, seminars and presentations gather experts in the most diverse fields in events like 4YFN, within Mobile World Congress.

Apart from that, organizations like ACC1Ó, 22@Barcelona, Barcelona Activa or PYMEC account for a public committment as regards the creation of new businesses and their internationalization.

When it comes to men’s appearance, general prestige of a good barber is continuously growing. This is an old profession that has reemerged together with the new trend for men, which is perfected by the best barbers of Barcelona.

There exists an English term referring to men’s care, including hair and face (goatee, beard and moustache). That term is grooming.

Modern men have developed a taste for feeling young. Their social lives are active and they want to be fashion, following trends as regards their personal appearance and connecting them to their professional lives.

Leaving the stereotype of metrosexual men behind, the hipster icon seems to gain ground in the current style: lumbersexual men. This typical man is one who takes care of his beard, and cares for his skin tiredness, hydratation, eye bags and dark circles under the eyes.

Beard care is an imposed trend, now betting on shorter and more classic styles. It’s considered a manhood sign that many locals are adopting, resulting in comfort and attractiveness.

Personal care is something that a good barber thoroughly knows about. Some of these great professionals are in Barcelona and know pretty well what people look for.

Let’s get to know them a little bit more!

Medical tourism, also called health tourism, generates a huge added value in cities like Barcelona. The arrival of wealthy patients has an impact that is 6 times greater than the rest of the tourists.

Within the tourism event B-Travel, one of the congresses was the ‘Healthcare and Tourism Summit‘, an event on medical tourism.

Such event has been organized by SpainCares, a cluster encompassing different participants within the same business (private hospitals, health resorts, travel agencies and hotels) that has unveiled figures of an industry that is constantly growing in Spain.

Its impact currently reaches a turnover of above 500 million Euros this 2015 and it’s estimated that there will be a 20% annual growth in number of patients and in sales. This figure is thought to double in the following 5 years, reaching 1000 million Euros in 2020. (Source: SpainCares).

As a ‘healthy’ destination per excellence, Spain has more than 160,000 people above 65 years old who come from different parts of Europe. This particular public enjoys good weather and our high-quality services.

For this type of audience, Barcelona is one of the preferred destinations because of both its location by the Mediterranean Sea and its excellent health centres.

Let’s get to know some of its secrets!

The Catalan coast is closely linked to the Mediterranean Sea. Hundreds of kilometres of coast offer outstanding buildings that survived the passing of time; they’re lighthouses in Catalonia.

Along the 580 kilometres of coast between Portbou and Les Cases d’Alcanar, beaches, yacht clubs and streets are part of a landscape with character. Among the hidden corners, there stand out emblematic lighthouses in Catalonia.

While in Brittany, lighthouses are part of the tourists main attractions, either during sunny days or stormy ones, here in Catalonia this huge cultural heritage is usually forgotten.

They are links between land and sea located along the coasts and surviving century after century. From Cape of Creus to Ebro Delta, lighthouses stand out in the middle of the coastal landscape. Located in places of attracting beauty, lighthouses are exceptional viewpoints, as well as points of reference for sailors.

Today, automation and lack of practical use make lighthouses look for other uses ranging from maritime communication, magical inspiration and sailing tradition.