No one reads this anymore. Doesn't matter. This will be precious information for the good and loyal visitors we may have on the site.
There have been a few places creeping up at night in Lisboa, some new, others older. But they're a fine alternative to the foreign invasion of Bairro Alto (although we still love Bairro! :))
However, there are days where you don't want to end up in Sr. Domingos's bar, Mezcal, Lábios de Vinho, Bica, Ginginha or the Spot. There are days where you just need something.. different!
Teatro Ibérico: During the day, workshops and theaters. At night, a theatre stage converted to a club dancefloor. Not crappy music either. Last time I was there, old-school funk was painting the scenario. And what a beautiful scenario indeed.
Rua de Xabregas (just after bridge near Lux, 2nd on the left)
Bacalhoeiro: This one has been around for a while but we hadn't gotten round to writing about it. The Associação Bacalhoeiro is in Rua do Bacalhoeiro, between the Casa dos Bicos and Rua da Madalena. Up on the last floor, lives a small house converted into a cosy bar. You need to be a member to get in (5€ membership) and it's free.
A couple of times a week, you will be allowed to the floor downstairs which has been converted to a gig hall - the music is, of course, 5 stars. Balkan folk, fado or a mixture somewhere in between seems to be the norm.
Rua do Bacalhoeiro, 25
Fábrica de Braço de Prata: A beautiful old factory restored into a bookshop/bar/shop/projection hall. 1.50 euro per loirinha (or ruiva). A huge esplanada. Good atmosphere. Good people. And even a little bit of culture. What possible reason do you have for not going there?
Is anyone out there?? Sorry dudes/dudettes, its very difficult to maintain a site. HOWEVER, does anyone feel like writing in this space? We definitely won't be able to keep this alive with regular posts - but can you?
If you live in Lisboa, please let us know... Obviously, there is no money or anything around here - just a feeling of wanting to help others out. So, yeah, give us a shout at info - at - brighterplace - dot - com :)
Pessoal Tuga! É muito dificil manter este com posts actualizados. Alguém que esteja numa onda ERASMUS e que saiba escrever inglês (aliás, escrevam na lingua que quiserem - Português, Espanhol, Francês, Italiano, Inglês, Japonês, Esperanto... o que quiserem :)), é só dizer. Arranjamos uma continha para vocês poderem escrever o que acharem bem neste espaço... info - arroba - brighterplace - ponto - com :)
I only got a ticket for the Barcelona Summercase of Friday the 13th. Brilliant. Amazing. Beautiful. Expensive :)
The Arcade Fire and The Whitest Boy Alive kicked ass. The Arcade Fire proved themselves as a magestical (is that a word?) orchestra. Too bad the organizers didn't give them more time, or else I am sure they would have done things differently. I am pretty sure this won't be the last I see of them :)
The Whitest Boy Alive was a pleasant surprise for me. I didn't know them before, but it was good fun to see them live. That drummer is amazing, by the way. The whole band reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite and Kev (a friend of mine. Who you don't know. So it doesn't really matter anyway).
Finally, a word to the organizers: Alright, fair enough, you want to make your money - You charge us 77.5 euros and you dont let us bring drinks inside. Fair enough, I guess. But not letting us bring food inside?? What the fuck?! The bocattas were at 4 euros(!). And when I ordered my fucking cheese bocatta (I am vegetarian), they told me there was no more cheese. How the FUCK do you run out of fucking cheese? Plain pure fucking incompetence. Not to mention they're a bunch of fucking ripoffs. 3 euros a beer?! 6 euros a cubatta?! Fuck off. I don't think I have ever seen so many sober people at a festival.
"Probably one of the most Spanish bars in Catalunya. Leo (a woman, contrary to what you may think) is a proud Andalucian. Flamenco, tapas and cañas are usuals down here. Gitanos do a bit of their dancing and clapping. If you wanna screw the atmosphere up, get your coins out and put a bit of Jimi Hendrix on the jukebox. Watch for angry stares from the regulars. But not Leo - she will join in as always :)" in Barcelona Nightlife: Bars, Clubs and Restaurants
It's been a very very very very very long time since this has been updated. So here's a few things that have happened/will happen in Lisboa's Summer of 2007:
- Cachupa: That beautiful old flat has closed down :( It's the end of an era... Modern times unfortunately mean modern changes. And Cachupa now has an 'official' spot, right next to the (ex) B.Leza. Still, there is always someone on the lookout as it is not meant to open at 4am. But the charm has gone...
B.Leza: The African neighbourhood of Rua do Poço dos Negros is slowly fading away... Now it's turn for B.Leza: The classic spot is closing down because it... was bought by a fucking real estate company. Goddamn it: why can't things stay the same...!
Santo António: Santo António was last week. The best night of the year has come and gone. Alfama was beautiful once again. The old mixing with the new, Pimba with Hip-Hop, Fado and Drum and Bass. Sardinhas assadas and a lot of Super Bock. Until next year...
Woah... it's been ages that Brighter Place has been updated - I guess it's a good time for one now: Sant Joan!!
Yep, you know it. It's that lovely time of year again. The beginning of summer. The long hot beach days are about to come. And what better way to celebrate that than a party at the beach?
Botellon, hogueras and live music. Djembés, guitars, fireplaces, people dancing around and stealing each other's flip flops ("What?" you ask... You'll understand!)
Now you know: have a big-ass dinner, invite your friends, drink a lot of wine and make you way to the beach. If you have to stay in Barcelona, I recommend Nueva Marbella beach. And not before 2am: it will be absolutely packed - trust me!!!
House parties: they're fucking great! You spend a couple of euros, take some drinks to the place and you can drink all you want. You meet people from everywhere, have random chats about everything and nothing - it's great!
I think there must be some sort of secret society that finds about these parties and goes from house to house every weekend. I swear I've seen the same people in more that 3 occasions at different parties around Barcelona. Who are these people? And where can I enlist in this secret society?
Maybe we could start that? If you're hosting a party or know of one - post it here! eheh, that would be great - cheap nights out every week, drink all you want and meet beautiful ERASMUS people from all over Europe - what else can you ask for? :)
Yep, that's right. From today onwards, every Saturday and holiday eves until the 18th of October, the metro will be open 24 hours. No more waiting around for cabs for hours and hours (especially in this crappy weather - what the f is up with that?!)... The Ajuntament are indeed giving us good presents every week. We thank you :)
More and more ERASMUS students are coming to Lisbon every single year. So much that SIC played a 5 minute news piece about this beautiful phenomenon. Enjoy, it's your spotlight :)
I admit I have been dissing some of the stuff that has been happening in Barcelona lately - more than normal. But here's a good piece of news for you pissheads - the Ajuntament has just passed a law allowing clubs to stay open until 6am - an hour more than the current license. It's a win-win-win situation. Clubs make more money. Pissheads can get drunker. And the city can keep the drunks inside and then send them straight home when the metro opens - at this moment, those that live around Barcelona have to wait until 6 - so they stay on the streets pissing about, making noise, bla bla bla. So here is my congratulations to the Ajuntament for thinking about everyone! :)
Not to be confused by The Simpsons' Moe's Bar :) Nice people, nice decor, nice food and a sunny terrassa in Barcelona. What else can you ask for? On match days, there is a giant screen to watch the football. But the best is Friday nights in this bar. Live music, a bit of salsa, rumba, flamenco and anything with that latin flavour that makes you bailar! Don't forget to bring your computer for that afternoon coffee - free WiFi as well! :) in Barcelona Nightlife: Restaurants, Clubs and Bars in Barcelona
The red dancers, horns and pine trees of this village are worlds away from the (scary) religious processions of Barcelona. Easter Monday here is colourful and horny! Feel intrigued? Then hop in a car and tootle down to Cornella de Terí, a tiny town near Girona. Good Friday marks the start of celebrations for the villagers when everyone legs it to a nearby forest, lights a fire and munches on a traditional Catalan breakfast of toast, sausages and wine. Later they chop down the tallest pine and carry it back to the village (hmmmm, just how much wine did they drink?) where they festoon it with animal horns. Sounds strange huh? Well, it is pretty weird but that is Catalan festivals for you. Weird and wonderful...!
If you go, make sure you're there on Easter Monday at 12.00. Look carefully and a bright red Horned guy, a boy wearing a huge pair of Ram's horns, can be seen amongst the villagers (Actually he isn't difficult to miss). As 12 o'clock strikes, the festival begins and the Horned bloke leaps into action, the pine tree is raised upwards by all the villagers and dancing begins. It's actually pretty awe inspiring watching how they get the tree up so high, and strangely emotional...
Legend tells how this festival began in the middle ages when lords ruled over the town from hilltop castles, and still had the right to "try out" a newly wedded bride before she'd had a chance to indulge in a bit of rumpy pumpy with her own husband. One bloke from this village was so "fucked off" that he killed the wicked lord, and from this day onwards the tradition stopped and the festival started. Remember the Spanish, "me ha puesto los cuernos" to say that someone has "done the dirty and shagged someone else"? Remember in Shakespeare's times, men who had been cheated on were called "cuckolds" and (metaphorically speaking) wore a great pair of horns on his head? So, we interpret that the guy wearing a pair of horns is a reminder of the town's past when literally every guy had "had the horns put on him" by the evil lord. Of course there are other theories....
Indeed. We have been talking about how Barcelona isn't what it used to be lately. And unfortunately, it is the truth. This is not to say we have stopped loving it - but the sad fact is that it seems as if it is coming to a point where Barcelona will look just like any other city in the world.
Fortunately, however, to every action there is a reaction. To this invasion of McDonalds and Starbucks on our streets, there are movements who are well alive and kicking against the negative influences of globalism in Barcelona. Interested? Read on at bcnweek
There we were, sitting down on the suelo of Plaza Real,Saturday night, at about 4am, when that good friend of ours, Mr. Mosso, came up to us and told us to get up. "Qué pasa?", we were wondering. Apparently, it is illegal to sit down on the floor. There is actually someone, in the Parliament or wherever the fuck they write these stupid laws, who had the idea and bothered to write down on a piece of paper that it is illegal to sit down on the floor. Unbelievable.
Meanwhile, the dudes round the corner in Escudellers keep on, night after night, picking out naive guiris and stealing their mobiles, wallets, whatever. The hookers on the Ramblas keep on picking naive guiris and stealing from them as well. The Morroccans keep on pushing haxixe and coca to the people. But obviously, none of that shit matters. Because sitting down on the floor is illegal....
Remember last year when there was a macro-botellon in Spain? I reccommend we should arrange a macro-sit-down at some point... Funny that in the same city where George Orwell spent a great time fighting against the Republicans, Barcelona is very slowly starting to become somewhat of a mini-Orwellian state. Or maybe I am just going paranoid...
Bastards. Assholes. Freekin’ Catalan mofos. Conservative and boring like brown plaid. Why do “they” gotta ruin a good thing? It wasn’t like this last year. Nothing stays the same. Damn beige pants.
Amplifiers are being unplugged venue by venue, and the fear is that soon we will only have the haunting and horrifying distant bass thump and drunken hen pinched-squeal of the nightmare commonly known as Port Olympic falling over a silenced downtown. The city’s political agenda to create a neighbor friendly, more civic minded Barcelona is making a night out as fun as bible study. The London Bar, La Paloma and El Cangrejo are all classic, historic and muy divertido locales suffering a suffocating double chicken wing camel clutch. And those are just three of many. ¡COÑO! Read on at bcnweek...
It was Saturday night. I decided I wouldn't go out after 15 days of manic searching houses, phoning random people on LoQuo, getting up at times that should be illegal (getting up at 7/8am?! Simply wrong...) and although I do enjoy my work, I just hate having to get up at a certain time.
Anyway, so it was Saturday night. I went home and was thinking of going to bed at about... midnite! And just as I was thinking to myself: this is wrong, it's Saturday night and you're going to bed at midnight, I get a phone call. L'Ovella Negra is the first stop. And off I go went into the Barcelona nightlife.
Went down from Verdaguer to Passeig de Gracia and was switching to the green line down to Catalunya. And something magical happened in between. As I was walking that long tunnel from the yellow line to the green line, I heard something. Something amazing. A beautiful girl playing something beautiful that was similar to a harmonium and a magical flute intertwined with her own voice. With the amazing acoustic of that tunnel. Has anyone else seen her before? I will try and speak to her or get videos of her next time. I was speechless until I reached Catalunya. And from there on is another story :)
Just a quick note apologising our loyal visitors for the lack of updates. But I have settled down now, and promise to be back with more stuff than ever before (well, sorta). Até já! :)
Finally. Sort of settled down, found myself a place through an agency. I actually had found one through loquo, but as soon as I was about to get in the cab to move to the new place, the girl called me saying "We weren't able to renew the contract with the owner of the place - we're gonna have to leave as well". To be fair, she was nearly crying on the phone so maybe it wasn't entirely her fault. But then again, why agree with someone before you've renewed your part of the deal?!
Whatever. Doesn't matter now. I'm in a house, near Gracia, 15 minutes from work and with a nice little terrace. Just had a shower this morning and the pressure is crap. Oh well, that's the price you pay for going through an agency (actually, that's not true - the agency fee was €150,80!). In case you're interested, the agency is Habit Servei.
Anyway, all this to say that A Brighter Place is once again back to bring you stories, ramblings and random stuff from Barcelona and Lisbon! :)
So I'm moving back into Barcelona, reason why the updates have been so scarce lately. My first stop: LoQuo. It's amazing... dozens and dozens of people announce the room they have to rent in "the heart of Barcelona", with "amazing views" and "2 minutes from Las Ramblas".
For fuck's sake: I wana move into a room in a shared flat with cool people to live with in decent conditions. Not a fucking sales brochure! I am sorry - I am pissed off! Loquo is good because it's free and anyone can post their house there. But there are only so many offers and so much demand. I guess that's the way the housing market is at the moment - but with so much technology these days it would be cool to be able to filter out results you don't want, etc. And people could be a little more "real" and less "salesmen", if you know what I mean. There are the odd few exceptions, but the large majority are clasificados that sound and look like sales brochures.
If, by any random chance, you have a room to rent, in a decent house, with cool people, in Gracia - tell me so. If not, I will have to make do with temporary living and maybe even - gasp! - use an accommodation agency. The latter option is definitely easier but more expensive as well!
I'm sure everything will work out great - it always does. But until then, I'll just be pissed off. When everything does work out, you can be sure A Brighter Place will make Barcelona A Brighter Place again. You know, tell you where to get pissed, eat cheap and watch that obscure band in the darkest alley of Raval :)
I bet you've seen literally hundreds or even thousands of different photos taken of the Cristo-Rei statue. You've seen it at night, during the day, from behind, from the Miradouros in Lisbon, from the left, from the right or maybe you've even been on top of it. But I bet you haven't seen it from here. Forget picture-perfect postcards, this is suburbia!
I spend a lot of time out on my balcony. Call it one of the pleasures that Barcelona, climatologically and architecturally, affords to 60% of its residents. Across the street from my apartment building is another that shares many of the same oh-so-lovely 1950s elements: honeycombed pisos separated by brick façade and differentiated only by the varied flora on the balcones. I often wonder about the lives behind those sliding doors. We’re so close to one another, yet probably the majority of us will never meet, never inquire about each other’s days, never know who has a sick grandmother, or three children, or where we traveled last year for vacation. But we might well know the music taste of the stranger on the other side of the paper-thin wall, or that the lady in 3º1ª walks around her apartment in her skivvies.
Such is the nature of urban coexistence. Our sporadic pickup on intimate details of our neighbors’ lives forms plot points on a continuum of general ignorance. But somehow this mutual unknowing unites us as well. Those of us who love cities love the relative anonymity they offer, the opportunity to people-watch on a grand scale, and the daily affirmation that there’s always more to learn, and more to see. We are part of a living, breathing, uncontrolled experiment... (read on at bcnweek!)
Most of you have seen him and walked right by him, not paying much attention. Every time I go out to Bairro Alto, there he is, playing his half-necked guitar and whistling his tune away. He usually sits at the bottom of Rua do Norte or on the right side of Rua Garret just before the Largo de Camões.
Most of you fail to notice, but this dude actually has a lot of talent and understands a lot about music. Even with a half broken neck of a guitar, it's always incredibly perfectly tuned. During the day, it is not uncommon to see him studying music books along Rua Garret and talking to random people about guitars. And even though he may be homeless, I have yet to see him in a bad mood. Even if only half the world's "musicians" had the love for music like him, the world would be a better place. So next time you go by him, pay a little more attention, and even if you can't be bothered to chat with him, at least leave him a coin or something as a token of appreciation :)
This is Gracia. And this is where I want to live. Does nobody have a room to rent in Gracia? Or know anyone that has a room to rent in Gracia? Like maybe the girl in the photo? :) I'm cool, I promise!
OK, I lied. Kumpa'nia Al-gazarra actually hail from the magical village of Sintra. But it's close enough to Lisboa :) And for them to be here, it obviously means their music is amazingly beautiful. Fado, Arraial, Pimba, Ska, Balkan folk music, Klez, Reggae and Traditional African music are just some of their influences. Needless to say, the result of this crazy mix of sounds is somewhat refreshingly inebriating. Drunk dancing with drunk music and drunk people is what it feels like. Even if you are not! And speaking of Kumpania Algazarra, they are playing at Galeria Zé dos Bois this Saturday, 27 January. And it's only 5 euros entrance... :)
I've tried thousands of different ways to describe O´questrada's sound. But I can't. The closest I can get is a weird but beautiful fusion between fado, ska, reggae, samba, bossa nova, funáná and others. In other words, you simply cannot describe their sound in one genre. Which is good. Another plus point that it is 99% acoustic and every single instrument sounds beautiful. The voice, the accordion, the guitar, the cavaquinho and any other instrument in the middle they decide to use just sounds perfect (including... body parts!) They sing in Portuguese, French, English, Brazilian Portuguese, Criolo and other languages that we couldn't decipher. The above video was taken a few days ago at a gig at Maxime - it is a cover of Killing Me Softly. If you ever wondered how a theatrical, exaggerated, acoustic version of Killing Me Softly sung at any mercado would sound like - it would be this. Beautiful :)
One of us, a Brighter Place crew member, is moving back to Barcelona from Lisbon this February. And he needs a room. Preferrably with cool people. In Gracia. For four months. Any offers? :)
As you should know by now, you can send us stuff to include in our "Just In" section to the right. Although it is meant to serve as an agenda, we sort of put in anything really. The other day we got this funny announcement for a house. If you send us funny stuff like this one, we'll definitely put it up on the homepage. Much better than the usual "house with one room, internet, in historic district.." bla bla bla. So here goes, the ERASMUS house for 250 euros with love included:
"ola, somos duas estudantes italianas, duas estudantes belgas,uma estudante portuguesa e o gato stella estamos a procurar alguem que quer viver connosco. A casa fica na avenida duque de loule (marques de pombal). O quarto custa mais ou menos 250€ todo incluido (internet, luz,agua,gas,amor) interessado? liga 960492776 (leni) 960375593 (fien) nao italianos/as, nao belgos/as temos bastante ;)"
"Professor Bambo: Raped me and many more women in his office. God will punish you. Cheater (and other synonyms). Pimp. Liar and cheats everyone that looks for him. Cheated me out of thousands of euros. WORST THAN THE DEVIL ON EARTH!"
You are now officially warned: Don't look for Professor Bambo's services!! :)
Some of my friends have assured me they are Albanians. Others say they are Bulgarian or Romanian gypsies. Either way, their nationality doesn't really matter. These dudes have been on the Ramblas for as long as I can remember, conning stupid, dumb, naive tourists in thousands of euros every single day. If you've been in Barcelona for a while, I am sure you have seen them around as well. Here's a little video one of those tourists took of them until he was made to stop... The con involves gamblers, lookouts, observers, hot-woman-who-looks-like-a-tourist and "passers by" who are all in on the scam. If you're curious on how they actually con the tourists, the trick is known as the "three-card monte".
You see them around. You catch them in those nights of stupid drunkenness. The stereotype says they're not pleasant, they're rude, they shout at every moving person or object and they love their mother (Look for the "Amor de Mãe" tattoos on their forearms!). Here's a video that contradicts those stereotypes (well - I am sure he still loves his mother!). A happy taxi driver, in front of the Amoreiras, blasting out his arraial music, singing and dancing in the taxi queue. Either the dude is a very happy person... or he's drunk! Let's hope for the first one :)
LED Bombing was, officially, a success. Well done to the Movimento Acorda Lisboa - it was nice to see generations from the smallest kids to the oldest grannies smiling, laughing and throwing "throwies" at the statue. More funny was to see a group of probably about 100 people gathering around the statue and throwing stuff at it - and looking at the reactions of people passing by! Again, well done and please bring us more initiatives like this one for the good of Lisboa... Acorda Lisboa! :)
The new craze arrives in Lisbon. LED Bombing involves LEDs (those little lights), a battery and a magnet attached so you can throw them anywhere and they will stick! And it happens this weekend at Parque das Nações... This event is "sponsored" by the Movimento Acorda Lisboa ("Wake Up Lisbon Movement") - it is nice to know there are people out there using their initiative. Like Banksy put it "A lot of people never use their initiative because no-one told them to" - well, here is this movement that will hopefully bring many more initiatives like this one and inspire others to do the same! The above video shows what LED Bombing looks like in Linz, Austria. Light up your life! :) (PS - It happens this Saturday, 13 January, behind CC Vasco da Gama in Parque das Nações - the target is that weird sculpture - Estátua Homem Sol! - at 19.00)
This is what ERASMUS is all about. That wall at the end of an ERASMUS stay written in all languages. Even though it may be written in Spanish, English, Italian, French or Portuguese, at the end of the day the language is one: ERASMUS. This picture was taken at a student house in Picoas in Lisbon. Photo was taken by Giovanni Prestige. (Click title to enlarge)
If your time in Catalunya coincides with the winter months, you might have heard talk of “Calçots” or a “Calcotada.” You might also have noted the subconscious licking of lips and rubbing of hands as a local person reminisces about their Calçot filled memories. This is because the Calçotada is one of the strangest, dirtiest, most satisfying yet medieval-seeming culinary experiences in Europe. Click the title to read on... culTOURa
Man and Unable's big blue bunny is spreading terror in Lisbon. No one is safe. One of the funniest Portuguese music videos ever. And the music is fucking great too... Can't think of a better way to begin the year ;)
YGGY Lounge Bar - YGGY Lounge Bar opened up December 2006 and can proudly proclaim its place as one of the cheapest bars in Bairro Alto. Both in beers and spirits. And unlike other cheap bars in Bairro Alto (which are tascas, really), YGGY is actually a lounge bar. Good music, modern looking decor and to add to that 2 Mozambican dudes who are very cool serving up the cheap drinks. That's 75 cents a beer or €2.50 a mixer :)
Music Box - A little music box opened up December 2006 in Cais do Sodré. In it, you will find music. And music. Followed by more music. Music Box promises to become a prime spot in the Lisbon nightlife scene. A variety of gigs are on every week, chosen to satisfy all rock, dance, hip-hop, reggae, dubstep... basically, all music lovers. A VJ is present every night to project images on the video wall, the decor is just right and we love those arches on Rua Nova do Carvalho (no, nothing to do with those golden, yellow, capitalistic arches that students love so much...). Drinks could be liiitttllee bit cheaper...
- Clube Mercado, one of the most 'happening' bars in the Lisbon nightlife, is shutting down at the end of the year. Due to lack of licencing, lack of space, noise problems, air conditioning problems and others, Clube Mercado will shut down after the end of the year. Worry not, they will be moving the space to where the old Fluid bar used to be in Santos (Rua D.Carlos I). And their name will change to Mini-Mercado. Unfortunately, the new bar won't have a stage for bands - but the directors have promised monthly gigs in other places around Lisbon.
- Galeto restaurant has shut down. Apparently, health inspectors went round and weren't too pleased... But I am sure that after some work, the 40+ year old Galeto will reopen again to feed us in the wee hours of the morning. UPDATE: Today morning, Friday 22 December, Galeto reponed after being closed for about 1 week. Everything is normal again.. :)
- Varandas has closed down. Forever. The best caipirinhas in town (or next to the beach) are no longer. It is a sad day for all of us...
They use an impressive sales technique after quoting prices and options. It’s closing time and time is money. Going straight for your weakness, they smoothly reach down and grab your cock through your jeans. You jump a little at the surprise of it all. You’ve been in various business situations, for sure, but this is a first. Your local baker never gave you the old yank and pull, “chapata o bagguete?”
But this professional has nothing to do with pan, and she (he?) asks, “Are you afraid, amor?” You reply with “I’m just not so experienced with this,” trying to be as polite as possible. You are, after all, a gentleman. So you ask how much she (he?) costs, thinking to yourself all the while, “Why can’t I be sure if this woman is a man?” Congratulations, you are officially integrated into BCN. read on at bcnweek
Again, and for the fifth consecutive year, The Legendary Tiger Man graces us with a live performance at Galeria Zé dos Bois in Bairro Alto on Christmas Day. For those of you who don't know, The Legendary Tiger Man is an amazing one-man band, heavily influenced by that old Blues sound. Watch a clip of "Fuck Christmas, I Got the Blues" above. To be honest, with everything being literally closed on the 25th December, this has to be, by far, one of best things to look forward to about Christmas!
After the Ajuntament decided to install the Anti-Civisme law last year, the first group of people to suffer were the skaters. And now they're cracking down on the beloved Bici. Basically, they are trying to make it nearly impossible for bikers to park their bici anywhere in Barcelona. Click here to sign a petition against this law - every little helps!
Apparently, MySpace is opening up offices in Spain. But they are not sure where in Spain they are going to open yet. I am not the biggest MySpace fan myself, but because of the enormous quantity of good music - and how it has opened up doors to so many good bands - there are, indeed, some very valid and positive points about MySpace. Unfortunately, it is owned by those evil dudes at News Corp.
Anyway, MySpace is coming to Spain - and Barcelona wants it. Here's a little video on youtube about a dude who supports the cause, talks about his company, creativity, Barcelona and those beautiful obscure bars in Raval that we love so much :)
This day in age, nobody has got time for even a hug. With so much crap going around them, people tend to forget small little 'insignificant' details.
The other day, I was walking around Bairro Alto at night when I noticed some people with a banner saying "Free Hugs" and "Abraços Grátis". And it was great, people would just come up to them and hug them as if they knew each other forever. The "Free Hug Project" has been going on everywhere around the world. The States, Korea, China, Sweden, France, UK, Brasil, Australia... everywhere!
The above video was something I found on youtube about a group of people who decided to distribute free hugs around Baixa, Lisbon. Ignore the cheesiness of the music. But it does feel nice when you know you live in a city where people just hug for the sake of bringing a smile to someone's face. :D
"One of the few places in the Lisbon nightlife where you can sit down on a 'pouf', have a tea and smoke a shisha. They offer a very large selection of teas, some food and tobacco ranging from apple to 'tutti-frutti'. Ideal for a week night, after dinner, with friends, some shisha and lots of conversation."
"Cachupa is Cabo Verde's national dish - a stew of boiled beans and corn with fish or meat. Those who eat it (I am a vegetarian) say it is lovely. And you can have it right here in Lisbon. Cachupa is the name for a restaurant that is not really a restaurant. I'll explain: It is (or was) somebody's home on the last floor of nº73 in Rua do Poço dos Negros - and at 3am every day, they open the living room to the public. Needless to say, the Cachupa is not an official restaurant. However, it is an excellent spot to drink in a "homey" environment or have a good late-night meal. The place (best way to describe it) starts filling up after 5am and I have no idea when it closes. But after sunrise, for sure. The regulars, the movie characters, the owner (Sr. Vitor) and everything that happens here won't be your regular night out. You will, without a doubt, leave Cachupa with a story to tell. Trust me :)"
Portugal may have a lot of unemployment (7.6% apparently). There may be a big deficit in the economy. The most powerful person in the country may be the president of some village football club (FC Porto, that is). Some say Portugal is the gateway of South American cocaine into Europe. And North African hashish into Europe. And Southwest Asian heroin into Europe. More and more young Portuguese graduates are moving out to countries like Luxembourg. And the UK. And France. And a whole bunch of other cold countries that pay at least double the salary in Portugal.
But, goddammit, who gives a shit? After all, Portugal has the BIGGEST CHRISTMAS TREE IN EUROPE! That's right, nobody's taking that away from Lisboa. If anyone even dares to try and talk about the economy or any of that crap, you know what to say: Mine is bigger than yours!
True story: This past summer I walked out of my flat with a somewhat remarkable hangover to find a flock of pigeons frolicking about in a sizeable pool of vomit.
The vomit was of the chunky variety as opposed to the more liquid alcohol-based sort. The heat, the hangover—the pungent smell of someone else's bad time was more than my own stomach could handle, so I pulled over to contribute. Mine was of the nothing-in-your-stomach-any-more-so-you-just wretch-and-gag-dramatically-until-some-bile-is-forced-up assortment.
I walked away from the whole gastric debauchery to San Pere més Baix where I passed by a panadería and then proceeded to die and go to heaven. The smell of fresh...(read on...)
My mother used to tell me it's good luck to step in shit (although she called it "Dog Mess"). I'm sure she was just trying to make me feel better, but she also thought it was good luck to have a pigeon shit on you (see a pattern yet?). My mother should move to Barcelona. She'd probably be a millionaire inside a month.
You're familiar with the poo-dance. The little sidestep you take at the last second when you spot the little brown gift. It throws you off balance, but rarely interrupts a conversation. It happens so often, why would anybody comment? Read on from bcnweek...
Ahh yes, world music. Whatever that means, we love it! Lots of percussion, african rhythms, latin vibes, a bit of the old reggae popping in and out and general good feeling all round. Terrakota is an AMAZING Portuguese band who have been all around the world spreading that good feeling. If you don't believe us (as if), play the above video. Terrakota at their very best. And Friday, 8 December, they play by the beach at Long Beach Bar in Carcavelos :)
Yep, it is puente time. 80% of the city is puenting. The act of taking a day off between two holidays. And a weekend. What does this mean? Most companies don't work today. Public offices will only provide minimum services. And you're probably not even in Barcelona right now. You've done the puente as well. Or you've decided to finally venture out in the city with no traffic or people to see. If you go out tonight, you will most probably only find tourists doing the puente in Barcelona. Or clueless foreign students that think they should go to Uni today because today isn't officially a holiday.
Whatever you think about Barcelona, the puente is lovely. You only take one official day off work and you get 5 days' holiday. There are very few nations in the world where you can do this and get away with it. Honestly, stop complaining about how you tried to get something done today but it wasn't open because Spaniards (or Catalans) are a bunch of lazy bastards. Enjoy the ride, make the most of it, relax and take a chill pill. How can you not love Barcelona?
Did you know you can actually rent an eléctrico from Carris?. I'm not exactly what you could do with a rented eléctrico. But the most obvious has to be a tram party! If we can ever be bothered and get our lazy asses up, hell, maybe even we could organise something like this one day! That, of course, will probably be the day an ERASMUS student comes to Lisbon and actually... studies. But if you have the patience, the balls and the will, you can organise your own tram party! If you do, let us know, of course, we will surely be there :)
"Everyday except Fridays and Saturday, you can come here and listen great (and sometimes, not so great) Fado. I'm not gonna bore you about the history of Fado - if you don't know what it is, look it up. All you need to really know is that Fado is beautiful, sad and melancholic. If you're into that type of thing, listening to a man or lady sing along with four (great) guitarists in the background will get you going. The Fado sung here is known as "Fado Vadio" - they're not professionals, yet they're not amateurs. Anyone can sign up to sing a Fado here - provided you actually know how to sing Fado. As an American girl I met the other day said: "It's like Karaoke... but Fado Karaoke!" Uhm, not exactly. But sorta. Important thing to note is that this fado house is not as pretentious as some other places around Bairro Alto - which is good. And you can also eat well here." in Bars, Restaurants and Clubs Lisbon
Tourists are terrorists, according to this graffiti in Bairro Alto. I wouldn't be that extreme. But they sure as hell have the power to (unknowingly) change a city around. 5-10 years ago you wouldn't walk down Rua Augusta or around Chiado and find restaurant menus in English. Or seeing tascas with that ugly "Coca-Cola" menu with burger and fries. Fernando Pessoa used to sit in Brasileira and have intelligent conversations back in the day. Nowadays, it's rare to find anyone even Portuguese at the Brasileira. Mostly tourists taking that world-famous photo with the statue of Fernando Pessoa sitting down having a coffee. How the world as changed... What do you think? To what extent should tourism affect a city? Will Rua Augusta become another Ramblas? Or has it already? Have your say... (photo by ajvlasman)
The real Barcelona. The dirty Barcelona. The beautiful Barcelona. Someone once said this street had "more whores than doors". What a lovely description. Carrer Robadors in Raval captured by someone in pure daylight. Home to the flamenco-jam sessions of Robadors 23. As scary as it may look to some of you, you just need to learn how to blend in. Welcome to Barcelona :)
