Emergencies:

Medical emergencies 061

General emergencies 112

Fire service 080

Guàrdia Urbana (local police) 092

Mossos d’Esquadra Catalan police force
Emergencies and traffic accidents 088

Policía Nacional 091

Guardia Civil police force 062

Hospital General de la Vall d’Hebron 93 274 61 00

Hospital Clínic i Provincial 93 227 54 00

Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau 93 291 91 91

Hospital del Mar 93 248 90 11/10

Hospital Sant Joan de Deu 93 253 21 00

Duty Magistrates’ Courts (24-hours services) 93 567 31 40

Funeral Services 93 484 17 00

Round-the clock social care office 900 703 030

Office for Non-Discrimination 93 304 31 18

Telegrams by telephone 93 322 20 00

Taxis (Audiotex telephone) catalalan: 93 481 00 85
castilian: 93 481 10 85

Special taxis for people with reduced mobility) 93 420 80 88

Veterinary surgeons (24-hours services) 93 205 31 16

Information on duty pharmacies 93 481 00 60

Medicines. Night home delivery
(only for suscribers) 93 218 88 88

Once a separate town, Gràcia was swallowed up by Barcelona, and now is surrounded by the city. Gràcia’s narrow streets stretch up into the hills above Barcelona making it easy to navigate as you’re either heading up or down. Home to Barcelona’s working classes, students and anarchists, it’s a very lively mix and a popular place to visit for those hip to the scene. Shops, markets and restaurants are all a bit cheaper here, and the popular lunch menu can easily be found here for less than 7 Euros. There are many plazas in the district, some with picturesque statues or churches. In the evenings these places are where people young and old meet for conversation, food and entertainment.

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The natives of Barcelona are Catalan, meaning they live in the Catalunya region of Spain. Like the Basques they feel they are not Spanish and don’t really want to be a part of Spain. This is because Spain has not been kind to the Catalan people, conquering and dominating them for hundreds of years.

Until the death of Franco in 1975, the flag, language and Catalan identity were illegal. This has bred resentment, and the discontent with Spanish rule still lingers below the surface. There might not be a visible separatist movement like with ETA and the Basque people, but the feeling is there. They now proudly fly the Catalan flag in Catalunya.

The language of the region is also called Catalan and it is very different from Spanish, not just a dialect. It’s widely spoken by over six million people in the Catalunya region, and street signs, store windows, billboards, everywhere are in Catalan, and sometimes Spanish. It is a bit difficult for those who speak Spanish to understand the written and spoken Catalan. But don’t be dismayed as all Catalans also speak and understand Spanish.

Catalan culture is unique and has created a wealth of folklore, art, literature, music, food and more. No trip to Barcelona would be complete without sampling some of the Catalan traditions, either in museums or public performances or just dining in a Catalan restaurant.

This tree-lined pedestrian thoroughfare runs from Plaza Catalunya to Barcelona’s port district, and is a major attraction. It’s called Las Ramblas because it consists of five different Ramblas or boulevards one after the other. A casual walk down Las Ramblas is a must for all tourists. It’s a wonderful, vibrant part of the city where street vendors and performers vie for your attention.

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Barcelona’s Metro

Barcelona’s transportation system is world class, efficient and cheap. I recommend getting a street map right away. These will usually indicate the Metro stops and tourist attractions. The Metro is one of the best ways to get around town, avoiding traffic jams, and city smog. The cars and stations are clean, relatively modern, and there’s usually an electric sign telling you how long the wait is for the next train (rarely more than 3 minutes).

A single trip costs a Euro, but there’s a whole slew of discount cards available for multiple journeys, and these are an excellent deal. If you’re going to be in Barcelona more than a day or two, I highly recommend getting the T-10 card, which allows you 10 trips within the city, and costs 5.80 Euros. That works out to only 58 Eurocents a trip, and that includes an hour and 20 minutes of travel time, which can easily get you anywhere you need to go. These can be purchased at the station window or from one of the automated machines. If you’re going to be staying longer, even better discounts are available on a monthly or yearly basis.

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Sherry

Sherry is from Jerez in southern Spain. This fine wine is often drunk as an aperitif, or traditionally in Andalucia, chilled with a variety of tapas.

Sherry is fermented from the Palomino and and Pedro Ximénez grapes. The Palomino grape makes a dry, delicate sherry and the Pedro Ximénez grape makes a fuller, sweeter type of sherry.

The grapes are picked usually during the first three weeks in September. The Palomino grapes are rushed to the presses to ensure freshness.

Drying is required for the Pedro Ximénez grapes, as they are too juicy when picked. They are laid on mats to partially dry in the sun, thus concentrating the sugars.

Pressing the grapes is usually done at night to avoid the heat of a typical Andalusian day.

The grapes are fermented in vats, and Flor, a yeast, forms on the surface of the wine in the vat. They say this prevents oxidization and adds flavor. If flor develops naturally, the wine is a determined to be fino.

The next step in the process is fortification. The addition of pure grape alcohol raises the level of spirit from a natural 11 percent to 18 percent for oloroso sherry, and 15.5 percent for finos.

Over the ages Jerez sherry producers developed a technique known as the solera system, which assures that the qualities of a sherry remain constant through the entire batch. The wine from the youngest solera (or top row of barrels in the cave) is mixed with the older wine in the barrels below and as a result takes on a smoothly blended character. Eventually the wine from the oldest solera in the bottom row is bottled as sherry.

In Jerez look for these brands of sherry: Barbadillo (Solear), Blázquez (Carta Blanca), Caballero (Puerto), Garvey (San Patricio), González Byass (Alfonso, Tío Pepe), Hidalgo (La Gitana, Napoleón), Lustau, Osborne (Quinta), Pedro Domecq (La Ina), Sandeman.

By Martin Trip, Editor of the Hip Guides.

Spain has been producing a multitude of quality wines for centuries in the fine air and sunshine of the Spanish countryside. The climate is superb for grape growing in most regions of Spain, and we offer a description of the wines from three regions of Spain.

Northern Spain

In the north, immigrants from the Bordeaux region populate the area of Rioja, and make some very fine wines indeed. Famous labels from Rioja include Faustino, Marqués de Cáceres, and La Rioja Alta.

Red, rose and white wines are produced in the north-central region of Navarra. Names from this area include Bodega de Sarría, Guelbenzu, Magaña, Ochoa, and Príncipe de Viana.

Further west the area of Galicia is noted for the full-bodied white wines they produce. A sure bet would be something from the region of Ribeiro in Galicia.

So, we suggest Rioja and Navarra for reds, and Galicia for whites.

Also in the north of Spain is the Basque country, where there is a small area known as Txacoli de Guetaria, which makes an unusual and spicily tart wine.

The major grape varieties grown in northern Spain are Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo. In Navarra they also grow Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and blend them with Tempranillo for an excellent vintage. Garnacha grapes are made into rosados (rosés). Galicia grows Albariño, Loureira and Treixadura grapes for their wines..

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