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Barcelona
Spain
dining hall, the Fonda
Españawas designed
by none other than
LluísDomènech i
Montaner –Gaudi’s
teacher and the second
most celebratedof
Catalonia’s pantheon
of great architects.
Dine onmodernised
Catalan cuisine as
you admire the
modernista environs.
EXCLUSIVE
Noti
(35Carrer Roger de
Lloria, tel: 93342
6673) Blending 1940s
Hollywoodglamour
with contemporary
style,Noti offers
modernMediterranean
cuisine in a nightlife-
laced atmosphere.
Dress to impress.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY
Boadas
Cocktail Bar
(1Tallers,
tel: 93 318 8826)
Openedway back in
1933 after the owner
got back fromHavana,
stepping into this tiny
bar on Las Ramblas
feels like stepping back
DIALLING CODE
+34
CURRENCY
€
FLY FROM
Amsterdam,
Basel-Mulhouse,
Belfast (BFS),Berlin,
Bristol,Dortmund,
Geneva, Lisbon,
Liverpool, London
(LGW, LTN,SEN,
STN), Lyon,Milan
(MXP),Newcastle,Nice
FROM THE
AIRPORT
TAXI
Pre-bookyour taxi
ateasyJet.com.
Alocal taxi costs€30.
Trains service the
Sants Estació.
Tickets: €2.50.
Visit the Europcar
desk for special
easyJet rates.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €30
Abissinia
(55Torrent
de les Flors, tel: 93213
0785)At this authentic
Ethiopian restaurant
inGracia, knives and
forks are given short
thrift, as diners use
injera
(Ethiopianbread)
to spoon spicy portions
ofmeat, vegetables
and exotic delicacies
into theirmouth.
UP TO €50
Fonda
España
(9–11 Carrer
deSant Pau, tel: 93
318 1758)Arguably
Barcelona’s finest
Athens
Greece
DIALLING CODE
+30
CURRENCY
€
FLY FROM
Berlin, Edinburgh,
Geneva, London
(LGW),Manchester,
Milan (MXP), Paris
(ORY), Rome
FROM THE
AIRPORT
Pre-bookyour taxi
at easyJet.com.
Alocal taxi costs€50.
Proastiako
andMetro line
trains service the city.
Tickets: €8 single.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €30
Mama
Roux
(48Aiolou
Street, tel: 213 004
8382) Great brunch
and lunch destination
in central Athens, with
a broad selection of
international treats
ranging frombagels
and focaccia to tacos,
burritos andMiddle
Eastern fare.
EXCLUSIVE
Edodi
(80Veikou Street,
Koukaki, tel: 210921
3013) Upscale, classic
restaurant decorated
withpaintings byGreek
artist Engonopoulos
and boasting
consistently excellent
culinary standards
that have helped it win
local GoldenChef’s
TAXI
Hat awards for 12
years running.The
restaurant’s
piece
de resistance
is
the pheasant with
shiitakemushrooms.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY
Rockwood
(2
Vassilisis Irakliou
Street, tel: 210 823
0337) Southern-style
American bar offering
draft beer, finger food
andmainstream rock
playing discreetly in
the background.
LATE & LIVELY
Half Note Jazz Club
(17 Trivonianou Street,
tel: 210 921 3310)
Athens’ legendary
jazz venue is still
working its own brand
of magic, with local
and international acts
playing jazz, blues
and worldmusic.
THIS MONTH
GO
Long the hub
of Athens society,
the classy Kolonaki
district is still the
place to see and be
seen, and recent
months have seen a
rash of new venues
opening up in the area.
NOWAY!
Greeks have a soft spot
for political dynasties
and have three times
elected successive
generations of the
same family to lead
the country.Themost
recent examplewas
George Papandreou,
whose father and
grandfather had also
been primeministers.
EvaWebster
in time.Aloof waiters
inwhite tuxedos
mix killer cocktails
for politicians,
journalists, theatre-
goers and tourists.
LIVE MUSIC
Electric Bar
(233
Travessera deGràcia)
Brazilian smoothies
and cocktails go
down a treat in the
ramshackle front bar,
while at the back,
nightly experimental
jams offermusic lovers
their fix. Bohemian
soulswill feel right at
home here.
LATE & LIVELY
Les Enfants Club
(3Carrer Guardia)
Barcelona’s oldest club
– it opened in 1965 – is
still going strong and
if you hate a) techno
and b) flashy dress
codes, then this could
be the perfect place
for you. Students and
assorted hedonists
party until dawn to
pop, funk, disco, indie
and Spanish hits.
OpenThursday to
Saturday only.
THIS MONTH
SHOP
Everyone has
a digital camera these
days... or do they?
At the Lomography
Store, they’ve
revived production of
unreliable analogue
beasts such as
the Diana, Holga
and, of course, the
Lomo.They’ve even
developed (pun
intended) a set of
rules for creating
happy accidents on
film (3 Carrer Rosic,
lomography.es).
SEE
Move over
Santa Claus, in Spain
it’s the Three Kings
that deliver the real
Christmas pressies...
albeit a bit late, on 5
January. Sometime
around 4pm, a boat
bearing these regal
visitors arrives in
Barcelona and a huge
parade around the city
streets commences
with plenty of candy
thrown to the crowds.
One for the kids.
GO
Despite being the
centre of touristville,
the Gothic Quarter
still contains plenty of
undetected treasures.
Try locating the Placa
Sant Felip Neri, a
delightful square with
a fountain andTipuana
trees where the scars
of the CivilWar – in the
formof bomb shrapnel
– are still visible on the
churchwalls.
ESCAPE
A two-hour
train journey north
will get you to Girona,
one of the outstanding
jewels of Catalonia.
Mount themedieval
walls, waltz along the
river Onyar, check
out themosque-
turned-cathedral and
linger in the relaxed
cafés and bars.
NOWAY!
Despite being the
symbol of Catalonia,
the Catalan donkey is,
sadly, an endangered
species. Modern
farming techniques
mean that numbers
have dwindled to
just 500 or so.
Duncan Rhodes/
barcelona-life.com
La Casita
(33Carrer
deAtlantida)Acubby
hole of an Italian
delicatessen in the
Barceloneta district,
LaCasita serves
huge pizzas and a
range of homemade
pastas and snacks.
UP TO €15
Res t auran t amb j ard í
T. (+34) 932 189 222
www.roigrobi.com
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