How many public holidays does Spain have?

Today is a public holiday in Madrid. (Or as my British friends say, a 'bank' holiday.)

It's Father's Day and Saint Joseph's Day. (Or as my Spanish neighbors say, Día del Padre / Día de San Jose.)

This is a regional holiday, not a national one.

A family member back in Louisiana commented recently that Spain sure had a lot more holidays than the USA. It seemed that way to me, too, so I thought I'd tally them up and compare. Well, it turns out that this year there are 10 federal holidays in the USA, but only 8 national holidays in Spain.

Still, that doesn't quite tell the whole story.

First of all, here are the US federal holidays for 2015:

Thursday, January 1	New Year’s Day
Monday, January 19	Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, February 16	George Washington’s Birthday / Presidents' Day
Monday, May 25	Memorial Day
Saturday, July 4	Independence Day (Observed on Friday, July 3 this year)
Monday, September 7	Labor Day (Always on the first Monday in September)
Monday, October 12	Columbus Day
Wednesday, November 11	Veterans Day
Thursday, November 26	Thanksgiving Day (Always on the 4th Thursday of November)
Friday, December 25	Christmas Day

Now here is the list of national holidays in Spain for 2015:

Thursday, January 1	New Year’s Day
Tuesday, January 6	Kings Day / Epiphany
Friday, April 3	Good Friday
Friday, May1	Labor Day
Saturday, August 15	Assumption of Mother Mary
Monday, October 12	Spanish National Day
Tuesday, December 8	The Day of the Immaculate Conception
Friday, December 25	Christmas Day

Notice that because the USA's July 4th holiday falls on a Saturday this year, it will be observed on Friday July 3rd, but that in Spain there is no such compensation for the holiday that falls on Saturday August 15th. This is because Spain actually considers Saturday a work day. Thus, people like me who work Monday through Friday won't get that holiday off this year.

This year we in Spain are also missing a holiday that falls on a Sunday: Constitution Day, December 6th. When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the Spanish sometimes do what the Yanks do, and observe the holiday on the subsequent Monday. Although Spain is not doing that with this year's Constitution Day, some of the country's Regions have come to the rescue and christened the Monday a holiday. 

Therefore, it looks like the USA actually has more public holidays than Spain – especially when you consider that in the USA both Saturday and Sunday holidays are always compensated for.

Wait, though—there is another factor to consider. Each of Spain's 17 Regions have their own holidays. For example, there are four Regional holidays for the Community of Madrid this year:

Thursday March 19 - Saint Joseph's Day
Thursday April 2 - Holy Thursday
Saturday May 2 - Community of Madrid Day
Thursday June 4 - Corpus Christi Day

And the other Regions are just as  generous, with almost all having four other public holidays falling Monday through Friday. (Only the Canary Islands Region has fewer: three.) In fact, this year several of the Regions have elected to give their citizens back the Constitution Day some in Spain are missing by observing it on the Monday. (Scroll down below for a list of all the Regional holidays in Spain.)

Now back in the USSA, many states also observe their own holidays, but most have only one or two of these. Nevertheless, only two of the 50 states seem to have matched the Spanish regional norm of four: Indiana, which observes Good Friday, Primary Election Day, General Election Day and Lincoln's Birthday and North Carolina, with Good Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas.

So, if we consider the fact that added to the 8 (usually 9) national holidays there are four regional holidays almost everywhere in the country, it looks like overall Spain pulls ahead on the total number per year.

Then we can throw city and town holidays into the mix. In Spain most of these have multiple local holidays and even small towns and villages often have one or two. For example, in the City of Madrid there are 3 in 2015:

Friday, May 15 - Saint Isidro Day (Patron Saint of the City)
Wednesday, September 9 - Santa Maria de la Cabeza Day (Saint Isidro's wife)
Monday, November 9 - The Virgin of Almudena Day - (Patroness of the City)

Barcelona has two:

June 1 - Saint John's Night
September 24 - Día de la Merced

Valencia also has two:

January 22 - Saint Vincent The Martyr's Day
April 13 - Saint Vincent Ferrer's Day

And Seville has two, too:

Wednesday April 22- Wednesday of the Spring Fair (Replaces the usual May 30th Saint Fernando holiday, which falls on a Saturday this year)
Thursday June 4 - Corpus Christi Day

Now, I don't know of too many American cities that have two or three local public holidays.

Conclusion: I think we can safely say that, yes, Spain does have more public / bank holidays than the United States.

Or to put it in sports terms: Spain 14, USA 10.

Happy holidays!

Carlos

Here are the 2015 public holidays in Spain's Autonomous Regions.
Andalusia
February 28th: Andalusia Day
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Aragon
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
April 23rd: Saint George’s Day
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Asturias
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
September 8th: Asturian Regional Day
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Balearic Islands
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
April 6th: Easter Monday
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Basque Country
March 19th: Saint Joseph
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
April 6th: Easter Monday
July 25th: Saint James
Canary Islands (Only 3 holidays regional holidays in the Canaries!) 
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
May 30th: Canary Islands Day
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
Cantabria
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
April 6th: Easter Monday
September 15th: Patron Saint of Cantabria (Virgen de la Bien Aparecida)
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
Castilla-La Mancha
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
April 6th: Easter Monday
June 4th: Corpus Christi
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Castilla y León
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
April 23rd: Castile and León Day
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Cataluña
April 6th: Easter Monday
June 24th: Saint John's Day
September 11th: The Diada, Catalonia Regional Day
December 26th: Saint Stephen's Day
Ceuta
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
September 25th: Festival of Abraham’s Sacrifice
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Extremadura
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
September 8th: Extremadura Regional Day
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Galicia
March 20th: Day after Saint Joseph's Day
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
July 25th: Saint James, Galician Regional Day
November 2nd: Monday after All Saints Day
La Rioja
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
April 6th: Easter Monday
June 9th: La Rioja Regional Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Comunidad de Madrid
March 19th: Saint Joseph's Day
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
May 2nd: Community of Madrid Day
June 4th: Corpus Christi Day
Melilla
March 19th: Saint Joseph's Day
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
September 25th: Festival of Abraham’s Sacrifice
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Murcia
March 19th: Saint Joseph's Day
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
June 9th: Murcia Regional Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day
Navarre
March 19th: Saint Joseph's Day
April 2nd: Holy Thursday
April 6th: Easter Monday
July 25th: Saint James
Valencia
March 19th: Saint Joseph's Day
April 6th: Easter Monday
October 9th: Valencian Regional Day
December 7th: Monday after Constitution Day

Lugo most economical tourist destination in Spain, Barcelona most expensive

Lugo, Spain

Barcelona is the most popular tourist destination in Spain. And in this case, high demand means high cost.

Meanwhile, lovely Lugo not only offers a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but the best deal for travelers on average.

According to various media reports, TripAdvisor.com has determined that the Catalan city of Barcelona is Spain's most expensive city for visitors, while Lugo in Galica is the most economical place for travelers.

The travel website compared costs in 52 locations around the country and found the average cost of a one-night stay in a four-star hotel, cocktails for two, a two-course dinner with a bottle of house wine and round-trip taxi fare was highest in Barcelona. The price for that in BCN came to €229.11 ($296.35 / £182.70).

The second most expensive spot was Ibiza at €221.43 ($287.13 / £176.33), followed by Palma, Mallorca at €217.97 ($282.46 / £173.58), Palma de Mallorca €218.27 ($282.96 / £173.83), San Sebastian €211.72 ($274.36 / £168.81) and the capital Madrid €183.65 ($238.01 / £146.26).

At the other end of the scale was Lugo, in Northwestern Spain – the only city in the world completely surrounded by intact Roman walls. A four star hotel and night on the town in this historic tourist spot totaled only €115.73 ($150 / £93.20). 

Murcia offered the second best deal in Spain at €116.52. (151.02 / £92.79). Next up were Ourense at €116.68 ($151.22 / £92.93), Badajoz at €119.82  ($155.29 / £95.43) and Castellon at €124.41 ($161.28 / £99.08).

A night in a four-star hotel Barcelona hotel (€145 / $187.93 / £115.47) costs about as much as a night in a similar hotel in Tarragona, along with drinks, meal and taxi (€143.73 / $186.26 / £114.46). Tarragona is a beautiful beach-side port-city in Catalonia with a rich history, including incredible remains of a Roman amphitheater, forum and circus. It is also home to the impressive National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona.

Read about Catalonia, la Diada, succession and secession

My latest article on Newsvine:

The Diada, Catalonia's 'national' day, was originally about succession, not secession

September 11 is known as la Diada in Catalonia. It is a day that originally commemorated a military defeat that took place on this date in 1714: the fall of Barcelona to Bourbon troops led by the Duke of Berwick after a year long siege. Today the day has been transformed into a celebration of pro-independence nationalism throughout the autonomous…

Where to get Dr Pepper in Barcelona

(Updated December 2018)

Taste of America (Two Locations in the city)
C/ Aragó, 231
Barcelona
and

Calle Balmes, 322

Barcelona 08006
There is also a location near Barcelona at:
C/ Nord, 62 - bajo
Esplugues de Llobregat 08950

A Taste of Home: The English Supermarket
C/ Floridablanca 78
Barcelona 08015
(They also have a location in Sitges at Calle Sant Josep, 32)

Krakoviak Polish Specialties.
Calle de Sicília 324-332
Barcelona 08025

Carrefour Market Ramblas
Rambla de los Estudios, 113
Barcelona 08002
(Dr Pepper lovers have me to thank for this: I kept asking and asking and asking until someone  finally actually looked into it and got the store to start stocking it. It seems to be a very popular item. Unlike the Dr Pepper sold in the Carrefour Planet locations below, it is usually stocked in the regular soft drink section, not in the foreign foods section AKA Sabores del Mundo.)

Carrefour Planet Hipermercado La Maquinista
La Maqunista Shopping Center

Paseo Potosí, 2

Barcelona 08030

Carrefour Planet  Hipermercado Gran Vía 2

Avda. Gran Vía 75-93

L´Hospitalet del Llobregat 08908
(This one is just a few blocks outside Barcelona city limits, not far from Plaza de España. One pain in the neck about these two locations is that they don't stock as much as the Ramblas location does, so don't be surprised if they are out. Sometimes they are out for one week, sometimes several weeks. I have only seen the Dr Pepper supply at the Ramblas location out of stock once, and that was only for a few days.)

The little Carrefour Express location at Calle Nou de la Rambla also sells Dr Pepper.

The Carrefour hypermarket location at Las Glories (which is not as huge as the Planet stores) has never stocked Dr Pepper that I know of. I only asked a couple of times, but that was because it was not a location I went to much.

These CoAliment stores sometimes have Dr Pepper:

CoAliment
Via Laietana 15

CoAliment
C/ Diputacion 314

The following little Pakistani-owned convenience stores sometimes have Dr Pepper:

Sol Bruc 70

Calle Bruc 70

Barcelona 08037

Frutas y Verduras

Calle Trafalgar 48

Barcelona 08010

Colom

Psg. de Colom 2

Barcelona  08002

La Bodegueta
Calle Joaquin Costa 28
El Raval
Barcelona 08001
(Some other Pakistani-owned shops on this same street also sell Dr Pepper.)

In Barceloneta, near the beach, the following Pakistani-owned convenience stores sometimes have Dr Pepper:

Supermercat
Calle Dr. Aiguader 1
08003 Barcelona
(Literally just outside the Barceloneta Metro station. There are two little stores next to each other. The one to the right usually has Dr Pepper.) 

Supermercat

Psg. Joan de Borbo 1

Barcelona 08003

Supermercat

Psg. Joan de Borbo 26

Barcelona 08003

Supermarket (that's the name over the door)

Corner of C/ Andrea Doria and C/ Atlantida

Barcelona 08003

(Located on the eastern side of Barceloneta's Public Market)

Supermercat del Mar

C/ Miquel Boera 11

Barcelona 08003

(Where Sant Carles street ends at the steps to the seafront)

The Bangladeshi community is much smaller than the Pakistani one in Barcelona, but at least on Bangladeshi business sometimes sells Dr Pepper:

Supermercat
Av. Marina 94
Barcelona 08018

Please leave a comment or email me in order to update this list.

Click here for my Dr Pepper in Madrid and more list, as well as to read about how Dr Pepper can have different flavors depending on where it is imported from. 

P.S. There is also little Pakistani store on Ronda Universitat (31? 33?) near Pl Catalunya that sells Dr P. If anyone knows the name and exact address, please let me know so I can add the details.

Newsvine Articles & Posts re: Spain on Newsvine, April-June 2014

Two articles:
Spain's lonely King says: 'I don't want my son to wither away waiting like Prince Charles'

Dancing in the streets to celebrate Second Easter in Barcelona

Two posts:
Madrid college dorm bans men from using washing machines, expects females to do it for them

Group sues Spain over decision to give country's top policing award to a statue of Virgin Mary

Recent Newsvine articles on Spain

Here are links to some recent articles I've posted on Newsvine:

Man flabbergasted to be fired for flatulence — and belching — and nail clipping

ER has to call in firefighters with buzz-saws to rescue man's member from steel sex toy

  

Police raid Barcelona gay bars during Gay Pride celebrations

Meet a 76-year-old 'skateboarding grandpa' Video

Strip Shopping: clothing chain gives free outfits to customers who show-up only in underwear; one store tops all with nude event (Video)

For more click here.

P.S. if you like odd news (not necessarily Spanish), click here.

Prince and Princess of Asturias get booed and applauded at Barcelona's opera house

Spain's Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia went to the opera at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona recently. This is how 'warmly' they were received.

Miscellaneous Spain stories

Here are links to a few Spain related articles I've written recently for Newsvine:

Unemployed journalism grad sings resumé on YouTube, lands TV job

Controversy in Barcelona over Columbus statute wearing Barca jersey

Man arrested for breaking, entering and attempted theft of $215,000 he'd paid to psychic for faulty love potion

Spain deports Moroccan as 'threat to national security,' in case touching on independence for Catalonia and Western Sahara

Spain's conservative party leader calls eviction protests 'pure Nazism'

Queen Isabella of Spain set to conquer Europe and America

Grand Hotel, Spain's Downton Abbey, to be shown in the USA, with English subtitles (Video Clip)

For a complete list of my Spain related articles and seeds on Newsvine, go to:  

carloz.newsvine.com/spain.

Constitutional Court nullifies Catalan sovereignty declaration, regional government defiant

[Barcelona] Catalan premier Artur Mas has responded defiantly to the Constitutional Court’s decision to rule that a declaration of sovereignty issued by the regional parliament is null and void.
Spain’s highest legal body on Wednesday admitted a central government objection to the text issued by the Catalan assembly in January declaring the region “a sovereign political and legal entity.” This was the phrase that incited the Solicitor General’s Office to file a legal complaint to the text on the grounds that it represented “an open challenge to the Constitution.”

The Catalan assembly also approved a second resolution in March, with the tentative backing of the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC), to forge a legal and judicial path toward holding a referendum on self-determination next year. The government has not yet challenged the second resolution but the Constitutional Court asked the Catalan assembly to clarify which of the two texts it considered to be the valid one. “The two are completely complementary,” replied the spokesman for the ruling CiU coalition, Francesc Homs.

The Constitutional Court has given CiU and its allies 20 days to provide arguments against its ruling.

“We will not put anything on hold,” responded Mas in the regional assembly Wednesday. “We will continue on the path despite the obstacles. We will continue because it is a path chosen by the people of Catalonia.”

Read more in El País.

Barcelona's April Fair To Be More Andalus, Less Latino This Year

"It's the festival of the rebujito, not the caipirinha"

Francisco Garcia Pietro, chairman of the Feria de Abril de Cataluña, has said that the 42nd edition of the popular fiesta, opening today in Barcelona's Parc del Forum, will have more of an Andalusian flavor and less of a Latino presence among its 'casetas,' the colorfully decorated marquee tents temporarily set up on the Forum fairgrounds each year at this time

'It's the festival of the rebujito, not the caipirinha,' García Prieto declared after announcing the return of four Andalusian entities organizations absent in recent years, the expansion of the main caseta, the removal of one political party's stand 'for budgetary reasons' and the debut of another group of politicos serving chamomile tea -- the Democratic Union of Catalonia and the Citizen's parties respectively.

In total about 60 casetas and stands will be open to receive thousands of visitors from today until 5 May. As always, entrance to the casetas is free. Visitors have the opportunity to hear live music, see dance performances, and purchase food and drink. There are also plenty of opportunities for the public to join in the flamenco dancing fun, with locals showing visitors how to do a fandango, a granadíno, a malagueña, or a sevillana. This year scheduled performers include Guadaljarafe, Brisas, Zaira, Aromas, Azaila el Ballet Clasico Español, el Ballet Oficial de la Feria de Abril and more.

At tonight's opening the Federation of Andalusian Cultural Entities in Catalonia (FECAC) will be collecting items to donate to the local Food Bank.  In addition, during the 10 days of the fair Food Bank 'solidarity tickets' will be available for 50 cents a piece. Ticket holders will be entered into a raffle for Andalusian products.

The Feria de Abril is one of the largest annual public events held in Catalonia 

Additional Information:

Website: La Federación de Entidades Culturales Andaluzas de Cataluña FECAC

Photo page: Feria de abril de Cataluña - Galeria de Imágenes

Barcelona Photos: Saint George's Day / Dia de San Jorge / Diada de Sant Jordi

Here are some photos I took today.

Stalls on Las Ramblas:

A happy young couple at the port, with an unusual blue rose:

Stalls in La Barceloneta:

Read about the holiday in the following post: Saint George - dragon + roses + books = Saint George's Day!

Barcelona loves, loves, loves tourists - especially when times are hard!

Barcelona's El Periodico newspaper is reporting that in a recent survey of the city's residents, positive views of tourism are sky high, with  97% of locals seeing tourism as beneficial, 96% believing it brings in a great deal of money and 60% selecting it as the industry that most enriches the city.

This overwhelmingly positive view is more than understandable as the city continues to suffer from recession. Barcelona's position among international travelers has allowed the tourism sector to withstand the effects of Spain's economic crisis. In 2012 the city ranked fourth among European destinations in length of hotel stays, just behind London, Paris and Rome.

With tourism increasing 0.7% last year (7.44 million visitors in total), local people are apparently grateful that the sector's numbers continue to grow, even in these hard times. According to the newspaper, five years ago the view of tourism among Barcelonans was 16 points lower.

In an editorial, the paper concluded, "Barcelonans have rewarded the effort to shape tourism that is  balanced between their needs and those of the foreigners who visit and stay overnight in the Catalan capital. So finds a study published by the City Council which showed that among city residents there has been an increase in the view that tourism has a positive impact on their lives. Thus, the study discounts  those old local negative perceptions of the steadily increasing presence of tourists."

The city councilor responsible for tourism, Sonia Recasens, told El Periodico that the actual reason the perception of tourism has improved is due to the city government's efforts to soften the impact of such  large numbers of visitors on the city's citizens. She cited as examples the rearranging of parking spaces for the large numbers of tour buses around La Sagrada Familia and making the city center safer.

Meanwhile, President of Tourism Barcelona, ​​Joan Gaspart, simply said that tourism is a valuable asset to the city. He projected that the local government will benefit from a 34% take of the estimated 50 to 60 million euros that will be collected next year from the Catalan Region's tourist tax of up to 2.50€ per person per night, which started being added to hotel bills last November. He said that, among other things, this money will be used to better promote the city as a tourist destination.

Related post: Where do most tourists in Barcelona come from?

Where do most tourists in Barcelona come from?

Answer: the United States of America. In fact, the year 2012 consolidated the U.S.A. as a major client of Barcelona's tourist industry. Last year American tourists totaled 635,000, or 8.5% of all travelers.

The large number of  U.S. travelers has been attributed to the rise in the number of cruise ships docking in the city, with many Americans choosing to embark here, as well as more direct flights and promotional campaigns.
 
After the Americans came the British, the group that had the most significant growth (a 12% increase), while at third, fourth and fifth were the French, Italian and German. There was a dramatic increases from residents of Eastern European countries (Czech Republic, Russia and Poland), which jumped nearly 32% in one year, while visits from the rest of the world grew by a healthy 17.6%.

That last number resulted from visitors who came from many developing countries. Looking beyond the quantity of travelers to the qualitative effect of this group, credit card spending by Russians grew by a dramatic 55.7% last year, for a total of 146.7 million euros. Among Chinese tourists this spending leaped by 71.4%.

When it comes to Americans, there is the added bonus that this market is reportedly one of the most profitable for the city, in terms of the average amount of money they spend daily.

In 2012 the tourism sector rose 0.7% overall, with 7.44 million people visiting Barcelona, of which the majority were international visitors and 21.8% were from other parts of Spain. Visits by Spaniards decreased last year by 6.8%. 

Barcelona's position among international travelers has allowed the tourism industry to withstand the effects of Spain's economic crisis. In 2012 the city ranked fourth among European destinations in length of hotel stays, after London, Paris and Rome respectively.

Related post: Barcelona loves, loves, loves tourists - especially when times are hard!
 

Viral Agoraphobia Leads to 'The Last Days' in New Spanish Film, 'Los Últimos Días'

What if agoraphobia were contagious -- and lethal? That's the question the Pastor brothers, David and Alex (Carriers, 2009), imagine an answer to in their latest film, Los Últimos Días (The Last Days.)

This apocalyptic story unfolds in present day Barcelona as a worldwide epidemic leaves streets emptied and people trapped in homes, offices, shopping centers, etc. due to a morbid fear of simply stepping outside. Indeed, the adverse reaction to going out is so strong that individuals who do convulse and die after stepping only a few feet out the door. The result: a world in total chaos.

Months after the pandemic strikes, high-tech staff stuck in a powerless high-rise office building are struggling to survive as food and water runs low. They work together in shifts to escape their prison by digging their way into the tunnels of the metro, power and sewage systems below. After successfully breaking through, two very different characters are suddenly thrown together and make an agreement to travel jointly through the bowels of the city as they head for their destinations. 

Marc (Quim Gutiérrez), is a young computer programmer who desperately wants to find the pregnant girlfriend he argued with before leaving for work on the day the virus finally paralyzed the world. Enrique (Jose Coronado), is a cut-throat human resources consultant who had been brought in to clean up the company by forcing Marc and others seen as under-performers to shape-up or ship-out. Exactly who or what Enrique is after is initially a mystery to Marc -- and to the audience.

We follow this odd-couple making their way through dark and dingy passageways with surprises lurking around nearly every curve. As they push forward, they manage to get into a metro station, an apartment building, a mall, a skyscraper and a church, where they come across others who are on journeys like theirs, crowds huddling together in a semblance of community, gangs of criminals, families who are trying to stick together, as well as assorted animals -- big and small.

The movie does not focus on the how or the why of the pandemic. Through flashbacks we catch bits and pieces of news reports about ash from a volcano in Iceland and increasing cases of agoraphobia, panic and suicides, and as things get worse we hear reassurances from the authorities meant to calm the masses. Instead the directors explore how humanity might react to such a tragedy, which in the case of Marc is simply to try to reunite with a loved one, without giving much thought about what he might do after. Enrique is looking for something or someone, too, but in addition he shows signs of thinking ahead to what very basic things they will need to survive.

The special effects are excellent. The eerie scenes of a Barcelona abandoned by its inhabitants and increasingly reclaimed by nature brought to mind the London of 28 Weeks Later and New York of I Am Legend.

The performances are equally impressive. Veteran actor Jose Coronado blends the right amount of ruthlessness and humanity into the character of Enrique. Quim Gutierrez, who jumped from soap operas to the big screen a few years ago, portrays Marc with a sort of naivete and innocence that makes his journey believable.

All in all, a well-made and very entertaining film.

Princess Cristina of Spain formally named as a suspect in corruption case.

Infanta Cristina of Spain, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca, the 47 year old daughter of King Juan Carlos I, was formally named this week as a suspect in a case involving accusations of fraudulently obtaining millions in public funds. 

The Duchess, who is seventh in line to the Spanish throne, served as a board member on the non-profit Noos Institute, which was set up by her husband, Duke Iñaki Urdangarin, a former Olympic athlete who is accused of using this and other organizations to embezzle millions of euros in taxpayer money. Urdangarin is also under investigation for tax fraud involving money in offshore bank accounts and various companies he owns, including one co-owned by his wife. The Duke claims that she was unaware of any illegal activities.

While the Royal Family has tried to distance itself from Urdangarin during the investigation, it has become directly involved in the defense strategy of Princess Cristina. After learning on Wednesday of the judge's decision to name her as a suspect in the case of alleged irregularities, King Juan Carlos personally asked Barcelona lawyer MiquelRoca Junyent to defend his youngest daughter. Roca Junyent is a well known political figure from Spain's transition to democracy and is considered one of the fathers of the country's 1978 Constitution.

On Thursday, Urdangarinis lawyer, Mario Pascual Vives, confirmed that he would not be representing the Princess, after having stated publicly the day before that “it would be an honor” to do so. Pascual Vives visited with the Duke and Duchess for for several hours yesterday. Barcelona's La Vanguarida newspaper quoted him as describing the couple as “united in adversity,” and once again denied rumors of a possible marital split.

After stressing that he is not the the Princess' spokesperson, Pascual Vives reportedly described her to journalists as being “concerned.”

Since news of the court's decision broke earlier this week, the media has been camped outside of the couple's €6 millon ($7.75 million) Barcelona home.

British newspaper The Guardian reported that Urdangarin is “struggling to come up with his share of the €8.1m bail set for him and his former business partner Diego Torres, who both deny the allegations.”

This is only the latest in a series of bad news for the Spanish Royal Family. Spain's El Mundo newspaper recently claimed King Juan Carlos had millions inherited from his father hidden away from tax authorities in Swiss bank accounts.

The 75 year-old King has also been in declining health since April 2012, when reports emerged that in the middle of Spain's recession he went on a not exactly politically correct jet-setter elephant-hunting safari in Botswana, where he fell and broke a hip. He subsequently had both hips replaced and last month he was in hospital for back surgery.

As AFP summed it up this week, recent events “have thrown the spotlight on the royal family's deluxe lifestyle and opaque fortune as Spain grapples with a record unemployment rate of 26 percent.”

The rain in Spain, indeed. 

10 Things About Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona, which is the name of the ancient city on the Mediterranean and the province it is located in, is a pretty popular tourist destination, so chances are you have visited already or have read/heard a bit about it. However, whether you know the area or not, I hope after reading this you will have discovered at least one thing that you did not know before.

1. Barcelona is over 2,000 years old. The original inhabitants were tribes of the Laietani, one of the early Iberian people. They called the town Barkeno. Coins and other artifacts of theirs have been found in the area. It is possible to see a remnant of what the original settlement may have looked like at the Pueblo Iberico archeological park in the suburb of Santa Coloma. One of Barcelona's major thoroughfares, Via Laietana, is named in honor of these ancient people.

2. Barcelona became the Roman town of Barcino around 19BC. Another major Barcelona street, Via Augusta, is built over the part of the ancient Roman road that stretched across the Iberian Peninsula from Cadiz, on the Atlantic Coast, to La Jonquera, on the border of modern-day France. Parts of the Roman wall that surrounded Barcino are still standing in the Gothic Quarter and many ruins can be seen in and around the Gothic Quarter, especially at the incredible Barcelona City History Museum.

3. Like any ancient city, Barcelona has its share of dark history. For example, the 'autos de fe' of the Spanish Inquisition. Although not marked on any tourist maps, many of Barcelona's popular tourist sites were once places where people were burned at the stake, garroted, shot and hung. Public executions were held in Spain until the end of the 19th century, and were on one level spectacles of horrific entertainment for the masses. According to Catalan historian Joan de Deu Domenech, the last public execution in Barcelona, by garrote, was held on June 15, 1897, at number 15 Egipcíaque Street – a site that today is a center for humanities research and education.

4. Barcelona is famous for its architecture, from the ancient to the modern, but probably most significantly for Catalan Modernisme, that unique twist on Art Nouveau design. The most significant architects of this style were Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Josep Puig i Cadafalch, and, of course, Antoni Gaudí. One of my favorite spots in the city is the 'block of discord' at Paseo de Gracia 35-45, where the dramatically clashing styles of these three greats are on display in buildings that stand practically side by side: Casa Lleó Morera, Casa Amatller and Casa Battló. Of course, the most famous modernist work is not yet finished – the Sagrada Familia temple was started in 1882 and is not projected to be finished until around 2026. This is considered one of Gaudí's masterpieces, although it was originally begun by another architect, Francisco del Villar, who worked on it until 1891.

5. September 11th is a public holiday in Catalonia, but it has nothing to do with the tragedy of 2001 and everything to do with the tragedy of 1714, which saw the defeat of Barcelona in one of the final battles of the War of the Spanish Succession. Catalonia had unfortunately sided with the loser, the Habsburg Archduke Charles. As punishment the victorious King Philip V revoked the autonomy, institutions, privileges and rights of what until then had been the Crown of Catalonia and Aragon. Autonomy was not fully restored until after the death of the Dictator Franco. In 1980, the reestablished Autonomous Government of Catalonia proclaimed September 11th as La Diada, the Catalan national holiday. Other local holidays include Second Easter, La Merce, Saint John's Night, and Saint George's Day.

6. The Seville Fair, aka the April Fair (Feria de Abril), in Andalusia is one of the most popular festivals in Spain. Many people do not know that the second largest April Fair in the country is held in Barcelona. This Andalusian tradition came to Barcelona with the massive immigration from Southern Spain that began in the 1940s and peaked in the 1960s. Barcelona's April Fair was started by a group of these immigrants and their descendants in 1971. Like it's southern neighbor, it focuses on Andalusian culture, food and music, e.g., pienetas, mantillas, shawls, riding jackets, castanets, Jerez sherry, manzanilla wine, tapas, gazpacho, ham, churros, cantaores, bailaoras, flamenco, sevillianas, rumbas, boleros and more!

7. Barcelona's Collserola Park is 'the largest metropolitan park in the world: 8 times larger than the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, and 22 times larger than Central Park in New York.' I love taking the funicular up Mount Tibidabo to one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Barcelona, Vallvidrera, and walking down into the park. The views of the city and the Mediterranean are incredible!

8. Barcelona is a cosmopolitan city, made up of native Catalans, people who moved here from other parts of Spain, lots of Europeans (mainly Italian, French and British), and immigrants from all over the world – particularly Latin America, the Philippines, Morocco, China and Pakistan. The result of all this is that it is common to hear multiple languages as you wander around the streets – Catalan, Spanish, Urdu, French, English, Arabic, Italian, Mandarin,etc. In addition, immigrant communities have brought their cuisine with them. In fact, three of my favorite restaurants in Barcelona are the Philippine Fil-Manila, the Chinese Pato Pekin and the Senegalese Daru Salaam. I also love Casa Mexicana, an excellent Mexican restaurant owned by an immigrant (but not Mexican) couple – a Danish man and a Peruvian woman. (The cooks are Mexican, however.)

9. Barcelona has terrific public transport, including an integrated system of commuter trains, subways (called the "Metro"), trams, and buses. There is also a public bicycle sharing program for residents, called Bicing. Bicycle rental companies catering to tourists are easily found. Some even arrange bike tours of the city.

10. If you want to travel around the region of Catalonia, or further afield, there are lots of options, including a great railway system. Day trips up or down the coast (e.g., Girona to the north, Tarragona to the south) or into the interior of Catalonia (the Catalan Pyrenees) are fascinating. Even Madrid is only about two hours away on the high speed AVE train.

Well, that's a little about the place I am lucky enough to live in. If you have not seen it yet, I hope some day you get the chance to.

White House responds to request for support of Catalan referendum on independence from Spain

The White House responded on Saturday to a petition that asked Washington to support the right of the people of Catalonia to decide on what future “is best for them through a fair and democratic referendum.”

Caitlin Hayden, a spokesperson for President Barack Obama's National Security Council, said the issue was an internal matter for Spain, while acknowledging the distinctiveness of Catalan culture and tradition.

“The United States recognizes the unique culture and traditions of the Catalan region, but considers the status of Catalonia to be an internal Spanish matter. We are confident that the Government and the people of Spain will resolve this issue in accordance with their laws and Constitution,” Ms. Hayden said.

Catalonia is one of the 17 Autonomous Communities that makeup the Kingdom of Spain. The Community has a population of over 7.5 million. Barcelona, the second largest city in Spain, is the capital of Catalonia, a bilingual region with Catalan and Spanish serving as 'co-official' languages.

The petition, which was submitted to the White House's “We the people” website last November 24th, read:

“The People of Catalonia, the Northeastern region of Spain, would like to hold a referendum on whether or not they would like to become independent from the Spain. The Catalan people have their own distinct language, culture and traditions that are not being respected by the Spanish government; many Catalans do not feel Spanish, but rather a Catalan citizen without their own State. In 2012 during their national holiday, 1.5 million people took to the streets of Barcelona to demand independence, yet the Spanish government simply ignored them. In adherence to the guiding principles of our own Declaration of Independence, we ask the United States government to stand with the Catalan people's right to decide a future that is best for them through a fair and democratic referendum.”

More than 33,000 people signed onto the appeal.

Interestingly, the day after the petition's submission happened to be election day in Catalonia. Artur Mas, the president of the Autonomous Community's government, had called a snap election in the hope that his Catalan nationalist party could ride the rising tide of independence fervor to an absolute majority in the regional parliament. His side ended up losing seats, but managed to hold on to control of the assembly. Meanwhile, several smaller separatist groups increased their numbers, as did a couple of the parties that favor remaining part of Spain.

This week Mr. Mas met with Spain's King Juan Carlos to 'explain' his push for self-determination. No official comments were made afterward. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, whose government has indicated it will go to the constitutional court to fight any attempt to hold a referendum, has said that independence for Catalonia “makes no sense.”

While talk of independence dates back at least as far as the 1600s, the idea of secession has gained popularity recently as the Spanish economy has faltered. Until 2011, polls routinely showed from around 20 to 30 percent of the local population in favor of independence, with about 40 to 50 percent opposed. Since then those numbers have been reversing.

All of these developments seem to assure only one thing: the heated debate over what future “is best” for Catalonia will surely continue.

Shakira and Gerard Pique's son Milan born into a world of unusual celebrity children names

Latina pop-rock singer Shakira Mebarak and Spanish soccer player Gerard Pique have revealed the name of their recently born son, and it's a rather uncommon one: Milan.

According to the new parents, 'Milan (pronounced MEE-lahn), means dear, loving and gracious in Slavic; in Ancient Roman, eager and laborious; and in Sanskrit, unification.'

OK, but in most of the world today it means a city in Italy. Oh, and it is also the name of boxer Mike Tyson's daughter.

Why do so many celebrities give their children such unique (and in some cases, awful) names?
Baby-naming expert Pamela Redmond Satran believes, 'It's just another element of celebrities using kids as publicity.'

I'm not so sure that's the case with the parents of little Milan Pique Mebarack, but who knows. I suppose other reasons could range from adventurousness to thoughtlessness to silliness; and in some truly strange cases, outright abusiveness. Regardless, there certainly are much odder names in the world – especially looking at the world of the famous.

Take for example Pilot 'Standard' Inspektor, the unfortunately named son of actor Jason Lee (My Name is Earl). Lee apparently decided to curse his child with that that bizarre moniker after hearing the words in a song. I suppose the kid should be grateful dad didn't go for the song's title: He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot.

Then there is the unlucky daughter of actress Shannyn Sossamon (A Knight's Tale), who was called Audio Science somewhat by chance.

Sossamon explains: "We wanted a word not a name, so my boyfriend read through the dictionary three or four times."

Let's hope her soon to be born second child at least receives a more human sounding designation.
Moving on from the dictionary as place to look for baby names, literature, religion and geography were sources of inspiration for Cate Blanchett when it came to naming her three sons. Her oldest is Dashiell, in honor of Dashiell Hammet, the author of The Maltese Falcon, while her youngest is Ignatius, in honor of St. Ignatius of Loyola. In comparison, her middle son seems to have lucked out with the relatively common sounding Roman.

Geography and literature also worked for singer Ashlee Simpson, who may be from Texas, but obviously has a thing for a certain part of New York City, not to mention The Jungle Book. Why else gift her boy with the name Bronx Mowgli?

Rudyard Kipling can also be blamed for inspiring Spanish author Fernando Sanchez Drago to name his youngest son Akela, after the wolf who welcomed the fictional Mowgli into his pack.
Meanwhile, other naming examples seem to stem from sheer megalomania. Like Jermaine Jackson, for instance. Not to be outdone by brother Michael Jackson's selfish conceit in naming not one, but two, of his sons Prince, Jermaine christened one of his male heirs Jermajesty. What royal pains those 'titles' must be.

In another glaring example of what looks like extreme thoughtlessness, actor Rob Morrow (Numb3rs, Northern Exposure), got the bright idea of condemning his daughter to having to deal with an awful pun as a name – Tu Morrow. Downright cruel, if you ask me.

One of the twins of Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon received his name because dad had an apartment decorated in the style of a certain North African country and liked the adjective used to describe it – thus the boy's name Moroccan was born.

Some celebreties choose to name their children after some of their favorite things: so Gwyneth Paltrow called her daughter Apple because she likes the fruit, while Beyonce chose Blue Ivy for hers because she loves the color blue and 'Ivy' is like the Roman numeral IV, which supposedly brings good luck. Alicia Silverstone went with Bear Blu for her son.

Nicolas Cage, is a fan of comics, so his son is Kal-el, Superman's Kryptonian name, and his last name is Coppola, which is in reality Cage's original surname.

Beautiful people David Beckham and wife Victoria named their offspring in this order: Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper Seven. Perhaps the last of the crew has the oddest name, so papa Beckham has explained that Harper is not only an old English name but Harper Lee is one of Victoria's favorite writers. Regarding Seven, the soccer player pointed out that not only is this the number that Beckham wore on his jersey when he played for Manchester United, it also "symbolizes spiritual perfection."
Speaking of glamorous star clans, some of the Jolie-Pitt children's names were chosen with symbolism in mind: Maddox, the Cambodian boy who was the first to be adopted by Angelina, is a word in the Khmer language meaning 'son of the lord.' Zahara Marley, their Ethiopian child, has a first name from the Arabic word for flower and a middle name to honor Jamaican reggae star Bob Marley. After them came Pax Thien (Pax means peace in Latin and Thien means sky in Vietnamese), Shiloh Nouvel (Shilow is Hebrew for peace and Nouvel is French for new), Knox Leon (in honor Brad's grandfather) and Vivienne Marcheline (in memory of Angelina's late mother).

Perhaps Uma Thurman takes the cake when it comes to giving a child a name with special personal meaning. Her youngest daughter, born last July, is named Florence Rosalind Altalune Arkadina Arusha, because each name reportedly has some special significance to either mom or dad, the millionaire Arpad Busson. Despite the long list of official names, the child can count her lucky stars that at home she is simply called Luna.

Other infamous names of progeny of the famous include Exton, the son of Robert Downey Jr.; Bluebell Madonna, the daughter of Spice Girl Geri Halliwell; Zuma Nesta Rock and Kingston Rossdale, Gwen Stefani's sons – and the list goes on and on: Thais and Zeus (Sara Montiel), Suri (Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes), Nahla (Halle Berry), Rumer Glenn, Scout LaRue and Tallulah Belle (Bruce Willis and Demi Moore), Thiago (Leo Messi), Ever Gabo Anderson (Milla Jovovich), Memphis Eve (Bono), Diesel Denim (Toni Braxton), Destry Allyn (Steven Spielberg), Bingham 'Bing' (Matt Bellamy and Kate Hudson), Kahekili Kali (Evangeline Lilly), Chynna (Michelle Phillips), China (Grace Slick)...

FYI, Chynna is pronounced China.

China's actually not so bad when you consider that if Grace Slick hadn't changed her mind her daughter would have been blessed with god as a name – small g on purpose.
Of course, when they become adults children can always choose to reject an odd or outlandish given name.

The singer Sting (born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, by the way) has a 30 year-old daughter who has put aside her colorful first name Fuchsia in favor of her more sensible sounding middle name, Kate.
As for those who stick with their birth names, perhaps they should take heart from the lines of Shakespeare:

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

Main source: Milan Piqué Mebarak: bienvenido al club de los hijos de famosos con nombres extravagantes

Cheap eats in Barcelona - 5 euros and under!

Are you looking for a place to eat in Barcelona for 5 euros or less? Well, maybe MeComoBCN can help.

MeComoBCN (IEatBCN) is a website which looks at places in Barcelona where one can supposedly eat for 5 euros or less. The site, which is written in Spanish, claims, 'We list those bars, cafes and restaurants in Barcelona that offer anti-crisis menus of all sorts! Here you can find places that offer a very good value."

According to the El Periodico newspaper, the website is the work of Xènia Izquierdo, Mercè Pau and Gerard Artigas, three journalism students from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB),  who created it as part of course on on-line communication. Reportedly, their goal of receiving at least a hundred hits a day has been far surpassed. Obviously there are lots of hungry people with limited budgets in town.

¡Buen provecho!

Police, Protesters Clash in Barcelona (Video)