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All the tips have to know to eat and drink well in Barcelona during August that you know yet

If you stay in Barcelona during the summer, you not have excuses for not eating well. For this reason today, in The Lofttown we bring you a detailed post where you can discover some curiosities and tips about food and drink in Barcelona, such as: restaurant schedule, tips, typical food and much more.

If you want to be ready to order the best local food, read on below.

Welcome again to our blog with the best tips for the University residents in Barcelona!

Meal Time

Catalans eat later compared to foreigners, especially from the rest of Europe. For example, lunch stars from 14.00 and the dinner only after 21:00. For this reason, the restaurants are usually open from 13:00 to 16:00 and from 08:00 to midnight. The bars and cafes open from 07:30 and close around midnight.

The menu in Barcelona

In general, the menus are normally offered in different languages and this is seen more and more in every day. Many places have lunch promotion from Monday to Friday from 13:30 to 16:00. The menu of the day normally consists of 3 dishes, wine and water.

Catalan cuisine

The Catalan food is a mix between the see and mountains: One of the typical dishes is lobster and chicken. The most common garnishes are the samfaina (Aubergines, roasted peppers, tomato, onion and olive oil and garlic). Some others are Escalivada (sweet pepper, onion, eggplant and garlic ) and botifarra amb mongetes ( typical sausage with white beans)

Enjoy the seafood

Barcelona and the see have a lifelong romance. Therefore, for the high – quality seafood, the tip is always to go to the restaurant on the beach. The Paseo de Joan de Borbó in Barceloneta has several seafood restaurants and its main dish is the paella. To eat paella, the are several typical restaurants as in Port Olimpic. We are sure you will love it.

Veggie food

The vegetarian public that come to Barcelona will be delighted with the city, because there is a great variety of vegetarian restaurants in Barcelona. Fortuny Painter Street in the Raval quarter, has some options like the Biocenter. If you want to know the famous Spanish tapas, keeping the decision not eat meat, there is good news. There are meatless tapas everywhere, such as the famous wild potatoes, the potato omelette, among others.

Look the tag

There are some rules that must be followed when it’s time to eat. One is smoking, which has been established that one should not smoke in public places, bars or restaurants. The law has been in force since January 2011. There are also other tags that indicate the excellence of the restaurant, as awards won or accessibility, as access of the dogs, and much more.

The moment of the tips

The tips in Barcelona are one of the main issues that the foreigners ask when decide to travel. Know and when give tips, is essential for a good stay in any city.

In Barcelona, in most establishment, tips are not common. Therefore, it always depends on the person and the guest, whether or not they want to give a little more value. If you wish, always calculate the 5% of the total bill. In bars is common leave the change of the total on the tables. In the most elegant restaurants, the norm is to leave 10%.

Are you ready to eat well in Barcelona? We hope that this blog has help you to find the best place to eat during the summer in Barcelona.

And also remember that at The Lofttown we are waiting for you in our university residence for you to live a unique and unforgettable while you study in Barcelona so that you become one of our #TheLoftowners.

If you want to know more about us, we encourage you to follow us on Facebook and Instagram so you are always up to date with the latest promotions and news in our university residence.

Have a great summer!

All you need to know about the magical Fiestas de Gracia, the quarter most symbolic of Barcelona

The quarter of Gracia is known for its unmistakable bohemian atmosphere and for its particular street life during the months of the year.

If there is a month when this quarter raises its max of splendor is, exactly, during month of August, since the quarter celebration are celebrated, one of the most popular celebration in the Catalan capital.

For this reason, today at The Lofttown brings you an interesting post where we tell the magic of Fiestas Mayor de Gracia, so that you can experience in the first person all the fun, the hustle and bustle, rollicking and the effervescence that multiply during these days of August.

Welcome one more time to our blog with the best tips for residents of university of Barcelona!

Pasacalle of presentation

The Fiestas of Gracia begins first of all with the parade through the places where the celebration passes, end in the Vila de Gracia square. There are also the Giants and the Trabucaires of Gracia liven up all the visitors along the route.

Finally, the castellers of the quarter put the culmination of the parade building 2 pillars to present the official shirt of the 2021 party.

The moment of the proclamation

When August 14th arrives in the afternoon, the moment of the proclamation takes place on the balcony of the city Hall (Vila de Gracia square). Each year is elected a different town crier, usually a well-known person from the quarter.

This person stars in the act, who also has the presence of various authorities, being in charge of making a speech to open the festivities.

The famous Matinades

On the morning of August 15, a procession parades through the decorated streets announcing the beginning of the festivities with the traditional parade known as Matinades, all to the rhythm of drums.
During the same day, other entourages also parade with the representation of other entities, which enliven the day with dances and popular music.

 The magical streets adorned

Thanks is a neighborhood that is owed to its neighbors. For this reason, the project of ornamentation of its streets takes months of previous preparation, where all the neighbors of Gracia collaborate.
Strategically organized by streets, they decide the theme of the year around which the decoration of their spaces will revolve, to get to work weeks before and so have everything ready for August 15.
Usually, in ornamentation they use recycled materials to form high-level compositions, creating authentic works of art in the open air.

The taste of street food

Apart from the great gastronomic offer that the district of Gracia normally has, during the week of the Festival you will find street food where you can taste typical Catalan and international products. Also, there are always the terraces of the charming squares of the neighborhood, although during this week finding a place can be mission impossible!

Offering to Sant Roc

On August 16, the day of Sant Roc is celebrated with a parade that begins in the square of the Vila de Gracia and ends in the chapel of Sant Roc. Here stand the dance of the giants and the offering that makes the enxaneta of the castellers of Grace to the saint.

The impressive Castellers

The Castellers de la Vila de Gracia are one of the most famous in Barcelona. And they make multiple appearances during the festival building human towers that surprise visitors.
The most important day is in the castle diada, on Sunday. Here two other groups of guest castellers from all over Catalonia are invited to perform, and these huge castles are look from  thousands of spectators.

Concerts and night events

The festivities of Gracia are characterized by their jovial and bohemian atmosphere. Especially during the night is when the party continues with concerts of all kinds of styles and performances of different DJs, spread out in all the streets and squares of the neighborhood, especially in the popular Plaza del Sol.
Here you will find concerts for all tastes during the night.

Fireworks

Firewokrs is the ending of the festivities of Gracia. During the last night of the event, participate in this street game all who want enjoy to dodge devils, dragons and various creatures throwing fireworks, a unique experience you will remember forever. Of course, we recommend you to wear fireproof clothing and go well protected if you want to feel free for this amazing experience

Are you ready for Grace’s parties? We hope that this post has convinced you to enjoy this impressive popular event in one of the most beautiful and emblematic areas of Barcelona.

And also remember that at The Lofttown we want you will live a unique and unforgettable experience in our university residence, while you study in Barcelona so that you become one of our members #TheLoftowners.
If you want to know more about us we also invite you to follow us on Facebook and Instagram where you can be always update with the latest promotions and news.

Enjoy the summer holidays!

Everything that you need to know to find the perfect Mountain to walk or make sports during this summer in Catalunya.

When the Summer’s holidays start not everybody wants enjoy the tranquility of the beach. For this reason, there are also people that prefer make sports in an environment motivating, natural and pleasant, especially outside the city. 

In this sense, nature is always able to providing us with a different experience and even more so if we have it at such short distances that could not have imagined.

So, it’s time that you know the best and safer routes in Catalunya to enjoy in the best way your Summer.

Today in The LoftTown we count you which are our 10 favorite mountains not to be missed. Here we go!

• Montaña Salts i Gorgs del Torrent

Located by the famous Molí Vell D’ Hostalets de Bas, it’s a route circular mountain where the path begins and you can go by car because it’s easy find car parking.

The path is mostly uphill while you can appreciate “los saltos de l’Ansat”, “el salto de los Cristianos” y “el salto de l’Olla agua.

After that, upon arrival to the mountain source, the path continues going up to the area known as Grau d’Olot, it’s here where you will start to observe the big turns, also known as The Marrades.

At the end of the path, you will be able to relive the history of the year 1700, since La Mina dels Bandolers was the preferred area to be used as the Bandits hideout were dedicated to robbing those who they walked along this distant route.

• Montaña Vallter, Pic de la Dona y Pic de Prat de Bacivers

When you start this route, you will find the parking of the Ski station of Vallter 2000. It’s a circular route at the beginning that later continues through the torrent that slowly descends through the Portell de Mentet.

It is noted that this path is easy and ideal for novice of mountains, since that it is one of the routes more marked thought the path, so getting lost is very difficult task. We remind you that the path usually ascending and has big zig-zag.

Also, in the middle of the path you can see incredible views of the Gra de Fajol Petit and the Gra de Fajol.

• Montañas de Prades, Avencs y Avencots de La Febró

This is without doubts one of the best-known routes thanks to the great natural beauty that it possesses. It’s a mountain perfect to go with friends in relaxing mood, since it has a moderate difficulty and it also ha very little incline. For this reason, the excursionists that know well the area, recommend it for quiet walks with natural contact.

It is noted that the path that follows is marked in withe and with stones along that mark the route established so as not get lost.

Furthermore, during the entire route you can go down to 30 meters through the cracks, which is honestly very unusual on the majority of trails in Catalunya.

After that, the path goes through a cave that leads to a second part of the excursion, we refer to Prades, which is where the complete ascent to the Tossal de la Baltasana. We remind you that the route is around seven kilometers and can be enjoyed in aprox. Two and a half hours.

• Montaña del Pedraforca

This is also one of the favorite mountains in Catalonia. And is that it also has a circular ascent and its beautiful nature it makes all the adventurers who travel the area fall in love at first sight.

In turn, there is the possibility of being able to ascend to the top of the Mountain; However, you can go on foot through the different paths that surround the mountain. The road starts from the same parking lot, where you will find a dense forest full of fine and high trees. It should be noted that the difficulty of this mountain is medium, especially during the descent.

• Montagut Mountain and Puig Formigosa pel Grau del Pi de les Quatre Soques

For those looking for more than a walk, this route is perhaps the most complete. If you decide to go by car you can easily leave it in the parking lot from the church of Coll de Montagut. Then the path is not characterized by having a great unevenness, however in some areas the route may require you to use your hands to descend with greater comfort.

In general, the route of this route has a total of 15 kilometers and it is usually done in about three and a half hours. Once we started the way, you can enjoy wonderful views in the Pico de Montagut.

• Aigüestortes Natural Park

This magnificent park is considered one of the 14 parks nationals of Spain and the only one in Catalonia. It’s located in the heart of the impressive Pyrenees and has all the ecosystems that the Catalan mountain possesses.

In the same way, some peaks exceed 3,000 meters and they vary between rivers, waterfalls, ravines and swamps. As data we inform you that it is open all year round and offers a dozen different routes to reach all the different peaks or walking trails.

• Matagalls Mountain

One of the most beautiful peaks of the wonderful Montseny. Although it is a mountain that does not have great difficulty, that does have a greater unevenness at the beginning, something that can make the journey difficult for those people who are newbies.

The route begins in La Taula dels tres bisbes, named this way because it is the natural point that borders the three ancient zones of Barcelona, ​​Girona and Vic.

The excursion starts at Coll de Sant Marçal where you can park your car and once you reach the top you can enjoy a perfect panoramic.

We remind you that all the way is accompanied by a spectacular nature with huge forests and with a perfect signaling.

• The Way of the Monks

This path is for many one of the most interesting excursions that is in the province of Barcelona. And it goes through several municipalities of the Vallés and also has a route of 25 kilometers. It is this is why most hikers around the world start their route in the Monastery of Sant Cugat and they go through the towns of Matadepera, Terrassa and Sant Quirze respectively.

Once we reach Terrassa the road increases in difficulty and unevenness, although a priori it should not mean a problem for the less experienced.

Here you can visit the monastery of Sant Llorenç which according to the legend, here a group of monks left for better lands to live thus arriving at Sant Cugat. The route they marked in that then today it is known as the path of the monks. If you have time and energy, we recommend you do this route that has a total duration of six hours and 15 minutes.

In addition, it has a slope of 1,000 meters throughout the route. During this tour you will also find the mountain of La Mola located in Terrassa, another point with a lot of public.

• Mountain Turó de l’Home

It is one of the most famous mountains in Catalonia and is located at few kilometers from Barcelona. Its highest mountain reaches up to 1,800 meters so it can be visited by hikers of all the levels. Doing the walking tour consists of about seven kilometers and it lasts for approximately two and a half hours.

When you reach the top you will find a meteorological observatory abandoned and with stunning views of Barcelona. Undoubtedly, it is a tour to do with friends without experience and even to be encouraged to have a picnic on the mountain.

• Mountain of the seven waterfalls of Campdevanol

Located in the town of Ripoll this mountain is around of the seven waterfalls of San Cristóbal de Campdevanol. It is one of the routes that have the most visits throughout the year, since here you can enjoy a day of hiking and nature near the lakes that form the impressive waterfalls.

Not surprisingly, this mountain is considered one of the great natural wonders of the region. The route is generally circular and travels a parallel path to the Torrent de l’Estiulà that consists of plus ten kilometers with seven natural pools.

Have you already got a lot of desire for the mountain? U.S. too! That’s why we hope that with this post you already have your list of mountains favorites with the best routes full of nature that you will enjoy during this summer.

And also remember that at The Lofttown we are waiting for you in our university residence for you to live a unique and unforgettable while you study in Barcelona so that you become one of our #TheLoftowners.

If you want to know more about us, we encourage you to follow us on Facebook and Instagram so you are always up to date with the latest promotions and news in our university residence.

Have a great summer!