Barcelona Insider

Holidaymakers  in Barcelona will soon be offered a new cultural experience when an exhibition is unveiled at the Picasso Museum.

A new exhibition will be launched at the Picasso Museum in Barcelona on May 28th.

The show, which is entitled Picasso versus Rusinol, will be open to the public from May 28th to September 5th.

One of the main themes of the exhibition is the influence that acclaimed artist Santiago Rusinol had on Pablo Picasso when the latter first arrived in Barcelona.

Picasso explored a number of subjects in his work at the time that had previously been addressed by Rusinol and also created his own versions of some of the older man’s pictures.

The exhibition at the Picasso Museum will feature several pieces that highlight the links between the two artists, including some rarely-seen illustrations completed by Picasso in the 1960s that were based on a famous work by Rusinol.

Later this year, the cultural institute will present a new display tracing the links between Picasso and another important modern artist – Edgar Degas.

Brits keen to book a trip to Spain for their next summer holiday might want to head down to London to get a quick taster of the country.

London will showcase the best of Spain in a special festival next month.

A Taste of Spain will be held on London’s Regent Street on June 6th.

In a rare occasion when the street will be traffic-free, events, music and plenty of food will be on display to represent each region of Spain.

Sporty tourists who are thinking about booking a cheap hotel in Barcelona can try out a unique F1 simulator to get a virtual experience of the Montmelo FI track in Barcelona, or watch a golf demonstration in Madrid as the city bids for the Ryder Cup.

Music will also be a major attraction for the day. Spanish guitarist Paco Fernandez will headline on the main stage, but there will also be dance tunes from Ibiza and a brass band from Segovia.

See flamenco dancers in the Andalucia region, folk music in Aragon, while food fans can taste paella in Valencia or suckling pig in Segovia.

Almost two thirds of Brits are confused by foreign currencies, new research from sunshine.co.uk suggests.

Research suggests that Brits spend too much on holiday because they cannot work out the currency.

This leads to 51 per cent of holidaymakers spending more than they had planned because they cannot work out how much an item is in sterling.

Sarah Munro, head of Post Office Travel Services advised travellers to “do as much research as possible before travelling”.

She suggested that travellers take a look at exchange rate movements and “take into account destinations where living costs are lower”.

People who book a trip to Barcelona or other Spanish destinations are likely to get “tremendous value” this summer, the expert said.

“The improving exchange rate combined with low living costs mark them out as top value destinations.”

Brits wanting to see other eurozone destinations can find the cost of living cheaper than it may have been previously, due to the strengthening of the sterling, Ms Munro said.

Music fans will have the chance to see live performances by influential artists from all over the world at this year’s Primavera Sound festival.

Primavera Sound returns in May

The popular event will be held at the Catalan capital’s Parc del Forum venue from May 27th.

Acts helping to get the festivities underway on the first day will include American indie rockers Pavement, who will be playing alongside the likes of Broken Social Scene and The Slits.

There will be some blasts from the past to enjoy on May 28th, with former Soft Cell singer Marc Almond and alternative rock legends the Pixies set to take to the stage, as well as Wilco, Shellac and many others.

Some of the biggest names on this year’s Primavera Sound programme have been saved for the last day, including Mercury Music Prize nominee Florence and the Machine, electro-pop greats Pet Shop Boys, reggae favourite Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and dance outfit Orbital.

As well as enjoying the live music, Barcelona visitors can visit some of the city’s famous attractions, such as the Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell.

If you’re thinking of going to Primavera Sound for the full weekend, check out Hotels Hotels Hotels. They have great deals on a wide range of hotels in Barcelona to suit all needs.

Passenger traffic in European airports increased towards the end of last year.

There was a rise in European passenger traffic in November 2009.

This has been shown in figures released by ACI Europe.

According to the statistics, passenger traffic at hubs in the continent increased by one per cent in November 2009 compared with the same month in 2008, which could have led to increased demand for breaks in Barcelona.

Olivier Jankovec, director general of ACI Europe, said that the sector is “finally getting back to a positive air traffic trend”.

Meanwhile, freight figures showed a 5.6 per cent rise in traffic during November in comparison with the same month in 2008.

Mr Jankovec added: “Passenger traffic keeps underperforming significantly compared to freight, reflecting the fact that the financial crisis is giving way to an employment crisis and low consumer spending throughout Europe.”

Those looking for a break in Europe could take flights to Barcelona, where they can find attractions such as the Barri Gotic, Barcelona Cathedral and the Nou Camp.

Barcelona was among the winners at this year’s British Travel Awards event, which took place in London last week.

Barcelona was voted the best city break destination at the 2009 Travel Awards.

The Catalan capital was voted the best city break destination, with Paris picking up the silver award.

People staying in Barcelona can see some of Spain’s most popular landmarks and attractions in the city, such as the Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell.

Why not take advantage of the city’s awarding winning status by booking a stay in a hotel in Barcelona today.

The US was voted the most popular country to visit for this year’s British Travel Awards, with Italy in second place.

Travel professionals and consumers alike submit votes for the event, which is the largest awards programme in the UK.

Singapore won the best overseas airport accolade ahead of Dubai, while Manchester was voted the UK airport of the year, an honour it has now received for two consecutive years.

Virgin Atlantic was named the best long-haul scheduled airline and British Airways picked up the top prize in the category covering European scheduled carriers.

Music fans in Barcelona are in for a treat next month.

A younger Depeche Mode

This is because Depeche Mode, one of the most successful bands of the early 80s, are performing in the Catalan city on November 20th.

The group will be heading to the Palau Sant Jordi, a 20,000-capacity arena that is also used for sporting events – a far cry from their musical roots in Basildon, Essex.

According to EMI, Depeche Mode have sold 75 million albums around the world, so tickets for the event are sure to be in high demand.

Fans attending the gig can expect to hear classics such as See You, Shake The Disease and It’s Called A Heart.

It was announced in 2007 that Depeche Mode were heading back to the studio to record their 12th studio album, Sounds Of The Universe.

This was released internationally in April, which has so far been well received by the group’s fans.

People staying in Barcelona over the coming months will have the opportunity to visit an exhibition celebrating the genius of Antoni Gaudi.

Museo Diocesano de Barcelona

The show was launched to mark the centenary of Gaudi’s Colonia Guell crypt.

It will be open at the Museu Diocesa on Avinguda Catedral in Barcelona’s Ciutat Vella district until January 31st 2010.

Visitors will have the chance to see a selection of 100 items that relate to research on Gaudi’s work conducted by the glazier Pere Canovas, the archaeologist Manuel Medarde and the architect Roger Moras.

The items, which have never been shown in public before, are displayed alongside Gaudi’s drawing case.

Another highlight of the exhibition is a file of sketches that Salvador Dali dedicated to the Catalan architect, which were delivered to Gaudi personally when Dali visited the crypt.

Gaudi played a major part in the development of modern Barcelona and the creation of its aesthetic appeal, designing buildings such as Casa Batllo, Casa Mila and parts of the Sagrada Familia.

It has been confirmed that the final of the 2009 Davis Cup tournament will be held in Barcelona.

Rafael Nadal

Tennis fans will be able to see Spain and the Czech Republic go head-to-head in the event at the Palau Sant Jordi from December 4th to 6th.

Some of the biggest names in tennis have taken part in the Davis Cup this year and could appear in the final, including Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco for Spain and Radek Stepanek for the Czech Republic.

Barcelona previously hosted the final of the international tournament in 2000.

Jordi Hereu, mayor of the city, said: “The federation will not regret selecting us to host this event. The city will show the world once more we can guarantee international events are a success.”

Tennis fans will also be able to plan some trips abroad next year to catch up with the ATP World Tour, which will feature events including the French Open in Paris in May.

People planning stays in Barcelona this month will have the chance to expand their knowledge and appreciation of modern art at the CaixaForum.

An exhibition of modern art will be open at the CaixaForum until September 27th.

Until September 27th, the cultural institute will present a selection of pieces from its art collection, all gathered together under the title of Figurations.

The showcase features work by highly influential artists including Anselm Kiefer, Julian Schnabel and Georg Baselitz and aims to highlight the expressive and symbolic potential of painting.

Work by more than a dozen people features in the show, which focuses on a period in the early 1980s, when some artists were reacting to the popularity of abstract and conceptual work by creating more figurative and expressive pieces.

The CaixaForum is located on Avinguda Marques de Comillas in the Sants-Montjuic district of Barcelona.

People who are more interested in classical art can visit the Museu Frederic Mares before September 27th to see a display of work by the sculptor Antoni Sola.