Every good thing comes to an end

Leaves begin to fall from trees, the wind is getting stronger. Summer is nearly over and so is my unforgettable experience here in Barcelona. More than two months have already passed since I arrived in this city, when everything  was still to be discovered, people, places, streets, scents, colours. And as always, when you start getting used to something, it is time to change, time to go on. It will be even harder to go back home now, since I've been spending more than twelve months abroad, first on Erasmus in France, Strasbourg, then here for my internship in Barcelona.

Barcelona has been a wonderful place to live in, I am glad I chose this city for my internship cause it offers everything someone could look for: good weather, beaches, fun, pubs, discos but also cultural events, museums, music, festivals. The time spent here allowed me to learn more about the Catalan culture and its strong traditions, to such a point that now I can even say a few sentences in Catalan :).
I am thankful to my Spanish housemate Miguel, who helped me a lot with my Spanish and who made me smile every single day with his energy, kindness and craziness. I will never forget the songs danced together, our walks through Barcelona and his stories about the secret corners of the city.

I had already been to Barcelona before and my feelings towards this city are still the same, overwhelming and conflicting: on the one hand the traffic, the noises, the hundreds of tourists to avoid while you're walking on La Rambla, the 40 degrees you have to go through every single time you get the metro; on the other, the beautiful views of the city from Parc Guell, from Tibidabo or Los Bunkers, where you almost feel like if the city was under your control. The sound of the waves on the beach in the sunset, when you are surrounded by lots of people but it's like if you were alone. The tiny streets of Gracia and Barceloneta, where locals leave their doors open, arousing your curiosity with the smell of their Sunday's lunch.

Besides fun and emotions, I also learned a lot from a professional point of view. For this reason I want to thank Jessica, who taught me about marketing (a complete mystery for me until three months ago!), and all my companions at 1Global Translators for the amazing summer spent together. I am sure that what I learnt in the Marketing Department will turn out to be useful for my career. So thanks again to everyone who was part of this (especially Domenico, a loyal friend from the very start <3 ) and hope to see you again soon, who knows where. 

Back to 30s: Barcelona Pipa Club

If you're in the magnificent Plaça Reial, a hot-spot of Barcelona nightlife, and you ring the bell of "Pipa Club" at number 3, it will seem you that you're travelling across ages and that you've jumped into the 20-30s. You'll get into an old, Victorian flat, transformed into a fancy bar with the vibe of the beginning of the XX century. You'll see jazz musician jamming in the main hall and you will be able to drink vermouth while listening to good music and enjoying the atmosphere. 

Barcelona Pipa Club's location: Plaça Reial

The Barcelona Pipa Club was founded in 1980 as a non-profit association, which now counts over than 400 members. It was born as a pipe-smoking club, even if live music constitutes the main attraction.

The style - as already said - is very Victorian: it seems to get back to the London of the 20-30s, especially the Sherlock Holmes pub, which reminds us the foggy atmosphere of Londoner Baker Street. It is one of the most unique places you'll ever visit - especially if you're a vintage lover. 

Barcelona Pipa Club

The list of activities offered by Barcelona Pipa Club is wide: the gastronomic section, which organises gourmet assays and monthly dinners; the photographic one, which arranges laboratories and expositions; the cigar section for Havana fans; a literaly division which allows you to chat with writers; the pipe smoking courses, coherently with the true spirit of the place; painting and photography exhibitions; snooker, darts and chess groups and, last but not least, jazz concerts.

Every sunday, there is the jam session held by some jazz musicians, on monday and tuesday you can enjoy tango and milonga, while on friday there are always musicians playing different instrument with various styles, from blues to gipsy jazz . 

Barcelona Pipa Club: flier

Unfortunately, Barcelona Pipa Club will move soon to Grácia district, at number 21 in Carrer Sant Eulalia. I say unfortunately because Plaça Reial is - without any doubt - one of the most suggestive Barcelonian locations, and it will be difficult to recreate the same atmosphere. However, Grácia has its own allure, and I hope that Barcelona Pipa Club will not lose its timeless style. 

Carlotta Neuenschwander

Noisy nights

You may have chosen Barcelona for your holidays, internship, studies or new job thinking that you'll be able to party hard at night all year long. That's true: one of the first thing I was told by my flatmate was that the city counts more than 5.000 bars and pubs. It has also more than 30 discos.

But the thing that you probably didn't think about was that there's actually laws against the noise, even in a city like Barcelona.

We, interns in 1GlobalTranslators, are all used to partying together, and the 3 last home parties we participated actually ended with the police's arrival. The fact is that, you won't have any trouble til more or less 2 in the morning, but after that, you should really pay attention to the noise.

The fine for too much noise is 75 euros (the police doesn't come first to warn you guys, they charge immediately), and the price gets higher depending on the number of people. Thus, we all were once in a massive home party. The police came and asked everybody to go out, counting each person leaving the flat: we were more than 80. And the really bad surprise was that when there is actually more than 50 people in a "piso", the "multa" price is 200 euros! Don't trust that they won't come to the poorest neighbourhood because one of the 3 parties was in Raval, the most legendary "barri".

Other piece of advice: be really careful when you drink alcohol in the street because if the police sees you, you may be charged 13 euros.

Now that you're aware of the sentenced you risk, have good night in Barcelona city!