How did they reach to the final? From the round of 32:

Real Madrid played against:                                                   Atletico Madrid played against:

Alcoyano         1-4 away, 3-0 home                                      Real Jean      0-3 away, 1-0  home
Celta de Vigo  2-1 away, 4-0 home                                      Getafe             3-0 home, 0-0 away
Valencia           2-0 home, 1-1 away                                      Real Betis       2-1 home, 1-1 away
Barcelona         1-1 home, 1-3 away                                      Sevilla             2-1 home, 2-2 away

It’s always a special match between these two teams! Real is a giant in Spanish football while Atletico is runner up. For the ‘socios’ from Atletico it is the most important game of the season. All the matches against Real are very special for them. It’s like rich against poor.
This will be the teams first meeting in the final since 1962. Which final were won by Atletico. They were a couple of times together in the final before. In 1960 en 1961 Atletico won and in 1975 Real won the final.

Real Madrid really want’s this titel, because FC Barcelona has already won the Spanish league and both of the giants in Spain are out the Champions League. A season without a price is not done in the white part of Madrid.
Of course Atletico Madrid want’s the price also, and for them it is very important to win from Real.

Friday the 17th of May, a good day for every football fanatic. The Copa del Rey 2013 final, it will be a spectacular match! At the end of this evening there is a winner and sure they are from Madrid. So there must be a party in Madrid anywhere.

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History
The basic beginnings of this festival dates back a really long time ago.  The city of Málaga was conquered on the 19^th of August 1487 by the Catholics kings Fernando en Isabel. Since 1491 this happening is celebrated with a procession during the Assumption of Mary of the 15^th of August. since 1887 the municipal and the religious government are celebrating the festival together on the second and third weekend of august. The day that Andalusia was reconquered. Over many year the festival grew and grew. Nowadays it is one of the biggest summer festivals of Spain.

Program
Feria de Malaga is organized in the second and third weekend of August and takes 9 days. These 9 days are amazing, think about it,  9 days to enjoy Málaga and see everything of the beautiful city. Feria de Malaga has also the name Feria de Agosto and is known as one of the most important summer festivals in Spain. The program is very varied; there are processions, bullfights, flamenco, a great firework and many top artists they will perform on different stages inside and outside the city. The opening of Feria de Malaga is at Friday night. After the public announcement it is time for the fireworks on the beach of La Malagueta. During 20 minutes there will be tons of fireworks shooting in to the air. After the last bombs explodes in the air, the malagueños rush to the historic city center of Málaga were they continue enjoy Málaga.

Interesting things in the program are:
- Downtown Fair: Light and color. Music, dance, wine and tapas. 11 to 18 August from 12:00h till 19:00h at the streets and squares of the historic center.
- Flamenco in Feria: Traditional dance at Plaza de la Marina & Peña Juan Breva. 12 to 18 August at 13:30h
- Magical Medieval Fair: For the children. Clowns, muppets, games, workshops, story tellers and more. 13 to 18 august, Calle Alcabazilla
- Bullfighting: One of the most important Bullfighting in Spain. 10 to 19 August. Malagueta Bullring. Where to buy tickets: +34 952 00 50 80.
- Fairground: The biggest activity. The Spell of the night. Flamenco, malagueñas, verdiales, orchestras, live concerts. Municipal stands or Casetas. Free entrance into all Casetas. 11 to 18 August, from 12:00 h, in the Fairground, Cortijo de Torres.

Different areas
After the great opening, the most activities are with daylight in the historic city center. When the sun goes down, the activities moves to the neighborhood Cortijo de Torres near by Real del Cortijo de Torres. There are hundreds of party tents, a fun fair and the concerts with top artists will be held here. Seen the day and night activities they are speaking about a Feria de Dia (Day festival) and a Feria de Noche (Night festival). Feria de Malaga is a great attraction for tourist.

Why you should visit.
Feria de Malaga is the biggest festival in Malaga of the year. Everybody is nicely dressed and happy. If you want to enjoy malaga at his best, you have to visit this festival. Enjoy Apartments could offer you a great variety of  holiday apartments in Malaga.

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When you arrive in Barcelona, I would suggest that you head to the El Corte Inglés department store that hands out free tourist maps. The maps are also offered for free at the front desk of most hotels and at the tourism information offices. They will come in very handy when you are making your way around the city.

Places of interest

There are many excellent museums to visit in Barcelona, such as the Museu Joan Miro and the Museu Picasso which showcase the works of these two very influential artists. Barcelona is also home to the Museu Nacional d’art de Catalunya.

Architecturally interesting places to visit in the city are the Torre Telefonica Santiago Calatrava, the futuristic Torre Agbar (which was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel), and the Torre de Collserola Tower designed by Sir Norman Foster. Designed for the world exhibition 1929 by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the German Pavilion was demolished and then rebuilt at the foot of Montjuic.

The Font Magica also on Montjuic is a fountain complex which is illuminated with lights and music in the summer months and is a very popular destination for visitors. Another interesting spot is the urban cemetery of Cementiri de Montjuc which is located on the southern edge of Montjuc. Here you will find many graves of famous sons and daughters of the city, including Francesc Ferreri Gurdia, Buenaventura Durruti and the anarchist and anti-fascist fighter in the Spanish civil war Francisco Ascaso.

East of Barri Gotic you will find the impressive Arc de Triomf and the Parc de la Ciutadella planted on the site of the demolished fortress to the 1888 world’s fair. A part of the Park is taken up by the Zoo.

The best-known attraction in Barcelona is probably the Sagrada Familia, a cathedral which is to date still incomplete. It was designed and begun by the architect Antoni Gaud. The building is almost entirely funded by donations (admission 12, reduced 10) and its construction has been ongoing for 120 years. Once you enter the church itself you can climb up the towers and enjoy a panoramic view over Barcelona. I would recommend this climb as I found it was one of the best places to take photos in the city!

There are other Gaudi buildings to visit (Palau Guell, Casa Mila, Casa Batll) and the ParcGuell which was also built by Gaudi. Gaudi was perhaps the most eccentric representative of the Catalan Art Nouveau style and the city is filled with examples of his influence.

Other attractions include the cathedral in the Gothic Quarter and the famous street Las Ramblas, which leads directly to the Columbus statue on the harbor. The Tibidabo is a small amusement park which is located high above the city and is built right into the mountain.

You can also visit the Olympic facilities at Montjuic. The Torre Agbar, which are lit up on the weekend nights with blue and red lights. While you are in the city, you might just find yourself wondering about its history, both of the mysterious distant past and the more recent events. The Torre Agbar always reminds me of how far Barcelona has come, and I always think of the fantastic 1992 Olympic games when Sarah Brightman and Jose Carreras sang the moving “Amigos Para Siempre”.

Also worth seeing is the former fishermen’s district Barceloneta, which is located at the sea side promenade extending along the beaches of Barcelona. The beach promenade leads to the parks and modern buildings on the Olympic marina, behind the Olympic village and to the new “Forum 2004″, a newly-built district of Diagonal Mar.Another interesting attraction is the 1450-meter-long cable car port of Barcelona. It begins on the peak of the Torre San Sebastian where you will find a restaurant and a lookout point featuring an incredible view.

Shopping highlights

Many of the market halls throughout Barcelona have been renovated in recent years and offer fruit, meat and fish in great variety. There are also other things of daily use and some clothes. Near the cathedral you will find the Santa Caterina market. In addition to the usual market here you will also find the irregular colored glass roof very beautiful and interesting. Near the Ramblas there is also a large market, which is designed especially for tourists. The fruit is fresh here and not expensive.

One of the most popular shopping destinations of the city of Barcelona is the famous pedestrian street of La Rambla, although you might find that the shops on this street feature mostly souvenirs and are tourist traps without a lot authentic Spanish charm.

In addition to the many shopping malls small shops in the old town there are also several shopping centers. One is located directly across from the Torre Agbar. There is a supermarket and several fast food restaurants, but also a C & A and other clothing stores. Another center is very large at the end of Diagonal Avenue just before the sea. Here there is usual mix of shops, as well as a media market.

Don’t wait and book you flights and a holiday apartment in Barcelona now!

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With its incredible soaring towers and beautiful ceramic adornments, the Gothic/Art Nouveau Sagrada Familia basilica is arguably Gaudi’s crowning glory, and the scale of it is quite breathtaking. It was begun in 1882 and Gaudi dedicated 43 years of his life to it on his death only a quater of the basilica was complete. Over a century later, it’s still unfinished; but it nevertheless attracts more than two-and-a-half million visitors a year. If you only have time for one sightseeing outing, this should be it.

The basilica is open October to March, 9am to 6pm and from April to September, 9am to 8pm. Adults: 13.50; Under 18 or retired: 11.50; Children under 10 free

The queues can be horrendous, so buy tickets in advance.

Casa Batllo

The spectacular facade is an iconic landmark in the city and encapsulates Gaudi at his most fanciful and colourful best Art Nouveau, Modernisme, and hardly a straight line to be seen. Mosaics of golden orange change to greens and blues, irregular oval windows, a scaled roof that looks just like a snake skin, and a turret and cross sitting on top. Just fabulous! Again, you can avoid the queues by booking your ticket online.

Casa Vicens

Casa Vicens is a family residence and was Gaudi’s first important work. Built for an industrialist, Manuel Vicens, between 1883 and 1888, it is built of undressed stone and red brick, and covered with spectacular green and white tiles, following the vogue for Oriental motifs.

The Casa Vicens is a private building and so is closed to visitors. However, it’s worth taking a look at the outside of the building to see the cast-iron railings with their plant motifs which are so characteristic of Gaudi’s work.

Park Guell

The Park Guell is garden complex situated on a hill in the Gracia district of the city and includes a series of amazing stone structures, stunning tiles, large organic columns and fascinating buildings. Watch out for the multicolored mosaic dragon fountain, and when you get to the terrace you can sit on one of the serpentine-shaped benches and enjoy a glorious view over Barcelona. Gaudi and his family once lived in a small house in the park, which is now The Gaudi House Museum.

Opening times: October to March, 10am to 6pm, and from April to September, 10am to 8pm. Adults: 5.50; Retired, students and 11-17 years: 4.50. Under 10s, free.

La Pedrera – Mila House (Casa Mila)

This house was originally intended as a residential building, and is a masterpiece of undulating concrete and twisted iron balconies, rooftop sculptures and chimneys. These days it’s a culture centre, hosting art exhibitions and concerts. Guided tours are available and visitor information, including tickets and opening times, can be found online.

There are lots more Gaudi buildings to see, so…

Further reading

Gaud: The Complete Buildings by Rainer Zerbst, 6.74

Travel Guide

Barcelona (Lonely Planet City Guides), 9.74

More about Gaudi…

When Antoni Gaudi graduated from Barcelona’s School of Architecture in 1878, the director of the institution is said to have exclaimed to colleagues: “Gentlemen, we are here today either in the presence of a genius or a madman.”

Gaudi met his end under the wheels of Barcelona number 30 tram in 1926.

Several of his works have UNESCO World Heritage status, the Park Guell, the Palau Guell and the Casa Mila.

What’s your favourite Gaudi work? Have you included Barcelona on your tour of Europe and seen his works in person? Share your travel experiences in the comments below!

Image of Sagrada Familia from Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdstrachan/8113526647/sizes/m/)

Image of Casa Vicens from Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/morgaine/2890182373/sizes/s/)

Image of La Pedrera from Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/misbehave/141830244/sizes/n/)

If you want to stay near Sagrada Familia or other of Gaudi’s work, try booking your holiday apartments in Barcelona here!

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This tomato bread is a very famous “Tapa” in Spain. It is usually served in Cataluña and Valencia so many of you will have eaten eat sometime during the holidays. To solve the problem getting back home and not remembering how it was served.

Now, we will give some simple instructions so you will have a delicious side dish in just a few minutes. At the end it is not more than toasted bread with fresh garlic and tomato, then drizzled with olive oil and a bit of salt. It is often topped with cheese, ham or sausage. It is mostly called Pan con Tomate through Spain but different variants exist in some other parts of Spain.

Now, let’s see on how to make this very simple to make tapa.

• Prep Time: 3 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes

pan tumaca small

Ingredients – what you need:

• rustic-style bread
• 2 large, round, ripe tomatoes
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt to taste

Preparation – here we go: 

Optional – give it a twits : If you wish, add thinly sliced Spanish cheese, chorizo or ham.

The original “pa amb tomaquet” is made best with a rustic-style bread, that is solid and dense and slightly wider than the standard, narrow baguette. You may opt for chapata bread.

When using a baguette, first cut pieces from 4 to 5 inches long. Then, slice the pieces horizontally, as you would when making a sub sandwich. If you are using a wider type of bread, slice off one “end” piece, which will have lots of crust and set aside for another use. Then slice the rest of the loaf into pieces about 3/4 inch thick.

Toast the slices lightly on both sides.

Peel the garlic cloves and slice a bit off the ends and rub the cut ends over each slice of bread. Depending on your taste you can rub more or less. The cloves will eventually wear down after being rubbed against the toasted bread and you will end up with stubby little pieces that are almost impossible to hold.

Slice the ripe tomatoes in half across the middle (that is the part between the two ends of the tomato). Then, using the tomato half, rub the cut side of the tomato generously onto each slice.

Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over slice of bread. Salt to taste.

If you like you can eat the Tomato Bread without anything else. However, if you want to make the dish a little more substantial, add Spanish “Serrano” ham or a Spanish cheese like the “Manchego” cheese. Also nice to accompany is a good Spanish “Chorizo” sausage. We recommend a red wine from the area, a “Costers del Segre” red wine to make the pack complete, try the “Castell del Remei” if available in your area, otherwise any red will do.

Enjoy your Pan Tumaca!

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Dia de la Madre also known as Mother’s day is a special day for all the mothers in Spain. On this day all mothers will be honored by their kids by thanking them for their efforts in giving them birth, raising them and being their constant support and well wisher. The Dia de la Madre in Spain is always celebrated on the first Sunday of May. This year’s Dia de la Madre will be celebrated on the 5th of May in Spain.

In the morning it is very common that the children surprise their mother by making her breakfast in bed. Children take over the household tasks during the day and most little children make presents in school.

History

The origin of Mother’s Day goes back in time of the ancient Greek and Romans. But the roots of Mother’s Day history can also be traced in UK where a Mothering Sunday was celebrated long before the festival was seen as mother’s day in the US. The celebration of the festival as it is seen today is still very recent because it’s not even a hundred years old. Today the festival of Mothers day is celebrated across 46 countries around the world. Millions of people across the world celebrate this special day by showing their appreciation to their mother.

Always take good care for your mother, especially on Dia de la Madre!

For our non-Spanish readers: note that mother’s day might be celebrated on a different day!

Want to come to spain for Mother’s day, check our apartments in Málaga, apartments in Barcelona and apartments in Madrid

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The first ball he picked was Bayern Munich  the fresh new champions of the German Bundesliga. They’ve got a new record, because there has never been a team in the Bundesliga so early season champion before. Bayern plays really good football this season and isn’t afraid of anybody. They defeated Juventus very easily in the last 2 matches. Of course they are out for revanche after the lost final in their own Allianz Arena in 2012 against Chelsea FC, so they will be very determined to win this year.
The second ball was F.C. Barcelona. The best team of the world in most people their eyes. They had a difficult time without coach Tito Villanova but Jordy Roura does good work. F.C. Barcelona passed through the 8th finals against A.C. Milan. This game was very exciting because they lost 2-0 in Milan and the whole world thought F.C. Barcelona would be out of the tournament. But than in Camp Nou they did an excellent job and won with 4-0 against A.C. Milan! This was an amazing game. They once again proved to all the people why they’re called the best team of the world.
So the first semi-final will be between Bayern and Barca. Two European super powers! The first match will be in Munich, this might be a good thing for Barcelona. Both teams are very strong in their home matches. Jupp Heynckes, coach of the ‘Rekordmeister’ says: ‘Barcelona dominates Europe the last years and we know that it will be a hard challenge, Barcelona is a top club, but i’m keeping confidence because we are also a top team! It will be two beautiful matches, both teams like to play their own football and both have an excellent defense.

That means that there were 2 balls left, Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund is the other semi-final. Because of this draw their is a chance that there will be a Spanish or German final. Also a beautiful match of course. They have met each other in the group state and that were 2 exciting matches. In Dortmund Borussia won and in Madrid there was a 2-2 draw. Real Madrid will be a little disappointed with this draw because of the earlier results during this season against Borussia.
From Dortmund came the following reaction by Hans-Joachim Watzke: ‘We are happy with this draw, but not because it is easy. We are especially happy with the fact that we got to see a interesting and beautiful game between European teams and not a national game between us and Bayern Munich.’
Real is waiting already eleven years to the most reachable titel in Europe. Everybody at the club desires ”La Decima” the 10th UEFA Champions League titel in history. In the knock-out state they’ve already knock out Manchester United with some luck and Galatasaray, which get a good win at home with 3-2.

The first semi finals will be played at the 23rd en 24th of April and the return matches are the next week on the 30th of April and the first of May. It will be four exciting matches. The football fanatics can eat their hearts out.

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Spain is a catholic country therefore the Easter celebrations are very popular. The Easter celebrations in Spain are accompanied by a holy week namely, the Semana Santa.  This Semana Santa is celebrated throughout Spain and attracts lots of foreign visitors every year, also to Barcelona.

The history of the Semana Santa dates back to the time when Jezus lived 2000 years ago. In March he came back to live. First it was celebrated together with the Jewish celebration Pesach. When the celebrations officially were divided the popularity of the Semana Santa grew and grew. Nowadays it is one of the biggest celebrations of the Catholics.

Barcelona celebrates the Semana Santa in its own traditional way. During this week a lot of traditional activities take place. Palm Sunday for example is a great event. On this day a procession takes place in the Ciutat Vella. This procession, La Burreta as the locals call it celebrates the arrival of Jezus in Bethlehem on the well known donkey. The Barcelona locals also eat a delicious cake special made for Good Friday. This cake is eaten at night with family and friends because the religion attends not to eat on this day. The name of this cake is ‘La Mona de Pascua’.  Make sure you buy this cake on Thursday because most of the shops are closed in the weekend because of the celebration. The restaurants are opened in the weekend, this is because lots of families occasionally eat in a restaurant during the Easter weekend.

The activities during the Easter weekend and the holy week, Semana Santa in Barcelona combined with the beautiful Mediterranean weather makes Easter in Barcelona ideal for an amazing vacation. If you are searching for accommodation Enjoy Barcelona is a great solution for you. Enjoy Barcelona offers a great variety of apartments in Barcelona during Easter in Barcelona and Semana Santa.

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The Mobile World Congress is a combination of the world’s largest exhibition for the mobile industry and a conference featuring prominent Chief Executives representing mobile operators, device manufacturers, technology providers, vendors and content owners from across the world. It has been held in Barcelona since 2006. A couple of years ago it moved to another fair ground in Barcelona, the Fira grounds. This area is 50% bigger than where it was before.

Nowadays the Mobile Congress is the biggest congress for the telephone branch in the world. Attendees from all over the world come to Barcelona, why?

• 240.000 m2 of congress ground
• 67.000 attendees from all over the world
• 12.000 mobile app developers that display the hottest updates
• 1.500 exhibitors that can’t wait to network, display their products and experience the newest updates in the branch
• A great atmosphere during and after the MWC
• Think of all the advantages of Barcelona, the city that hosts the MWC

I can short say that this congress is amazing and the perfect place to have a chat and to network with other people with the same interest. You could meet them in one of the eight halls of the Fira Barcelona or in the networking gardens. These gardens are the perfect place to have face to face contact with other people. After a hard day at the congress lots of parties will be organized in Barcelona. The most of these parties are free to entrance, but you have to register yourself. They will be held trough the whole city so you could visit a party every day. A great way to make this week unforgettable…

This event is followed in the whole world. If you come to Barcelona during the Mobile World Congress you will notice the great amount of tourist, multicultural atmosphere and the media interest from all over there world. There will come more than 3.300 press members in Barcelona! There even will be a special TV channel dedicated to the MWC. It will broadcast with live reports. So in every newspaper or on any TV channel will be a report about this amazing congress.

If you are in the mobile branch or if you are very interested in mobile phones, this is a must visit congress for you. Every year it grows in size. With nearly 1.500 exhibitors there is enough to do and see for a couple of months for the 65.000 attendees! You wont regret visiting this event. If you are planning to visit the congress searching for accommodation is not necessary anymore. During the Mobile World Congress Enjoy Barcelona offers great variety of Apartments in Barcelona near the fairgrounds.

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With over 300.000 visitors in 2012 the last edition was a great success. The history of the Carnival in Sitges dates back to the early 1900. Over a century of great and wild carnival parties the Sitges Carnival has grown to a highly respected and globally known event.

Every year lots of  people travel to Sitges, near Barcelona to experience the biggest and wildest Carnival of Catalunya. Sitges, also known as ‘little Ibiza’ is a popular vacatiob destination for the gay and alternative community. Sitges is stationed just outside Barcelona. Travelling to it is easy, 30 minutes by train from the Sants or plaza Catalunya train station.

Besides the ‘normal’ carnival celebrators the Sitges Carnival also attracts visitors that are not so ‘normal’. Think of gays, transvestites, alternatives and everything between. These visitors make the carnival one that you don’t forget. The Sitges Carnival 2013 lasts 10 days it starts on Sunday the 3^rd February and end at Wednesday the 13^th of February. The absolute highlights of the 10 days are the parades. There will be held multiple parades during the carnival. The biggest is the one that takes place at Tuesday at 18:30. You can expect dozens of floats, hundreds of entertainers, dancers (strippers) and many more. You will be amazed by the spectacular sight.

If you are into amazing, wild and crazy parties the Sitges Carnival 2013 is a must visit for you.  For more information I recommend to visit their website. Enjoy Barcelona offers a great variety of Apartments in Barcelona during the Sitges Carnival 2013.

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