
Gibraltar: Banter or Belligerence?
When last week the Spanish government hinted it might veto a Brexit Gibraltar, the pro-Brexit UK press was quick to respond. ‘Up yours...

Barcelona Mobile World Congress: Images of Our Future Selves
'Something in essence or in effect, though not actually or in fact.' Demonstrations with Virtual Reality headsets were uber-present at...

Life in the Early Posthumanist Age
'Our technology, our machines, is part of our humanity,' said the American futurist and inventor Ray Kurzweil. 'We created them to...

Columbus: Ramblas statue to be retired?
Since the Universal Exposition of 1888, a bronze statue of Chistopher Columbus has towered over the bottom end of Las Ramblas, pointing...

La Diada and the English Betrayal of Catalonia
Port Vell, Barcelona, 1712. Seven years after entering the Spanish War of Succession on the side of the Austrian archduke Charles, allied...

San Juan Festival: Baptism by fire and water
Algeciras, just before midnight on the 23rd of June. Life-sized rag dolls are being carried down to the beaches at Getares and El...

Glossary of Catalan Place-Names
Ever wondered where the word Catalonia comes from, or how the Costa Brava got its name? This article explores the legends and histories...

Tres Xemeneies: The Future of a Barcelona Icon
The thermal power station has been stripped; the machinery has gone, the offices have been destroyed, the pontoons reaching out into the...

Barcino-etymology: The Origins of Barcelona
Thanks to the Alexandrian map-maker Ptolomy we know that a city called Barcino existed on the site of modern-day Barcelona in the Second...
The 'Top Manta': Barcelona's Street Bazar
Literally meaning 'top blanket', 'top manta' is an urban nickname for merchants who unfurl makeshift blankets in the street loaded with...