 Torre Agbar
From the terrace of the Barcelona Urbany Hostel, you will see a tower standing up high, with colored lightings in blue and red at night. It is called Torre Agbar, and is within 10 minutes of walk from the Hostel.
The Torre Agbar, or Agbar Tower, is a 33-story tower at Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel in association with the Spanish firm b720 Arquitectos and built by Dragados. It opened in June 2005 and was inaugurated officially by the King of Spain on 16 September 2005.
The Torre Agbar is located in the Poblenou neighborhood of Barcelona and is named after its owners, the Agbar Group, a holding company whose interests include the Barcelona water company Aigües de Barcelona.
Its design combines a number of different architectural concepts, resulting in a striking structure built with reinforced concrete, covered with a facade of glass, and over 4,500 window openings cut out of the structural concrete. The building stands out in Barcelona; it is the third tallest building in Barcelona, only after the Arts Hotel and the Mapfre Tower, both 154 m (505.25 ft).
A defining feature of the building is its nocturnal illumination. It has 4,500 LED luminous devices that allow generation of luminous images in the façade. In addition, it has temperature sensors in the outside of the tower that regulate the opening and closing of the window blinds of the façade of the building, reducing the consumption of energy for air conditioning. It houses the head office of the Aigües de Barcelona Group, the water supply company of Barcelona.
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 Parc Central del Poblenou
Do you miss a quiet time in the park, having a nice walk away from the crowded city center? Barcelona Urbany Hostel is located very close to one of the most artistic parks in Spain, whiwas designed by the french architect Jean Nouvel. Take your most comfy pair of shoes, and mp3 if you want, and take a relaxing time in the park, walking, jogging, breathing in and out the fresh air.
Jean Nouvel’s imprint can be seen once again in the new Barcelona that has developed around the Diagonal Mar neighbourhood. This new Parc Central del Poblenou is an architectural gem combining different zones and a variety of planting. A much- needed green “lung” in the former industrial area of Poblenou.
The park was designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel and opened in spring 2008. It covers a surface area of 55.000 m2 between the Carrer Bilbao, Carrer Marroc, Bac de Roda and Diagonal and provides an oasis of calm which clearly defines the inclusive, social spirit of the new Poblenou. The perimeter wall outside the park is covered with Mediterranean plants and a Gaudiesque gate leads inside. The main meeting place, the Plaça de la Sardana, is located in the centre of the park, surrounded by huts where kids can play.
An area resembling a lunar landscape has a pneumatic refuse-collection plant, a further example of Jean Nouvel’s concerns to preserve the environment, as is the fact that most of the park – with its dense vegetation comprising willows, shady trees, lianas and flowers – is irrigated by groundwater. Nouvel wanted his signature park to be used by the entire community, combining different habitats where they can relax in the metal chairs in the shade of lush, colourful plants and trees.
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- Address: Av. Diagonal, 130
- How to get there: Bus 7, 40, 42 and 71.
- Web site: www.bcn.cat/parcsijardins
- Opening time: December, January & February, daily from 10am to 6pm.
- March & November: daily from 10am to 7pm.
- April & October: daily from 10am to 8pm.
- From May to September: daily from 10am to 9pm.
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Italy’s number 1 newspaper, La Repubblica, has published an article on green hostels around the world,
and of course, Barcelona Urbany Hostel was mentioned with the eco-friendly and sustainable facilities
- Rain water recollection system - (reuse 50€ of the water)
- local plants with high efficiency
- low consumption lamps energized by solar panels
- façade insulated with coatings that absorb the noise
Click the image article to see the translated version, and click here to see the orignal text.
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Sad news, The New Year's Season in Barcelona is highly possible to rain.
But don't worry - There are tons of things to enjoy Barcelona in another way during rainy days.
Barcelona Urbany Hostel Gives you some tips!
Barcelona Urbany Hostel
The Common area on the 3rd floor is always open for guests. You can do internet with free Wifi all around the hostel, play pool or dart games, Nintendo WII (after 6pm), grab a drink at the bar or have snacks by the vending machine. TOLC bar right next door to the hostel is also open all day. It is a great place to enjoy the atmosphere of a rainy day through the huge glassed windows.
Museums
Museums & hot tubs when it's raining in Barcelona Barcelona has many great museums. One of the most popular museums is the Picasso Museum in Barcelona. This is a great museum for a rainy day in Barcelona. It is big and interesting enough to spend a couple of hours inside. This is part of the gothic center of Barcelona with many small shops, restaurants and cafes.
Other popular museums in Barcelona, which are good for a rainy day in Barcelona, are the Miro museum and the FC Barcelona museum but both are quite far from the centre, so take a taxi when it's raining.
Indoor sights
Why not visit the unfinished church of Sagrada Familia when it's raining in Barcelona. On a rainy day the
the queues are shorter and there is a lot to see inside the Sagrada Familia. It has a big museum in the crypt of the church, with many photos, models and explanations about the construction of this amazing monument by Antoni Gaudi.
Entertainment
Visit the Barcelona 3D IMAX cinema. A visit to the Imax Barcelona is always a fun thing to do, but please note that the sound is in Spanish or Catlan and is not subtitled. However the 3D experience is the same, so the visual experience is stunning. The Imax cinema in Barcelona is very close to the Maremagnum Shopping Centre and near the Barcelona Aquarium.
Shopping!
Shopping is a good thing to do in Barcelona when it is raining. Barcelona has several excellent shopping malls and shopping centres in the Barcelona city centre. The newest and biggest shopping malls in Barcelona are located at opposite ends of the Avenidia Diagonal.
Our favourite is the L’illa Diagonal shopping center at the top end of Avenida Diagonal but we also like the new Diagonal Mar shopping centre at the lower end near the sea in the Diagonal Mar area of Barcelona.
Another popular shopping choice is the Maremagnum mall in the port of Barcelona which is also open on Sundays. Maremagnum is a good choice for rainy days because it is close to many other things to do in Barcelona, when it´s raining.
Another good shopping option is to take a bus to the shopping outlet village La Roca near Barcelona, A visit to La Roca is a half day trip from the centre of Barcelona and there are buses from Plaza Catalunya.
Original text taken from http://www.barcelonayellow.com
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Coming to Barcelona? :D Stay with us at Urbany Hostels!
We offer you a discount voucher, which you can save up to 25% of the accommodation rate (available until Feb 28, 2010).
How to get discount on your booking? Easy! Follow the steps.
1. Become a member at our Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/urbany.hostels
2. Print out the voucher from flickr: http://bit.ly/5GD1Nb
3. Make a booking through our website: www.barcelonaurbany.com
4. On the last booking process from our web, mention "FACEBOOK OFFER" on the additional info part (on step 4), in "Comments for hostel".
5. Show your printed out voucher at your arrival to the staff at the reception. Our staffs will happily give you a notice about the discounted rate.
- Don´t forget to leave "FACEBOOK OFFER" before you confirm the booking! :)
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Please note:
- Offer only valid with booking made through our website www.barcelonaurbany.com
- Voucher available until Feb 28, 2010 (28/2/2010)
- One voucher valid for one person
- Please print out the voucher and show when you check-in
- Not cumulative with other offers
That´s it! :) Hope you enjoy your stay with us, happier with the discount.
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 Many people imagine Barcelona as a city of passionate spaniards, and expect to hear some "magical" sounds of spanish guitars, and think the only thing to drink is wine. Woody Allen´s movie "Vickey, Christina, Barcelona" has made these beliefs even concrete. Well, if that was what you were imagining too, get to know some more about Barcelona! :)
You may seem things different if you take a careful look. Flamenco is more from Andalucia and the famous paella is originally from Valencia. Many Catalans are against bull-fighting, which is known to be the "National Sports" of Spain. and NO ONE, except the old people, take siesta (mid day nap).
Moreover, in Catalunya, there is another official language more than Spanish, which is Catalan. You will see more than half of the things written in Catalan on the street and hear people speaking in a language similar to Spanish, but not exactly the same. That´s the Catalan language.
People don´t expect foreigners to speak or understand catalan, but with a few words, you can give afriendly gesture. Why don´t yo learn some Catalan? :)
Catalan is a romance language and originated in Latin as spoken by the Romans. There are around 9 million bilingual speakers (speaking Spanish as a second or first language) within the region of Catalunya (Spain). Any visitor to Barcelona will hear Catalan spoken everywhere, and the language is growing from strength to strength after a period of decline and repression.
A few first phrases
My name is .. ...................................................Em dic ..
What is your name?.......................................Com et dius?
How are you?..................................................Com estàs?
Fine, and you?.................................................Bé, i tu?
Pleased to meet you(male speaking)........Encantat de coneixe't
Pleased to meet you(female speaking).....Encantada de coneixe't
How much is it?..............................................Quin preu té?
See you later...................................................Ens veiem més tard
Sorry..................................................................Ho sento
Excuse me ......................................................Perdona
Buying Things. General phrases
I want to buy .. .................................................Vull comprar ..
How much is it?..............................................Quin preu té ?
It's too expensive ...........................................És massa car
Do you accept credit cards?........................ Accepteu targetes de crèdit ?
Communication
Do you speak English?................................Parles anglès?
I don't speak Catalan....................................No parlo català
I don´t understand ........................................No ho entenc
Pardon? ..........................................................Mana?
What is it called in Catalan? .......................Com es diu això en català?
Please speak more slowly .........................Si us plau, parla més a poc a poc
Conversation
Where are you from? .................................D'on ets ?
I'm from England........................................ Sóc d'Anglaterra
I'm from America........................................ Sóc dels Estats Units
Have you been to my country ? ................Has estat al meu país?
I live in (the city of) ...................................... Visc a (la ciutat de)..
What do you think of the city ? ..................Què en penses, de la ciutat?
Directions
Where is .. ?................................................On és..?
Where are .. ?..............................................On són..?
How do I get to .. ?......................................Com puc arribar a...?
Can I walk there?........................................Puc anar caminant ?
Is there a bus ?............................................Hi ha un autobús ?
Is there a train ?...........................................Hi ha un tren ?
Eating
Can we eat?................................................ Podem menjar ?
Can we have breakfast? ...........................Podem esmorzar ?
Is there a table free?..................................Hi ha alguna taula lliure ?
A table for four, please...............................Una taula per quatre, si us plau
The menu, please......................................El menú, si us plau
For the first course......................................De primer
For the second course...............................De segon
For dessert...................................................Per postres
Have you any vegetarian dishes?............Teniu plats vegetarians ?
At the bar
Cheers!...........................................................Salut !
I'm feeling drunk!...........................................Estic borratxo !
I feel ill.............................................................No em trobo bé
The wine list, please....................................La carta de vins, si us plau
What sandwiches do you have?................Quins entrepans teniu ?
Getting around
Do you have a map of .. ? ............................Té un mapa de...?
How long does it take to get to .. ? ............Quant de temps cal per arribar a ..?
Is this seat free?............................................Està lliure aquest seient ?
A single ticket..................................................Un bitllet
A return ticket...................................................Un bitllet d'anada i tornada
A ticket for .. .....................................................Un bitllet per ..
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