Barcelona Celebration 20 and 21-09-2009

[Wybe]

Hi Jorcx and Maarten,

Here are 4 fans more for the celebration party, all from the Netherlands.

93 Liesbeth van Ruth, Amsterdam
94 Fenna Akerboom, Amsterdam
95 Anja van der Bos, Amsterdam
96 Linda Huizinga, Amsterdam

The Party can begin!
Wijbe

Edit: 96 name tags so far! ***Maarten***

[ForYourSmile]

Marteen, a great idea and work, thank you very much.

WOW, after two happy and disconnected holiday weeks, I see as the list has grown, I am deep moved. The Cohen's concert in Barcelona will be historical.

Sometimes very delayed, I will try to comment with my limited experience some things:

... I think I will stay in the Hotel Condado, Aribau 201 instead ...

I am sorry, it's difficult to me to help in the choice of hotels, I have no experience in hotels of my city. The zone of the Hotel Condado have no so much tourist uproar, there is a long and magnificent walk up to Les Rambles. Normally it is advisable public transport; bus.

... don't know if the 'true original' forum members have picked their hotel because of the proximity to the venue or because of the 'party atmosphere' of Las Ramblas ...

Yes, the "party atmosphere" of Les Rambles... it is only for tourism and the relation with my city is very poor. Just I hope that you could know something more real.

...Many members coming to Barcelona booked to Onyx Liceo...

Onyx Liceo is the middle of el Raval - the former called Chinatown. Well, I do not believe that this is an inconvenience for the courageous travellers able of following Cohen to any place of the world. Speaking seriously, there are no reasons of worry, the safety is good, only it is necessary to take the habitual precautions, seemed to any city. Palau Güell of Gaudí is in this street.

... I am staying at this place, which was recommended by a friend.

http://www.hoteltoledano.com/english.htm It is a smaller family run hotel and also has cheaper more basic rooms in their "pension" or hostale in the same building...

This is the meeting point of the city there is no more centric place. In Les Rambles, near the Plaça Catalunya, in front the Canaletes fountain, where the victories of the Barça are celebrated.

... Seems like I need to move pretty quickly on this since it looks like so many places already have limited availability. Is this time still considered their tourist season? ...

...Barcelona is a popular city break destination for Brits and Europeans most of the year. September still has warm and sunny weather but is just outside the really peak season as most schools and colleges will restart around then ...

Yes, the weather is still good and the activity returns to the normality, but always there is tourism. The main problem is the coincidence with some trade fair or congress. On September 19 to 21 there will celebrate Expohogar in a different site of the Fira de Barcelona in Montjuïc. This can concern the hotel occupation but not the access to the Palau Sant Jordi. (Already we will speak hereinafter on the Palau Sant Jordi). Anyway the great event of Barcelona will be Leonard Cohen's concert.

From 1992 with the Olympic Games, when Barcelona became fashionable, there appeared a heap of new hotels that raise their prices especially in times of big congresses, one abuse. I hope that with the supposed crisis they control prices.

This summer we have another inconvenience, up to 300 public works in the city's streets. Many of them for the construction of one tunnel for the AVE (high-speed train) that crosses Barcelona to join it towards the north. It will pass close to the Sagrada Familia, remembering experiences, let's be useful to visit quick the monument, for if the cake falls.

September 24th is les Festes de la Merçé, the main festival of Barcelona. If you can stay a bit more, I recommend it specially. It is the real party of the citizens of Barcelona.

... I also managed to get a double room in the Hotel Oasis for the 21st, so all booked up now also ready for the lunch and meeting fellow "fans"...

... Some other have reserved rooms at Hotel Oasis - it has very reasonable prices. Both are located near Las Ramblas ...

Oasis: a green spot in a desert. This hotel is not "deep in the desert", though if it was you might not complain. The place is interesting in the middle of many sites: close to the harbour, the Palau del Mar (Museum D'Història de Catalunya, good restaurants), Estació de França (former rail station), the Barceloneta (it was a modest fishermen's neighbourhood, more popular restaurants), el Born (historical zone indispensable and of advisable bars), the park of the Ciudadella (one of the most beautiful places, there is a Zoo), the maritime walk towards the monument to Colon and Les Rambles...

[Vicomte]

Thanks for your report FYS.

Would you please be so kind as to let us know the best way to get to Palau Sant Jordi from the Oasis hotel (near Barcaloneta). It seems that the metro looks OK but I think you will know the best way. Thanks for any reply in advance.

[MaryB]

ForYourSmile,

Thank you very much for the time and effort you put into your synopsis of all the chosen hotels. This information is extremely helpful!

Best regards,
Mary

[Womanfromaroom]

Yes, ForYourSmile -

thanks for all the work you put into it; so true to your nickname! I have it all booked up now, and Ticketmaster keeps flooding me with confirmations; obviously their system was temporarily down due to maintenance work, which is why it took them a while to get back to me. So we'll just keep watching the thread to find out about the lunch arrangements for the Sunday, right?
Thank you once again, ForYourSmile - you have already made me feel very welcome to your city!

[jorcx]

Welcome back, Foryoursmile, your help and advice will always be very helpful as ever. Here's another attendee:

92 Amrei (from Denmark) (=> is already in the list)

[Actually]

Amrei is number 92

[jorcx]

Yes, sorry, Actually you're right! Excuse my confusion... We're 96 now, getting dangerously close to 100 !

[jorcx]

And here's some new information from number #45:

45 Juhana Piha, Turku, Finland (not a member)

[stargazer61]

Hello everyone! Just managed to get a ticket for Barcelona (turns cartwheels a la Webb Sisters!!!!!!)

I've only just arrived home after Liverpool so, what with seeing the magnificent Mr Cohen last night, and now going to Barcelona, I am now in utter turmoil but very happy!

Can you include me in the Celebration please. Will read the rest of the thread a bit later when I have calmed down but can anyone advise on hotels please. I'm female and travelling alone so am looking for somewhere easy and safe to get back to after the concert. thanks in advance!

[Womanfromaroom]

Stargazer61, I sent you a PM!
WfaR

[Paul Zagreb]

FC Barecelona web site now shows a planned home game in La Liga against Atletico Madrid on Sunday 20 September ... I know that games in the Spanish league quite often are moved at the last minute but can some football loving Barca friends out there tell us whether this is likely to be the final date of this match and how can you buy tickets .. online???? It could be a triple celebration for the football loving Cohenites (I count Henning amoungst these for sure even if he is sadly fated to support a rather poor team!!!)

Paul

[Maarten]

60 "Pan Cogito" - Roman Luszpak - Denver, Colorado, USA
97 "Pan Cogito" s sister - Barbara Jepsen - Aars, Denmark

List not updated yet, but we're heading for the 100th attendee.

Maarten

[ForYourSmile]

Would you please be so kind as to let us know the best way to get to Palau Sant Jordi from the Oasis hotel (near Barcaloneta). It seems that the metro looks OK but I think you will know the best way.

Though from the Hotel Oasis almost you can see Montjuïc's mountain, it is not so easy to get.

I have consulted TMB's web (Metropolitan Transport of Barcelona) http://www.tmb.cat/en_US/home.jsp their best option is from Pla de Palau, metro L4 and Bus 50 up to swimming pools Picornell, already in the Olympic Ring, total estimated time 54 min, 16 min walking.

In my opinion is better through Plaça Espanya, how you said, you can take the metro L4 up to Urquinaona with change to L1. Another less claustrophobic way is the BUS 57.

The walk from Plaça d'Espanya to the Palau Sant Jordi is simply wonderful, approximately one and half kilometre ascending with the mechanical stairs installed in 1992 to coming to the Olympic Ring. Monjuïc's mountain has infinity of spectacular tourist resources, museums, sports facilities, castle, cemetery, botanist, sights of the city... well a heap of things, also romantic corners...

This evening we have an appointment with Jorcx and Chema, I don't know if someone more, to review two semi-finalists restaurants near Plaça Catalunya. The choice is easy for a lunch for a few friends, but 100 people is more complicated . We are studying the possibility of someone near Plaça d'Espanya, this raises very much its valuation. I would like to spend that evening walking around Montjuïc, together with the fans. Maybe we would hear the soundcheck, or we would see someone with hat, one limousine with smoked glass. Are you yeye fans? This of running, screaming hiiiiiiiii!

[Vicomte]

Thanks FYS for taking the time & trouble to answer my request, much appreciated.

I must say I don't envy you the task of finding somewhere for 100 people to eat, having done something similar a few times, the main problems are finding a place large enough to sit that many people, somewhere that has enough staff to cope with the problems of serving that many meals and who can offer a service that can deal with the many requests they will get from the "fans" (diners).

I for one offer you the very best of luck and a big bravo to you and all those who are helping you in this quest.