Barcelona Cruises, Port of Barcelona and The Future of Catalan Tourism

Barcelona is consolidating as the first port for Mediterranean cruises and this position has been strengthened after Carnival Corporation & plc reached an agreement last September with the Port of Barcelona to build and operate a new terminal known as Terminal E. Over 20 million EUR will be invested in what is going to be the eighth International Cruise terminal in the port (see image below). Everything is supposed to be finished by 2016. Also check this info graph about the evolution of the Port of Barcelona from 1956 to 2011 to have an idea of how big the transformations have been.

Almost 2.6 million cruise-goers are expected in 2013 according to Barcelona's Tourist Office. They estimate that last year's figures had an economic impact of nearly 300 million EUR on the city's economy. The increase in the number of passengers adds up to the growth of tourism in Barcelona. Seven million tourists come each year and spend more than 20 million EUR a day in the city.

Cruiser sector investments be it by external companies or by the port, are contributing not only to the economic bliss of Catalan tourism but also to Spanish economy in general. According to a study from the European Cruise Council the cruise industry provided Spain with 1.190 billion euros in 2010.
To better understand about who runs what and where in the cruise terminals at Barcelona's port, I think you should check this official brochure entitled Barcelona Cruise Facilities 2013.

Regarding Barcelona cruises, I must say that there are many to choose from and it all depends on your budget, the cities you want to visit and of course the quality of the service. I would pick up of course a Barcelona to Barcelona cruise with the best quality-price relationship and a fantastic itinerary. I reckon it is not an easy task. Have you ever been on board of a cruise ship in the Mediterranean? Which cruise would you recommend?

Pumpkins or Chestnuts? Halloween or Castanyada?

Although Halloween celebrations permeate Catalan reality each year and it is not strange to see carved pumpkins and people wearing fearsome costumes here and there, the eve of All Hallows' Day or All Saints is definitely about chestnuts, baked sweet potatoes with Moscatell (Muscat wine) and panellets in what is known as the Castanyada (Chesnut day). In general terms it is a supper, a very heavy one, considering the ingredients mentioned and that they are an extra on top of whatever you chose to have for supper that day. It is more probable that you see little girls dressing as castanyeras (ladies selling chestnuts), wearing peasant's clothing and a headscarf than kids knocking on doors playing Trick or Treat. I leave you with this detail of a pumpkin that helped me bring the topic up.

The Mae West Room at Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueres, Catalonia

Today's image was taken at the Museu Dali and it is not a painting but an illusion created by Salvador Dali expressly for the Theater Museum in Figueres (province of Girona, Catalonia).

This work, is indeed based upon one of his paintings: Mae West's Face which May be Used as a Surrealist Apartment, 1934–35.

Mae West had a clear influence on the Catalan artist, particularly in the movie called: She Done Him Wrong (1933) by Lowell Sherman, where she plays a very seductive saloon owner. An important part of the illusion, in the foreground of the composition, are those lips that reminds of a cozy sensual couch, that slightly resembles a wood-and-satin piece of furniture by Dali known as The Mae West Lips Sofa (1937) although that one was pink, or better said, "shocking pink" as the lipstick shade inspired by the actress, developed by fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli.

For those of you who have not visited the Dali Museum yet, let me tell you that to see the face you have to climb a small set of stairs and look through a sort of circular magnifying glass to better appreciate the isolated objects that integrate the composition.

Salvador Dali, was born in this location in 1904 and was even baptized in the church right in front of the museum. Nevertheless, he did not spend all his life in his hometown.

Dali studied at the Academia de San Fernando (School of Fine Arts) in Madrid in 1922 although he was suspended later, but not for academic reasons. He went many times to Paris and was influenced by Picasso, among other artists. All in all, he became world known as a surrealist artist in the period that goes from 1929 to 1937 in which he produced many of those paintings we admire so much today, such as ‘The Persistence of Memory’ (1931). Yes, the one with the melting watch!

The artist also visited the United States where he lived for eight years with his wife Gala. From 1950 to 1970 his works included new themes, on many occasions, of religious nature but also erotic or recalling his childhood as in previous years. Gala was also present in his paintings often. After she died in 1982, he was no longer the same, and his health was affected by a motor disorder until his death in 1989.