|
How to live cheap in Barcelona.
Doing the town, Erasmus-style Exchange students recommend spots easy on the wallet. Barcelona is synonymous with cool, it is international, and has a knack for integrating cultures and adapting to new trends. In the school year starting in 2003, 16,040 European students most of whom were sponsored by the EUs Socrates and Erasmus programs - arrived in Barcelona to study. Students are thrilled about all the city is hectic nightlife and its event laden cultural agenda. Often, newcomers to the city aren’t aware that there’s life beyond the Ramblas. A Belgian student, Toya Dilles, is one of them. During her first few days in Barcelona, this 23-year-old journalism major frequented the bars along this boulevard. Most of them, however, are for tourists, super expensive, she explains. By the end of the month, she ran out of cash. Soon she met local students, who showed her the city is the most original and reasonably priced bars, restaurants and clubs. The Erasmus motto is: good, nice, and cheap. Mediterranean fare based on fresh ingredients, modernist architecture, cutting-edge design, the fusion of Latin rhythms, good weather, the sea, the mountains and the cities cosmopolitan flair are the reasons why they chose Barcelona. The French film Euro Pudding (2002), about a group of Erasmus students from different countries who share a flat in the Catalan capital, also did a lot to boost Barcelona’s popularity among European students. Many students have already visited a lot of the places shown in the film. Sometimes, during the week, they eat at La Fonda (Escudellers Street) and climb to Güell Park to watch the sunset. But on Thursdays the real party begins, and they flock to clubs like La Paloma for ultra-hip concerts and DJ sessions. Razzmatazz is another of their favorite haunts, but only for special occasions, as it costs 15 to get in. The Raval neighborhood, just like in the film, is their stomping ground, because there is a good variety of bars and clubs with character there. The Les Enfants club, around since 1963 with free admission until 3:00am, and Moog, with two different rooms, one for techno music and another for 1980s and 1990s tunes, are two other favorites for dancing. Multifaceted places, like Sugarclub, which is a cafe, cocktail bar, restaurant, club and lounge, meet the different needs throughout the day and night. The Arc Cafe, a popular spot in the Born neighborhood, serves affordable Oriental-styled dishes and after dinner transforms into a bar that plays chill out music. Nubaa is the place where glasses of cava are cheap, and Espit Chupito, which boasts over 500 different shots. Northern Europeans love tropical drinks like mojitos or margaritas, and at Mojito Club they are not expensive and you can sip them to the beat of salsa music.
<br>
|