The "Hurt" of "Hurto"

The Spanish government prides its self on protecting industry. Since robbing tourists is a major bulwark of the Spanish economy the government have introduced a fantastic law to protect those involved in this sector. It's called 'hurto" and it means that any theft under 50,000 of the old Pesetas (around 300 dollars) is not considered a ‘crime’ at all - providing no violence is used. Great hey?..this means that in the unfortunate event that a thief-sorry entrepreneur- is caught they will be released from police custody with a little pink ticket..so next time you are in Barcelona make sure you carry less then that 300 dollar threshold and give the Barcelona entrepreneurs an even break!

Special Airport Tax at El PRAT??

With all the fancy fuel surcharges and airport taxes that Easyjet or Ryanaer flight might seem slightly more expensive than you bargained for.....However some of the good citizens of Barcelona don't feel you are paying enough to visit their wonderful city and have banded together to implement their own charge.

Great Spots for Picnics in Barcelona.....

Barcelona is full of lush and verdant open spaces. One of my favourite spots for a picnic is.....




On a hot summer's day pack up some tasty snax and treat the kids to a delightful picnic. Barcelona at it's best!

Misdirection-Some of that Barcelona Magic Revealed

"Misdirection is a form of deception in which the attention of an audience is focused on one thing in order to distract its attention from another.|" Wikipedia


Barcelona is a magical place. However, as any witch worth her broomstick will tell you there is white magic and there then there is black magic....in Barcelona there's an awful lot of people throwing some nasty voodoo around. Here's a run down of some of my favorite tricks from the Barca grimoire.

The make your Camera, Phone and Wallet Disappear trick- This is the basic one, the trick that every budding young sorcerer's apprentice must perfect. There are many variations and the more advanced of Barcelona's magicians take great pride in developing their own 'signature' moves, a trick of such skill and daring that leaves even their comrades in thievery-sorry i meant magic-breathless with awe and wonder. The basic premise of this trick is to separate a member of the audience-the unsuspecting victim- from some of his/her portable goodies.

One of most common methodologies involve going up to a member of the audience and shouting "football, football, football" while performing a dance worthy of a dervish before linking arms in a gesture of international male solidarity. While the victim is remarking upon the warmth of the Barcelona natives or replaying a compliation of Wayne Roony's greatest goals in his head, the Barcelona native is performing some magic worthy of the great Zinadine Zidane and relieving the audience member of their wallet. Some of the more literal minded exponents of this trick take the whole football thing at face value and assemble a 'team' of 11 and descend en mass. Football is big in Barca and you dont't need to go to the Camp Nou to see it.

The Sleepy Sleepy Trick- A reoccurring theme in folklore is the enchantress or wizard who manages through arcane ritual to place a princess into a prolonged deep sleep. The Barca natives recreate Sleeping Beauty on a nightly basis. It's simple, head into a bar with a bag of Rehipnol or GBH, slip them into a couple drinks while the audience's attention is elsewhere.
Wait a couple hours, smile and chat to the audience- preferably a single female with a nice handbag. When she starts getting tired offer to take her out for some air, then bobs your uncle..the audience is putty in your hands.

The Magic of Art Trick- Barcelona has a well deserved reputation as being one of Europe's artistic capitals-Picasso, Dali and gaudy Gaudi have all left their mark on the city. Proud of this heritage, some of the Barca natives continue to weave this artistic magic on Las Ramblas and make a buck. The key to this trick is to get up early, pick up a half finished poster or even better a reusable stencil for 50 cents and some cheap paints. Next, find yourself a nice spot on Barcelona's famous throughafare. Set up a bowl or hat to collect the oodles of cash that will soon be coming your way. While making overly exaggerated artistic poses and gestures fill in the poster during the course of the day with your cheap paints. Next, watch the as people shove money in your face and offer you their bodies in praise of your wondrous artistic skills. The key to this trick is to create the illusion of spontaneity. You need to make it look as if you have been down on your hands and knees enslaved by the artistic muse and couldn't really give a shit whether someone chucks you a tenner or not. The correct attire-beret perched on head, jumper full of holes to give off that starving artist look- goes along way to maintaining this illusion.
For extra dosh you can even send some of your apprentices out to frisk the crowd while people are distracted by your artistic magic. The power of art hey?