Mobile World Congress opens in Barcelona

It's the biggest mobile communications trade show in the world, and starting Monday the 2012 Mobile World Congress will fill Barcelona with 60,000 of the most-knowledgeable mobile minds on Earth. It also fills the city's hotels and apartments with expense-account guests paying premium prices.

MWC is held at the Fira de Barcelona, which stretches from Plaça Espanya to Montjuïc.

Savvy attendees, or those just on a budget, make their own bookings and save money over the event-coordinated hotel rates. Even at up to 50% premiums, apartments can be less expensive while offering more space and comfort. We picked up a client this year whose wife and child decided to come along. He was able to cancel his hotel room, then took two apartments, one in the Eixample and the other in El Born, as they wanted to experience different parts of the city. We've had a couple like that, and they seemed to really enjoy the contrast between the tourist center and a more laid-back, local neighborhood.

Here's an apartment that's close enough to the show to walk there. This spacious studio was redone by a professional decorator who also manages it. This is a nice, middle-class area and near the apartment you can find very different experiences, from the busy Paral-lel shopping and dining boulevard, to the "edgy" El Raval neighborhood, to the Museum of Contemporary Art. Don't ask to book it in the next few days, though.

Outdoor dining on Rambla del Raval.

To see more apartments in Barcelona and Paris, visit www.likelivingthere.com

A (very) short walking tour of Paris

One of my favorite activities in Paris, Barcelona or any walkable city, is to rise early and take a stroll around the neighborhood. During the week it's fun to observe the mass of humanity rushing to work and on weekends it's not unusual to have the sidewalk to myself as locals sleep in.

This article covers a few walkable areas of Paris and captures the spirit of leisure that should be part of any vacation. It leads off with one of my favorite places, Place de la Contrescarpe. You may recognize it as the photo, tightly cropped, on our home page.

Place de la Contrescarpe, in the 5th arrondissement, is circled by cafés, with many more dining places on nearby streets. Ernest Hemingway opens "A Moveable Feast" with a reference to this place, very near where he lived when he first went to Paris.

This area is actually quite hilly, or at least there is one hill here that you must climb to reach it from the Seine. Rue Mouffetard, the famed old street lined with restaurants, bars and food stores, is to the left. I had my first taste of andouillette sausage at Café Delmas, the place with the red awning. I assumed it was like andouille, but learned after cutting it open that it's made with pork chitterlings. Smelled bad, tasted good.

The writer next heads toward the Luxembourg Gardens. We went in that direction one cold December night, walking past the imposing Pantheon, the final resting place of many famous Parisians.

It was more pleasant to visit during a fall trip; while flowers were few the greenery was in great shape.

The Luxembourg palace overlooks the famous bassin, where young and old alike sail model boats.

Another great Left Bank walking area is the 7th arrondissement, home of the Eiffel Tower. Start on the Rue Cler market street, where vendors bring out their produce early in the morning.

Rue Cler is lined with food vendors and shops. Some say it's too touristy, but we've found a good mix of locals and visitors.

It's a moderate walk from here to the Champ de Mars, the large park that stretches to the Eiffel Tower. It's a great place for a picnic and you're likely to see some old-timers playing boules in the sand walkways.

Another good neighborhood for scenery and greenery is near Canal Saint-Martin, in the 10th arrondissement. There's nothing particularly monumental here, and much of the area is standard middle-class residential/commercial. That means good food at fair prices and interesting local shops. The canal itself cuts a beautiful swath toward the Seine before disappearing underground.

Canal Saint-Martin is another venue for model boats.

For us, "living" in neighborhoods such as these makes a visit to Paris more intimate and memorable. To see apartments in Paris and Barcelona, visit www.likelivingthere.com

Tourist buses shooed away from Sagrada Familia

Anyone who has visited Sagrada Familia cathedral - now a basilica - likely knows how crowded it can be as hundreds, perhaps thousands, of tourists queue up for admission or mill around taking photos of the Gaudi masterpiece. According to this article, those who come by bus will now have a short walk, rather than being dropped at curbside. While a bit less convenient for them, this will lessen congestion and so will plans to widen sidewalks to provide more room.

The incredibly intricate and ornate Nativity Facade of Sagrada Familia.

Gaudi's organic style is evident inside. This photo is from 2008; interior work has since been completed.

You can buy admission tickets in advance here, which can save hours of waiting in line.

We've visited Parc Güell and Sagrada Familia in the same day, walking between the two. It's downhill from the part to the cathedral - I wouldn't want to do it the other way. If you do this, give yourself enough time to stop at a café or tapas bar as you stroll through typical residential/commercial neighborhoods.

Antoni Gaudi's fanciful Parc Güell.

The park, which was conceived as a planned residential community but failed, is filled with fanciful elements like the walkway above. A trail winds around and along the way you can visit the small museum and gift shop that was Gaudi's home for a time. This photo shows the plaza most people see. From above there are nice views across the city.

This apartment is in a restored 19th century building about five blocks from Sagrada Familia. Others in this building can house up to 12(!) people. The rooftop terrace is open to all, with tables and sweeping views.

To see more apartments in Barcelona and Paris, visit www.likelivingthere.com

American art and more in Paris

It's hard to imagine the gigantic Louvre lacking anything, but apparently American art has been under-represented. This exhibit aims to begin correcting that situation.

There's a long history of association between American artists and Paris. Here's an article that describes some of the adventures of Whistler, Sargent, Eakins, Cassatt and many others. It's not as if there's no American art in Paris, of course, at the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay. Here's the iconic Whistler's Mother at the d'Orsay:

 

We've spent more time in the d'Orsay than the Louvre, both because we like Impressionism and because the Louvre is so overwhelmingly large. One way to make it manageable is to buy a Paris Museum Pass, which allows an unlimited number of visits over its term of 2, 4 or 6 days. Don't confuse this with the Paris Pass, which is a resale that is packaged with other offers and marked up.

You can buy the Museum Pass in advance, but mailing will cost quite a few euros. It's easy to get one once there, at the airport, tourism offices or any of the participating museums. We usually get ours at our first stop and after that breeze in.

This photo gives some idea of the enormity of the Louvre; it's one of many rooms in the Sully Gallery.

The Centre Pompidou is unmistakeably modern, inside and out. It was quite controversial when built and still is a jarring contrast to the traditional buildings nearby.

Here's a basic, affordable apartment that's about 10 minutes on foot from both the Louvre and Pompidou and perhaps twice that from the d'Orsay.

To see other apartments in Paris or Barcelona, visit www.likelivingthere.com

Fun and free in Barcelona

Too often lists of free things to do aren't that interesting or aren't truly free. While some of the ones in this article fit that description, by and large it's a good list.

Las Ramblas is a good place to start - in the daytime. Yes, it's the epitome of touristy, with hawkers and street performers trying to earn some euros, but it's also quite pretty. And the "human statues" seen there and elsewhere in Barcelona can be amazing. Here's one that startled us at the exit to Gaudi's Parc Guell:

There's lots to see and do on and near Las Ramblas, from the Boqueria market to the opera house. Just off the boulevard is the beautiful Placa Reial, where people of all ages congregate and you can enjoy lunch or dinner under an umbrella or inside.

The lamp post in Placa Reial was one of Antoni Gaudi's first commissions.

Another of this list's recommendations is to take in a free art museum, or to go at a time when admission is free. If your time and schedule don't allow that, check out Articket BCN, which offers multiple visits for one attractive price.

No visit to Barcelona would be complete without catching at least a glimpse of Gaudi's work. The exteriors alone are impressive - and free to gawk at. Below is a night shot of the facade of Casa Batllo on the Passeig de Gracia, also home to La Pedrera:

Both of those are open for tours, which are not free. We went through La Pedrera during a recent trip:

Inside looking out on the ground floor of La Pedrera.

As in much of Europe, churches are open at nearly all reasonable hours. The article mentions the cathedral and not far away is the starkly beautiful Santa Maria del Mar church, considered the finest example of Catalan Gothic architecture.

Then there are the beaches, which are wide and sandy - and manmade, so they lack much sea life. But the water's warm well into the fall and the sand is kept clean, partly by users inspired or shamed by signs like this:

Off the sand, there is a wide promenade, plenty of bars and restaurants, and room to just hang out:

By staying in an apartment, you can maximize your time in the places you most want to see and have a comfortable base from with to explore. To see examples of our apartment listings in Barcelona and Paris, visit www.likelivingthere.com

Surprising architecture where you might not think to look

While the architectural symbols of Paris are well-known in the forms of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame among other historic structures, the city hides some modern designs. This article features one of them, the Simone de Beauvoir Library.

There's also a link to the beautiful Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir pedestrian bridge that links the library, which is set among the buildings of the French National Library, to the Bercy area, tucked between the banks of the Seine and tracks from the busy Gare de Lyon.

This is quite distant from the usual tourist attractions, but there's a stop on the RER C train and the Metro Line 14 nearby. The RER C runs along the Left Bank of the Seine and you can pick up Line 14 at the Madeleine or Pyramides stations and the dreaded Châtelet.

Admirers of more traditional Parisian design can easily be satisfied while walking around most any neighborhood. I like to go out early on weekend mornings when there are few people on the streets and peek into alleys and courtyards.

Sometimes the ancient and modern collide, such as at the Louvre. I'm not sure I like the clash in this photo taken from within the notorious I.M. Pei pyramid; I think it works better when viewed from the outside.

If you stay in this apartment, you'll be able to walk to the Louvre and grab the Metro to the libraries. To see more apartments in Paris and Barcelona, visit www.likelivingthere.com