Wearing sneakers in a holiday suitcase is something that is becoming increasingly real. Travel and run, at last, have agreed and have found a shared space in Hotel Claris, Barcelona, and Urban in Madrid.

From Derby Hotels Collection we want to promote the practice of this sport and that’s why we have joined with Josef Ajram, triathlete and trader, to present four routes for runners who visit Barcelona or Madrid.

Josef Ajram

A new city experience

Josef Ajram’s routes are designed for those who stay in the Hotel Claris and Hotel Urban. “These are the routes that I’d choose for running in Madrid and Barcelona, explains Josef Ajram. For him, running is also “a different way to know the cities”. And that is why he has designed routes through emblematic areas of each city. In Barcelona, ​​the route passes along the Avenida Diagonal or Litoral, for example, and in Madrid you can run in el Retiro and Casa de Campo.

Josef Ajram and our runners!

Derby Hotels wants to create an experience beyond the sport, wants to experience the city in a different way. Routes, designed for beginners and experienced runners are very flexible proposals that each rider can adapt to their level or available time.

Josef Ajram’s recommendation is to run in the less busy hours. According to the triathlete “early in the morning is the best time” as there isn’t so much traffic. Josef Ajram recommends eating a piece of fruit before going out and enjoy Derby’s buffet breakfast when returning to the Hotel.

Joaquim Clos, general director of DHC with Josef Ajram

“Running in the city is a different way of living every city”, says Ajram. And Urban and Claris routes offer this possibility. “They are an original resource for tourists and for people travelling for business,” explains Josef Ajram. Moreover, the routes are so easy to follow for those who don’t know the city and could get lost.

Maps available on Derby Hotels’ Facebook – http://on.fb.me/Yj15Ev 

The itineraries are designed to be affordable and easy to use both for guests and for those interested in accessing them. They can also serve as a channel of communication and exchange of views and advices to users.

The interactive map can be downloaded from phone or computer.

Josef Ajram routes for Derby Hotels Collection 

- Route 1,Diagonal-Cervantes Park: Route for beginners with little difficulty. It can be done in less than an hour (about 9 km). Starting point is located in Hotel Claris. It is a very easy journey, impossible to get lost because once you reach Diagonal Avenue you don’t have to abandon it until you arrive to Park Cervantes. To return to the hotel you just have to follow the same route but in the other way back. Of course, it can be lengthened or shortened for convenience.

- Route 2, Coastline: Route to experts from the Hotel Claris part up to Diagonal Av. In this case the route continues towards the Plaza de las Glorias. It is proposed to seek the Rambla del Poble Nou throughCastella Street and Pere IV. Get to the Avenida Litoral down the Rambla del Poble Nou, not-traveled by tourists and very interesting to get to know Barcelona. You can run down the promenade up to the Olympic Village. Return to the hotel going up through Marina’s street to the Diagonal. It can be done in an hour.

- Route 1,Retiro Park: Route for beginners. A different way of knowing downtown Madrid and also a way to integrate into the “runner” environment of the city. From the Hotel Urban, tour begins east on Highway S. Jerome to Plaza de las Cortes. Follow along Calle Felipe IV to take the Calle de Alfonso XII and finally enter the park by the Marquis de Pontejos Paseo. From this moment the asphalt is allowed to run on land. May extend into the park as much as wants each runner. Josef Ajram’s proposal for those who have more time is to walk around Paseo dela Republica de Cuba, Uruguay Paseo, Paseo Paseo Fernan Nunez and Colombia to return along Calle de Alfonso XII and go back to the hotel.

- Route 2, Casa de Campo: The purpose of this route is to stroll through the city to get to Casa de Campo. We also offer an interesting tour of the center and some of the city’s tourist spots such as Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor and the Royal Palace. The route is quite long so it is recommended to experienced runners or those who have more time.

We expect you to enjoy the rutes, now you just need to put on your sneakers and run!

Check our Facebook to find the interactive maps:

https://www.facebook.com/DerbyHotelsCollection

http://on.fb.me/Yj15Ev 

The jury highlighted his ability to “instill into his designs a spiritual and poetic dimension”. In addition, Pritzker members have stressed Ito’s skills when it comes to “erase the conventional meaning using minimalist tactics.” An architecture that “recalls the air and wind”, said the Pritzker committee.

Great Career

“He is a creator of timeless buildings. His architecture projected optimism, lightness and joy, and it’s impregnated with a sense of unity and universality”. This is how Pritzker members, chaired by Lord Peter Palumbo, defined Ito’s architecture.

The jury also highlighted the adaptation capability of the architect. Toyo Ito’s designs are capable of unifying structure, space, and technology scenario, which means that his buildings allow its inhabitants to operate freely in them. Main objective of Ito’s architecture.

His creation is the result of a “thorough knowledge of his work”, stressed the Pritzker jury.

Nature Lover

“An architect is someone who can transform areas into places for humanity”, this is how Toyo Ito defines himself.

It is said that Toyo Ito is the closest we have today to the principles of Antoni Gaudí. His work is the result of complicity engineering and nature, man work versus the ecosystem.

The architect has admitted the inevitable reference to Catalan genius and confessed that reveres his master architecture. His aim is to “reflect the dynamism and fluidity” of Antoni Gaudí like if they were “ocean waves,” added Ito.

Trees are his source of inspiration. These are elements that reminds him of Gaudí, who learned from him that design can never do better than a tree. “They are natural objects that stand for themselves and their inherent structure is so natural,” says Ito.

His work

Toyo Ito is responsible of the facade design of the apartments Suites Avenue Passeig de Gracia, in Barcelona. The organic balconies of the building, owned by Derby Hotels, call your attention for its similarity to the designs of Gaudí.

And in reference to this work there is a story that tells that Toyo Ito accepted the job of Mr. Jordi Clos -President of Derby Hotels- to restore the facade after seeing a jazz concert that took place in La Pedrera.

The views of Antoni Gaudí landmark building made him accept the project as he understood that the facade of Suites Avenue would be a dialogue (in architectural terms) with La Pedrera.

The Tower of Windsin Yokohama, the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion inLondon, the Funeral of Gifu or Tama Art University Library inTokyoare some of his best known works.

The Home for All project, conducted with other architects, to build communal spaces for those affected by the earthquake in Japan 2011 made him earned the Golden Lion award for best national pavilion at the last Venice Biennale.

His presence in Spain is also very present. One of his most iconic buildings is the Hotel Porta Fira, Hospitalet de Llobregat, whose design was inspired by the shape of a lotus flower.

We expect him to continue designing these incredible buildings.

From Derby Hotels we want to congratulate him for the Pritzker!

We had the chance to know them a little better. Andreu told us that the idea for this play came up when they decided they had “done many monologues, so why not dialogues?” Both agreed that 90 minutes of improvisation were much more tiresome than following a script, “a lot of concentration”, commented Buenafuente, “so we don’t miss anything, not even the flight of a fly”. Berto said, however, that they ended up “shattered but happy”. Given their incredible complicity, the two comedians agreed that neither of them would be able to face a challenge like this with anyone else, Berto added “anyone else without ending up in a fight”.

Asked if it wasn’t hard to ask each other questions, given the years of friendship, Buenafuente was categorical “The opposite!”, he exclaimed, “it’s fantastic discovering new things about Berto and how he explains them in such a funny way,  I am the first spectator who laughs at all that”. He also told us that the questions that caused more “excitement” and “mystery” were the ones from the audience, “ people are very special and come out with anything”, he told us that “once someone put a blank ballot, an abstainer, for sure …”

Below,  the questions from our Facebook contest winners. Andreu and Berto have worked hard and tried to answer most of them in between shows. We greatly appreciate the support of our fans on Facebook!

- Your biggest quarrel was because of…? And how did you reconcile? (Silvia Muñoz Hita)

Berto: I do not remember any fights with Andreu. We are always reconciling without previous fight.

Andreu: The truth is that we have never had any quarrel…

- How did you meet? Do you plan on doing another TV program? We miss you. (Dani Jimenez)

A: I discovered Berto on the radio, listening to his program. We invited him to participate in a production of El Terrat (Buenafuente’s production company) where it all started.

- The egg or the chicken? (Paula Bradshaw)

A: The tortilla

- The question of the century, when do you think this country will soar? Humorously, how could it be solved? (Daniel Alonso Carrillo)

A: Comedians do not solve. Sorry. We are palliatives, we entertain, we take for a walk the bad vibes and relax which is something …

- If your dog Mel had a partner, would you be jealous? (Pili Parreño)

A: If he first introduces her to me ,no.

- If you were an animal, which one would you be? (Puri Antón González)

B: I would be an angry mandrill with a very red and swollen bum. I don’t know what Andreu will say but he would be a sloth.

A: My dog ​​certainly. He has the best life in the Euro zone.

- Andreu, do you think Berto would be a good  godfather for your daughter? (Sellés Family)

A: Of course. He’s a good person. Only with that … and he likes children, an indulgent father. Yes, yes …

- Have we become more demanding and it’s more difficult to make people laugh or, on the contrary, we laugh about anything? (Yolanda Ruiz)

A: Laughter is a mystery. You never know what’s going to cause it. Something very simple, sometimes. Something very elaborate other times …

- Does anyone really know anything? Don’t you think it’s better to live in ignorance? (Sandra Carrillo Giménez)

B: Nobody knows anything, and those who think they know something they make it up, of course. Ignorance is very nice but ends up hurting. Like joints.

- Would you exchange your lives or prefer yours? (María García)

B: I like mine, but I would exchange it with Andreu’s, although only the times when he’s  with me, to see me from outside.

-  The Education reform, will save us from the crisis? Or it just works to keep us entertained? (Montse Roig)

B: Education needs more shaping than reform.

- And Wert (SpainEducation Minister) what does he know? (Mercè Puig Triviño)

B: He especially knows nothing.

- In which most picturesque place have you found a Catalan tourist from Blanes? (Agustín Piñero Tomás)

B: In Blanes.

- Is the mustache a gesture of solidarity? (Cristina Portillo Macho)

B: It can be, especially in the genital area.

- Don’t you think that knowing nothing is sometimes good? What’s the crisis …? I don’t know … (Jaume Sala)

B: I think it’s better to know nothing than not to know anything, because denial involves knowing something. The crisis is the best example of nothingness, it’s a word that has been used so much that it almost has no meaning. I do not know, really.

- Your story was love at first sight? (Hana Bcn)

B: At first touch, rather.

- Why is sliced bread squared and most of charcuterie rounded? (Pedro Jose Garcia Gomez)

B: Who wrote this interview? Luis Piedrahita?

The celebration took place in our Urban Hotel which, for the very first time, received 450 people. The party was known for the great vibe, an impeccable service and for its glamorous guests.

Olga Liggeri, the magazine general director, orchestrated an event with all of the most relevant personalities of current Spain of all fields: photography, art, design and fashion such as the breathtaking model Marina Jamieson, who surprised us with her incredible red dress or the artist Demo, in charge of the Masked Bears displayed at the Glass Bar.

Among the audience, we highlight the model Laura Ponte, cover of this magazine number, one of the main protagonist of the event.

Ron Santa Teresa was un charge of entertaining the guests with its delicious mojitos and other cocktails, and the Hotel Urban staff offered a wonderful catering with an excellent service for a party full of magic.

The evening lasted until one o’clock in the morning while you could enjoy the best music in a glamorous and fresh vibe.

We are looking forward the next party. Until then, enjoy some of the pictures of the event, if you want to see them all, check out our Facebook page.

He has recently started his own production company: Kossakovsky Film Production, located in St Petersburg. It has been created to produce films mainly focused on poetry and reality.

He released his last documentary this November at the DocsBarcelona International Documentary Film Festival called Long live the Antipodes!. It offers an amazing trip through the planet to explore the concept of antipode. In that purpose, Kossakovsky selects four different spots in the world and looks for its antipode. These sposts are: Entre Ríos (Argentina), Baikal Lake (Russia), Hawaii Island and Miraflores (Spain). The documentary surprises us with incredible images and he invites us to discover the existent connections between each couple of antipodes.

With his special vision of the cinema and life, and after his visit at the Claris Hotel, he confesses he loves Barcelona and that we should celebrate the Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes when the clock strikes 12 at the turn of the year in Galicia.

Regarding culinary issues, he tells us about a bar close to Dallas, called 1001 Beer, where you can taste any beer in the world. You go to the place, you ask for beer from anywhere, for example “Asian beer”, and they give you ten types of different beers in small glasses to taste them. Fantastic, isn’t it? To taste some good wines he suggests we should go to the north of Italy, in Barolo, where the visit to the wineries will surprise you.

For Christmas shopping he made us discover a handmade shop in New Zealand, called Christmas Gift. The woman who runs the shop is called Tatiana, she creates the gifts she sells during the whole year. She has no profit during the year but in December she sells everything.

He believes that everybody has to visit La Patagonia and the Torres del Paine, an unforgettable experience.

His biggest suggestion for travel and discovery is the Big Island in Hawaii. It has almost all a part of two climate zone. In one hour of travel you can cross 10 time climate zone. You can see snow or a tropical forest.

What about you? Where are you going for Christmas holidays?

Their home is like an X-ray of the trends that make the world go round, thanks to the careful selection of the international brands that are hung on their clothes stands. One of their goals is to tell what we should wear with every piece of clothing they have in the store.

Claudia Sáiz, ELLE magazine contributor, shells for Santa Eulalia the trends that will be filling the feminine wardrobe this season. “The success comes to us from eight hits: Isabel Marant holsters, Michael Kors oversize sweaters, Proenza Schouler Oriental patterns, Balenciaga galactic drawings, Kenzo retro dresses, Marc Jacobs elaborate embroidery, Bottega Veneta sensual dresses and Charlotte Olympia 5.71 in high shoes”.

Aurora Segura, from ‘La Vanguardia’ Magazine, told us all about male trends: “A winter that bets on what’s authentic and on well-done things is coming. Fashion has stopped being something that changes completely in just a few months and has turned into something that cares about style and the elaboration quality an about materials. This is the philosophy that guides the brands’ selection and the Santa Eulalia designers, because, at the end of the day, the people who can perform what is classic in a modernity clef are the ones that are in the forefront of fashion”.

All this and much more is what you will find at Santa Eulalia, the international trends temple that dresses you know how you are and what you want.

The first woman to debut an opera at the Teatro Real, receives today the International Women’s Forum Woman who makes a difference award. A distinction that highlights the leadership of women in the World, awarded in San Francisco. Congratulations Pilar!

Check out here the interview by the Spanish newspaper ABC at the Urban Hotel.

The wonderful bears from artist dEmo (Eladio de Mora) that are located in the Glass Bar, were dressed up with masks of felt made ​​by the same artist. The vodka brand Belvedere regaled us with its new grapefruit vodka, with which we prepared delicious cocktails, including Pink Mojito. Lily Blossom selected the most exclusive erotic lingerie worn by some great hostesses dressed in an outfit quite in the spirit of the party.

Our guests received masks in metallic colors, produced in a limited edition, signed by dEmo and the Glass Bar for this unique occasion. The party went on until midnight.

An exquisite and very inviting evening that we shared with musician Ramoncín, presenter Francine Gálvez, journalist Clara Courell, Gema Veiga and Carmen Baños, the owner of Vkingas and model Susana Deleito, actress Monica Pont, Sofía Gutiérrez de Escofet from Sogues Comunicación, Pedro del Castillo, Pedro León, Nuria Nebreda, Aldara Collet, Jorge Magaña and Cristina, owners of Lily Blossom, Lucía Hidalgo, designers Amparo and Manu Fernández, Olga Sierra, and Martin Derrière of Moët among others.

Enjoy the video of this wonderful party here.

Bernat has worked with top fashion photographers, but confesses he would love to work with Bruce Weber for his personal style and because he can strongly identify himself with his aesthetics. When asked to choose a celebrity for her style and personality, he declares it’s impossible for him to pick just one. He highlights Paris as a city where fashion is really alive, and describes his job as like being a chef, but instead of using ingredients the stylist uses style elements to create a specific look.

For this upcoming fall he gives us the keys to create a successful look: a great deal of black leather  and contrast between a baroque and a more minimalist style.

If you visit the city of Paris, do not miss to follow the tips he recommends: Merci shop, an authentic temple of design, the vintage boutique Didier Ludot, where you are able to find genuine masterpieces of Lacroix, Chanel or Vuitton, and for a nice mail visit the Argentinian restaurant Anahi.

Bernat continues to be impressed each year with the amount of people that brings together the Paris Fashion Week,  the concentrated energy, and the magic that is created in just a few minutes. A unique show!

A true partnership between media and brands. A one-off appointment where the deployment of resources and the attention to detail by the best boutiques are able to gather locals and foreigners in a permanent fashion and urban parade. Exclusive access by personal invitation or of Vogue readers only.

In this edition Vogue has changed the traditional Triangle d’Or for the square starting at l’ Elysée down to the Place de la Madeleine through the Rue Faubourg and the Marché Saint-Honoré. Streets closed to traffic for hours, in-store activities, meetings with designers, approachable celebrities…

We especially enjoyed the cheer-leaders parade of Chloé, wearing the t-shirt designed for the firm by Karl Lagerfeld in 1977, the Party Kenzolahoop, the true Hulahoop art demonstration by Marawa the Amazing, an excellent session by Dj Jill Caytan in Pinko and the magnificent atmosphere (and champagne) at Jimmy Choo.

As one would expect, we got an exclusive Alber Elbaz t-shirt at Lanvin as a souvenir for the occasion, a recyclable shopping-sac of Fratelli Rosetti and three formidable hours  among the best of Parisian elegance.