Since Christo graduated we have made an effort to go on at least one city trip abroad each year, previous trips have included Paris and Amsterdam. They are the sort of trips we love; a blend of culture, sightseeing along with plenty of good food and drink.

The only snag with these trips are that you always think you are going to feel rested but actually after tens of thousands of steps normally you could do with a holiday to get over the holiday!

Our trip to Barcelona was no exception, four days and 70,000 steps later we had seen plenty of what the beautiful city had to offer.

We stayed at one of the Praktik Hotels, a small chain where each hotel is associated to something. We chose the bakery, but some of the others nearby included a perfume shope and a wine bar.

It was heaven waking up to the smell of freshly baked goods each morning, and you could either go down to enjoy them or take them back up to your room. We decided against getting the breakfast with the room and instead just paid for what we fancied each morning which worked out much better and less money – win!

The rooms themselves were quite small but had a comfy bed, nice views and a small but perfectly formed en suite. The only issue I had was with the hair dryer which only stayed on for about 10 seconds at a time to stop overheating but then wouldn’t turn back on again. I would definitely pack your own if you plan on staying here.

Located in the Eixample area it was a great base to explore and get around with easy access to the metro if you didn’t fancy a walking. It wasn’t very expensive either at about 130 euros per night which was a result.

I like to research trips thoroughly before we go, not to be a fun sponge and have an itinerary to follow religiously. It usually consists more of a list of restaurants (yes my life revolves heavily around eating), bars, places to go and visit that we can dip in and out of if we are in the right area. It means we don’t spend money on going somewhere which just isn’t worth it. I hate wasting money and I don’t like to be disappointed! By doing this we rarely have a bad meal nor often feel like we have wasted our time.

I had heard good things about the Runner Bean Tours, they have several different tours to choose from and they work on a basis where you pay what you feel it was worth at the end.

We went on the Gaudi tour and our guide was Jarrod who was so informative and really friendly. He told us how he was from Australia but has been in Barcelona for years despite originally only intending on being there for a short time. We could see why he doesn’t want to leave: as we walked around we were soaking up the architecture and atmosphere. Jarrod has a real skill for giving you the key bits of information that you want to hear whilst making it funny and interesting. I have been on some tours before which after a while you get a bit bored on, but the time flew past and by the end I really felt I had learnt a lot. If you are going to Barcelona I would say this is a must!

 

One of the main reasons I loved Barcelona so much was how one minute you were very much on a city break, and the next it was like a beach holiday. Luckily the weather was beautiful when we went and the beach was packed. We enjoyed a stroll and then ended up at a beach bar where we enjoyed lots of sangria, I tried to get a bit of tan but of course this was never going to happen!

By chance they had a family festival on as well so it was busier than I expect it would normally be. We got involved with a street band (Trastok’ts). It was such a feel good vibe and you couldn’t help but dance and sing along!

 

 

I couldn’t write a post without recommending a couple of places to eat and drink. If you take anything away from this post make sure it is that if you find yourself in Barcelona you go Cerveceria Catalana for tapas.

We loved it so much that we went twice on our trip. It is so popular that you can’t book, you have to turn up and put your name on the list and they let you know how long the wait will be. The first time we were optimistic in thinking when they said an hour and a half that they were exaggerating… they weren’t and we spent all that time in the line. The second time having learnt our lesson we headed for drinks at a nearby bar while we waited.

The menu has plenty of choice on it, and whilst we picked several things off it, we also did a lot of asking what other people nearby were having and ordering the same as so much of it looked and smelt so good. From delicious catalan cod in honey and garlic, to thin crispy potato with egg.. I’m hungry just thinking about it! The sangria was also fantastic. Yes, the wait is long but it is worth every minute of your wait and to top it off it wasn’t expensive either!

The other place we loved was El Nacional and we actually ended up going back for a drink before heading to the airport. The first time we went we enjoyed cured meats and cheese washed down with cava. The decor in El Nacional is beautiful, contemporary but retaining a classic feel. There is also LOTS of choice! It is all under one building but has various different areas serving different food from the Iberian Peninsula.

After all that tapas we were craving a good brunch, so on the last morning we went to Alsur Cafe Lluria, when we go there it was busy and had quite a young vibe. We both had chicken and waffles which was really good, and just what we needed to set us up for our final day.

We spent our final day soaking up the atmosphere, before heading home and back to reality!