Friends from home Lisa and Josh had decided to come over for a visit to me and a bit of a trip around Europe and since it was a long weekend (yes it was Easter - yes I am behind on my blogging) we decided to fly across the pond to Barcelona for the weekend. We flew out on Good Friday and arrived in the evening to a pumping Barcelona. After a quick check in we went straight out to complete our only mission for the day - get some tapas and drink some sangria. We went for a wander down the Las Ramblas (where our hotel was conveniently located) before heading out to the harbour to a waterside restaurant and had tapas. Luckily for us it was a restaurant with pictures on the menu so all we had to do was point and yes 'this this and this'. Me and Josh had spent the whole plane ride telling Lisa just how good Patatas Bravas were. For those who haven't been lucky enough to taste this delicious dish - its basically potato wedges with chilli aioli but for some reason they just take a thousand times better in Spain. They also served us our first (of many) jugs of sangria which was my first since my sangria overdose at Pamplona last year. The first one took a while to get down but after that I was back on the wagon.
Unfortunately for us the weather in Barcelona wasn't on our side and so our plans of laxing out on the beach were foiled. Instead we decided to take a cable car and funicular up a mountain to check out the fort. The views once we were up there were amazing. You could see the whole of Barcelona city including the sagrada familia and Gaudi's gardens off in the distance. You could also look out into the beach and waterfront as well as the blue blue ocean. While we were up there the sun came out and me and Lisa had a bit of a 'if you had told us when we first met that we would be sitting here in Barcelona together we would have said your crazy' moment. After checking out the views and wandering back down through the fort we made our way along the sea front to find something to eat.
By this stage we were famished and we had been craving some more Spanish food and after a few false starts we were struggling to find somewhere that was open/serving food/didn't look like a crack den. However a few more metres down by the water front and we hit gold. A jug of Sangria, Salad and Paella for three for €10 each. Bargain. We sat down and ordered before guy could even greet us. It took about another 30 minutes to come out and by this stage tensions were high but when the plate of Paella came out it not only did it look amazing it tasted fantastic. Would have to say it is probably one of the best meals I have ever eaten in Europe. And even I would have to say thats a big call. As a person who isn't an avid lover of seafood I braved the muscles, prawns and calamari and enjoyed every bit. The rice was perfect and the whole thing just tasted like the ocean. Even typing this now makes me drool. Oh and the sangria wasn't bad either haha.
After a good feed, good chat and a top up of Sangria we were lucky enough that the day had brightened up and the sun was out. We had been planning on going on a cycling tour but we decided to give it a miss and head down to the beach to have a walk along the water while the sun was out. Once we got down there I have to tell you I couldn't keep the grin off my face! It was the first time my feet had hit sand (not pebbles, not dirt but ACTUAL sand) for the first time since July last year. Being on the beach and seeing the water and having the sun shine down on me is not something I get to experience too often in London and I have to say I miss it. After a quick test of the water (it was freaking freezing!) we wandered along and found a bar to get another drink.
We managed to stumble across a cute little bar that had a bit of a Moroccan theme to it with lots of little lanterns and couches and pillows so we grabbed a couch and layed out in the sun while we got cocktails brought to us. We spent the afternoon drinking Cava sangria and mojitos while people watching. The game of the day was to spot the tourist or local. Man side bag = tourist, sunburn = tourist, double denim = tourist, tracksuit = tourist, shorts and singlet = local. Basically it was just lots of tourists but still a fun way to people watch and kill the afternoon. That night we wandered back up to Las Ramblas to a bar to watch the Barcelona FC game. We had a few local beers before getting food at a yummy restaurant and heading back to our favourite little bar for a few more beers. Overall it was a pretty cruisy boozy day but never the less the perfect way to spend time in Barcelona.
The next morning we woke up to drizzle and wind so we decided instead of riding around the streets on a bicycle (we eventually just gave that idea a miss) we would get on one of those hop on hop off buses so we could see more of the city. It was a good tour as they have the commentary on what is around you and the history of the sights so we got to learn a few things about the architecture of the city and other interesting facts. We drove past the Sagrada Familia which is the church designed by Gaudi that is still under construction after decades (and yet to have a set finish date. We decided not to go in as the line was around the block but we got a good view of the outside. The next stop was Gaudi's park which was a collection of a few of his architecture designs in a big centre. It has several mosaics, tunnels, gardens as well as buildings that look like they were made out of gingerbread. That man must have been on some kind of trippy acid I have decided. It was really pretty and a good view of Barcelona at the top even though the whole place was crazy crowded. After the park we jumped back on the bus and went out to the Barcelona Stadium where the games were played but just had a quick glance at the outside as we stayed on the bus and headed back to the hotel.
That night we decided we would head to a dinner and flamenco show. We had another paella (which was no where near as good as the last one) and Sangria (still yum!) before the show started. Once the show started I was completely in awe. I had seen a flamenco show when I was in Barcelona last time and if I thought that was good I was crazy! This one was ten times better with both male and female dancers and some great costumes. I was a big disappointed they didn't have many big flamenco dresses like you expect but they were still amazing. The dancers were so talented - I don't know how they make their legs move that quickly. The music was live and they had a collection of singers, drummers and guitarists on stage creating the music. It was such a great experience and I am so glad that I had decided to see another one.
The next day was our last in Barcelona and since we had to be at the airport at 3pm we didn't have too much time for sight seeing. We decided after a leisurely morning we would wander over to the Barcelona Arc Di Triomph and the gardens where Gaudi's fountain is. Unluckily for us the fountain had been turned off and closed which was a shame because it would have been stunning. Still it was nice to get out and about and have a wander before jumping on a plane.
It was such a good weekend away and Barcelona is now back up there with one of my favourite places (the list is long!) where as it hadn't been previously. It was exciting discovering a city with Lisa who hadn't travelled much before and with Josh who was a pro and me being somewhere in between. It was great to spend time with old friends and do something that we never thought we would be doing together. It was amazing to be eating delicious food and reignite my love of Sangria and basically overall - it was just fantastic. I love Espana!
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