I’ve just returned from my last holiday of the year, with University in the offing, it looks like my next trip will be a great one to the US at Easter.
My past weekend was spent in Barcelona, an entirely new territory. I’m gradually expanding on my new places travelled, I only wish this gained me more stamps to fill up my passport!
My mum had been a few years back with a couple of her friends and I was always interested in going. A couple of months back, on a whim I suggested it, and the rest is history!

So, in the early hours of Friday morning, we made our way to the airport, Barcelona bound;

We tracked down our hotel, it was on one of the many slim streets that came off the Ramblas, which is a long street housing numerous street artists, including street theatre, painters, caricaturists, jewellers, florists and of course the street sellers stocked with ‘designer’ gear…

After powdering our noses and getting changed for the heat, we explored what the Ramblas had to offer. There were a few pretty amazing acts to see, a few gathered large crowds, each queueing for a photo with this ‘spectacular’ street artist, not meaning the ones without crowds weren’t brilliant.

Excuse the random man… He was a smiley one though.

The first evening we didn’t venture too far, but just across the road from where we were staying there was a cool little restaurant tucked out of the way. Chained in with rope lights, the only downside was the child playing in the square. See, in Barcelona the thing for kids to get is a little device you put in your mouth to make squeaking noises, really annoying squeaky noises. Aside from that, it was great! We ate and got merry from their great cocktail menu;

Who would have thought that Jagermeister & Orange juice would be so tasty?!

The following day we took advantage of the City Sightseeing bus, and ventured further out into Barcelona. The heat was pretty excruciating, we were on an open top bus, in full sunlight for the majority of the time. Surprisingly I escaped sunburn somehow, but we needed a break.
We took solitude in a model village, recently built to replicate ancient Spanish towns, it was filled with crafty little shops and cafes and restaurants tucked away in the shade, just what we needed! I also took advantage of one of the many ice cream shops that line the streets of Barcelona – I chose Strawberry Cheesecake and Strawberry sorbet, of course after just having a meal, the majority ended up in a bin, but what I managed to eat was delicious!

On the Saturday we also managed to see some of Gaudi’s work, there is a lot of beautiful buildings in central Barcelona, and his work is nestled among these, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

After another refreshment, we made our way back to the hotel – stopping off at the top of the Ramblas to see the fountains and the department store!

On Saturday night, we went to see the Magic Fountains. I was surprised I’d never heard about these as they are beautiful and are apparently not getting as much credit as they deserve.
It’s a twenty minute show of varying displays with colour and music. The streets that you can see it from are packed, as in can hardly walk through some parts. Smaller fountains line the street leading up to a huge display, which is the main feature, overlooked by steps of fountains where the crowds still gather. We managed to get a good view after the first ‘show’ (they begin at 9, and are repeated every twenty minutes until 11 with different music) I could have watched it all night, I seem to have developed an obsession for water.

Sunday was another day on the tour bus, although this time we managed to bag a seat in the slightly shaded area at the front of the bus. This was then overshadowed by the trek up a huge hill to get to Gaudi’s park, some beautiful mosaics scatter the area, and without a cloud in the sky, it meant the panoramic view of Barcelona was even better than usual.

With the bus taking us further around the city, we managed to see another of Gaudi’s works, which was the most recognisable to me;

I was surprised to learn that although it has been in construction for over 130 years, it’s only 67% complete, as Gaudi was knocked down by a tram before he could complete his vision himself.
I of course appreciate the time and effort that must go into this, but with the technology available today, I would have thought it could have progressed further. Maybe that’s just showing my naivety at modern culture…

Our final night was spent at the only shopping centre that is open on a Sunday, coming from a family where any of the women love to shop, we are at a bit of a loss when all the shops are shut… This one happens to be open 365 days a year, and has beautiful views across the harbour. We began with Tapas at Tapa Tapa, ending with cocktails once again, walking back through the still packed streets at 11pm.

I’d definitely recommend it for a long weekend, unless your one to stand in line for all the attractions, you’ll manage all the necessary sites in a weekend.
And, although you may initially turn your nose up at the street sellers – if the weather was anything like my weekend, you will cave in to buying a fan.

Money well spent.