Grace's adventure to Barcelona, 2018.
Before
I caught my flight to Barcelona (literally, I tweeted it from the
airport gate where we passengers all sat for approximately 2.5 hours
waiting for the damn plane to turn up) I asked friends and followers
for suggestions of spots to look up over the 2 days I was there – I wanted vegan
restaurants, good coffee, museums, nice wanders and quirky bars.
I was so happy with the recs I got – the wonderful Stacey @theprettybooks sent me her brilliant Barcelona blog post, Isra @ivebeengilmored shouted out Veggie Garden (and I went there on my last night!) and Lydia @lydiaruffles (the utter babe who I spoke to on here recently) suggested Flax & Kale (where I had my breakfast on my last day!). Everyone seemed to rate Mount Tibidabo and MACBA, too.
It’s safe to say I had a long To Do list. Here are some of the places I managed to get to while I stayed in the city...
I was so happy with the recs I got – the wonderful Stacey @theprettybooks sent me her brilliant Barcelona blog post, Isra @ivebeengilmored shouted out Veggie Garden (and I went there on my last night!) and Lydia @lydiaruffles (the utter babe who I spoke to on here recently) suggested Flax & Kale (where I had my breakfast on my last day!). Everyone seemed to rate Mount Tibidabo and MACBA, too.
It’s safe to say I had a long To Do list. Here are some of the places I managed to get to while I stayed in the city...
On
my first full day in the city, we had coffee at Plaça
Reial before hitting up Cat Bar for a magical lunch of their famous
vegan burgers. I almost took a nap at the table after finishing mine (I had the lush Green Burger... with a side of patatas bravas, because Barcelona y'know?) as I was SO DAMN FULL and totally content.
… and there was a brilliant, feminist wall just outside, so obvs I had to take all the snaps.
(Sophia,
the gorgeous badass Barca babe I stayed with)
I
really appreciated Sophia (pictured, looking sassy af, above)
stopping regularly as we walked through the streets so I could grab
my DSLR and take snaps of the sexiest buildings.
On
my second day, we had brunch at Vegetalia Raval. It was a teeny place
on a super cute courtyard, and the food seemed modest but was
fantastic.
I had shiitake mushroom and tofu nuggets to start (not
very brunchy, I know, but damn it I was curious) (they were
delicious) and then a green salad with nuts. It didn’t seem that
busy there when we arrived, but as we sat and ate (then sat some
more, because we were tired and I was hungover) I saw more and more
people coming in and out. I had to stop myself ordering vegan cake
for dessert – and I was super proud of myself for not having a
third coffee. That is, until…
…
Sophia
took me to Two Schmucks, nearby in Raval. And yeah, a third coffee
was had. No regrets, it was particularly delicious. This place was
recently named a ‘5 Star Dive Bar’, and I totally got that vibe.
It was really funky, and kinda felt like a Brighton cocktail/coffee place
that all the tattooed beardy dudes and cool gals would hang at.
We
went around the shops on/near La Rambla after that because Barcelona has a heap of fab
high street stores they only have in select locations in the UK, such
as Bershka, PULL&BEAR and Stradivarius, all pretty much on the same street, and the prices are slightly better, imo.
After
shopping a bit, we set about finding the craft ale bar I’d had
recommended to me by my beer-loving parents (who visited the city in
October last year, stumbled upon this place, and have talked about
almost nothing else for the past 11 months), Ølgod.
This place is known for having 30 taps on its pristine,
instagrammable white tiled wall, good snack options and a seemingly endless supply of
indie beers.
I’m
not normally a beer/ale/anything like that gal, but I had a raspberry sour brew
and it was delightful. Totally worth the trek through the back
streets to find the place – and the 4,80 euro a
half pint cost me. Yeah, the only downside to this place would be the
prices. If you fancy going there, be sure to save some notes up or check your Caxton
account beforehand.
This
guy above, El Gato de Botero, is maybe my favourite random landmark
thing in the city. He’s such a menace – the lovely Sophia, my
tour guide and bulletproof drinking buddy, damaged her coccyx when she attempted to jump over him while drunk before I came to
visit her last year. I also sat beneath him for photos on my last
visit, and hit my head as I came out from under his belly. See? He’s
evil. Be warned.
On
my last morning in Barcelona, I took myself out for a walk (and a
last minute souvenir shop) before
having a final breakfast and getting
the bus to the airport. As I rambled through the streets, most
definitely not
getting
lost en route to the kick ass brunch spot Flax & Kale, I stumbled
upon La Central, a beautiful bookshop that literally (hehehe) took my
breath away. I won’t say much more on it; I think the photos show
you how divine it was. Bloody peaceful in there too, and it went on
forever! Like an Aladdin’s Cave full of bookish gems!
Another
couple of spots I’d rate if you get the chance to visit Barcelona:
-
The rooftop bar at the Barcélo Raval hotel (cool vibe, pool for feet-dipping, and FREE 5-star 360 views)
-
Creps al Born (I went there last year and sadly didn’t get the chance to revisit; best cocktails and super fun atmosphere)
-
The Sagrada Família (that gorgeous old drippy sandcastle-type building never gets old. I wish they’d leave it as is though, and not try to modernise it)
(Fountains
at Plaça
Catalunya)
(Pretty windows, idk)
Well,
that’s all from Travelling Grace, for now. Once I’m recovered
from my next op (and probably when I’ve had enough time at a new
job to squirrel some dolla) I’ll be off Somewhere Else again. Any
suggestions where I should go next? Hit me up in comments or on Twitter, I’d love to know where you readers recommend.
¡Hasta
luego!
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