9 Days in Barcelona

Loving architecture, tapas, and sunny beaches, Barcelona was the obvious choice for our summer holiday... We're a young couple without children, and I definitely think this was the right time for us to visit Barcelona. The city offers both cultural experiences, and lovely beaches, which is perfect for people like us, who won't settle for just one or the other.

Quick Tips:

Buy the Barcelona card! Not so much because of the discounts, more due to all the sights and museums it encourages you to see. We had read lots of guidebooks and made countless plans from home, but none of them seemed to be convenient, once we arrived. We ended up going to lots of places we wouldn't have thought of, which were really cool and great experiences. It's also quite convenient that the card is also a metro/bus pass.

Beware of pickpockets! Barcelona has a reputation of being one the most pickpocketed cities in Europe, and it's understandable. We almost got our luggage stolen at the bus station, by a couple of trick thieves. One asked me directions, while the other tried to steal our luggage. Luckily I spun around and confronted the thief with a piece of luggage in his hands, he was quite embarrassed and returned the things he took, before he walked off. If you're sitting at an outdoor café, don't leave your belongings on the table, they will be stolen, keep your handbag in your lap while you eat, if possible. And Ladies, bring bags which have an inner pocket, so you can stash your wallet there, that gives you more time to catch the thief trying to nick it.

Best Way To Get Around:

There is an extensive metro network in Barcelona, BUT there's hardly any escalators, which is a real pain, especially travelling with luggage in transit. We lived in Barceloneta, which has no Metro, but lots of buses, and the buses were more pleasant and really an easier way to get around and see the city. The Metro stations are really hot and humid, there's virtually no air-conditioning, which is another reason why we preferred buses.

We rented an apartment through oh-Barcelona.com, which was really cool! We had a marvellous apartment, with an ocean view, in Barceloneta, almost beach front. It was rather small, but our philosophy is basically; "It's just a place to sleep". Only minus: 5th floor and no elevator... got some really nice legs during the nine days. Booking and payment was easy, I would have preferred I bit more contact with the contact person, we didn't get a hold of him until an hour prior to our arrival, which caused me tonnes of grief, as I was afraid of being ripped of, having booked online and everything. But it all worked out, the contact person was pleasant and helpful, and the apartment had a guestbook where other tenants shared their do's and don'ts, valuable information I must say!

Barceloneta is an awesome place, we grew to love it. The boardwalk facing the harbour is really busy and quite expensive, but venturing into the small streets towards the ocean, really pays off! We found small local restaurants that offered Menu del diá at 8€, three courses and drinks included. Really adorable little places, where waiters don't speak English and sign language is highly necessary, but it's worth the hassle.

Dining at Comerç24 was the most interesting, decadent, exciting food-related experience I've ever had. We both appreciate food, and often search the net for the best restaurants at our designated destination, and we came upon this restaurant surfing for restaurants related to much famed Ferran Adriá. Owner of Comerç24, Carles Abellan, has been an apprentice at El Bulli for years, which clearly reflects in the menu, and the playfulness of the courses. We had the Festival menu, putting our destiny in the hands of the chefs. A wise decision, choosing from the menu seemed to be too difficult, as we were afraid of missing out. We chose Cava for the whole meal, and we were guided to the perfect choice, by an incredibly competent sommelier, a very pleasant man, completely down to earth, and not at all a wine snob. He pointed out three choices, in three price ranges, which fit our criteria, and we ended up with a wonderful Cava, that complemented the whole menu to perfection.

The food was amazing, we were constantly surprised and amazed by the taste combinations, the humor of the presentation and especially the inventiveness. Starters were five different snacks, my favourites were gold macadamia nuts, and I swear I would've taken pictures if it weren't such a posh place. I honestly can't remember all the courses (six I think), but highlights were: an innovation of the traditional melon and ham, squid ink ravioli, oyster which tasted a bit like beef(!), raw tuna with Chinese style soup (kind of numbed your tongue, was amazing!) and of course, the dessert selection, which featured a coconut/curry/banana shake among many things.

The atmosphere was cosy and elegant, the service was unlike anywhere I've ever been and the whole evening was magical, I truly felt like Alice in Wonderland.

As soon as we were unpacked, we went to La Sagrada Familia. Some people don't seem to think it's necessary to go inside the church, and simply admire it from the outside. That's really a shame... The 7€ are well spent, the awe of the mosaics and the carvings, the full experience, I wouldn't be without it. Even though there was a long queue, we took the elevator to the top of the towers, well worth the wait. We were encouraged to walk down, inside the tower, but unfortunately I had a bad knee, so we enjoyed the view, and took the elevator down again. It was really amazing, even though the weather was kind of dull, you could see almost all of Barcelona, and it was a great first impression. We were amazed by the level of detail in the architecture, we'd keep finding small carvings, letters, and numbers. A really enjoyable experience, we spent a couple of hours there, which was sufficient.