So, what have we been up to since the course finished? Here is a random assortment of our crazy antics:
- Gem and Ceri came to stay for two nights- short but very sweet! We tried to go to a jazz festival and open air-cinema at Mont Juic...but then almost got struck by lightning on top of a hill instead, as we got stuck in a massive storm. Not the relaxed summer jazz experience we'd quite had in mind. However, we decided to ignore the ever-looming grey clouds, and instead made the most of the 'rebajas' (sales), drank red wine on the girls' roof terrace (albeit a little illegally), and visited a 'vermuteria' (a place where you can exclusively buy 'vermut' (fortified wine). Click here to see the Tripadvisor reviews for 'Quimet & Quimet', the 'vermuteria' we visited. We could have perhaps done without the cheese that accompanied the vermut (we all thought we could handle the strongest of cheeses...we were wrong). It was so great to see these two lovely ladies...the next meet-up in Berlin is going to be fantastic.
- We've been out with our Spanish students to 'La Vaca Paca', a great buffet place at Passieg de Gracia. 11 euros for all you can eat plus una bebida? Muy barato! We then went partying with these crazy cats after the meal at Cal Bruit (which everyone enjoyed, even if it did feel like a sauna in there), then a Brazilian bar (where we chanted everyone's name until they stood up and danced), and then, of course, the inevitable Barceloneta club-crawl. At the end of the main beach, there is an ever-so-slightly dodgy (but charmingly so) collection of clubs that are all completely gratis, which makes it very easy to hop from one to the other, depending on how good the music is. No feeling like you have to stay because you've paid your weekly-budget to get in, just pure guilt-free boogying and club-swapping. Brilliant.
- I've kept to one of my resolutions, and tried another Barcelona beach- Marbella beach, near where Erin lives. A little less busy, but still with the obligatory 'agua frio/cerveza' sellers walking up and down the beach. There are a few more beaches on my to-do list- namely Costa Brava.
- I've been trying to visit as many new areas as possible, but have mostly been hanging out around the Born district, where I'm currently living. I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for somewhere to stay in Barcelona- a little cheaper than the Gothic Quarter, but still so close to it- and only 15 minutes walk from the beach too! El Born is also a cool area in itself as well, especially the Creperie Bar; my favourite drink has to be the passionfruit cocktails in milk bottles!
- I'm finding it hard to eat a full meal at the moment, after falling in love with 'pintxos' (a version of 'tapas' from the Basque country). In 'pintxos' bars, there are lots of small delicacies on slices of crusty bread, e.g. chorizo, jamon, boquerones (sardines), Spanish tortilla, etc. These all have cocktail sticks stuck into them; you help yourself to these pintxos, and at the end of the night, the waiter/waitress will count how many cocktail sticks are on your plate, and charge you accordingly (usually around 2 euros per pintxo). This is a dangerous game, especially as they start bringing out new delicacies; what starts off as a cheap snack often turns more into dinner. I'm certainly not complaining- this is why I love these bars.
- We've been to view a flat in Gracia...great location, right by Park Guell, but a little underground. After my experience in Shepherd's Bush, I've always vowed that any future flats would be above ground, so unfortunately a no-no. Bryony, Erin and I are all able to stay in our hose houses in the meantime, so the search will continue at the end of August!!
As August is pretty dead in Barcelona for work, we've decided to take advantage and do a bit of backpacking! First, Taylor and Erin and I are heading to Bilbao to experience a little of the Basque country (pintxos galore!!) then Erin and I are going to Valencia to have copious tomatoes thrown at us at La Tomatina. That's how we roll. Oh, and we may pop to Montserrat (the local mountain) this weekend, just for a quick change of scenery.
That's it for now! I'll write again soon- hopefully now I have a new phone, I'll have a few pictures too. Happy agosto, everybody!
- Gem and Ceri came to stay for two nights- short but very sweet! We tried to go to a jazz festival and open air-cinema at Mont Juic...but then almost got struck by lightning on top of a hill instead, as we got stuck in a massive storm. Not the relaxed summer jazz experience we'd quite had in mind. However, we decided to ignore the ever-looming grey clouds, and instead made the most of the 'rebajas' (sales), drank red wine on the girls' roof terrace (albeit a little illegally), and visited a 'vermuteria' (a place where you can exclusively buy 'vermut' (fortified wine). Click here to see the Tripadvisor reviews for 'Quimet & Quimet', the 'vermuteria' we visited. We could have perhaps done without the cheese that accompanied the vermut (we all thought we could handle the strongest of cheeses...we were wrong). It was so great to see these two lovely ladies...the next meet-up in Berlin is going to be fantastic.
Thanks to Gemma and Ceri for the pictures!
 |
| Sagrada Familiar selfie... |
 |
| Quimet & Quimet- the vermuteria |
 |
| Caution: this cheese tastes stronger than it looks |
- We've been out with our Spanish students to 'La Vaca Paca', a great buffet place at Passieg de Gracia. 11 euros for all you can eat plus una bebida? Muy barato! We then went partying with these crazy cats after the meal at Cal Bruit (which everyone enjoyed, even if it did feel like a sauna in there), then a Brazilian bar (where we chanted everyone's name until they stood up and danced), and then, of course, the inevitable Barceloneta club-crawl. At the end of the main beach, there is an ever-so-slightly dodgy (but charmingly so) collection of clubs that are all completely gratis, which makes it very easy to hop from one to the other, depending on how good the music is. No feeling like you have to stay because you've paid your weekly-budget to get in, just pure guilt-free boogying and club-swapping. Brilliant.
- I've kept to one of my resolutions, and tried another Barcelona beach- Marbella beach, near where Erin lives. A little less busy, but still with the obligatory 'agua frio/cerveza' sellers walking up and down the beach. There are a few more beaches on my to-do list- namely Costa Brava.
- I've been trying to visit as many new areas as possible, but have mostly been hanging out around the Born district, where I'm currently living. I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for somewhere to stay in Barcelona- a little cheaper than the Gothic Quarter, but still so close to it- and only 15 minutes walk from the beach too! El Born is also a cool area in itself as well, especially the Creperie Bar; my favourite drink has to be the passionfruit cocktails in milk bottles!
- I'm finding it hard to eat a full meal at the moment, after falling in love with 'pintxos' (a version of 'tapas' from the Basque country). In 'pintxos' bars, there are lots of small delicacies on slices of crusty bread, e.g. chorizo, jamon, boquerones (sardines), Spanish tortilla, etc. These all have cocktail sticks stuck into them; you help yourself to these pintxos, and at the end of the night, the waiter/waitress will count how many cocktail sticks are on your plate, and charge you accordingly (usually around 2 euros per pintxo). This is a dangerous game, especially as they start bringing out new delicacies; what starts off as a cheap snack often turns more into dinner. I'm certainly not complaining- this is why I love these bars.
- We've been to view a flat in Gracia...great location, right by Park Guell, but a little underground. After my experience in Shepherd's Bush, I've always vowed that any future flats would be above ground, so unfortunately a no-no. Bryony, Erin and I are all able to stay in our hose houses in the meantime, so the search will continue at the end of August!!
As August is pretty dead in Barcelona for work, we've decided to take advantage and do a bit of backpacking! First, Taylor and Erin and I are heading to Bilbao to experience a little of the Basque country (pintxos galore!!) then Erin and I are going to Valencia to have copious tomatoes thrown at us at La Tomatina. That's how we roll. Oh, and we may pop to Montserrat (the local mountain) this weekend, just for a quick change of scenery.
That's it for now! I'll write again soon- hopefully now I have a new phone, I'll have a few pictures too. Happy agosto, everybody!
No comments:
Post a Comment