Packing a case, stepping onto the plane and travelling makes me happy. I love going anywhere. Last month we took to Barcelona for a few days and I’d forgotten  how much I loved this city. The architecture, the beach – the sun! Getting away into the sunshine for a few days was soooo good. I swapped my emergency umbrella for sun cream and enjoyed soaking up the city. We shared an apartment with some friends  and  were in the perfect spot, right next to the Las Ramblas.

Whilst waiting for our friends me and Jim nipped into a local trendy ale house to sample some local delights.

We started our break with a walk around the marina. We stopped off for a wine refresher in a cute little cafe. Soaking up the rays and people watching.

The plan for our first night was to go to a closing party on the beach for the Sonar festival. On the way we nipped into Shoko ( a great restaurant/bar), then proceeded to walk down the beach until we found the party beach!

The second day was dubbed culture day. We hit the sights and walked the city. It was so nice to just take a relaxing stroll through the streets,reconfirming why its still  one of my favourite cites in the world. First up was the Park Guell.  The attention to detail in this place is unbelievable, and it gives such a great view of the city.

The next stop was to be the Cathedral – Sagrada Familia, and as we walked down a quaint street there was this man, sat, playing his violin. It sounded like he was telling his whole life story through his strings…

You walk into the Cathedral and your stunned. Its pretty special from the outside but  inside is something else. My pictures definitely  don’t do it justice but I just needed something to help me remember. We took a walk up one of the spires, where you ended being pretty high! There are small openings where you get to look out over the city,which are really cool, but at the same time make you feel an insi bit weird being so high up and in the open. 

The beach! The first time I came to Barcelona I didn’t hit the beach, but I didn’t make that mistake twice. Ohh no.

Now, this is where the trip steps up a level. Vioko. A boutique ice cream parlour.One word – amazing. Anyone who knows me well, knows that anytime is gelato time.  I was close to  throwing a  Veronica Salt, I wanted it all, and I wanted it now!

On our last day we decided to head off on a bike ride. We covered about 14 miles in total, and cycled along the side of the beach. Quite a normal thing to do but our friend Tom however decided to make the journey more entertaining by hiring a Penny Farthing…. Here’s Jim showing off his drivingSH skills.

We partied hard the night before and even though the bike ride and sea breeze was helping me shake off a sore head you can imagine my happiness when we stopped her for lunch and a cheeky siesta! 

I love seeing parasols next to a clear blue sky… 

So there it is, my mini break to Barcelona.Travelling with friends is fun, something I definitely want to do more of! A long post I know, but with all this Summer rain I feel a lot better for sharing.

Happy Tuesday.

Happy Tuesdays.