Barcelona Photo Diary - Day 2

After a deep, long sleep we rose bright and early to resume our explorations. First, of course, we took full advantage of the breakfast buffet which the hotel offered, attending to every station; fruit, meat, cooked, sweet, and even slipped a few snacks into our bags for later in the day...money savvy travelers!

Our map reading skills were severely lacking, so we left to find a tour bus so we could find our bearings of the city. Catalunya's Museum of National Art was a stone's throw away from where we were staying, so in search of a tour bus stop, we were sucked in by the absolute magnificence of the museum, and the whole road leading up to it.

We climbed (used the outdoor escalators), right to the top, and were once again astounded by the incredible views of Barcelona's skyline.

From way up there we could quite easily see many post-box red buses circling the roundabout, and pausing at their designated stops, so eventually we tottered back down and hopped on one of our own! Although there is an undeniable romantic quality of simply wandering round a new city, it was quite refreshing just to sit and be carried around, with a running stream of information and history from the tour guide as we went.

We ended up at the other end of Port Vell, so jumped off  and began hunting for our lunch. Tucked away somewhere in one of the back streets of the harbour we found a great little place, just the right mix of modern and rustic.

And these little roasted peppers were amaaaaaazing. Although very salty, so we needed alot alot alot of water once we'd gobbled them all up.

We had a pre-booked slot to visit Gaudi's Parc Guell, so this was our next port of call. The tour bus roamed round the other side of the city, and dropped us at the park just in time! What was once intended to be residential grounds is now a national heritage site, so they're pretty strict about how many visitors get to roam around at any one time.

Think of the work that must have gone into the making of this. And it was only 100 years ago!

Is it just me, or do these little houses look edible? 

Such incredible views from up here too!

And all the lovely coloured tiles and mosaic detailing were just so beautiful I could have cried!

Gaudi's famous dragon, marking the main entrance of the park.  

Safe to say we exhausted all that there was at Parc Guell, treated ourselves at the gift shop - I now have a moasic mug coaster for my cups of tea - and headed back to the hotel. We dropped our stuff and off we went to find a bite for dinnner. We came across Tapa Tapa, quite a modern place, with an easy to read menu, complete with pictures, so we knew exactly what we were ordering. 

Bed time!

Barcelona Photo Diary - Day 1

I'm not best known as a 'do-er', and this is something I'd like to change very soon. I'm much more of a thinker, a dreamer, but very rarely do I ever actually see these dreams into reality. So I surprised myself, and my bank balance, when I finally DID something I had wanted to DO for a long time, and booked up to go to Barcelona. Travelling with Ally, when we got there, we DID all the DOs that we said we would! Our departing flight left early morning, which meant we arrived something around mid-day and still had a long stretch of summery afternoon to fill. We tracked down our hotel no problem at all and after a smooth check in - complete with a glass of complimentary fizz, we jumped out of our travelling clothes and slipped into something a little more fitting to peruse the streets and squares of Barcelona.

In no particular direction, we strolled lazily, our necks constantly cocked so we didn't miss any of the bizarre, but brilliant architecture the city is famous for.

Our hotel was only a fifteen minute walk from Las Ramblas, Barcelona's busiest street and so we shortly found ourselves just on the outskirts of a flood of people rushing up, down and across the street.

At this point, realizing we hadn't yet eaten, we thought it best to make a pit stop, and fuel up before we dived into the crowd ourselves. We saw this as the perfect opportunity to immerse ourselves in some Spanish culture and so we decided to dine in a gorgeously authentic...pizzeria.

Okay, so our first dish wasn't the most adventurous but we did branch out as the week went on! Plus, look how bloody deliciously tasty it looks!

ANYWAY...

At the bottom of Las Ramblas we discovered the beautifully nautical Port Vell and I instantly fell in love with its deeply maritime views and vibe.

It was a bit more breezy right out by the coast so we headed back inland to keep exploring! We trailed back up Las Rambas, dancing in and out of shops, and around various street stalls, until we found ourselves at the other end of the street, where it opens out onto Placa de Catalunya, the main square at the heart of the city. Two huge fountains surrounded by beds of blooming flowers show off its splendor and status quite effectively I think!

By this point we were starting to flag on our feet, and were stunned when we noticed the time. Pushing eight in the evening we were more than content to have seen so much in one afternoon, but were also more than keen to retire and rest our sleepy little heads! All that travelling and exploring in one day had really taken it out of us!

An obligatory glass of wine on the terrace to mark our first night here, and it was straight to bed for us!

Arriving in Prague

In February, one of my closest and most treasured friends in Edinburgh fled the city and escaped to Prague to study and explore for one whole term.
As sorry as I was to be losing such a trusted ear (and loving heart), it didn't take either of us long to start plotting my own adventure over there.
I hadn't flown anywhere for almost two years due to a dire combination of my inability to save, the fact my passport had expired and my laziness to renew it.
And so I finally attended to my poor little passport and shortly after her departure, I sorted out my own.
4 months, multiple deadlines and a severe flood warning later I landed in the magnificent place that is Prague!

Welcomed with open arms just after 6pm, I was whisked away to Pizza Coloseum for our first meal and a well overdue catch up!
It was quite late when we were finally satisfied and with a full night ahead we hurried home - by tram! - to change into more comfortable clothes.
Another tram ride later (the tram quickly became my preferred mode of transport), and Becky introduced me to her room mate Amy and ''Popo'', her favourite pre-drinking spot in the whole of Prague.

By the look on our faces I think we were all in agreement of Popo's brilliance.
An outstanding equation of cheap drinks, good music and great company!
Once we were more than merry, we tried and tested a selection of clubs and eventually settled on 'James Dean', a 1950's American inspired club complete with retro decor...

A little while into the night we bumped into Phil, another friend from Edinburgh who also decided to swap bonny Scotland for beautiful Prague!

I couldn't help but feel that I too should have considered such an opportunity.
If not to explore a little part of our planet, then at least so these two wouldn't forget me.
However, it seems that I was there in spirit.. and ink, so I couldn't be out of mind for long!

Hours passed in what felt like minutes and we eventually danced out into the morning light.
It was so amazing to see the city so quiet and peaceful.
Hard to imagine that the place would soon be swarmed by all walks of life.

Here I am in front of Franz Kafka's house at ridiculous o'clock AM. 

A Literature student, it would have been rude not to. 

Post night out snack or a hearty breakfast? 

A Breakfast Burrito has a ring to it. 

Setting us up nicely for the day ahead...